Colin presented an eclectic dip into the assortment box of Pitlochry’s local history, by looking at lots of groupings of three things to show how Pitlochry has been shaped over the years.  Topics and artefacts included the Lude Harp, Black Spout toggle and the Clach na Brataich.  Watch here:  Pitlochry in Threes

Lesley looked at the history of many of the churches in the local area of Dull to Strathtay which have been ‘lost’ and those which have survived to discover what has happened to them and why.

Watch here: Where have all the Churches gone? 

Helen showed you how to use ‘Ancestry’ and ‘ScotlandsPeople’ to search births, marriages, deaths, censuses and other records, indicating the range of information that is available and what to expect when you start to search. Her talk included some tips and advice, and suggestions for searching newspapers, gravestones and other useful websites. Watch here: Researching your Family History in Scotland.

A fun and informative quiz evening to brighten up January blues, including questions on the natural history, folklore, archaeology, history, and songs relating to the Breadalbane area and beyond, providing opportunities to gain more knowledge of these topics.

Watch here:  Breadalbane Quiz. 

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 1^st and 2^nd centuries A.D. Watch here:  The Roman Army in Perthshire.

Tommy Pringle presented 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. Watch here:  Aberfeldy Past and Present.

David’s talk encompassed the life cycle of the salmon, the drastic reduction in salmon numbers and current scientific research studies, providing an overview of the status of the River Tay’s salmon population and fisheries, comparing the past with what the future might hold. Watch here:  ‘Salmon and Salmon Fishing in the River Tay’.

Dr. Liz Auty, John Muir Trust’s East Schiehallion Property Manager, discussed the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne’s 1774 expedition to Schiehallion, the people, the experiment to ‘weigh’ the world and the mountain, along with her work for the John Muir Trust. Watch here:  ‘The Attraction of Mountains’.

John gave an overview of the early medieval sculpture of Highland Perthshire, following its distribution from west to east along the glens and straths, highlighting what is rare and unusual.  He examined the distribution of the sculpture to see what that tells us about its cultural origins and thus assess just how “Pictish” this part of Perthshire was. Watch here: ‘The early Medieval Sculpture of Highland Perthshire‘.

Dr. Nicki Scott described how although the survival of so many Pictish carvings highlights the long tradition of Christian worship across Angus, the tradition of monumental display continued in the medieval period, most famously at Arbroath Abbey. Watch here: ‘Ancient Magnificence: Arbroath Abbey and Beyond’.

Annette described how, despite the tragic shortness of his life, James Marjoribanks MacLaren (1853-1890) achieved much in his architectural career and is recognised as a pioneer of the Arts & Crafts Movement. She discussed how his work as an architect and designer impacted on his contemporaries in the context of this movement in Scotland and in Britain more widely. Watch here: ‘James MacLaren and the Arts and Crafts Movement’. 

Professor Steve Boardman is the Professor of Medieval Scottish History at The University of Edinburgh with research interests in Late Medieval Scottish Kingship. His talk was based on his current research activities on the life and post-medieval mythologizing of the Wolf of Badenoch. Watch here: ‘A Species of Celtic Atila?’

David is a Director of the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and his areas of interest include Iron Age forts and settlements c.700 BC to AD 700, and community archaeology. In this talk, he concentrated on the hill forts of Castle Law, Abernethy; Moncreiffe Hill, Bridge of Earn, and Kings Seat, Dunkeld. Watch here: ‘Hillforts of the Tay’

Caitlin’s talk covered how the the last pitched battle on British soil came about with the Jacobite supporters, seeking to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British thrones, gathered to fight the Duke of Cumberland’s government troops, and how the current survey work carried out by the National Trust for Scotland on the site of the battle is changing the understanding of how the battle progressed. Watch here: ‘Culloden’

Mar Lodge Estate, purchased by the National Trust for Scotland in 1995, is in the heart of the Cairngorms and is home to over 5,000 species. This vast expanse of Caledonian woodlands, subarctic mountains, bogs, moors, roaring burns and frozen lochs could be a place where environmental conservation and Highland field sports could exist in harmony. After centuries of abuse by human hands, the ancient Caledonian pinewoods were dying. After 25 years of extremely hard work, the pinewoods, bogs, moors and mountains are returning to their former glory. Watch here: ‘Mar Lodge Regeneration’

Froglife is a national wildlife charity committed to the conservation of the UK’s amphibians and reptiles in addition to the habitats these species depend upon.  In this talk, James raised awareness of native reptiles and amphibians and guided us to learn more about amphibians and reptiles in the area as well as the exciting work underway on the ‘Come Forth for Wildlife’ project and ‘Fife Living Water’ project. Watch here: ‘Discovering Froglife’

During the Covid lockdown, Colin Liddell, a long-standing supporter of and a speaker to the Breadalbane Heritage Society, researched and endeavoured to translate all of the Gaelic place names noted on maps within 175 square miles surrounding Pitlochry.  He explained why and how he did this, and illustrated a number of fascinating features of the life carried on in the foothills of Highland Perthshire and beyond, which have been revealed through his translations. Watch here:  ‘Gaelic Map Names’

Ronnie is the Secretary of the Black Watch          Association and his talk covers the existence of the Black Watch Regiment from 1739 to 2006 as one of Great Britain’s most famous Infantry Regiments with its roots deeply planted in Aberfeldy. Watch here: ‘The Black Watch’