Parish of Lumphanan.
(Presbytery of Kincardine o’niel, Synod and County of Aberdeen.)
By the Rev. Mr William Shand.
Name, Extant, and Stipend.
The name of the parish in Gaelic signifies it is said, “bare little valley;” which might have been the case when it first received its name; but time has produced great changes here, in respect of fruitfulness. Almost in the middle of the parish stands the church. The length of the parish from S. to N. is about 66, in breadth from E. to W. 4 computed miles. – Hills surround the greatest part of the parish. The soil is deep and good in the low grounds, thin and sandy on the sides of the hills to the S. – The air is dry and healthy in general. Fevers are the most common distempers. – There are many excellent springs, at the foot of the hill, and in other parts; so that every village except one, is well supplied with water. – There is a considerable lake, called the loch of Auchlossen, nearly one mile long, and more than half as broad at the south end; and which produces pikes and eels in great plenty. Some large pikes 6 feet long, weighing about 25 lib. have been taken in it. It yields likewise some grass, as horse pipes, &c. Ducks, geese, and sometimes a few swans, frequent this loch, and afford good sport for gentlemen and others. In summer it is divided into two parts, and the passage for the water between them may be about 5 feet wide; the loch is frozen in winter, and may be travelled on. In its present state it has many inconveniences. It frequently overflows in summers, carries off the fuel, and hurts the corns growing near it; about it the frosts and mildews are severe, and the wild fowls destructive, especially in the night time. It has been proposed by the proprietors to drain off the water, and render the grounds arable; the greatest depth when sounded, did not exceed 6 feet. The rent, for the almost useless ground at present, might be considerable, and some marle perhaps got. Some years hence the plough may be seen going where the ugly and voracious pikes are now lying; and corns growing instead of almost useless weeds. The neighbouring towns would then be more healthy, and no depredations made on their crops.
Meal-mead and Craiglich are the most considerable hills; the latter is steep, and arises from the arable land about a mile. They are in general covered in heath, having some green valise on the sides of the rivulet, and afford pasture to large flocks of sheep; turf and peat for fuel, and a few birds for game.
Population. – For about 20 years back the population has not varied much. The return to Dr. Webster in 1755, was 682 souls; the present number of inhabitants is 621. Males and females bear the same proportions as in other parishes; the births on an average are only 10 or 12 yearly; marriages 5 or 6. There are 44 farmers, 4 smiths, 2 weavers, 3 wrights, 8 shoemakers, 6 millers, 1 taylor, 3 students at the university of Aberdeen, 2 merchants, 3 or 4 families of seceders, 2 Roman Catholics in the parish.
Productions. – The number of black cattle is 902, of horses 153, and of sheep 1907. About 200 bolls of meal, oats, and bear, may be annually sold out of the parish. The crops are potatoes, bear, oats, turnips, pease, some lint, but little artificial grass. No heritors reside here, and we are in the infancy of our winter herding, though there is great occasion for it on many accounts. Several tenants keep bee-hives; a first swarm sells for about 20s. sterling; if the summer be favourable, 3 swarms may be looked for from each hive. – When killed, the best hives yield from 10 to 12 pints of excellent honey; for which, 3s.4d. to 5s. per pint may be gotten. There is not one third of the land under culture. Some industrious tenants have ploughed several acres from the heath, one 15, and another about 14, acres. After ploughing it remains a year unsown; then they take several crops before it is allowed to rest. One man affirms that he had for the first crop from a small piece taken from the muir 8 returns, or bolls from half a boll, which yielded 3 bolls of meal. There are apparently many ridges in the hills not now ploughed. The hills are very fit for wood, yet none of them are planted. Commonty, and the non-residence of heritors, are the causes of this great defect. The want of fire wood is every year more and more felt. Nay all the ash and plane trees, &c. on some estates are now cut down; as are likewise the allers that grow on the burns of Lumphanan, Findrach, and Pool bogg; so that there are remaining only a few trees in the tenants yards, and the people are obliged, with a great loss of time, and much expence, to purchase wood from the neighbouring parishes.
Advantages, and Disadvantages. – the advantages are an early soil, well filled and ripened crops. The bear, oats, meal &c. are very good and fetch high prices. Meal last summer sold at Finzean’s girnell at 17s.per boll of 9 stone. The north and south roads, passing through the middle of the parish, give the farmers many and easy opportunities of falling in with the south country dealers in cattle. The parish is well supplied with garden plants from Auchoor and Mill-town of Auchlossen, where 3 gardeners reside. It has likewise a good schoolmaster, but his encouragement is small, and the school built in a very improper place. Many cattle are reared here, and the principal roads are not bad. On the other hand, the parish is no less than 24 measured miles from Aberdeen; has no lime or marle, nor can the high grounds often get any advantage from watering; grass is scarce, and few cattle can be kept in summer. The farmrs must often sell them to great disadvantage when the labouring is finished, put them to glens, or starve them at home. The sheep are often a prey to the foxes from the woods of Craigievar and Abeyne. The fuel is fetched from the distance of 2 computed miles, and on bye-roads where carts are drawn with danger and difficulty. Little is done by many from Whitsunday to the beginning on autumn but to cast, dry, and lead peats. Some think it would be as cheap to bring coals from Aberdeen. The north and south roads, too, are attended with some inconveniences from beggars and pilferers. The mill multures are heavy, the tenants affirm, that in multures, &c. they pay 1 boll in 12.
Language, Rent, &c. – None of the parishioners speak or understand Gaelic, though the names of most places are said to be derived therefrom, as Auchlossen, Auchoor, &c. The valued rent is L.2082:6:8d. Scotch, and the real rent may be about L.100 sterling. The stipend is L.36:5s. including 20 merks for communion elements, with 23 1/4 bolls of meal at 9 stone per boll, and 5 bolls of bear. Sir William Forbes of Craigievar, Bart. is patron. The church was built in 1782. In the minister’s garden are plenty of geen trees and low fruits, and the trees bear well. The situation is pleasant, and so healthy, that there is a proverb, that no minister dies here. The glebe may be about 6 acres, but is strangely and inconveniently divided; some of lying above half a mile from the rest.
There are 4 heritors, one of whom has two thirds of the parish. The number of poor on the roll at present is only 6. The weekly collections are about 10d. We have no other funds except a few pounds in the Kirk box. The years 1782 and 1783 obliged the minister and elders to give out L.10, or L.12 extraordinary; victual then was very scarce and dear. A neighbouring heritor, Mr. William Brebner, was then of great service to his own, to this, and to other parishes. He imported, and brought home from Aberdeen with his own carts, oats, bear, &c. grinded them, and sold the meal at moderate prices. Sir William Forbes likewise ordered his factor at Craigievar to distribute some meal among the poor in his lands, and did not exact all his rents. He likewise procured seed for his tenants, who suffered greatly. Many were such reduced that year*.
*Prices of provisions. – Oat meal sells from L.3 to L.10 Scotch per boll, 9 stone; bear meal about L.6 – beef and mutton 3d per lb. – butter from 6d. to 8d. per lb. of 18 oz. to the lb, cheese 5s. per stone, same weight; – hens 6d; eggs 2d. per dozen; seen corn from L.9 to L10 Scotch; bread much the same; – oats with fodder, L.10 to L.14, do. – bear L.10 to L.16 do. peck and proof; lambs 3s.6d. to 5s. – year old sheep 5s. to 6s. – ewes 3s. to 5s. – wedders 6s. to 10s. -fed sheep according to their weight and fatness; – calves 5s. to 20s. – year old black cattle 20s. to 40s. – 2 year olds do L.3 to L.5. – rising 4 year old, L.5 to L.7; – oxen L.6 to L.10; – cows L.3 to L.7 – A good many sheep and black cattle are sold every year. – Few horses are reared, and those small. – They sell from L.6 to L.12. – There is only one yearly market for sheep, where about 2000 sheep are exposed one year with another.
A day-labourer’s wages, 6d. per day, with diet; – a carpenter’s, 8d.; – taylor’s 6d. – mason’s 15d. to 20d. – A woman servant gets from 20s. to 25s. per half year. – Those who engage in harvest from L.10 to L.12 Scotch. – Men servants L.2 to L.3 sterling. – They are the same in summer, because they go south to dyking. In harvest from L.15 to L.18 Scotch. – A herd now gets L.10 to L.12 Scotch or more. – Those who draw the plough, L.18 Scotch. – The wages, like the rents, have increased one third since 1772, and are still increasing.
Ploughs, Farms, and Inclosures. – There are about 56 ploughs of land in the parish, but sometimes 2 or 3 are united, and laboured by one plough or 10 oxen, so that there are not above 44 ploughs yoked, those excepted who join and labour their small crofts in a few weeks. The ploughs in general consist of 8 to 10 oxen. – There is one farm held by 2 tenants at L.50; others pay from L.25 to L.30; most of them L.12 with 6 or 8 bolls of meal and 3 or 4 of bear. – Many of the farmers have carts, and some of the crofters. – The houses are now a little better than formerly, the new ones being with good stones and mortar, and pinned with lime. – A few have chimneys and wooden floors, and are covered with heather. – The offices in general are yet mean. But as some heritors are now allowing payment to the tenant at his removal, for walls, the houses it is hoped will soon put on a better appearance. The way of managing farms is none of the best. – Lands rent at L.1 per acre in-field, when let to crofters by the tenant, who pays little less for it himself, and yet he often labours the ground for his subtenants.
The first inclosures seem to have been at Auchinhove by the Duguids, who once were the greatest heritors in the parish. – The dykes there are 6 feet broad at the bottom. – Some dykes with hedges were lately built at Camp-field. There are a few inclosures likewise at Findrack, but in bad order. The tenants are beginning to do something I this way, but the sheep are great enemies to them in winter*.
*One or two seemingly druidical places of worship are known, also a pretty large stone without inscriptions near Kinlocher. At the manse there is a curious font stone, 2 feet in diameter. A few old coins were found some years ago, when repairing the church-yard dykes, and a mortcloth bought with them. Very lately above L.100 sterling, all in Queen Anne’s shillings were found by two herds in one of the dykes of the Gordon’s fold near Auchhove. Their parents had taken one of these folds for grass; and the boy and girl were taking down some stones to let their beasts get to the feed, when they accidently found the money. Tradition says, that it is only part of 50,000 merks hid there in 1745, by one Malcolm, a servant belonging to Mr Duguid of Auchhove, who unfortunately joined in the rebellion, and that the rest was secreted in a man’s boot. – the unfaithful servant, after Culloden, returned home, and was seen going about the dykes as if he had lost something; – when examined, he said it was a silver headed sword he was searching for. – The Pool Bogg near the manse, consists of 50 acres, now inclosed, and rented at about 10 guineas. About three fourths of the ground are able. The burn of Lumphanan which runs through it, formerly, in time of rain, when it rose high, did great destruction, carrying off the earth, and covering the ground with sand and small stones; but these evils are now remedied. Near the middle of the bogg stands a fort, built chiefly of earth from the moat around it, not perpendicular, but contracting as it rises; it appears round but is really oval. The height is 12 yards. It measures 86 1/2 yards in circumference at the top, and the area may sow 6 or 7 pecks of oats. The moss at the base is 23 yards wide. Without lies another ring 350 yards round. It is uncertain who built this fort; some ascribe the work to Longueville who came over from France in Wallace’s time; some to Wallace himself, and call it Gargunnock. Others give it a much earlier date. Before the invention of gunpowder it has been a place of strength; and it often excites the curiosity of strangers.
Macbeth’s Cairn lies about a measured mile north from the kirk, on the brow of a hill, is 40 yards in circumference, and rises pretty high in the middle. Further up the hill are several smaller cairns. It is said by some that Macbeth flying from the south, had but a few men with him when he reached Lumphanan; that he endeavoured to hide himself at a town called Cairn Baddy, but flying from hence went about a mile north, till McDuff out-riding his company, came up with him at that place where the cairn now lies, killed him in single combat, and brought back his head to his men.
Miscellaneous remarks. – The people are not expensive in diet or clothes – The young folks begin to appear more gay on public occasions. – All are punctual in attending public worship, and seem pretty well pleased with their condition. The farmers complain of grassums, and short leases, but especially the want of servants, their high wages and little work. It is evident that the tenants here must take the burden of work upon themselves, and pay every attention to their business, else they must go to ruin. It cannot be said that any of them are making rich; few are laying by so much cash as their servants. In winter they often get nothing done for some months, on account of the storms of rain and snow, and great frosts. During the long winter nights the men servants think they should do nothing for their masters advantage. Subtenants there know not how to employ themselves so as to get bread.
The public roads are not bad, being kept in tolerable good order by the statute labour; the people themselves grudge that they are called out, especially when well advanced in life, 6 days every year, or that they must pay money. – Bridges are much needed, as the burns swell suddenly, and become almost impassable. Nor are they in much better condition often in winter frosts. Two great roads intersect one another very near the church, eastward.
