Moulin Perthshire Scotland

Moulin, Perthshire, Scotland. Tour Moulin, 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. Moulin in 1846. Moulin, a parish, in the county of Perth; containing, with the villages of Kinnaird and Pitlochry, and part of the late quoad sacra parish of Tenandry, 2017 inhabitants, of whom 172 are in the village of Moulin, 13 miles (N. W. by N.) from Dunkeld. This place, of which the name is of doubtful etymology, is of considerable antiquity; and formed part of the possessions of David, eleventh earl of Atholl, upon whom King Robert Bruce conferred the office of constable of Scotland. On David's revolting against his sovereign, his estates were forfeited; and the barony of Moulin was granted by the king to Sir Neil Campbell and his wife, sister to Bruce, whose son John was subsequently created Earl of Atholl by David II., but died without issue at the battle of Halidon-Hill, in 1333, when the title and estates again reverted to the crown. The pass of Killiecrankie, in this parish, is memorable for the celebrated battle which took place there in 1689, between the English army under General Mackay, and the Highland forces commanded by Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, in support of the exiled James II. of England. In this battle, which terminated in favour of the Highlanders, not less than 2000 of Mackay's forces were slain, and Dundee was so severely wounded that he died soon after, and was interred in the church of Blair-Athol.

The parish is naturally divided into the nearly parallel districts of Atholl and Strathardle, separated from each other by a hill of inconsiderable height, about four miles in extent. The district of Atholl is about seven miles in length, and from five to seven in breadth; and that of Strathardle is eight miles in length, and nearly seven miles in breadth. The surface is diversified with mountainous heights, of which the most conspicuous is Bein-Breacaidh, rising to an elevation of nearly 3000 feet above the level of the sea; and with numerous verdant hills of gentler aspect, which add much to the beauty of the scenery. The vale of Atholl is watered by the Tummel and the Garry rivers, which unite their streams within the limits of the parish; and Strathardle, by the rivers Briarachan and Ardle, of which the former rises in the parish, and, uniting with the Arnat, forms the Ardle, whence the Strath has its name. The Garry and the Tummel are both impetuous streams, and in their course make numerous cascades; the most striking is the fall on the Tummel, near its confluence with the Garry at Faskally. The Garry runs for nearly three miles through the wildly romantic pass of Killiecrankie, between precipitous masses of rugged rock, which overhang the stream and obstruct its current, at times concealing it from view by thick branches of trees that have taken root in the clefts of the rocks. Both these rivers abound with trout; and during the season, salmon and grilse are found in great plenty, and of excellent quality. The only lake is Loch Broom, which is also much frequented by anglers. The parish is chiefly pastoral; about 3000 acres are arable, 2000 woodland and plantations, and the remainder mountain pasture and moorland. The soil along the banks of the rivers is light and sandy, but in other parts a deep loam of great fertility; and for a considerable breadth around the village of Moulin is a tract of the richest land in the county, producing exuberant crops of grain of every kind. The system of husbandry is much improved, and the regular rotations are observed according to the nature of the lands. The hills afford good pasturage for sheep, of which more than 13,000 are reared in the parish, chiefly of the black-faced breed, with a few of the Leicestershire; and the cattle are of the Highland breed, with a few of the pure Angus and Ayrshire. The horses reared are generally a cross between the native Highland and Clydesdale breeds. There are extensive remains of natural wood, consisting chiefly of oak and birch, of which latter there are numerous fine specimens in the pass of Killiecrankie; the plantations, also very extensive, are of oak, ash, beech, birch, larch, and Scotch and spruce firs, for all of which the soil appears to be well adapted. The substrata are, limestone, hornblende, mica-slate, of which also the rocks are mainly composed, and granular quartz; and large masses of marble of fine crystalline texture, and boulders of granite and quartz, are found in various places. The principal mansion-houses are, Edradour, Faskally, Urrard, Balnakeilly, Baledmund, Kindrogan, and Dirnanaen, most of which are elegant structures, beautifully situated in demesnes embellished with woods and plantations, and commanding finely-varied prospects. The rateable annual value of Moulin is £8117.

The village of Moulin stands in the southern portion of the parish, in the heart of a district abounding with picturesque scenery, and has a pleasingly-rural aspect; it consists of well-built cottages, and is inhabited chiefly by persons engaged in agricultural pursuits. Facility of communication is afforded by the great north road from Perth to Inverness, which passes through the parish; and a fair is held at Moulin on the first Tuesday in March, for the sale of horses and the purchase of seed corn. There is a post-office in the village of Pitlochry. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Dunkeld and synod of Perth and Stirling. The minister's stipend is £150. 14. 3., of which one-third is paid from the exchequer, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £26. 13. 4. per annum; patron, the Duke of Atholl. The church, erected in the village of Moulin, in 1831, is a neat substantial structure containing 650 sittings. The parochial school is well attended; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a house, and £2 in lieu of garden; and the school fees average about £10, to which may be added £7 allowed by the Commissioners of Bishops' Rents, for the gratuitous instruction of poor children. There are also six Sunday schools, and a school for females at Pitlochry, of which the mistress receives £5 per annum from the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. In the parish are numerous upright stones, supposed to be Druidical remains. Near the village of Moulin are the ruins of an ancient castle, of which the origin is unknown; it is a quadrilateral structure of stone, eighty feet long and seventy-six wide, and was formerly surrounded by a lake, which has been drained, and the ground recently covered with plantations. There are also vestiges of Pictish houses. Coins of Edward I. of England, and Alexander III. of Scotland, were discovered some years since on the farm of Stronchavie; and in the pass of Killiecrankie, broken swords and fragments of military weapons have been found, some of which are deposited in the mansion of Urrard.