Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland .. - National Library of Scotland

—PERTHSHIRE1,G04,G90 acres, of which 46,882 are water and foreshore,lying between 56° 4' and 56° 67' N lat. , andbetween 3° 4' and 4° 50' W long. It is the fourthcounty of Scotland in point of size, and the eighth inpopulation.'Amid all the provinces in Scotland,' writes Scott inTlw Fair Maid of Perth, 'if an intelligent stranger wereasked to describe the most varied and the most beautiful,it is probable he would name the county of Perth. Anative, also, of any other district of Caledonia, thoughhis partialities might lead him to prefer his nativecounty in the first instance, would certainly class thatof Perth in the second, and thus give its inhabitants afair right to plead that — prejudice apart—Perthshireforms the fairest portion of the northern kingdom.' Itsscenery includes some of the loveliest as well as some ofthe most romantic and grandest scenes in Scotland, andall kinds of landscape are represented within its borders.Its mountains, lochs, and rivers, its wild moors andsmiling fertile plains, its passes and glens, its waterfallsand its forests, have all in turn justly been the subjectsof admiration and praise. Hardly less interesting hasbeen the romantic course of its history and the wildcharacter of its people, for it is in Perthshire that thedivision between the Lowlands and the Highlands ofA line drawn irregularly NEScotland may be located.from Loch Katrine through Crieff and Duukeld andthence eastwards to Strathardle would, in general, havethe Highlands to the N and the Lowlands to the S,though of course there are many tracts which are of anintermediate character throughout the shire. Thus nogeneral description of the aspect of the county would fitall or nearly all its diverse characteristics. In a generalview Perthshire has a south-eastern slope. "Thoughabout the region of the moor of Rannoch in the NW itreceives one or two inconsiderable streams from the W,it nowhere sends even a burn in return ; and all alongthe rest of the W and all along the N it is walled in bya stupendous mountain barrier which effectually shutsoff intercommunication except at a few passes, such asthose at the head of the rivers Shoe, Bruar, and Garry.Mountain ridges stretch far into the interior southwardfrom the northern barrier, south-eastward from theinner edge of Rannoch Moor, and eastward from thewestern range ; these generally spring from the higherranges in lofty broad-based masses, and vary in breadthwhile they diminish in height as they advance towardsthe interior of the county ; and they are separated fromeach other by wild, deep, narrow glens, which sometimes,however, expand into stretches of valley or mountainplain. Eventually they die away or several ridges orranges merge into one ; while almost everywhere theysend off spurs and irregular massy projections and subranges,so that the county, from a bird's-eye view,would seem to be covered with a confused assemblage ofpeaks, and ranges, and mountain groups. A fewisolated mountains, as for example Schiehallion, standin the wider spaces between the mutual recessions of theridges. Towards the S of the Highland line the countyis much less rugged, its hills are lower ; while across thewhole county, at the base of the Highland hills, runsfrom SW to NE the valley known as Strathmore;while the northern part of the valley of the Forthwhich lies in Perthshire is even more level and lowlandin its character. But the lie of the mountains, theposition of the chief valleys or straths, and the generalriver system of the county are described more particularlybelow.PERTHSHIREbended a small territory round the present village, NWof the city of Perth. Athole was a very large territoryembracing the whole north and north-western parts ofthe county down to the heights overlooking Duukeldand Blairgowrie. Strathardle and Glenshee, along therivers Ardle and Shee in the E, were subdivisions ofAthole. Stormont stretched in a zone 7 miles broadfrom the Ericht and Isla to near Dunkeld, immediatelyS of Athole ; GowTie was a district on the eastern frontierbetween Stormont and the Tay ; and Perth was a districtembracing Strath tay between Stormont and the point atwhich the Carse of Gowrie met Strathearn. Constantreference to these divisions is made in the geography ofPerthshire.MountaiTis.—The chief mountains of Perthshire aregrouped under the names Grampians, Sidlaw.s, andOchils, each the subject of a separate article, to whichreference is made for detailed description. The Ochilsoccupy the S, the Sidlaw Hills the SW, and generallyspeaking the Grampians occupy the remainder of thecountry, their immense mass being intersected bynumerous glens and straths, of which the three chiefRannoch with Strathtummel, Strathtay with Loch Tay,and Strathearn—run from W to E to join the longerand narrower valley which conducts the Garry and thelower waters of Tay from NW to SE through thecounty. The chief summits of the Grampians in thethree northern parishes of Fortingall, Blair Athole, andEirkmichael, embracing Rannoch and most of theForest of Athole, are, round Loch Lyon, about themiddle of the W border of the county, Ben Creachan(3540 feet), Ben Achallader (3399), Ben Vajnnoch(3125), Creag Mhor (3305), and Ben Heasgarnich (3530);S of the Lyon, Meall Ghaordie (3407) ; between theLyon and Loch Rannoch, Cam Gorm (3370), CarnMaikg (3419), and Schiehallion (3547) ; N of LochsLydoch and Rannoch, from W to E, Carn Dearg(3084), Sgur Gaibhre (3128), Ben Pharlagain (2836),and Ben Mholaoh (2758). Thence eastwards alongthe northern boundary of Athole the chief peaks areBen Udlaman (3306 feet), Bruach nan lombrean(3175), Glas Mheall Mor (3037), Carn na Caim (3087),Leathad an Taobhain (2994) ; Beinn Bhreac (2992), BenDearg (3304), Carn an Fhidleir (3726) ; An S^arsochor Scarsach Hill (3300), Benglo, with the highestof its five peaks, Carn Gabhar (3671), Carn Liath(3193), Carn an Righ (3377), Carn Bhac (3014), Beinnlutharu Mhor (3424), Beinn lutharn Bheag (3011), GlasThulach.in (3445), Ben Vuroch (2961) ; Carn Bhinnein(3006), Carn Geoidh (3194) ; Cairn Well (3059), CraigLeacach (3238), and Cairn Aighe (2824). In the districtN of the Tay and between the southern ends ofFortingall and Kirkmichael the chief mountains areBeinn Eagach (5259 feet) and Farragon Hill (2559)in Dull parish, and Ben Vrackie (2757) in Moulin.In the S parts of Breadalbane, occupied by the scatteredparish of Kenmore and by Little Dunkeld, the chiefsummits are Beinn Dheiceach (3074 feet), BeinnChaluiun (3354), Creag Mohr (3305) ; rising S fromLoch Tay are Creag Charbh (2084), Meall Gleann a'Chloidh (2238), Creag Uigeach (2840), Beinn Bhreac(2341), and Creagan na Beinn (2909) ; and northwards,Meall nan Tarmachan (3421) and Ben Lawers (4004),the loftiest summit in Perthshire. Meall Dearg (2258feet) is the highest point in Little Dunkeld. In thefour parishes forming the SW corner of the shire thechief mountains are, in Eilliu, Ckaigchailliach (2990feet), Ben Odhar (2948), Benlot (3078), Benmore(3843), Am Binnein (3827), Ben-a-Chroin (3101), andBen Dubh-chraige (3204) ; in Balquhidder, BeinnIt will be convenient here to_note the ancient divisionsof Perthshire, which still have a local significance,though no longer a judicial or civil existence. Menteith Tulachan (3099), Stob Garbh (3148), Stob Coire ancomprehended all the territory W of the Ochils and Lochan (3497), and Stuc-a-Chroin (3189) ; in Callander,drained by the Forth and its tributaries except theparish of Balquhidder. Breadalbane included thewestern division of the county from the NW boundary (2875), and Beinn Each (2660); and in Aberfoyle,to the S screen of Glendochart ; its north-western corner Beinn Bhreac (2295), Ben Venue (2393), and Beinn anwas termed Rannoch. Stratheam included Balquhidder Fhogharaidh (2000). In the remaining parts of Strathearnthe highest mountains are, in Comrie parish, N ofand all the country drained by the Earn and tributariesand the country N of Menteith. Methven compre- the Earn river and loch, Creag nan Eun (2990 feet) and191Parian Hdl (2001), Meall Mor (2451), An Garadh(2347), Meall Cala (2203), Ben Vane (2635), Ben Led: