Moneydie Perthshire Scotland

The Parish of Moneydie, Perthshire, Scotland, was united with that of Auchtergaven in 1979 to form Auchtergaven and Moneydie Parish Church, with the Moneydie Church building not being used since then. Tour Moneydie, Perthshire, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland. Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Moneydie in 1846. Moneydie, a parish, in the county of Perth, 6 miles (N. W. by. N.) from Perth; containing 315 inhabitants. This parish consists of two portions, viz. the old parish of Moneydie and the district of Logiealmond, which latter, about eighty years ago, was separated from the neighbouring parish of Monzie, and annexed quoad sacra to Moneydie. Before the Reformation Moneydie Proper appears to have been a parsonage connected with the diocese of Dunkeld; and about the year 1480 the living was held by Alexander Myln, canon of Dunkeld, calling himself "prebendary of Moneydie." A large proportion of the land here seems to have been held by the bishops, one of whom had obtained it by purchase, and caused it to be united to the barony of Dunkeld, but upon condition that a layman was to hold of the church, and to perform the necessary services to the king. Other proprietors of lands in former times were, James, Master of Gowrie, Sir Patrick Crichton, and Sir Andrew Malcolm, who all had large estates in the parish; and the district of Logiealmond, which is more than double the size of the original parish of Moneydie, appears to have been once possessed by a family of the name of Logie. At present, Moneydie Proper is nearly equally divided between the Grahams, of Balgowan, and the Duke of Atholl; while Logiealmond belongs to Sir William Drummond Stewart, of Grandtully.

The parish is bounded on the north by the parishes of Auchtergaven and Little Dunkeld; on the west by Fowlis; on the south by Redgorton and Methven; on the east by Redgorton. The western, or Logiealmond, district, lies on the southern face of the first range of the Grampians, sloping towards the river Almond; the eastern extremity reaches almost to the river Tay, near Luncarty bleachfield. The surface is little diversified; and with the exception of the Logiealmond hills, which are about 1800 feet above the level of the sea, there is no material elevation. The Almond, which skirts the southern boundary of the parish for a number of miles, is the only river of importance; but there are the two small streams of Shochie and Ordie, which rise in the Grampian range, and fall into the Tay. The Almond abounds in salmon and trout, and the two streams are famed for trout-fishing. The soil is much varied in the lower district; near the Almond it is a light alluvial mould, changing occasionally into a rich loam resting upon a gravelly subsoil; while at some distance from the river it is a hard red earth, with a considerable proportion of black loam. On the higher grounds it consists of a cold wet till, with a little peat-moss. In Moneydie Proper 2718 acres are under cultivation, and 771 in pasture; and in Logiealmond 2237 are cultivated, and 4869 in pasture. About 800 acres are under wood, much of which is of some age, and consists of Scotch fir; the younger plantations are chiefly of larch, sprucefir, and oak, the last of which prevails to a great extent upon the Graham estate. All kinds of white and green crops are produced; of the latter, potatoes form the principal article. Cattle of every description are reared, from the bulky Teeswater to the diminutive West Highland; the sheep are chiefly of the Leicester breed, especially on the low lands, being preferred both on account of their readily fattening, and for the superior value of their fleeces. The best system of husbandry is followed; and the improvements which have been made in agriculture have trebled the rent of the parish within the last forty years. The draining, inclosing, and improving of waste land have advanced with great rapidity; but the most important change consists in the introduction of bone-manure for turnips, which are eaten off the land by sheep. By this method, independently of many other advantages, the whole farm-yard dung is reserved for the potatoes, large quantities of which are regularly sent to the London market. The rateable annual value of the parish now amounts to £3654. The rocks in the hills are chiefly blue slate; and in about the middle of the upper district is a quarry of grey freestone, of fine quality, and easily wrought. A flax spinning-mill has been recently established at Milnhaugh, driven by the river Almond, and employing about fifty persons. The village of Herriotfield, the only one in the parish, contains about a hundred inhabitants. Logiealmond House, a seat of Sir William D. Stewart, is partly an ancient mansion, romantically situated on the bank of the Almond. Peats and wood are used as fuel in the upper part of the parish; in the lower the people obtain English coal from Perth.

The ecclesiastical affairs are subject to the presbytery of Perth and synod of Perth and Stirling; patrons, the family of Graham. The stipend of the minister is £216; and there is a small manse, with a glebe of nearly nine acres of good land. The church is a plain substantial structure, with a square tower, and accommodates 460 persons with sittings: it was built about the year 1817; but its situation is inconvenient for the population, being seven miles from the western extremity of the parish, where most of the inhabitants reside. At Chapelhill, in Logiealmond, four miles distant, an ancient chapel was fitted up and opened by subscription, in connexion with the Establishment, in 1834, at an expense of about £150: the allowance to the minister, which is small, arises from seat-rents and collections. There is also a chapel in the parish belonging to the United Secession; and the members of the Free Church have a place of worship. A parochial school is maintained in Moneydie; the master has a salary of £34, with about £10 fees, and a house and two acres of land. There is another school at Chapelhill, the master of which has a dwelling-house, with a salary from the heritors of 100 merks Scots, and about two acres of land; and a school is attached to the Secession meeting-house. The usual branches are taught in all these schools, with the addition of the classics and French, if required, in the parochial school. A small library belongs to the congregation of the Established Church, and another to the Seceders.