Tour Scotland photograph of snowdrops by the old churchyard gate at Cargill, Perthshire, Scotland. Cargill in 1846. Cargill, a parish, in the county of Perth, 7½ miles North East from Perth; containing, with the villages of Burreltown, Wolfhill, and Woodside, 1642 inhabitants. This place, of which the name, of Celtic origin, signifies a village with a church, originally formed a portion of the parish of Coupar Angus, from which, according to ancient records, it was separated prior to the year 1514. It was for many generations the chief seat of the family of Drummond, of whom Annabella, daughter of Sir John Drummond, was married to Robert III., King of Scotland, and crowned with that monarch, at Scone, in 1390; she was the mother of James I., from whom descended the royal family of Stuart. Stobhall, the seat of the Drummonds, now almost in a ruinous state, came into the possession of the family by the marriage of Sir John Drummond with Lady Mary, eldest daughter of Sir William de Montifex, lord justiciary of Scotland. The ancient mansion, which appears to have been built at different periods, is romantically situated on a narrow tongue of land, on the banks of the river Tay.
The parish, which is in the valley of Strathmore, is about six miles in length, and four in average breadth; the surface is diversified, and bounded on the west and north-west by the Tay, and on the north by the river Isla, which flows into the Tay about half a mile above the village of Cargill. The land rises, by a gradual ascent, from the margin of the river, for nearly a mile, till it attains an elevated plain, varied with occasional eminences interspersed with small glens; the Sidlaw hills form the eastern boundary. The scenery is pleasingly enriched with plantations, chiefly of Scotch fir, with coppices of birch and oak; the native woods, which were formerly extensive, and afforded secure concealment to Sir William Wallace and his adherents from the pursuit of their enemies, are greatly diminished. The soil, along the banks of the river, and on the lower lands, is a humid clay, but fertile, producing abundant crops of grain, and gradually inclines, as the ground ascends, to a rocky marl; towards the base of the hills, it is a light dry gravel, and, on the summit of the elevated plain, partly loam and moorland. The system of agriculture is in an improved state, but much yet remains to be done. The rateable annual value of the parish is £7786. The Tay is navigable to Perth; it abounds with salmon, of which there is a valuable fishery, and with trout and pike, and is a favourite resort for anglers; near the west end of the parish, it flows over a rugged basaltic dyke, where it forms a picturesque fall called the Linn of Campsie.
The substratum is chiefly freestone, of good quality, and of excellent colour, which has been extensively wrought; limestone is also found, but is not much in operation, and rock marl of a reddish colour is abundant, and might be rendered available to the improvement of the moorlands in the upper parts of the parish. The only manufacture carried on, is the weaving of linen for the Dundee manufacturers, which affords employment to a few families. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Dunkeld and synod of Perth and Stirling; the patronage is in the Crown, and the minister's stipend is £224. 16., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £14. The church is a neat and well-arranged structure, erected in 1832, and situated on the sloping bank of the river Tay. There is a place of worship for members of the Free Church. The parochial school is well attended; the master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees average about £15, to which Lady Willoughby de Eresby adds £10, for teaching the poor gratuitously. There were traces, till within the last few years, of a Roman station and road; but under the extension and improvements in agriculture, they have been almost entirely obliterated. Near the Linn of Campsie, was an ancient cell dependent on the abbey of CuparAngus: but only very slight vestiges of it can be traced. Stobhall gave the title of Baron to the earls of Perth, who were lords Drummond and Stobhall, till the forfeiture in 1746.
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