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PRESBYTERY OF KINCARDINE O'NEIL, SYNOD OF ABERDEEN.
THE REV. CHARLES M'COMBIE, MINISTER.
I.—Topography and Natural History.
Name.—The etymology of Lumphanan, which is
spelled in the most ancient writings, Lunfanan, Lonfanan, and Lanfanan,
cannot be ascertained with certainty. We may conjecture that it comes
from three Celtic words, Llan or Lan, a church—Fan,
a descent—and An, water, [Chalmers's
Caledonia, Vol. i. p. 54, 23, and Vol. iii. p. 3.]—a derivation
which might naturally suggest itself to those who observed that the
principal stream in the parish passes near the church, in its descent
from the mountains to the Loch of Auchlossan.
Situation, Extent, and Boundaries.—The parish is
situate between the Dee and the Don, in the district of Mar, twenty-four
miles from Aberdeen.
The length of the parish from north to south is 6
miles; the breadth from east to west, 4 miles.
It is bounded on the north by the parishes of Tough,
Leochel, and Coull; on the south by Kincardine o'Neil and Aboyne; on the
east by Kincardine o'Neil; and on the west by Coull and Aboyne.
Geology.—The rocks of the parish are of the
primitive order, formed chiefly of porphyritic granite and granite.
Zoology.—Besides the domesticated races, the
following animals reside during the whole, or a part of the year, in the
parish, or occasionally visit it.
Ranunculus lingua and Sedum villosum have been found in the
parish by Francis Adams, Esq. Surgeon, Banchory, and Saxifraga
Hirculus by Dr Robert Fraser, near the House of Findrack. The common
water plants of the country, marsh marigold, marsh trefoil, Lancashire
asphodel, &c. grow luxuriantly near the loch of Auchlossan. Equisetum
limosum or marsh horse-tail rises from its deepest water; while
Carex ampullacea or bottle carex is the principal material of which
the green sward on its margin is composed.
II.—Civil History.
Ecclesiastical History.—Alan de Lundin, named,
from his office in the King's court, the Doorward or Durward, erected,
in 1233, an hospital at Kincardine O'Neil, dedicated to God and the
Blessed Mary. He conferred on it the patronage of the church of
Kincardine O'Neil, the patronage of the church of Lonfanan, and its
chapel of Forthery (probably Fordie), with certain pieces of land, the
names of which are given, and the marches accurately described, in the
chartulary of Aberdeen. [Chart. Aberdon. pp.
174—78.] In 1330, the hospital and church of Kincardine O'Neil
were incorporated with the cathedral establishment of Aberdeen; the
rector was raised to the dignity of a prebend; after that period, he had
a manse assigned him within the chanonry, while a perpetual vicar
resided at Kincardine, and discharged the duties of the benefice.
Duncan, Earl of Fife, the inheritor of the possessions of the Durwards,
bestowed on the Bishop of Aberdeen the patronage of the church of
Kincardine O'Neil, and the chapels annexed to it, reverently depositing,
to increase the solemnity of the transaction, with his own hands, on 7th
March 1338, the charter of donation on the altar of the Blessed Mary in
the cathedral church of the city. [Chart.
Aberdon. p. 173-74. Orem's Old Aberd. p. 125. Aberdeen, 1830.]
The first Protestant minister was George Levingstoun, who had under his
charge the parishes of Kyncardin, Lanfannane, Midmar, and Clwyne. To
enable him to perform the labours of this extensive cure, a reader was
appointed at Lumphanan, whose name was John Mychell.
[Register of Ministers, pp. 63-67.]
In 1595, William Strathaucin of Cluny was infeft in the patronages of
Kincardine O'Neil, Glentanner, Lumphanan, Cluny, and Midmar, annexed
thereto. In 1599, his possession of these patronages was ratified by the
parson of Kincardine. In 1617, he disponed them to Mr William Forbes of
Craigevar, who obtained, in the same year, a ratification from Bishop
Patrick Forbes, and twenty of the chapter of Aberdeen. His son, Sir
William Forbes of Craigevar, obtained another ratification, in 1637,
from Adam Bellenden, Bishop of Aberdeen; and his lineal representative,
Sir John Forbes, Bart. is now the patron of three of these churches,—Kincardine
O'Neil, Lumphanan, and Midmar. [Charters in possession of Sir John
Forbes of Craigevar, Bart. For. the greater part of this section, as
well as for many of the most interesting
facts recorded in this article, the writer is indebted to Joseph
Robertson, Esq. author of the Book of Bon-Accord,—a gentleman who
possesses an extensive acquaintance with the antiquities of
Aberdeenshire. See his Collections for a History of Aberdeenshire, pp.
6, 13, 14.]
Historical Notices.—Macbeth was killed and buried
in Lumphanan. It is necessary to record the evidence of this fact,
furnished by history and tradition, as
Shakspeare has represented Dunsinane in Perthshire as the scene of his
slaughter.
"Macbeth, the son of Finleg, reigned seventeen years;
he was slain at Lunfanan by Malcolm, the son of Duncan;"—is the brief
notice of the event in the register of St Andrews. [Regist.
Sti. Andr. apud Johnstone's Antiq. Celt. Norm. p. 148.]
"Macbeth seeing his own forces," says Fordun, "daily
diminishing, and those of his adversary increasing, suddenly left the
southern parts of the kingdom, and fled to the north, in whose narrow
passes, and in the depths of whose forests, he hoped to find safety.
Malcolm, however, quickly followed him across the mountains to Lunfanan,
where he slew him, in a skirmish, with his few followers, on the 5th
December 1056." [Forduni Scotichronicon,
lib. v. c. vii.]
A similar testimony is borne by Wyntown:—
"He wes rycht wa, and tuk the flycht:
And owre the Mownth thai chast hym than
Til the Wode of Lunfanan.
This Makduff wes thare mast felle,
And on that chas than mast crwele.
Bot a Knycht, that in that chas
Til this Makbeth than nerest was,
Makbeth turnyd him agayne,
And sayd, 'Lurdane, thow prykys in wayne,
For thow may noucht be he, I trowe,
That to dede sall sla me nowe.
That man is nowcht borne of Wyf
Of powere to rewe me my lyfe.'
"The Knycht said, 'I wes nevyr borne;
But of my Modyr Wame wes schorne.
Now sall thi Tresowne here tak end.'
"Thus Makbeth slwe thai than
In-to the Wode of Lunfanan;
And his Hewyd thai strak off thare;
And that wyth thame fra thine thai bare
Til Kynkardyne, quhare the Kyng
Tyll thare gayne-come made byding.
Of that slawchter are thire wers
In Latyne wrythyne to rehers;
"Rex Macabeda decern Scotiae septemque fit annis,
In cujus regno fertile tempus erat:
Hune in Lunfanan truncavit morte crudeli
Duncani natus, nomine Malcolimus."
[Wyntownis Cronykil, Book vi. cap. xviii. 1.
p. 382-410.]
The evidence furnished by the ancient chroniclers has
been regarded as sufficient by modern historians and antiquaries.
"Malcolm," says Bishop Leslie, "having received from
King Edward ten thousand English soldiers, returned to Scotland, and
hotly pursued Macbeth to Dounsinnan, and from thence to Lunfanan. There
Macduff, the Thane of Fife, whose wife and children he had lately
ordered to be slain, killed him, and, presenting his head as a gift to
Malcolm, received the highest rewards." [De
origine moribus et rebus gestis Scotorum libri decern, Auctore Joanne
Les-teo Episcopo Rossensi, lib v. 85.]
"Macbeth," says Dalrymple, "retreated to the
fastnesses of the north, and protracted the war. His people forsook his
standard. Malcolm attacked him at Lunfanan, in Aberdeenshire: abandoned
by his few remaining followers, Macbeth fell (5th December 1056)." [Dalrymple's
Annals, pp. 2-3.]
"The Northumbrians," says Chalmers, "led by Siward
and his son, Osbert, penetrated probably to Dunsinan. In this vicinity
were they confronted by Macbeth, when a furious conflict ensued. The
numbers of the slain evince the length of the battle, and the bravery of
the combatants. Osbert was slain ; yet Macbeth, after all the efforts of
valour and vigour of conduct, was overcome. He retired into the north,
where he had numerous friends, and where he might find many fastnesses.
Siward returned into Northumberland, and died at York in ]055. Meantime,
Macbeth continued his bloody contest with Malcolm; and this uncommon
character was at length slain at Lumphanan, on the 5th December 1056, by
the injured hand of Macduff." [Chalmers's
Caledonia, Vol. i. pp. 409-410.]
"Macbeth," says Sir Walter Scott, "engaged the foe in
the neighbourhood of his celebrated Castle of Dunsinane. He was
defeated, but escaped from the castle, and was slain at Lumphanan in
1056." [Sir Walter Scott's History of
Scotland, Vol. i. p. 18.]
A tradition prevails over a wide district of country,
and has been unhesitatingly received for ages, that the murderer, or the
victor of "the gracious Duncan," was slain in Lumphanan, and that the
heap of stones, which to this day is called Macbeth's Cairn, is the
place of his sepulture.
If, then, the evidence of the fact furnished by
history and tradition is so strong, why, it may be asked, does
Shakspeare, in a drama which has been pronounced, by Augustus William
Schlegel, [Lectures on Dramatic Art, Vol. ii. p. 204.] to be grander
than any other work that has been produced by man since the time of
Æschylus, represent Macbeth as killed in front
of the gates of the Castle of Dunsinane? A glance at the Scottish
Chronicle of Hollinshead, from whom our immortal poet received his
information, [Sir W. Scott's Hist. of
Scotland, Vol. i. p. 17.] will enable us to reply to the
question.
"Malcolme following hastilie," says this chronicler,
"after Macbeth, came the night before the battell unto Birnane wood and
when his armie had rested a while there to refresh them, he commanded
everie man to get a bow of some tree or other of that wood in his hand
as big as he might bear, and to march forth therewith in such wise, that
on the next morrow they might come closely and without sight in this
manner, within view of his enemies. On the morrow, when Macbeth beheld
them coming in this sort, he first marvelled what the matter meant; but
in the end remembered himself, that the prophesie which he had heard
long before that time, of the coming of Birnane wood to Dunsinane
Castell, was likelie to be now fulfilled. Nevertheless, he brought his
men in order of battell, and exhorted them to do va-liantlie. Howbeit,
his enemies had scarcely cast from them their boughs, when Macbeth,
perceiving their numbers, betooke him streight to flight, whom Macduff
pursued with great hatred, even till he came
to Lunfannaine, where Macbeth, perceiving that Macduff was hard at his
back, leapt beside his horse, saying, 'Thou traitor, what meaneth it
that thou shouldst thus in vain follow me, that am not appointed to be
slaine by anie creature that is born of a woman ; come on, therefore,
and receive thy reward, which thou hast deserved for thy pains;' and
therewithall he lifted up his sword, thinking to have slain him. But
Macduff, quicklie avoiding from his horse, yer he came at him, answered,
(with his naked sword in his hand) saying, ' It is true, Macbeth, and
now shall thine insatiable crueltie have an end; for I am even he that
thy wizzards have told thee of, who was never born of my mother, but
ripped out of her womb;' therewithall he stepped unto him, and slew him
in the place. Then, cutting his head from his shoulders, he set it upon
a pole, and brought it to Malcolm. This was the end of Macbeth, after he
had reigned seventeen years over the Scotishmen." [Hollinshead's
Scottish Chronicle, i. 351.]
May we not hazard the conjecture that Shakspeare,
desirous that the range of the action in the closing scene of his drama
should not be extended beyond the ground before the Castle of Dunsinane,
and fancying, probably, that Lunfanaine was some insignificant village
in the immediate vicinity, specified the place where the contest between
Macbeth and Malcolm had been represented by Hollinshead as commencing,
and took no notice of the place where the contest had been represented
by the chronicler as terminating?
James VI., animated by a
desire of extirpating sorcery from his dominions, issued, in 1596-1597,
commissions for the purpose of "haulding justice courtis on witches" in
Aberdeen. [Preface by the editor of the
Miscellany of the Spalding Club, Vol. i. p. 49, John Stuart, Esq.]
The trials that took place in these courts have been lately published by
the Spalding Club. They are marked by features of folly and atrocity
that cannot now fail to awaken feelings of wonder and indignation. Of
the preposterous charges brought against the parties, a large proportion
of whom were from the parish of Lumphanan, a few specimens may be given.
Of the Dittay against one Issobell Richie, the
following charge forms a part:—
"Thow art indyttit for the being at the twa
devylische dances, betwixt Lumfannand and Cragleauche, with vmquhill
Margerat Bane, vpon Alhallowewin last, quhair thow conferrit with the
Dewill; and at that time thow ressauit thy honours fra the Dewyll, thy
maister, and were appoynted be him in all tymes thairefter his special
domestic, seruand, and furriour, qwhilk thow can nocht denye."
In the Dittay against Margrat Og, this accusation is
preferred:
"Thow art indyttit as a notorious witche, for the
bevitching of vmquhill Agnes Ross, Lady Auchinhuiff, in maner folowing,
to vit: The said vmquhill Agnes having bocht a schowder of mut-toun fra
Johne Duged, at the mylne of Auchinhuiff, in the moneth of Merche,
fourscoir fyftene yeris; and the said vmquhill Agnes having brocht the
said schulder to the houss of Beatrix Robbie,
thy dochter, compartner with thee in all thy devilische practizes,
quhair the said vmquhill Agnes tareit all that nicht, thow and thy
dochter tuk out thrie grippis out of the middist of the said schul-der,
and causit rost the same vpon the morne; quhilk being rested, and the
said vmquhill Agnes eating thereof, scho instantly contractes a deidlie
disease, quhairin scho continowit the space of thrie quarteris of a yere,
the ane halff of the day burning as giff it had been in a fyrie fornace,
and the vther halff of
the day melting avay in a cauld sweyt, quhile scho at last
depairtis this lyff. And this thow can nocht deny, for the said vmquhill
Agnes, immediatlie befoir her departure, left her dead on the, and thy
said dochter."
In the Dittay against Margerat Clerk, this charge is
made:—.
"Thow art accusit, that, being desyrit by Alexander
Cultis, att the Mylne of Auchlossin, to cum to him, quha had then ane
cow caffit, and the said cow wald na wayes suffer hir calff to sowk
hir, nether wald the cow taik with the calff, bot continewlie
repynit and strak the samen, thow said than to the said Alexander, I
sall remeid this, and sall gar the cow taik with the calff, and the
calff swek the cow. And immediatlie therefter thow passit in the byre
quhair the calff and cow was, and wald not suffer the said Alexander nor
his wyff gang in the byre with the, nor no vther, bot pat them all out
except thyselff allone, and thair, by thy devilische socerie and
inchantment, efter thow had sitten downe in the staw, before the cowis
heid, thow gaue ane devilische low and terible voice, quhairthrow the
haill houss trimlit and schuik, and immediatlie the cow tuik with the
calff, and the calff with gryt feirce-nes to the cow, and sowkit hir;
and throw the quhilk terrible cry and devilische [
] gevyn by the at the time aforesaid, the wyiff of the said
Alexander being exceidinglie affrayit and terre-fiet, tuik and
contractit immediatelie ane deidlie sickness be thy socerie and
witchcraft, and was nevir coyit thereof quill scho de-partit this lyff."
Mr John Ross, minister at Lumphanan, makes this
report concerning Agnes Fren:—
"Scho is indyttit to haiff taine thrie heiris out of
her avine kawis taill, and to haiff cuttit the sam in smal peiceis, and
to haue put-tine it in heir kowe's trouch, quha thairefter gaiff milk
and (the) nychtbouris nane."
In the Notes by the parson of Kincardine O'Neil, the
following memorandum is found :—
"Isobell Oge, indytet for hinging wpe ane bitill in
Cragtoune of Lumquhanan, for lounding of the wind." [Miscellany
of Spalding Club, Vol. i.]
Proprietors of Land.—Lumphanan formed a part of
the barony of O'Neill, which in the thirteenth century belonged to the
Dur-wards. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries it passed through a
variety of hands, which cannot, in the imperfect records of the period,
be accurately traced. [Robertson's
Collections for a History of Aberdeenshire.]
About 1330, Randolph, Earl of Moray, tenant to
Duncan, Earl of Fife, in the estate of Lumphanan, granted to Sir James
de Garvieaugh (Garioch), the lands of Balnacraig, Belode (Beltie),
Cloychock (Cloak), and Talanchsyn (Tillyching). From the son of this
knight, Andrew de Garvieaugh of Caskieben, Robert de Camera or Chalmers
obtained these lands, to be holden of the Earl of Moray for a pair of
white gloves rendered yearly at the manor of Caskieben, and became the
founder of a house which flourished for more than 400 years. Of the
Chalmerses of Balnacraig, Patrick Chalmers, Esq. of Auldbar is, it is
believed, a representative. [Nisbet's
Heraldry, Vol. ii. Append, p. 115; and charters in possession of Patrick
Chalmers, Esq, of Auldbar.]
About 1363, Andrew, second son of William Rose,
second baron of Kilravock, acquired the lands of Auchlossin.
[Shaw's History of Moray, p. 119.]
In 1544, a feudal strife arose between the Forbeses and Strachan of Len-turk,
in consequence of the real or imaginary guilt of Strachan in betraying
the conspiracy formed by the Master of Forbes against the king's life to
the Earl of Huntly. Nicholas Rose of Auchlossin joined the Laird of
Lenturk, and fell in one of the conflicts. He was personally obnoxious
to the Forbeses, as he had sat on the assize which had found the Master
guilty. [Inquis. Retorn. Abbrev.] In
1643, the possessions of the Rosses comprised the barony of Auchlossin,
the lands of Bogloch, Deray-croft, and croft of Alderan (Ardenraver). [Charters
in possession of John Farquharson, Esq. of Finzean; Robertson's
Collections for a History of Aberdeenshire.] In September 1709,
Captain Francis Ross of Auchlossan was slain at the battle of Malplaquet;
and, in 1715, his estate was sold by his creditors.
[Spottiswoode's Practicks, p. 226.]
The Duguids of Auchinhove were of later origin. In
1634, they pleaded, in an action brought by the Earl of Mar against his
vassals, that "they and their predecessors had been infeft in their
lands, holding of the king, for the space of 200 years." In 1656,
Francis Duguid purchased, from George Forbes of Corse, that part of the
barony of O'Neil Corse which lay in Lumphanan, including Easter and
Wester Kincraigie, Knowhead-Hillock, and Bogloch. [Charter
in possession of Sir John Forbes of Craigevar, Bart.] In addition
to these lands, the Duguids possessed, in 1675, Auchinhuiff, Over-Auchinhuiff,
Warthill, Tulloch, Whyte-hous, Blelak and boigs thereof, Cornetoun and
boigs thereof, Badin-ley and Mariewell, in the parish of Lumphanan,
besides an estate in Coull and Aboyne, [
Inquis. Retorn. Abbrev.; Robertson's Collections for a History of
Aberdeenshire] In 1745, the representative of the family joined
the forces of the Pretender; his mansion-house was burned by a party of
the Duke of Cumberland's soldiers; and the spot is still pointed out on
the hill of Coull, from which he beheld the progress of the flames. In
1755, the Mains of Auchinhove were adjudged to William Young; the
greater part of the estate having been sold at an earlier period. In
1699, Robert Duguid married Miss Teressa Leslie of Balquhain,
[The descendant of Robert Duguid
obtained possession, about 1780, of the es tate of Balquhain, after a
law-suit of forty years duration, the papers connected wit which would
fill volumes.] and his descendant now
represents that ancient house under the name of Count Leslie.
Camp Hill belonged for a considerable period to a
family of the name of Forbes, sprung from the Forbeses of Monymusk, and
in 1783 was sold by the Reverend Francis Forbes, minister of Grange,
father of the Reverend Dr Patrick Forbes, Professor of Humanity in
King's College, Aberdeen, to Sir William Forbes of Craigevar. [Charters
in possession of Sir John Forbes of Craigevar, Bart.]
In 1670, Francis Fraser purchased Findrack from Sir
Robert Forbes of
Learnie. [Charters
in possession of Frances Garden Fraser, Esq. of Findrack.]
In addition to their estate in Lumphanan, the Frasers acquired at
different periods the lands of Tolmads, Drumlassie, and Birselassie, in
Kincardine O'Neil.
In 1712, Kintocher passed by adjudication to the
Forbeses of Craigevar, [Charter
in possession of Sir John Forbes of Craigevar, Bart.]
a family which can trace its descent through the Lords Forbes to a
remote antiquity, and which has ranked among its members Patrick Forbes
of Corse, Bishop of Aberdeen ; John Forbes of Corse, the first
Protestant Professor of Divinity in King's College; and Sir William
Forbes of Craigevar, the Covenanter.
The Farquharsons of Finzean have for a long period
possessed lands in Birse. The property of this family was during last
century greatly increased by the purchase, in Lumphanan, of Balna-craig,
which had belonged to the Chalmerses of Auchlossan, which had belonged
to the Rosses, and of the greater part of Auchinhove, which had belonged
to the Duguids.
Land-owners. — The present land-owners of the
parish are, John Farquharson, Esq. of Finzean; Mrs Farquharson, senior
of Finzean; Alexander Smith, Esq. of Glenmillan; Sir John Forbes of
Craigevar, Bart.; Mrs Lamond of Pitmurchie; Joseph Elmslie, Esq. of
Camphill; and Francis Fraser, Esq. of Findrack.
Antiquities.— The Peel Bog.— The Peel Bog,
situate in a marshy hollow near the church, is an interesting monument
of antiquity. The circular earthen mound, forty-six yards in diameter,
rises about twelve feet above the level of the bog, and is surrounded by
a moat. The course by which the water was conveyed from the burn of
Lumphanan may still be traced; the measurement of the circumvallation by
which the water was confined may still be made; the situation of the
drawbridge is still discernible; the path leading from the fosse to the
top of the mound may still be trodden; and the sluice by which the water
issued from the moat was laid bare by the flood of 1829.
That the Peel Bog, a name which is of Saxon origin,
was erected in the beginning of the thirteenth century, when the Saxon
language was probably introduced into Scotland; that a wooden castle,
erected on the artificial mound, was a residence of the Durwards, who
then possessed a wide domain in Aberdeenshire, stretching from Skene to
the western boundary of Cromar, and that this ancient structure, guarded
by a moat, and surrounded by that "wode of Lunfanan," into which
Macbeth, according to Wyntown, had been chased, was, during that
century, a strong place of defence against warlike and predatory
attacks,—these are conjectures which the writer of this article is
disposed to make respecting this fortress.
Edward I., after the battle of Dunbar, marched his
victorious army to Aberdeen, where the bishop, Walter Blackwatre, the
Dean, Sir Walter de Scherwinglawe, Sir Norman de Lechelyn, Sir Duncan de
Frendragh, Sir Hugh de la Hay, &c. took the oath of allegiance to him.
On Saturday, 21st July 1296, he road to Lunfanan, accompanied by Sir
Walter de Beauchamp, Sir John de Tregotz, Sir Thomas de Bigenore, Sir
John Merk, and many other knights and esquires, and received the
submission of Sir John de Malevill, a copy of which, extracted from the
records, preserved in her Majesty's Exchequer, has been published by Sir
Francis Palgrave:
"24 Ed. 1.—Submission and fealty of Sir John de
Malvill.
"A touz ceux qui cestes lettres verront ou orront
Johan de Malevill Chevaler saluz. Pur ce q je venu a la foi t a la
volunte du tres noble Prince mon chier Seigneur Edward par la gace de
Dieu Roy d Engletre Seigneur d Irland t Dues d Aquitain: je pmet pur moy
t pur mes heirs, &c. Donees a Lunfanan le vintime pri-mer jour de Juyl
Ian du regne nostre Seigneur le Roy d Engletre avant dit: vintisme
quart.
"(Indorsed—A Lunfanan, xxi die Jul.
Lra Dni Johis. de Ma-levile p qua. Ide Stowe quesivit ecciam de
Glenberuy.—Lunfanan, xxi. Jul.—Seal lost.") [Documents
and records illustrating the history of Scotland, preserved in the
Treasury of her Majesty's Exchequer. Collected and edited by Sir Francis
Pal-grave, K.H. 1837. Vol. i. p. 177.]
It can hardly be doubted that the Peel Bog which,
with the exception of the Bass at Inverury, was then the most important
wooden fortress in the county of Aberdeen, was the scene of the
submission of Sir John de Malevill to the English monarch.
In 1487, the lands of Halton, Pitmorchie, and
Craigamore in Lumphynhanan, were granted by James III. to Thomas
Charteris of Kinfauns. [Nisbet's Heraldry,
Appendix, p. 140,] In 1546, Thomas Charteris of Kinfauns was
served heir to his grandfather Thomas, in the barony of Lunfanan, lying
within the barony of O'Neil. [Inquis. Betorn,
Abbrev.] In 1655, Patrick Irvine was served heir to his
grandfather, John Irvine, in the lands of Halton, Pitmurchie, and
Craigton of Lumphanan, lying within the barony of Lumphanan. [Retours
published by Record Commissioners, Aberdeen, 325.] The trials for
witchcraft published by the Spalding Club, show that John Irvine of
Pitmurchie was a person of no little consequence, as he was appointed
chancellor of an assize held on 25th April 1597, of which John Ross of
Auch-lossin, Alexander Chalmer of Balnacraig, and John Forbes of
Camphill were members. [Miscellany of
Spalding Club, Vol. i. p. 183.]
A building formed a part of the Peel Bog within the
memory of the present generation. That there existed on the top of the
mound, before the year 1782, the ruins of an ancient structure fronting
the east ; that the northern gable was close to the path which winds
from the draw-bridge; that the walls and the southern gable, though
decayed and defaced, were distinctly visible; that this building
resembled in size, form, and the solid character of its masonry, the old
mansion-house of the Duguids of Auch-enhove; that behind these ruined
walls a few stunted gooseberry bushes rose out of the green sward;
that this ancient structure was called Haa-ton House, belonging to a
family that once possessed the surrounding estate, bounded on the west
by the Burn of Brankum, and extending towards the east beyond Craigton
and Burnside; that about sixty years ago the tenant of Bogloch, animated
by a zeal for improvement, razed Haa-ton House to the foundation, and
that the stones of which it was composed were employed in erecting the
rude dike that now surrounds the mound, and in building houses in the
neighbourhood:—these are facts which are attested by eye-witnesses, who,
though they have arrived at a mature old age, possess the perfect use of
their faculties, and by a multitude of men in middle-life, whose fathers
saw the ruins of Haa-ton House, before they were touched by the hands of
this zealous agriculturist.
Viewing the facts recorded in ancient documents, in
connection with the facts handed down by tradition, we may form the
conjecture, that, about the year 1400, the wooden castle erected on the
artificial mound was superseded by a building of stone ; that the more
modern structure, which bore the name of Haa-ton House, was, during a
part of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the residence of families
who possessed the surrounding estate, including Halton, which might
easily come to be pronounced Haa-ton,—a more natural corruption, indeed,
than the modern Hilton, Pitmurchie, and Craigamore or Craigton,—and that
the proprietors of the eastern section of the parish of Lumphanan found,
in the moat which surrounded their mansion-house, a protection against
the attacks of feudal chiefs, animated by the love of plunder, or
smarting under the sense of private wrongs.
The Houff.— At a remote period of Scottish
history, the Houff was a place of strength; the traces of ancient
buildings are still visible; and very little labour would be necessary
to complete the moat by which it was surrounded, and fill it with water.
At a more recent date, it became the burial-ground of the Duguids,— the
tradition of the country being, that one of the lairds of Auch-enhove,
to prevent the necessity of his body being carried after his death
through the lands of Auchlossan, erected, on his own property, a place
of sepulture for himself and his family. [The Houff has probably given
its name to the surrounding property,—Auch
signifying a field, an of, and hoif, hoff, hove, houff, hufe, a hall, or
burial-place.—See Chalmers's Caledonia and Jamieson's Scottish
Dictionary. ]
Macbeth's Stone and Macbeth's Cairn.—On the farm
of Carn-bady is the Brae of Strettum, where Macbeth, according to
tradition, was wounded. It was thought, for ages, unlucky to disturb the
spot, which was associated with the memory of the monarch whom the
genius of Shakspeare has immortalized; when the attempt was made to
plough it, the oxen ran off, and did not stop till they reached the Peel
Bog. The Brae of Strettum, however, was successfully cultivated by the
late tenant of Carnbady, and nothing now remains to distinguish it from
the surrounding ground but Macbeth's stone.
On the Perk Hill, about a mile from the church, is
Macbeth's cairn, which, when Mr Shand, the late incumbent of the parish,
wrote his Statistical Account, "rose pretty high in the middle," but is
now little elevated above the field which surrounds it. The conjecture
of Dalrymple, that Macbeth sought an asylum in the Peel Bog, [Annals,
Vol. i. p. 2.] is neither probable nor consistent with the
narrative of Wyntown. It is very likely, however, that the cairns which
are scattered over the Perk Hill, a little to the north, near which
sword-blades, stone battle-axes, and other memorials of warfare have
been found, mark the spot where the diminished forces of the unfortunate
monarch were vanquished. [Edinburgh,
1776]
Cairns on Glenmillan.—On the estate of Cloak, now
called Glenmillan, there were lately some sepulchral cairns of
considerable size, in one of which two curious rings of copper were
found, apparently designed to ornament the arms or ankles. They have
been deposited in the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
[See Robertson's Collections for a
History of Aberdeenshire.]
Camps.—At the foot of the Hill of Corse is an
earthen rampart, 230 yards long, and at the foot of the Hill of Milmahd,
exactly opposite to it, at the distance of a quarter of a mile, there is
another bulwark of a similar character. As implements of war have been
found in the intervening space, and in the immediate neighbourhood, may
not the conjecture he hazarded, that, behind these entrenchments, the
forces of hostile chiefs, at some remote period of feudal strife,
encamped.
Parochial Register.—The earliest entry in the
parochial register was made in 1740. The proclamation of banns, and the
in-
Rent.—The valued rent of the parish is L.2082,
6s. 8d. Scots ; the real rental is about L.2830 Sterling. If no separate
value is supposed to be put on the rough pasture, the arable ground
rents about L.1 per imperial acre.
Husbandry.— The soil is a dry and friable loam;
the climate is early; the average produce of the imperial acre is about
four quarters; the grain is heavy; oats weighing from 40 to 44 lbs.;
bear, from 50 to 54 lbs.; and barley, from 54 to 58 lbs. per bushel. The
general character of the husbandry is excellent.
The pure Aberdeenshire breed of cattle, which in many
parts of the country is corrupted and ruined, has been kept up in this
parish ; an intelligent tenantry perceiving that it is much better
suited to the soil and climate than those crosses which require rich and
sheltered pastures to bring them to maturity. Within the last
twenty-five years, great and permanent improvements have been effected;
substantial and commodious farm-steadings have been built; farms have
been subdivided by fences; marshes have been drained; and the range of
cultivation has been gradually extended over our waste moorlands, and up
our mountain sides. Under the old leases, the seven course system of
cropping was followed, consisting of three grasses, three grain crops,
and one green crop. Under the new leases, on Mr Farquharson's Property,
the tenants are generally bound to adopt the six course system
of cropping, consisting of three grasses, two grain crops, and
one green crop. The draining of the Loch of Auchlossan, which consists
of about 250 acres, would be an improvement of a valuable character; the
cold damp vapours, which in August and September often blast the crops,
would be no longer exhaled from its waters; while a large extent of rich
alluvial soil, added to the estates of the surrounding proprietors,
would amply repay them for the expense [L.1500
according to Mr Walker's estimate.] of executing the work.
If, in addition to this drainage, which might be
easily effected as the average depth of the loch is only five feet, and
as its level is considerably higher than that of the Burn of Drumdouan
when it approaches the Slog of Dess, the hills which surround Mr Far-quharson's
estate were clothed with wood, few spots in the county of Aberdeen would
surpass in beauty the valley of Lumphanan.
Woods.—The average sum which has been realized
from the fellings and thinnings of the woods in the parish, which
consist chiefly of larch and Scots fir, has been for some years about
L.10.
V. —Parochial Economy.
Means of Communication.— The means of
communication are ample. The turnpike from Aberdeen to Tarland runs
through the parish from east to west, while the rude military road, made
about the year 1746, and the finely kept one, executed under the
authority of the Parliamentary Commissioners for Highland Roads and
Bridges, cross it from north to south.
Ecclesiastical Stale.— The church, which was
built in 1762, and is placed in as centrical a situation as it could
well be, contains 883 sittings.
The manse, which was built in 1782, was repaired and
enlarged in 1828.
There are about 7½
imperial acres in the glebe. The stipend consists of L.112, 17s. 3d.
money; 51 bolls, 1 firlot, 2 pecks, 8| lbs. of meal, and I boll, 1
firlot, and 3 1/5 pecks of bear.
Divine service is well attended in the church. The
average number of communicants is 509. There are four Dissenters in the
parish.
Collections are annually made for the General
Assembly's Schemes, and the Aberdeen Infirmary.
Education.—The following branches are taught, and
fees exacted in the parochial school. English reading, 2s. per quarter;
English and writing, 2s. 6d.; arithmetic, 3s.; Latin, 4s.;
mathematics, 4s.; elements of Greek, 4s.; book-keeping, per set, 15s.;
English grammar, 3s. 6d. The schoolmaster has a garden. His salary is
L.27. He shares in the Dick Bequest. There is a school at Camphill, the
teacher of which receives the interest of L.150, bequeathed by James
Hunter, Esq. of Darrabill.
Library.—The library, established in 1814, at
Tillyching, now contains more than 400 volumes.
The inhabitants of the parish, with the exception of
two individuals, can read and write.
Poor and Parochial Funds. — The average annual
amount of the collections made at the church door, during 1836, 1837,
1838, 1839, 1840, and 1841, was L.17, 5s. 9d.
The average annual amount during these years of funds
derived from interest of money and other sources, that passed through
the hands of the kirk-session, was L.10, 6s. 9½d.
The average number of impotent persons during these
years receiving relief was 2 1/3.
The average annual sum divided during these years
among these impotent persons, was L.6, 11s. 11 2/5d.
The average number of persons, not impotent,
receiving relief during these years, was 18 1/3.
The average annual sum divided during these years
among persons not impotent, was L.20, 17s. 11¾d.
Since the account of this parish was printed, the
writer has discovered some interesting notices respecting the Peel Bog.
In 1657, Patrick Irvine obtained from Oliver, Lord Protector, a precept
under the Great Seal respecting the lands of Craigtown of Lumphanan,
Halton Peill, and Colliescroft. In 1702, Robert Ross granted a
disposition in favour of Francis Ross, of the lands of Auchlossan,
Cairnbady, Bogloch, Aldcairn, Craigtown of Lumphanan, the Peill thereof,
called Halton of Lumphanan, Collie's Croft, Wester Kincardine, Dean's
Cotts, and Haughhead.—(Charters in possession of John Farquharson, Esq.
of Finzean.) Among the estates which were entailed in 1790 by the
trustees of Francis Farquharson, Esq. of Finzean were included "All and
haill the lands of Halton, with the Peill and manour-place thereof,
houses, biggings, yards, and orchards of the said lands of Halton."
—(Appellant's Case, page 4, in the suit respecting the validity of the
Finzean entail, now before the House of Lords.) It is obvious that these
notices afford a strong confirmation of the opinions expressed in the
article respecting the Peel Bog.
January 1843 |
