ABERFOYLE, a parish, in the county of Perth, 14
miles (W. by S.) from Douue, and 20 (W. by N.) from
Stirling; containing 543 inhabitants. It derives its
natne from the situation of the church, near the mouth
of a rivulet called in Gaehc the Poll or Foile, which
forms a confluence with the river Forth, at this place an
inconsiderable stream. The lands originally formed
part of the possessions of the ancient family of Graham,
Earls of Menteith, and on failure of heirs male, about the
end of the seventeenth century, became the property of
the ancestors of the Duke of Montrose, the present sole
proprietor. This parish, which is in the south-western
portion of the county, forms the extreme precinct of the
Highlands, in that direction, and extends for nearly
fourteen miles from east to west, and from five to seven
miles from north to south; comprising the beautifully
romantic vale of Aberfoyle, and part of the vale of the
river Teith, which abound with all the varieties of
Highland scenery. Between the vales are lofty mountains,
forming a part of the Grampian range, and of
which the highest are, Benvenue, having an elevation of
2800, and Benchochan, of 2000 feet above the sea.
From both these mountains, beneath which lies the
celebrated scenery of the Trosachs, are obtained extensive
views of "the windings of the chase," and the
most interesting parts of the surrounding country,
described by Sir Walter Scott in his poem of the Lady
of the Lake.
In the parish of Aberfoyle are the Lochs Katrine,
Ard, Chon, Auchray, and Dronky. Loch Katrine, which
has a depth of about seventy fathoms, is about nine
miles in length and one mile broad; the lofty, and in
some parts precipitous acclivities on its shores, are
finely wooded nearly to their summits, and the lake is
adorned with various rocky islets, which rise to a considerable
height out of the water, and are tufted over
with shrubs and trees, adding greatly to the beautiful
scenery for which it is so eminently distinguished.
Loch Ard, about four miles in length and one mile in
breadth, is divided into two portions, the Upper and
Lower Ard, connected by a channel 200 yards in length;
it is in the vale of Aberfoyle, and is bounded on one
side by the lofty mountain Ben Lomond, whose richlywooded
declivity extends to its margin. On a small
island in the lake are the ruins of an ancient castle
built by the Duke of Albany, uncle of James I. of Scotland.
Loch Chon, about two miles and a half in length
and one mile in breadth, is in the same valley; it is
beautifully skirted on the north-east by luxuriant plantations,
and on the south-west by the mountain of Ben
Don, 1500 feet in height, the sides of which are covered
with forests of aged birch and mountain-ash. Loch
Auchray, near the Trosachs, and Loch Dronky, which is
two miles long and about half a mile broad, are both
finely situated, and embellished with rich plantations.
Of the above lakes, Loch Katrine and Loch Auchray
separate the parish from the parish of Callander. Between
the mountains are several small valleys, about a
mile in length and a quarter of a mile in width, formerly
covered with heath, but which have been cleared, and
brought into cultivation. The river Forth has its source
at the western extremity of the parish, at a place called
Skid N'uir, or "the ridge of yew-trees," issuing from a
copious spring, and flowing through the Lochs Chon and
Ard. About half a mile to the east of the latter, it receives
the waters of the Duchray, a stream rising near
the summit of Ben Lomond, and which is also regarded
as the source of the Forth, though the former is the
larger of the two.
The scenery of the Trosachs is approached from the
head of Loch Auchray. At this point an inn is situated,
the last human habitation on the route, and here travellers
usually quit their vehicles in order to walk the
remainder of the distance; the road will, however,
accommodate a chaise to the verge of Loch Katrine.
What is called the Trosachs is simply a concluding
portion of the Teith valley, about a mile in extent, and
adjoining to the bottom of Loch Katrine, just mentioned.
From the tumultuous confusion of little rocky
eminences, of the most fantastic and extraordinary
forms, which lie throughout the bottom of the vale, and
are every where rendered shaggy with trees and shrubs,
nature here wears an aspect of tangled and inextricable
roughness: the hiUs, moreover, on each side of the contracted
valley, rise to a great height, and are entirely
covered by birches, hazels, oaks, hawthorns, and mountain-
ashes. The author of the Lady of the Lake has
described the Trosachs as "a wildering scene of mountains,
rocks, and woods, thrown together in disorderly
groups;" and the meaning of the name in some measure,
also, describes the character of the scenerj', the word
Trosachs signifying a rough or bristled piece of territory.
At the termination of this tract, commences
Loch Katrine.
The arable lands bear but a very inconsiderable proportion
to the pasture and woodlands. The upper, or
highland, part of the parish, which is by far the greater,
is divided principally into sheep-farms, upon which
scarcely sufficient grain is raised to supply the occupiers
and their shepherds; the lower grounds are chiefly arable,
and in good cultivation, yielding grain of every
kind, for the supply of the parish, and also for sending
to the markets. In the lower portions the soil is fertile,
producing not only grain, but turnips, with the various
grasses, and excellent crops of rye and clover; the farmbuildings,
with very few exceptions, are commodious,
and mostly of modern erection, and the lands are well
drained. The sheep are of the black-faced breed, and
great attention is paid to their improvement. The cattle
on the upland farms are of the black Highland breed,
and in addition to those reared on the lands, great
numbers are pastured during the winter, for which many
of the farms are well adapted by the shelter afforded by
the woods; the cattle on the lowland farms are chiefly
of the AjTshire breed. The whole of the woods, from
the head of Loch Chon to the loch of Monteith in the
parish of Port of Monteith, are the property of the Duke
of Montrose; they consist of oak, ash, birch, mountainash,
alder, hazel, and willow, and are divided into twentyfour
portions, of which one is felled every year, as it
attains a growth of twenty-four years, within which
period the whole are cut down, and renewed, in succession.
On the west side of the mountains is limestone
of very superior quality, of a blue colour, with veins of
white, and susceptible of a high polish; it is extensively
wrought near the eastern extremity of the parish, for
building, and for manure, solely by the tenants of the
several farms. To the west of the limestone range is
a mountain consisting almost entirely of slate, occurring
in regular strata, in the quarries of which about twenty
men are employed. The prevailing rocks are conglomerate
and trap, or whinstone; but the want of water
carriage, and the distance of the markets, operate materially
to diminish their value. The annual value of real
property in the parish in £3600.
The village is situated near the eastern extremity of
the parish: the making of pyroligneous acid affords
employment to a few persons. A post-office has been
established as a branch of that of Doune; and fairs are
held in April, for cattle; on the first Friday in August,
for lambs; and on the third Thursday in October, for
hiring servants. The lakes and rivers abound with
trout, pike, perch, and eels; and char is also found in
Loch Katrine. Ecclesiastically the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Dunblane and synod of
Perth and Stirling. The minister's stipend is £158. 6. S.,
of which part is paid from the exchequer; with a
manse, and a glebe containing about nineteen acres of
good land, partly arable and partly meadow: patron,
the Duke of Montrose. Aberfoyle church, built in 1*74,
and thoroughly repaired in 1839, is a plain structure,
containing 250 sittings. Divine service is also performed
occasionally, by the minister, in the schoolroom.
The parochial school is well attended; the master has a
salary of £'2S, with a house and garden, and the fees
average about £6 per annum. Near the manse are the
remains of a Druidical circle, consisting of ten upright
stones, with one of much larger dimensions in the
centre. The Rev. James Richardson, whose son WiUiam
was professor of humanity at Glasgow; and the Rev.
Patrick Graham, eminent for the variety and extent of
his talents, and employed in revising an edition of the
Sacred Scriptures in the Gaelic language; were ministers
of the parish.