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THE families of Farquharson--Fletcher,
Stewart—Maitland and the related family of Forbes, and others with whom
this narrative is chiefly concerned had all, early in the nineteenth
century, established themselves in the parish of Logie-Coldstone which
is situated in the vale of Cromar in Western Aberdeen-shire, Scotland.
Indeed, the Farquharsons and Fletchers had had there, or in that
neighborhood, their habitat for some generations previous to that time.
Logie and Coldstone had been originally
separate parishes, but, in the year 1618, they became united under the
hyphenated name of Logie-Coldstone. The name Logie is said to have been
derived from the Gaelic word "lagan," meaning a stretch of low-lying
land---generally beside a stream having high ground on both sides, and
is descriptive of that part of the parish now known as "the Burn-side of
Logie," which, afterwards had given its name to the whole Parish. The
name "Coldstone," also, as indeed the names of most of the farms and
hills in the district, is derived from the Gaelic, though, unlike Logie
which, as "Logy" or "Logic" has always preserved the same form,
Cold-stone has, at different times, been spelt in at least five
different ways—"Colessell," "Colcoyon," "Codilston," "Colquhaldstane"
and finally "Coldstone" as at present.
The parish of Coldstone, in the state of
Nature, had been extremely wet, a large portion of its surface being
marshy or entirely covered with water, fed from mountain and other
streams from different directions. The late Rev. J. G. Michie, who,
while school-master of Logie-Coldstone was the present writer's
respected teacher, points out in his "History of Logie-Coldstone," that
the original name had most likely been ''Cullstruan," derived from the
Gaelic words "cull" a corner and "struan," a running stream, and would
mean "watery corner" or "a corner of streams." That, at any rate, should
have been truly descriptive of the parish, not only as to its then
condition, but also as to its unchanging geographical situation as the
Northwesterly corner of the vale of Cromar. The names of both Logie and
Coldstone in their original and respective forms as given above, are
very old, both dating back, it is believed, to about 1100 A.D.
The Vale or District of Cromar is bounded or
enclosed by its four hills—Morven on the West, Pressn'dye on the North,
Ledilick on the Last, and Mulloch, with connecting hills, on the South,
and measures from East to 'Vest some four or five miles, and from North
to South about six miles. Its name, according to Rev. Robert Farquharson,
in his contribution to "The Old Statistical Account of Scotland" which
he dates in 1793, is a corrupted form of the Gaelic word Cruievar,
which, in the original signifies "The bught or cattlefold of Mar," the
surrounding hills, no doubt, suggesting such an enclosure.
PREHISTORIC REMAINS.
In the district are found many traces of
ancient times reaching back to the stone age. To that period, without
doubt, belong the forts or strongholds, today represented only by their
remains in the form of huge cairns still standing--one on the summit of
Morven, another on the hill of Mulloch, and a third across the river Dee
in Glen Taner which were all in sight of each other and admirably suited
for, and not improbably used as, watch-towers. In addition to these
chief forts, strongholds of less importance seem to have been scattered
here and there through the district, huge cairns still giving mute
testimony to their former greatness. One of these which I remember well,
known as Cairn More of Migvie, had fallen a victim to the march of
agricultural improvement, under my own eyes before our departure from
the district in 1866. Another cairn more, or big cairn, existed, before
my day, on a farm not far from the parish church, still known by the
name of Cairnmore (of Blelack) but this one, like many others of its
kind, occupied land too valuable to be left undisturbed, and for that
reason has given place to the plough and is kept in memory only by the
transference of its name to the land or farm on which it had stood. Mr.
Michie, in his history, mentions several which I must have seen but
which I no longer remember.
Scattered along the hill-foot, from
Knocksoul to Pitellachie towards Balgrennie and beyond, on uncultivated
moor-land, I remember many cairns to whose lay-out or origin I gave
little consideration at the time. In these and others of their kind,
antiquarians have, of late, been taking an intelligent interest and find
them to be "larachs" or remains of ancient dwellings. It seems that they
are all circular in form, and of all sizes from five or six to a hundred
feet in diameter. They are usually found in clusters, the smaller
cairns, representing the dwellings of the common people, being clustered
around a central larger cairn which is supposed to represent the
strong-hold of the chief.
Loch Kinnord, or Kinner, as it is locally
known, took its name from Malcolm Canmore King of Scotland (1058 to
1093), who, on one of its two islands had a summer palace in which he
sometimes resided. Here it was, according to tradition, that Malcolm,
after his victory over the Danes in a terrible struggle on the hill of
Mulloch just overlooking the loch, sought repose, but, by reason of some
noise which His Majesty believed to be the yelping of dogs, was unable
to sleep. Soon learning from a retainer who had been sent to '`conch" or
"coots' the (logs that the offenders were some boys who had been holding
a hilarious time around the castle and not dogs, he bestowed upon his
youthful disturbers the cognomen of "Coutts,' and thus is said to have
originated the family name of Coutts, common yet in the district, and
not unknown to fame in the wider theatre of human life.
From the bottom of Loch Kinnord have been
recovered in recent times many ancient and interesting articles, some of
which point to its occupation as a "cranog" from times as early as the
stone age. It is interesting to know that this loch was in its day one
of the strongest fortresses in Scotland and that it continued to be
regarded as of considerable importance up to the time of the
Reformation, when it was dismantled. Being within sight from the top of
Knockmaud, a knoll on my father's farm, this little loch was ever an
object of interest to all our household.
Not the least interesting, though the most
puzzling of all the prehistoric remains in the locality are the "eirde,"
or earth houses, locally known as "Pict's houses." Only one of these
came under my personal observation, but several of them have been found
in Cromar, and no doubt, some remain yet undiscovered. The one on the
farm of Cuish examined by me when a little boy, in common with all its
kind, was entirely under ground. Its floor, as well as its side and end
walls were all of stone. Its depth was probably about six or more feet,
and its width, perhaps six feet or more. Its earth roof was supported by
large stones laid horizontally crosswise. I remember no opening except
from the top which had been made by removal of one of the roof-stones,
so that from memory, I am unable to say by what means access was had to
the interior. Hundreds of these, I understand, have been discovered in
Scotland but their use does not seem to have been ascertained.
From such remains we can picture to
ourselves something of the abodes and manner of life of our remote
ancestors. By the balls and spear and arrow heads which have been
unearthed in the locality' we can see how they hunted the game animals
which were no doubt plentiful, and also how they fought their battles in
defence of their homes or for the destruction or possession of those of
their neighbours.
Besides warlike weapons,
it is pleasing to note even in that remote and barbarous age a reaching
forth to the conveniences and refinements of more civilized life. In
proof of this, cups, bowls and knives for domestic use, some very rude,
others artistically carved, have, in modern times, been brought to
light, as have also tools such as axes or "celts," as they are called by
antiquarians, hammers and wedges for cutting, splitting and shaping
timber—some rough, some polished—but all of stone. The spear and arrow
heads recovered are of different sizes—some large, others small. Some of
the spear heads found are barbed and beautifully shaped. From the bottom
of Loch Kinnord have been recovered balls or round stones varying from
two to eight pounds in weight. Some are plain, some have encircling
grooves, while others are ornamented with figures and knobs. None of
these have I ever seen, but I understand that they are being collected
and carefully preserved in museums.
In that rude age the chief means of
subsistence was, no doubt, animal food, as few implements other than
weapons used in war or hunting have been found. Agriculture had,
however, at a very early period been pursued to a very limited extent,
as is evidenced by the recovery of rude mills or devices for the
grinding of grain. The earliest and crudest of these devices consisted
of a gritty stone hollowed out like a mortar with a round stone for a
pestle. This was followed by the quern which held its own until modern
times. Rude and
barbarous as they were, these early ancestors of ours are understood to
have had a curious alphabet now called "Ogham," but they have left no
literature, nor indeed writing of any kind except on stones, and such
specimens as are thus preserved are now read only (and that imperfectly)
by learned antiquarians. Adjoining, and partly encroaching upon our
former farm home in Coldstone, is a broom and heath clad knoll
projecting like a peninsula into what, in early times must have been a
swamp or lakelet. On this knoll, which is known as "Tamachar," meaning,
as Mr. Michie thought, "Chair Mound," the name, supposedly having
reference to some Court or seat of authority which had issued thence its
mandates, was found before my day, a sculptured stone of pagan times,
the only specimen of its age and class known to exist in Cromar. It had
been built into a barn or stable wall, with its sculptured face outwards
towards the public highway, and was an object of interest to myself and
boy companions on our way to and from school. It contains only pagan
symbols, but its lines are so beautifully drawn that it cannot he said
that the stone sculpturing art was quite unknown to the Picts of its
day. That stone, I understand, has since, been removed by a proprietor
of the district to Tilliprony House, under the guardianship of Sir .John
Clark, Bart.
CHRISTIANITY COMES TO TULLOCH AND CROMAR
So far, our information is confined entirely
to the mute remains of our ancestors, of whom we have no other record.
Even the Romans, who at the beginning of the Christian era, cast the
torch-light of their civilization on the paganism of England and the
Southern part of Scotland, either failed to reach Cromar or did not
impress upon its vide denizens any of their culture. The long night of
darkness is therefore unrelieved by any ray of light until six centuries
had come and gone.
At last, about the year 630 A.D. St. Nathalan opened a Christian Mission
at Tulloch, near Ballater, with a station also in the parish of Coull in
the Easterly part of Cromar, and no doubt some of his light fell also
upon benighted Coldstone, though no trace of hint has been found in that
parish. St. Walock,
whose Iatin name was Volocus, is believed to have been the first
Christian missionary to reach Logic and Coldstone. The date of his
arrival there, as well as that of his birth, I have been unable to
discover, but he seems to have died in the year 733 A.D. In The Saint's
Calendar he is described as a foreigner who left his native land and his
parents, lived in a little house of woven reeds and wattles, flourished
with remarkable miracles in the northern part of that country, chose for
himself a dwelling among the high rocks, followed his Lord's example as
far as the frailty of his nature allowed, voluntarily submitting himself
to the greatest hunger, thirst and cold that he might satisfy for his
own sins and for those of others in his church, led a life of poverty,
and shunned dignities in order to achieve a higher reward in Heaven.
"But," (quoting in full from Mr. Michie's report, as taken from the
calendar), "the race whom he preferred to convert to the faith of Christ
and whom actually, by his preaching and exhortation, he did convert, no
one would hesitate to describe as fierce, untamed, void of decency of
manners and virtue, and incapable of easy listening to the word of
truth, whose conversation was rather that of the brutes that perish than
of mien. For they had neither altar nor temple nor any oratory in which
they might return thanks to their Creator, but, like brute beasts, were
given to eating, sleeping and gorging. Nor in the meantime, by Divine
Power, were wonderful miracles wanting in their presence; but
notwithstanding that these miracle, belonged not to the human race but
were of God, more than I can count were, by means of blessed Volocus,
converted to Christ. At length, in extreme old age, on the fourth day
before the Kalends of February, with angels standing round, this soul
passed away to Christ."
The memory of this good man is still
preserved in different parts of the wide field of his activities in such
local names as St. W'4'allach's Baths, Wallach's Kirk and St. Wallach's
Well. Of him no monument has been discovered in Cromar, unless a
sculptured stone found on the North side of Loch Kinnord, one in the
Churchyard of Migvie and a rude unsculptured stone in the churchyard of
Logie, still known as "St. Wallach's Stone," or any of then, be
traceable to his time and influence. In the churchyard of Coldstone is a
sculptured granite stone supposed by antiquaries to belong to the eighth
or ninth century, by which Mr. Jarvis the antiquary was so impressed
that he had a drawing of it inscribed on the cover of his "Epitaphs and
Inscriptions." This stone is about 12 by 24 inches in size, is roughly
dressed on one side and presents, within an oval, a beautifully incised
cross. It is supposed to mark the grave of some old Ecclesiastic who may
possibly have been St. Wallack, himself, though that is rendered less
likely by the fact that the stone is understood to be of the Iona or
Culdee type, to which order St. Wallach is not known to have belonged.
This stone would appear to be the oldest monument commemorative of
Christianity so far discovered in the parish of Coldstone.
From that time onward to the present—from
humble homes and through consecrated lives the true light has shined,
but the feeble glow from hovel or from cloister for long made slow
impression upon the gross darkness of pagan superstition and ignorance
in which the community was steeped. In the slow march of the centuries,
however, some tokens of progress began to emerge, although for many
centuries succeeding the death of Volocus, my information as to the
progress of events in the parishes of Logie and Coldstone is almost nil.
Since the decease of good Volocus five
centuries had come and gone, when Alexander the Third ascended the
throne of Scotland. By that time (1239-1286) the darkness had begun in
feeble measure to apprehend the light, and during his reign with its
enlightened policy the country enjoyed peace and prosperity. As a
consequence wealth began to accumulate and to flow into the laps of the
Barons, who, to their credit be it said, contributed liberally out of
their increase to the funds and possessions of the Church. Out of the
means so contributed the Church expended large sums for the purpose of
erecting churches throughout the country. For the support of religious
ordinances tiends or tithes in pre-Reformation days were contributed by
the State also, but in the course of time such provision, from various
causes, became inadequate. In this condition of inadequacy of support
the two parishes of Logie and Coldstone found themselves in early
Reformation times. For the purpose of saving expenses the two were
united and from and after the 17th of July A.D. 1618, became one parish
under the hyphenated name of "Logie-Coldstone." |
