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Respecting the estates of
Drynie and Kilcoy, a correspondent, who says, "I well remember my
excessive grief when my father had to leave the farm which his
forefathers had farmed for five generations," writes:—
"All the tenants to the
east of Drynie, as far as Craigiehow, were turned out, one by one, to
make room for one large tenant, Mr. Robertson, who had no less than four
centres for stackyards. A most prosperous tenantry were turned out to
make room for him, and what is the end of it all! Mr. Robertson has come
to grief as a farmer, and now holds a very humble position in the town
of Inverness. Drumderfit used to be occupied by fifteen or sixteen
tenants who were gradually, and from time to time, evicted, during the
last fifty years. Balnakyle was tenanted by five very comfortable and
respectable farmers, four of whom were turned out within the last thirty
years ; Balnaguie was occupied by three ; Torr by six; and Croftcruive
by five; the once famous names of Drum-na-marg and Moreton are now
extinct, as well as the old tenantry whose forefathers farmed these
places for generations. he present farm of Kilcoy includes a number of
holdings whose tenants were evicted to make room for one large farmer;
"and this is equally true of many others in the district. Nothing can
better illustrate the cruel manner in which the ancient tenantry of the
country have been treated than these facts; and special comment on the
evictions from Strathconon and the Black Isle, after what has been said
about others of a similar character, would be superfluous. |
