PORT-OF-MONTEITH, a parish, in the county of
Perth, 9| miles (W.) from Doune; containing, with
the villages of Gartmoor, Ruskie, and Tomachar, 1446
inhabitants. A point on the east side of the Lake of
Monteith is supposed to have formed the chief landingplace
of the priors of Inchmahomc; and from this circumstance
it is believed to have received the appellation
of Port, a name since given to the parish. An establishment
of Culdees seems to have existed at a very early
period, on Inchmahomc, the principal island in the lake;
and this, in the time of Edgar, is su])[)osed to have been
superseded by a convent of Augustine monks, for whom
Walter Cumin, Earl of Monteith, obtained licence in
1238 to erect a chiirch, of which there are still some remains.
The village of Port was made a burgh of barony
by James MI., in 1446. In 1547, the priory of Inchmahomc
became for some time the scat of the Scottish court;
after the battle of Pinkie in September of that year the
Earl of Arran conveyed the Princess Mary, subsequently
Queen of Scots, to this place for her greater safety; and
here, with the queen-mother, she was tended till the
removal of the court to Dumbarton Castle, there to
await the arrival of the fleet that eventually conveyed
her to France. The remains of the priory, which are in
tolerable preservation, consist chiefly of the nave and
choir of the church, with a portion of the tower. The
western entrance is almost entire; and the side walls
of the choir, with the eastern window, though blocked
up with modern rubble-work, are still in a good state.
Not far from the centre of the choir is the beautiful
monument of Walter Stewart, Earl of Monteith, and his
countess; and near it, a monument to Sir John Drumniond,
of inferior workmanship. There are also portions
of the conventual buildings, to the south of the church,
consisting of the refectory, kitchen, and dormitory.
The PARISH, including a portion of that of Lany suppressed
in 161 5, is about nine miles in extreme length
from east to west, and about six miles in average
breadth. One-half of the lands are mountainous moor
and peat-moss, and a considerable part is occupied by
lakes; leaving but a comparatively small portion for
agricultural purposes. The surface of the northern district
is mountainous, forming part of the Grampian
range; and the highest point, Craig-Dhu, or " Black
Craig ", has an elevation of nearly 2000 feet: to the east
of this mountain is another, called by the Highlanders
Crnig-Dliereag, or " Red Craig ", which has an elevation
of 1600 feet. Upon the south side of the latter eminence,
for about a quarter of a mile, great masses of
rock that have fallen from it lie in detached heaps of
rugged form, and partly overgrown with ivy. From the
base a copious stream of limpid water issues even in the
driest seasons; and within 300 feet of the summit is a
lake half a mile in circumference, called Loch-an-Falloch,
or "the hidden lake", whence a streamlet flows
into Loch Venachoir, by which the parish is bounded
on the north. The Lake of Monteith, or Loch Irtchmahome,
the principal lake in the parish, is situated at
the base of the mountains, and is about five miles in
circumference, varying in different parts from forty-two
to eighty-three feet in depth. The island of Inchmahome,
on which are the ruins of the priory, is about
five acres in extent, and thickly wooded: the trees are
chiefly chesnut of great age and in a state of decay, interspersed
with ash, oak, and plane, and a profusion of
underwood, among which the venerable rums are seen
with beautiful effect. On the islet of Talla, which is
also clothed with wood, are the picturesque remains of
the castle of the Earls of Monteith. The lake abounds
with perch, trout, pike, and eels; and previously to the
erection of some mills on the stream Guidie, or Goodie,
which issues from it, and flows into the river Forth, salmon
were often found in its waters. Loch Ruskie, to the
south of Craig-Dhereag, is about a mile in circumference,
and has a small island on which are the ruins of a mansion
belonging to Sir John Monteith, commissioner of
Edward I. of England; and to the west of Loch Inchmahome
is Loch Macinrie, or " the lake of the king's
son ", from which a rivulet flows into the Forth.
The SOIL is various. The most extensive of the
mosses are those of Moss Flanders and Gartur, and the
Talla moss; the first of these has been for some years
under a process, by its proprietor, David Erskine, Esq.,
of Cardross, for clearing off the peat by cuts of wafer
into the Forth, and converting the moss into a rich
alluvial soil. In other parts the soil is more or less
fertile, and along the Forth is a considerable tract of
carse land. A large number of sheep, principally of the
black-faced breed, are fed in the pastures; the cattle
are a mixture of Highland and Lowland breeds. The
plantations, which are chiefly recent, are generally in a
thriving state; and in different parts of the parish are
some trees of stately growth. The hills are mostly of
conglomerate rock and limestone; some of the latter is
of a bluish colour, streaked with white, and of good
quality for working into mantel- pieces. In the open district
is sandstone of a grey colour, and of compact texture,
well adapted for pavements. The annual value of real
property in the parish amounts to £8100.
Cardross, the seat of Mr. Erskine, is a spacious and
handsome mansion finely situated. Rednock House, the
seat of General Graham StirUng, is a stately mansion,
to which additions have been made within the last few
years, and is seated in an extensive park, which has
been greatly improved, embellished with two sheets of
water, and richly planted. Gartmore and Leltchtown
are also handsome residences; and on the lands of
Drunkie, Mrs. Eastmont has erected a mansion commanding
a fine view of Loch Venachoir and the adjacent
district. The village of Gartmore stands pleasantly
on the road from Stirling to Inversnaid, and has
a rural appearance. A fair is held annually; and there
were formerly several others, but they have been discontinued.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is
within the limits of the presbytery of Dunblane and
synod of Perth and Stirling: the minister's stipend is
£269. 16. 9-, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £8 per
annum; patron, Mr. Erskine. The parish church is a
neat plain structure, containing 380 sittings. A church
was built by subscription, in 1*90, at Gartmore, to
which a quoad sacra parish was latterly for a time
annexed. The parochial school is attended by about sixty
children; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a
house and garden, and the fees average £15. There are
three other schools in remote parts of the parish, one of
which has for some time received from William Campbell,
Esq., of Glasgow, a native of this parish, £10 per
annum as a salary for the master. In the vicinity of
Loch Ruskie are some mineral springs, which are in considerable
repute.