KILLIN, a parish, in the county of Perth; containing,
with part of the former quoad sacra district of
Strathfillan, 1/02 inhabitants, of whom 426 are in the
village of Killin, 8 miles (N. by W.) from Lochearnhead.
This parish, which is situated in the Highland district
of Breadalbane, extends from Loch Tay on the east to
Loch Lomond on the west, and is about twenty-four
miles in length, varying from five to nine miles in
breadth, and comprising an area of 90,000 acres, of
which a.'iOO are arable, 1000 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder mountain pasture. Its surface is
strikingly diversified with ranges of lofty mountains interspersed
with deep and richly-wooded glens and fertile
valleys, and is enlivened with numerous streams descending
from the heights, and, after a devious course through
the lower lands, forming tributaries to the rivers that
intersect the parish. The highest of the mountains is
Benvwre, which has an elevation of 3900 feet above the
level of the sea; it rises from the plains of Glendochart
in a conical form, and the whole of the range that
reaches to the head of Loch Lomond displays a character
of romantic grandeur not surpassed in any part of
the Highlands. The range of Craig Chailleach, ascending
abruptly from the lands of Finlarig, near the western
extremity of Loch Tay, and richly wooded from its base
nearly half way to its summit, extends westward to the
vale of Lochay or Glenlochay, forming, from the intervals
between its several points of elevation, an apparent
succession of forts. The hills, also, though of very inferior
elevation, still rise to a considerable height, and,
clothed with verdure to their summits, afford excellent
pasturage for sheep and cattle.
Among the principal valleys is Glendochart, spreading
westward for nearly ten miles, and watered by the river
Dochart, which, issuing from a lake of that name within
the glen, passes through a tract of romantic beauty into
Loch Tay. The valley of Strathfillan extends for almost
eight miles, in a similar direction, to the borders of the
parish of Glenorchay, and is enlivened by the river here
called the Fillan, which flows into the lake in Glendochart,
and, issuing thence, is for the remainder of its
course designated the Dochart. The valley of Glenfalloch,
branching off to the south from that of Strathfillan,
reaches to the confines of Dumbartonshire, and is watered
by the river Falloch, which runs into Loch Lomond.
The Braes of Glenlochay, in which the river Lochay has
its source, extend for about fourteen miles from the village
of Killin, towards the west, in a direction nearly
parallel with Glendochart, from which they are separated
by a chain of hills called the Mid hills; they are
partly in the parishes of Kenmore and Weem, and form
a rich and fertile district, abounding with romantic
beauty. The scenery of the parish, indeed, almost in
every point, is marked with features of interesting cha-
racter. The streams which issue from the heights make
pleasing and picturesque cascades in their descent; and
the rivers that flow through the lower lands, in various
places obstructed in their course, fall from considerable
heights with great effect. The cataracts on the Dochart
near the village, and those of the Lochay about three
miles distant from it, are strikingly romantic; and the
latter falls have been considered equal in beauty to the
falls of the Clyde.
The SOIL, though generally light and dry, resting on
a substratum of limestone, is in some places wet and
marshy, particularly in the valleys of Glendochart and
"Strathfillan, rendered so by the occasional inundation of
the rivers. Crops are raised of oats, barley, potatoes,
and turnips; but the principal resource of the farmers
is the pastures, which in many parts are luxuriantly
rich. The sheep, of which more than 30,000 are fed,
are chiefly of the black-faced breed, with a few of the
Leicestershire and South-Down kept on the lands of the
proprietors. The cattle, of which 1200 are pastured,
are of the West Highland breed, with some of the Ayrshire
on the dairy-farms. Considerable improvements
are gradually taking place in the system of husbandry:
draining has been extensively practised, under the assistance
and encouragement of the proprietors; and the
farm houses and offices, though usually of an inferior
description, are giving way to others of more commodious
construction. It is in contemplation to deepen
and embank the rivers. The plantations are for the
greater part of recent formation, and are in a thriving
state. They consist chiefly of Scotch, silver, spruce,
and larch fir: and the natural woods, which were formerly
much more extensive, especially in the higher
parts of Strathfillan, are oak, ash, mountain-ash, birch,
elder, hazel, and hawthorn. At Finlarig are some yewtrees,
and a plane supposed to be three hundred years
old. Holly and laburnum are also frequent, and the
district abounds in interesting botanic specimens. Limestone
of a greyish colour, and of crystalline formation,
is plentiful, and there are veins of trap and greenstone;
lead-ore is also abundant, and some mines of it are at
present in operation at Tyndrum, where a large crushing-
mill has been erected. Cobalt, containing sixty
ounces of silver in one ton of ore, is found; and in Craig-
Chailleach is a rich vein of sulphuret of iron. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £18,137.
The principal seats are, Kinnell, for centuries the baronial
residence of the Mc Nabs, and now the property
of the Marquess of Breadalbane, finely situated on the
river Dochart; Finlarig Castle, now in ruins, formerly
the seat of the Breadalbane family, an ancient structure
at the north-west extremity of Loch Tay, near which is
the family mausoleum, embosomed in woods of venerable
growth; Auchlyne //ouse, occupied during the shooting
season by the Duke of Buckingham; Glenure, the
seat of T. H. Place, Esq., the only resident proprietor,
beautifully seated on the banks of the Lochure, near
Benmore; Auchmore, a handsome mansion belonging to
the Breadalbane family; and Borland, romantically situated
in the woods of Glenlochay. The village of Killin
stands at the head of Loch Tay, near the confluence of
the rivers Dochart and Lochay; and the environs abound
with some of the most romantic scenery in Britain. It
is irregularly built, and a few of the inhabitants are employed
in the carding and spinning of wool, for which
there is a mill; there are several shops for the sale of
various kinds of merchandise and wares, and an excellent
inn. A branch of the Central Banlv of Scotland,
and a savings' bank, have been established; there is a
daily post to and from the south of Scotland, and a post
communicates three days in the week with Kenmore
and Aberfeldy. Fairs are held on the third Tuesday in
January, for general business; the first Tuesday in May,
also for general business, and on the l'2th for cattle; on
the 2rth of October, for cattle; and the first Tuesday
in November, O. S., for general business. Facility of
communication is maintained by good roads, and bridges
over the several rivers, all kept in excellent order; one*
road communicates with Loch Lomond, where a steamer
phes daily during the summer.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Weem, synod of Perth and
Stirling. The minister's stipend is £'240. 19. 5., with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £13 per annum; patron,
the Marquess of Breadalbane. Killin church, erected in
1774, and repaired in 1S32, is a neat structure conveniently
situated, and containing 905 sittings. A church,
now in connexion with the Free Church, was erected
towards the close of the last century, on the lands of
Strathfillan; and at Ardeonaig is a mission under the
Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, for which
a church was built by the late Marquess of Breadalbane,
at an expense of £600. The latter church contains 650
sittings, and the minister has a stipend of £60, of which
one-half is paid by the marquess, and the other by the
society; he has also a mause, and a glebe of seventeen
acres and a half, valued at £1*2 per annum. The members
of the Free Church have a place of worship at
Killin; and there are small congregations of Baptists
and Independents, who ussemble in a room, but have no
regular minister. The parochial school is attended by
about eighty children; the master has a salary of £34,
with a house and garden, and the fees average £10 per
annum. Three schools are supported by the Society for
Propagating Christian Knowledge, the masters of which
have salaries varying from £15 to £18, with a house,
and land for a cow, in addition to the fees. Two schools,
also, are endowed by the Marchioness of Breadalbane,
in one of which, at Killin, ten boys and fifty girls are
instructed gratuitously by the master, who has a salary
of £20, with a house and garden; the girls are also
taught sewing and knitting. In the village is likewise
a school for young children, to the mistress of which the
marchioness gives a house and garden rent-free. The
parochial libr. ry contains a collection of about 300 volumes,
principally on religious subjects; and the Breadalbane
Philanthropic Association furnishes a supply of
Bibles and school-books to the poor at a very reduced
cost. The poor arc supported partly by the liliorality
of the Breadalbane family, who allow, almost to each, a
house and garden rent-free, with the liberty of cutting
peat, and di.-tribute annually among them meal to the
amount of £40, and a supply of clothing at Christmas.
In Loch Dochart arc some remains of one of the seven
towers built l)y Sir Duncan Campbell, whicli during a
froKt was taken by the Mc (jregors, who, ap|)roaciiing
on the ice, put the whole of its inhabitants to doatii.
In the possession of Mr. Sinclair, tenant of Inverehagarnie,
are the powder-horn, and a gold brooch, worn
by the celebrated Rob Roy Mc Gregor, who was a na-
five of Glendochart. The same gentleman has an old
rifle which belonged to the Mc Nabs; it is four feet in
length, with an octagonal bore, and in the stock is a
recess for holding a supply of bullets. Sir Walter Scott
in his Lord of the Isles states, that Lord Bruce's party,
after their fierce struggle with the enemy at Dairy (or
King's Field), entered, in their retreat, a narrow pass between
Loch Dochart and a precipice, where the king
had scarcely room to manage his steed. Here three of
his foes attacked him at once. One seized his bridle,
but was cut down with a blow that hewed his arm off.
The second grasped Bruce by the stirrup and leg, and
endeavoured to dismount him; but the king putting
spurs to his horse, threw him down, the man still holding
by the stirrup. The third assailant, taking advantage
of an acclivity, sprang up behind the king on the
horse: Bruce, however, whose personal strength is uniformly
reported as exceeding that of most men, extricated
himself from his grasp, hurled him to the ground, and
cleft his scull with his sword. By similar exertion, he
wrested his stirrup from the grasp of the man he had
overthrown, and despatched him also with his sword, as
he lay under his horse's feet. The battle of Dairy, above
mentioned, was fought on a small plain in the parish, in
1306, between Robert Bruce, and the forces of the shire
of Argyll, under Macdougal, chieftain of Lorn; the former
suffering defeat. A spot near the village of Killin,
within what was the site of the ancient churchyard, is
pointed out as the grave of Fingal. The present translation
of the Bible into the Gaelic language was commenced
by the Rev. James Stewart, minister of this parish,
who died in 1789, having at that time translated
the New Testament; the remainder was performed by
his son. Dr. Stewart, of Luss, who was born here. Dr.
Dewar, principal of Marischal College, Aberdeen, and
eminent in literature and theology, is a native of the
parish.