CAPUTH, a parish, in the county of Perth; containing,
with the villages of Craigie, Fungarth, Kincairnie,
Meikleour, and Spittalfield, 231* inhabitants, of
whom 17s are in the village of Wester Caputh, 5 miles
(E. S. E.) from Dunkeld. This place, called in ancient
records Keapoch, is said to have been in former times the
site of a Pictish town of great strength, named, according
to Boetius, Tuline or Tulina, and the inhabitants of which,
who were very numerous, burned and deserted it on the
approach of the Romans. It is said to have been situated
at a place called at present Inchtuthil, " the island
in the flooded stream", and is supposed to be the station
described by Tacitus, to which Agricola led his troops
after the famous battle with Galgacus. Caputh is mentioned
in Mylne's Lives of the Bishops of Dunkeld as originally
forming a portion of the parish of Little Dunkeld,
and as having been erected into a distinct parish, in the
year 1.500, by Bishop Brown, who at his own cost built
a choir, with painted ceiling and glazed windows, and
for the support of the minister gave a vicarage which
had been formerly united to his see, with four acres of
glebe land; and also some rising ground, called the
Mute hill, for the erection of a church. This author also
informs us, that the parish of Dowally was once a part
of Caputh, and that the same bishop built and endowed
a church in honour of St. Anne, among the woods of the
church lands of that district, in consequence of having
heard that the Irish language was spoken in the Highland
parts of Caputh.
The PARISH is situated on the northern bank of the
river Tay, which forms its boundary for ten miles, from
the bridge of Dunkeld, on the west, to the confluence of
the Tay and the Isla, on the east; the latter river forms
its boundary on the south-east, and the Lunan separates
it on the north-east from Blairgowrie. It measures about
thirteen miles in length from east to west, and varies in
breadth from two to seven miles, comprising 16,000 acres,
which form the principal part of the plain of Stormont,
a continuation of the vale of Strathmore. The surface is
considerably diversified; the portion towards the southeast
is nearly level, and consists of rich and well-cultivated
tracts, while the northern and north-western parts
are hilly, and present many beautiful varieties of Highland
scenery, enlivened by refreshing streams traversing
the verdant dales. The river Tay, on which and also on
the Isla are several fishing-stations, varies in width in
this part from 150 to 200 yards, and is distinguished for
its striking scenery. Towards the northern boundary,
the burn of Lunan, which rises in the Grampians, falls
down a precipitous and thickly-wooded glen two or three
miles long, and reaches the loch of Craiglush; adjoining
this is the fine piece of water called Lows, about two
miles north-east of Dunkeld, and not far ofl' is the luch
of Butterstone. After passing through all these waters,
and connecting them in a chain, the Lunan runs eastward,
and falls into the Isla about seven miles from
Caputh church.
The SOIL, near the rivers, is a rich alluvial earth, and
is much indebted for its fertility to deposits conveyed by
the frequent overflowing of the streams. In the lower
and level grounds it is in general light and dry, and in
the higher parts cold and wet, though, where well cultivated,
very fertile. The husbandry is on a superior footing,
and excellent crops are raised; bone manure has
been extensively applied, and, in some parts, very beneficially
as a top-dressing to the pasture. The cattle
formerly bred were the Angus dodded sort; but these
have been latterly much improved i)y crosses with the
Teeswater and the Ayrshire, and the sheep, which are of
various kinds, are gradually improving by the intermixture
of Leicester stock. The annual value of real property
in the parish is £14,426. The chief rocks are
limestone and clay-slate, and the former, which is of
good quality, has been extensively quarried for some
years, and burnt in kilns the construction of which
obtained a premium from the Highland Society some
time since. At Newtyle, a quarry of dark-blue slate of
firm texture has long been in operation, and the material
is in great demand. The mansions are, Delvine House,
a plain but pleasant residence, nearly three miles east of
the church; Meikleour House, beautifully seated on the
north bank of the Tay; Snaigow House, an elegant mansion
in the old baronial style, two miles north of the
church; and Glendelvine, a modern residence, similar in
style to Snaigow. Cattle-fairs are held at Meikleour on
the fourth Friday in June, on July 2nd, the third Friday
in August, and the fourth Friday in October.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of Dunkeld,
synod of Perth, and in the patronage of the Crown;
the minister's stipend is about £200, with a manse and
glebe valued together at £4*. 10. per annum. Caputh
church, built in 1798, and situated on an eminence near
the southern border, is a plain commodious edifice, containing
sittings for 800 persons; it has lately been extensively
repaired, and improved by the erection of a
new porch at each end. The parochial school is in the
village of Spittalfield, and affords instruction in the usual
branches; the master has a salary of £34, with a house
and garden, and £30 fees. A savings' bank was established
in 1815, which is now a branch of the National-
Security Savings' Bank, and in a flourishing condition.
Remains exist of a Roman camp at Inchtuthil, supposed
to have been the station of Agricola. It is situated on
the north-eastern part of a piece of table-land covering
upwards of 200 acres, steep on all sides, and elevated
about sixty feet above the plain. It measures about 500
yards square, and the walls, now almost levelled by the
plough, were nine feet and a half thick, and built with
stones brought from a quarry two miles distant; on the
south-eastern side arc two tumuli, and a redoubt. There
are also in the parish numerous Druidical circles, and
cairns, one of the latter of which, called Cairnmure, or
the Big Cairn, is the largest in the county, being 456 feet
in circumference and fourteen feet in height.