MARTIN'S-ST, a parish, in the county of Perth,
5 miles (N. N. E.) from Perth; containing, with the
villages of Caroline-Place and Guildtown, and the hamlet
of Cairnbeddie, 107 1 inhabitants, of whom 750 are in
the rural districts. It comprises the ancient parishes
of St. Martin and Cambus-Michael, which were united
soon after the time of the Reformation; and is celebrated
as having been the residence of the usurper Macbeth,
of whose castle of Cairnbeddie there are still some
vestiges remaining. The site of this stronghold was a
circular mound nearly in the centre of the parish, about
eighty yards in diameter, and surrounded by a moat
thirty feet wide; and on levelling the surface during the
process of agricultural improvements, within the last
thirty or forty years, great numbers of horse-shoes of
small size, and fragments of swords and other arms, were
discovered. Not thinking himself sufficiently secure in
the castle of Cairnbeddie against the insurrections of that
troublesome period, Macbeth afterwards removed his residence
to the castle of Dunsinnun Hill, in the adjoining
parish of Collace, in which he fortified himself against
the assatdts of Malcolm III. He was at length killed
at Ltimphanan in Aberdeenshire, after the battle of
Dunsinnan, in 1057- About a mile from the castle of
Cairnbeddie is a spot still called the " Witches' stone ",
where the usurper, as recorded by the dramatist, is said to
have held an interview with the witches, who assured
him of safety " till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane ".
The PARISH is bounded on the west by the river Tay,
and is of irregular form, varying greatly in breadth,
and comprising about 7000 acres, of which, with the
exception of about 1000 acres in plantations, the greater
portion is arable and the remainder meadow and pasture.
Its surface is boldly undulated, without rising into hills
of any striking elevation; and most of the acclivities are
ornamented with plantations of fir, which, together with
the coppices of wood along the banks of the Tay, add
much to the pleasing appearance of the scenery. The
river Tay is navigable to Perth for vessels of considerable
burthen; it abounds with salmon and trout, and
the fisheries are very valuable. There are several rivulets;
the largest is the burn of St. Martin's, which intersects
the parish from west to east, giving motion in
its course to some corn and lint mills, and receiving the
waters of a tributary stream near the church. Trout
are found in most of the smaller streams. In general
the soil is a black mould lying on a tilly bottom, but
along the banks of the Tay of richer quality, resting on
a substratum of gravel; the crops are, grain of every
kind, with potatoes and turnips, and the usual grasses.
The system of husbandry has been greatly advanced
under the auspices of an agricultural society established
here some years ago, and there is now scarcely an acre
of waste land in the parish. Several small hamlets,
indeed, which existed in different parts, have been altogether
razed by the plough, and their sites brought into
cultivation. The lands have been well drained, and inclosed
with fences kept in good order; the farm-buildings
have been rendered substantial and commodious,
and all the more recent improvements in the construction
of agricultural implements are adopted. The plantations
are generally under careful management, and in a
thriving state; and there are some considerable remains
of natural wood. Limestone is found in the north of the
parish, near the Tay, but it is not extensively worked;
whinstone and freestone are every where abundant, and
the latter is of excellent quality, and largely wrought for
building. The annual value of real property in the parish
is £580,5. St. Martin'.s House, a handsome modern
structure, is situated in a richly-planted demesne.
Many of the inhabitants are employed in the manufacture
of coarse linen cloths, chiefly for exportation;
and several are engaged in the various handicraft trades
requisite for the supply of the surrounding district. A
savings' bank was lately established, under that of
Perth; and a library, also founded within the last few
years, is supported by subscription. Facility of communication
is maintained by the great turnpike-road from
Edinburgh to Aberdeen, which passes through the
eastern portion of the parish, and by other good roads
that intersect it in various directions. The villages are,
Guildtown, in the west, built in 1S19; and Caroline-
Place, in the northern district, founded in 1825, and
named in honour of Caroline, Queen of George IV.:
they consist of well-built houses to each of which is
attached a portion of garden-ground. For ecclesiastical
purposes the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Perth, synod of Perth and Stirling. The
minister's stipend is £19'2. 7. 8., with a manse, and also
a glebe, including the old glebe of Cambus-Michael, and
valued at £28 |)er annum; patron, the Crown. The old
church, built in 1773, and which was both inconvenient
and unsafe, was taken down, and a handsome and substantial
structure erected in 1S42, which is well adapted
to the accommodation of the parishioners. It contains
an elegant monument of marble to the memory of William
Macdonald, Esq., of St. Martin's, one of the original
members and secretary of the Highland Society of Scotland,
whose representative, William Macdonald Farquharson
Macdonald, Esq., is now proprietor of more than
half the parish. St. Martin's parochial school, for which
a handsome building has been erected at a cost of £300,
is well attended; the master has a salary of £34, with
a house and garden, and the fees average about £25 per
annum. There is also a private school at Guildtown,
the master of which is provided with a house and garden
rent free by the Guildry of Perth. Very distinct vestiges
exist of the Roman road leading from Bertha, through
the northern part of the parish, towards the neighbouring
parish of Cargill, in which it appears in its primitive
state. At Friarton, in the parish, was a monastic settlement,
connected with the abbey of Scone.