In what may be the Society’s first-ever offshore excursion, fourteen members visited the tiny island of Iona for three nights at the beginning of September. This long-awaited trip had been booked at the St Columba Hotel in 2019 for September 2020 but had to be postponed due to lockdown last year.
Iona Abbey with Dùn Ìin the background
Lesley Whitwood organised the three days with an ideal mixture of group activities and independent exploring. Some attended the services held nightly or in the morning by the Iona Community in the 12th century Benedictine abbey, and as a group we visited the wonderfully restored abbey buildings, its recently updated museum and the Nunnery and went for varied walks over the beautiful island scenery.
St. Martin’s Cross
We were blessed with warm weather, sometimes bright sunshine, sometimes cloudy, but thankfully not a drop of rain. Everyone agreed that, thanks to Lesley and to Sally Rose who undertook all the bookings, the trip was such a success that annual three-day excursions should take place – next year’s special multi-day trip to Angus is already in the planning.
After 18 months of Covid restrictions with all our 2020-21 winter programme of talks having been presented online by Zoom, we were hopeful that we would be able to present our new season of winter talks commencing in September 2021 ‘in person’ in our regular venue, the Breadalbane Community Campus in Aberfeldy. However, we were informed that public use of the main hall in the Breadalbane Campus complex would only be possible from the beginning of October. Consequently, our first winter talk on the 17th September was presented online using Zoom, but we were able to return to the Breadalbane Campus for our October talk. We are hopeful that the November and March talks will also still be able to take place in the Breadalbane Campus.
Taking into consideration the likelihood of adverse winter weather during the months of January and February making travel difficult and from comments and suggestions from our members that they are unwilling to venture out on cold, wet winter evenings, we have decided for this season to present the January and February talks online by Zoom. As we hold the talks on the third Friday of the winter months, there is not a talk in December as it would come very close to Christmas. Joining details for each Zoom meeting will be provided prior to each talk.
2021-22 Programme of Winter Talks
Friday 17th September 2021:Dr. David Summers – ‘The Atlantic Salmon’(by Zoom)
Friday 15th October 2021:Rob Hands – ‘Battles of the Three Muirs’
Friday 19th November 2021: Dr. Liz Auty – ‘The Attraction of Mountains, Schiehallion, ‘Weighing’ the World and Contour Lines’
Friday 21st January 2022:John Borland – ‘The Early Medieval Sculpture of Highland Perthshire’(by Zoom)
Friday 18th February 2022:Dr. Nicki Scott: ‘Ancient Magnificence: Arbroath Abbey and beyond’(by Zoom)
Friday 18th March 2022:Annette Carruthers: ‘James MacLaren and the Arts and Crafts Movement’
2022 Programme of Summer Excursions
In association with the programme of winter talks, we also run a short season of half and full-day excursions from late May to mid-July, ideally to locations referred to in some of the winter talks.
Amongst the locations we are currently considering are:
a full-day trip to visit Watling Lodge, Rough Castle Fort, Seabegs Wood and Castlecary Fort on the Antonine wall, led by Jim walker who presented an excellent informative talk to the Society on the Antonine Wall in November 2019;
a visit led by Dr. Liz Auty to look at the traces of the social and natural history evident on the the lower levels around Schiehallion;
a visit to the Duplin Moor and Tippermuir battlefields to the west of Perth, led by Rob Hand following his talk on these battles in October.
In addition, we are considering a three or four-day trip to Angus in late-August to visit a number of HES and other sites, some of which will be referred to in John Borland’s January talk and included in Dr. Nicki Scott’s February talk.
These are our preliminary excursion proposals and may be subject to change. Further details will be confirmed early next year.
Refer to the Events page for further information on the forthcoming season of Winter Talks.
At last! Our first summer outing since July 2019! On the 9th June we held our first public summer visit of 2021 to the Menzies Mausoleum in the Old Kirk of Weem and to the Walled Gardens at Castle Menzies which includes the upper Archibald Menzies Garden. 12 members made up the party, which was limited in size due to Covid restrictions.
Menzies Mausoleum in the Old Kirk of Weem
Clare Thomas gave a splendid introduction to the Mausoleum which we then explored.
The party then went up to Walled Garden at Castle Menzies to learn from Fran Gillespie about its establishment and the way in which it has changed over the years.
Castle Menzies with the eastern edge of the walled garden to the rightThe walled garden viewed from the entrance road to the castleCongregating at the monumental gates to the walled gardenThe upper Archibald Menzies garden
How lovely it would be to have the garden restored to its former glory!
Overall, the visit to the Menzies Mausoleum and the Castle Menzies Garden was very successful particularly as many of the participants were new members. The offer of refreshments afterwards in the castle Tea Room with coffee and cake meant that our new members then had a chance to chat to others, form links and get to know each other. That was made easier by it being only a small group.
Now read on for further historical information on both the Old Kirk of Weem and the Castle Menzies Walled Garden.
Old Kirk of Weem – Menzies Mausoleum
According to tradition, the first church at Weem was established by St. Cuthbert around the year AD 650. Cuthbert founded an oratory and cistern at Chapel Rock (the Rock of Weem) above the village. The site was restored by Sir David Menzies around 1440 when he retired to live as a hermit there. The site was later renamed St. David’s Well after Sir David.
The first mention of Weem as a Parish is in Boiamund’s Taxatio, preserved in the Vatican. In this record, popularly known as Bagimont’s Roll, is set out a list of parishes and tithes collected from them in 1275 and 1276 by Boiamund de Vicci, Nuncio, sent out by the Pope to gather funds for the relief of the Holy Land. Listed is ‘Ecclesia de Weem, 30 sols’, giving revenue of ‘15 lib‘.
The church was under the patronage of the Earls of Atholl until 1464.
The early medieval building was replaced by the present building around 1488 by Sir Robert Menzies, the 8th Chief of Clan Menzies. An alternate version of events suggests that the church was built by John Menzies, the Clan Chief, after he was granted the Barony of Weem in 1451. Menzies family members were buried at Weem church from at least the 15th century.
The church was altered in 1609 and again in the 18th century. Given its links to St Cuthbert it is not surprising that the kirk was originally dedicated to him, but it was later referred to as St. David’s Church after Sir David Menzies (though he was never canonised). Neither dedication is used today and the church is simply referred to as the Old Kirk of Weem.
Inside the church are two large sandstone crosses brought here from the 8th century monastic settlement at Dull, a few miles to the west. They were part of a series of four stones that marked the sanctuary boundary of a Celtic monastery established by St Cuthbert. One of the other two stones can still be found in the centre of Dull village.
The Menzies Mausoleum at Weem was originally a simple rectangular stone church, probably thatched and dating to the late 15th century. Features of interest include the aumbries set into the wall with carvings above each, probably intended to hold holy water. In the post reformation period, the altar and chancel screen were removed and a pulpit then became the focus of the worshippers’ attention. Many structural alterations have taken place over the succeeding centuries, including raising the height of the roof and adding a gallery, now demolished.
No longer in use as a church, the building houses a varied array of tombs and memorials of members of the Menzies clan, among which the most spectacular is the elaborately carved Menzies Monument, erected in 1616 by Sir Alexander Menzies as a tribute to his female ancestors.
Also of note is a large painted hatchment facing the visitors as they enter, with paper tears pinned to the edging, commemorating the sad death in 1845 of Caroline Elizabeth Menzies aged only 15.
Some Menzies clan members visiting the kirk, guided by Tommy Pringle, on the occasion of an annual clan gathering in August
Almost nothing is known about the earliest gardens at Castle Menzies, parts of which date to the 15th century. The first map that includes the castle and garden was drawn by Timothy Pont in 1595.
The garden was attached to the east side of the castle and shows four rectangles divided by paths, trees and walls, with woods and orchards to the north and west.
After that there is no evidence until the early 1700s when receipts for gardening equipment and staff wages appear in the archives. A receipt dated 1735 is for an extensive list of 45 different vegetable seeds and two ‘English’ spades. But it is not known where this large vegetable garden stood except that it was probably still attached to or near the east wall of the castle. In the second half of the 18th century, kitchen gardens tended to be moved away from dwellings at least in part because of the smell of the fresh manure used to create the heat required for melons and cucumbers.
The first walled garden is referred to in a letter written in 1790, the drainage ditches which surrounded it are still visible in the field to the east of the castle, and part of its east wall still survive. The noted plant hunter Archibald Menzies [1754-1842] worked along with two of his brothers in the castle gardens, where his father James was head gardener; it’s possible that this is the garden he knew.
The present walled garden is mentioned in a letter of 1838, with its south wall being the north wall of the earlier walled garden. It consists of three levels on a steep slope, connected by stone stairways and divided by high walls, and the topmost tier is dedicated to the memory of Archibald Menzies (the Archibald Menzies Garden) and contains several trees discovered by him. A fine mature example of one of his most famous discoveries, the Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), stands just outside the western wall of the gardens.
Central steps and stairway linking all levels
More information, including recent attempts to reclaim and improve the gardens, can be found in the following websites:
There are continuing discussions regarding the possibilities for its future care and development.
The seven Gardeners at the Gates of the Walled Garden Castle Menzies, circa 1920
Left to right:
Sandy McGregor, (lived in the South Lodge); Archie McNaughton (Dull); Bobbie Connell, (lived at the Middle Lodge with his father who was the Lodge Keeper); Jimmie Campbell, (lived latterly at Dull); Next one – unidentified; Sandy McIntosh, of Milton; Aldrid ?, the Head Gardener.
Lesley Whitwood, Fran Gillespie, Ian Stewart and Tommy Pringle contributed to the above text and photographs.
Lyon & Turnbull of Edinburgh are holding an auction of property belonging to the Earls of Breadalbane & Holland from Taymouth Castle on Tuesday, 18 May 2021. We are not suggesting that you might be interested in bidding for any of the items to be auctioned, but there is much history, many wonderful images and fascinating reading in the catalogue.
One of the many important auction items is the 16th century manuscript of the Chronicle of Fortingall in the hand of the Dean of Lismore’s curate. It’s just a few scrappy pages pasted into an old notebook, (anticipated value in the order of £20,000 to £30,000), but it is priceless for the history of the area. It must have been what Campbell used in his transcription of the Chronicle for Sir Donald Currie in his Book of Garth and Fortingall, republished a few years ago by the British Museum. Hopefully it will be purchased by a national institution, so the National Library of Scotland or the British Museum would be worthy custodians.
Extract from the Chronical of Fortigall (Fortingall)
If you would like to delve into the world and belongings of the Earls of Breadalbane, you can view and/or download the auction catalogue below:
Last month, Tommy Pringle, a life-long resident of Aberfeldy, gave an entertaining and informative talk on ‘Aberfeldy Past and Present’, presenting a series of photographs and postcards taken over the last 150 years showing changes to buildings in Aberfeldy starting in Kenmore Street and working eastwards along to the Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery.
By coupling archive images with current photographs, Tommy illustrated the range of shops and garages and other buildings that once graced the streets of Aberfeldy and have now been replaced or had a change of use.
His talk was very popular with over 100 requests for joining information, and Tommy’s personal knowledge and stories of the characters, buildings and events brought Aberfeldy to life.
Two versions of the recording of the talk are available to view. The first is approximately one hour long and contains just the talk. The second includes an additional subsequent 30-minute Q&A session providing further supplementary information. Both of these videos can be viewed below:
Only the talk (60 minutes):
The talk + Q&A session (90 minutes):
If you wish to view these videos at a larger size, click on the ‘full screen’ button at the bottom right-hand corner of the images above:
A chance to attend the last Zoom online talk of our 2020-21 winter season with what is proving to be a very popular event with 75 people having already expressed an interest in joining in on Friday evening.
Tommy will be using archive photographs and postcards to illustrate the range of shops and garages and other buildings that once graced the streets of Aberfeldy and have now been replaced or had a change of use.
If you wish to attend, please send Ian Stewart an email at bhsaberfeldy@gmail.com, and he will send you the joining details.
Last month, we held our most successful online Zoom talk of this unusual Covid-affected Winter season. Jim Walker, past president of the Glasgow Archaeological Society, presented an excellent talk on the Antonine Wall to the Society in 2019 and returned in February to tell us about camps, forts, fortlets and signal stations established and used by the Roman army in Perthshire in different, planned military campaigns during the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D.
The subject of this lecture and its relevance to Perthshire attracted the largest audience we have had during this online series, with 110 of the 124 people who expressed an interest in the talk attending on the night, including one in Australia and another in California! With partners watching from the same address, we estimate that over 130 people watched this informative and entertaining talk.
Two versions of the recording of the talk are available to view. The first is approximately one hour long and contains just the talk. The second includes an additional subsequent 30-minute Q&A session providing further supplementary information. Both of these videos can be viewed below:
Only the talk (60 minutes):
The talk + Q&A session (90 minutes):
If you wish to view these videos at a larger size, click on the ‘full screen’ button at the bottom right-hand corner of the images above:
As our replacement for the normal winter season of public meetings held in the Breadalbane Campus in Aberfeldy, we are continuing with our successful foray into presenting a winter season of Zoom meetings and talks in 2021.
In September, Colin Liddell gave a talk on ‘Pitlochry in 3s’; in October, Lesley Whitwood asked the question ‘Where have all the churches gone?’ and last month, Helen Stewart presented a talk on ‘Researching your Family History in Scotland’. These were all well attended with between 45 and 60 people viewing each of these online presentations.
We are continuing this series of Zoom talks with:
a Quiz Night on Friday, 15th January. This will be a fun and informative evening to brighten up January blues, including questions on the history, archaeology, antiquities, folklore and natural history of Breadalbane and beyond, providing opportunities to gain more knowledge of these topics;
on Friday, 19th February, a talk on ‘The Roman Army in Perthshire’ will be presented by Jim Walker. Jim presented an excellent talk on the Antonine Wall to the Society last year and is now returning to tell us about camps, forts, fortlets and signal stations established and used by the Roman army in Perthshire during the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D.
‘Aberfeldy Past and Present’, a talk by Tommy Pringle on Friday, 19th March. Tommy will be presenting a series of photographs taken over the last 150 years showing changes to buildings in Aberfeldy starting in Kenmore Street and working along to the Distillery. This follows on from a series of photos taken by Alan Proud.
These talks are free to attend. To register your interest, or if you have any queries on the above, please send an email to Ian Stewart at bhsaberfeldy@gmail.com. A few days before each meeting, Ian will email you the Zoom joining details.
Breadalbane Heritage Society 
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