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This
article
is by Rev. Ian D. Reid - the original manuscript of which is part of
the Church's papers. Although not dated, a copy of this article was
reprinted in the Helensburgh
and Gareloch Times in January, 1959 and was later reprinted as a
pamphlet which was sold in aid of the Church Fabric Fund.
The
Parish of Arrochar
A
History of 300 Years
On
the 25th. of January, 1659, two instruments of law were signed by
which the Parish of Arroquhar came into being. Sir John Colquhoun,
the then Chief of Colquhoun, subscribed to a bond whereby he agreed
to denude himself of the sum of 400 merks yearly, payable by the
Laird of Macfarlane for the tithes of his lands of Arroquhar, and 15
bolls teind meal, payable forth of the lands of Arroquhar belonging
to Walter Macfarlane of Gartartan (Stuckgown) in favour of the
Minister of Tarbet and his successors in all time coming, and to be
uplifted by the first minister after his entry to the ministry of
Tarbet. On the same date John Macfarlane, fiar of Arroquhar and Laird
of Macfarlane, granted a bond, binding himself to "cause, begin,
finish and perfect the building of a new kirk with a manse for the
minister of Tarbet, and also give and mortify a competent glebe,
under the pain of 3,000 merks Scots to be uplifted by the Presbytery
of Dumbarton and employed by them for pious uses within the said
lands of Arroquhar."
Though
the 25th. of January, 1659, may be regarded as the Birthday of the
Parish it was actually in the year 1648 that Walter, the 16th. Chief
of Clan Macfarlane, first proposed to the Presbytery of Dumbarton
that his lands of Arroquhar should be disjoined from the Parish of
Luss because the church in Luss was inadequate for the population,
and that it was extremely inconvenient for the parishioners living in
the lands of Arroquhar to attend services at a church which was at
least ten miles from their dwellings. The suggested new parish was
perambulated by the Presbytery in the following year, 1649, and as a
result a site was selected for a church at West Tarbet. The exact
location of this site is not now known, but tradition has it that it
was at or near the place called Tighvechtichan, a point on the old
drovers' road where a watch tower was maintained by the Macfarlanes
to give warning of the approach of enemies, or cattle droves from the
Argyll country. That site is now occupied by the Village Hall. The
selection of a site seems to have been the sole result of that
perambulation, but in 1658, when Walter was still Chief and his son
John had become fiar of the lands of Arroquhar, the Presbytery laid
the case before the Council of Estate of Scotland. The Council of
Estate appointed a Commission of Enquiry. No record of the
proceedings of this Commission is available, but the Order of the
Council of estate, dated "Holyrood House, 24th. December,
1658," appointed Robert Hamilton of Barnes, and others, to be
their Commissioners, "to call before them all parties interested
in the dismemberment of the lands of Arroquhar from the Parish of
Luss, and in the erection of a new church at Tarbet, with a manse and
the provision of a glebe for the minister, and if they found a
general concurrence, that all parties concerned should forthwith
proceed to the building of a church and manse and to the provisioning
of a glebe, conformably to the Act of Parliament."
That
Commission of the Parliament of Scotland must have undertaken its
remit with a celerity which is indeed rare today, for one month after
the Order of Council was issued the Parish of Arroquhar was disjoined
from Luss by the two bonds signed on the 25th. January, 1659. In
fact, in all the records consulted the first minister of the new
parish, Mr. Archibald McLachlan, is given as having entered into
office in the year 1658.
Though
the legal instruments were signed, and the minister appointed, no
other practical steps were taken at that time. It was not until 1678
that the Presbytery of Dumbarton again took cognisance of this
northern extremity of its bounds, and another
"perambulation" was made. The following is the Minute
recording this: "Presbytery of Dumbarton at Tarbet. September
10, 1678. Sederunt - Moderator, Messrs William Andersone, Arthur
Miller, Thomas Allan, James Buchanan, William McKechnie. The brethren
foresaid, having met at Luss, and travelled al the way from thence to
Tarbet, and seen the bounds to the end of Lochlomond, northward,
sixteen miles distant from the kirk of Lusse on the one side, and
from Tarbet to the side of Lochlong on the other side, and seen the
bounds to the head of Lochlong, lying likewise at a great distance
from the Kirk of Lusse, and having considered the vastenesse of the
distance, as said is, and ruggedness of the way, finde it absolutely
necessarie that there be a dismembratione, and a church built at the
Tarbet, within the Laird of Macfarlane's land for the accommodatione
of the people of these bounds, that the people from the foote of
Glenowglasse, and upward upon the side of Lochlomond, and from Gorton
in the Parech (parish) of Row, to the head of Lochlenge
(informed to be about the number of 400 souls) may repair thither to
attend the ordinances, who are now living in ignorance."
Even
this severe instruction of the Presbytery had little effect on the
Macfarlanes for though they appointed successive ministers it was not
until the year 1733 that a church was erected. In 1709 the Presbytery
had obtained a decree of the Court of Session for a church, manse and
glebe for the parish of Arroquhar, but the implementing of that
decree was delayed because of the minority of the then laird of
Macfarlane (Walter, 20th Chief) and of his embarrassed financial
circumstances. Mr. Alexander Graham of Duchray, writing in 1724,
notes: "in this parish there is no church yet built," and
he adds, "all the inhabitants use the Irish language." Some
parts of the original church of Arroquhar remain, some fifteen feet
to the south of the present building. The South Door is still intact
and on the lintel is carved the date 1733. In 1951 the ruins were
"sealed" by the County Council of Dunbarton Works
Department when the Burial Ground was transferred to the Local
Authority under an Act of Parliament of 1947. In 1958, when a new
chancel was being made, the foundations of the original church were
revealed as running in line with the ruins outside and the present
pulpit is now over what was probably the northern end of the church
built in 1733. This first church served as the place of worship until
the year 1847, when the Heritors built the present magnificent
building facing Loch Long and the west from its situation in
"God's acre."
To
revert to the Birthday of the Parish it appears that though the
dismemberment from Luss and the erection of the new Parish of
Arroquhar was done so quickly, the Macfarlanes were in no great hurry
to implement the bond which they had had signed. Walter (16th Chief),
who was father of the John who had signed the bond, had attached
himself to Charles I, and besides having his cattle at Inveruglas
destroyed by Cromwell's soldiers, was fined 3,000 merks. Walter had
two sons, John and Andrew, who each succeeded to the chieftainship,
and Andrew had a son, John, who sided with the Revolution Party in
1688. Having suffered so severely in these troublous times, and
having to build a new castle at Invereoch (now occupied by Arrochar
House - part of which is the original Invereoch House), it is little
wonder that the Chiefs of Macfarlane failed to make good the promise
to erect a church, manse and glebe for the Minister. It appears, too,
that the regard which the whole clan had for the church of their
forefathers in Luss could not be easily diverted.
In
1742, the Honourable Helen Arburthnot, daughter of Robert, Second
Viscount Arburthnot, and second wife of John the 19th Chief of
Macfarlane, made a present of two Communion Cups for the Church of
Arroquhar. On the Cups is engraved the family crest of the
Arburthnots being a peacock's head on a wreath, couped proper, with
the following inscription: "The gift of the Honble Helen
Arburthnot to the Parish of Arroquhar." These Cups were in use
at the November Communion, 1958. This lady also bequeathed the sum of
200 merks Scots to purchase a bell for the kirk of Arroquhar, and
also 500 merks Scots for behoof of the poor of the parish. Neither of
these legacies was paid to the Kirk Session for many years after for
the estate of The Macfarlane of that Ilk passed through troubled
waters, chiefly due to heavy investment in the Darien Scheme, and in
1785 the estate was sold on behalf of creditors and it was not until
1802 that the Kirk Session received complete payment of the 200 merks
bequeathed by Helen, Lady Arburthnot. The Session resolved to apply
this money to the purpose for which it was bequeathed but delays
again occurred. Thirteen years elapsed before the bell was actually
acquired and on 3rd. January, 1815, Mr Gillespie, minister of the
Parish, reported to the Session that he bought a Bell for the Church
from a Mr. Brownlee of Greenock, at a total cost including freight,
chain, rope, the smith's and wright's accounts, of £24 3s 10d.
The Bell was hung on the Bell-Tree for there was no place for a bell
in the plain structure of the old kirk; and when the new church was
built in 1847, the bell was placed where it now hands in the church
tower. An amusing and somewhat apocryphal tale is told by the late
Rev. Hugh Winchester in his "Traditions of Arrochar and Tarbet
and the Clan Macfarlane." "Malcolm Macfarlane, an erring
parishioner, had been summoned to a Kirk Session meeting in the Manse
in a case of discipline. He had been severely reprimanded and left in
an angry mood. He had to pass the Bell-Tree on his way home and he
thought he'd relieve his feelings by pulling the bell. But a
neighbour's goat wandered past and Malcolm seized him and tied him to
the rope. The goat tugged and struggled to escape, and the bell rang
with ragged and broken sounds, and out came minister and session to
seek cause. Seeing an uncanny looking thing with horns rushing to and
fro in the twilight, some of the Session thought it was Auld Nick
himsel, and it was only when the minister mustered up courage enough
to approach the tree that he found it was old Mary Campbell's
goat." There is no record of the 500 merks Scots ever being paid
to the Session out of the estate of the Macfarlanes.
The
first minister, Archibald McLachlan, was appointed in 1658,
and demitted the charge on 4th. November, 1701. He was occasionally
accused of solemnizing clandestine marriages. He died in October,
1731, at the age of 94, in the 71st year of his ministry, one of the
longest in the Church. He demitted the charge of Arroquhar in 1701 on
the grounds of "infirmities of body and various secular
discouragements", which last consisted of the want of a church,
manse and glebe. In the meantime, however, the people of Arroquhar
wanted rid of McLachlan, possibly because of neglect of duty on his
part, and they brought a libel against their minister. The Presbytery
were not willing to deal harshly and they appointed an assistant, one
Robert Macfarlane, a bursar of the Presbytery. Robert knew the
situation at Arroquhar and refused to accept the appointment and
appealed to the Synod of Glasgow. The Synod determined to uphold the
appointment of the Presbytery, and that Robert Macfarlane must obey,
unless he can prove, as he alleges, "that there is neither kirk,
nor manse, nor kirk session, nor school in the Parish." Robert
Macfarlane proved that there was none of these things but he had to
take up the appointment though declared "transplantable"
and in due course he was translated to Fintry (in 1705).
A
third minister was a Daniel Reid who was licensed to preach
by the Presbytery of Dumbarton on 6th. August, 1706 and was ordained
and inducted to Arroquhar on 28th. August, 1707. He was deposed on
16th. October, 1716, but appears to have returned to minister until
1727 or 1728.
In
1729 John McAlpine, A.M., was ordained at Tarbet,
Lochlomond, on 25th. September, and it was during his ministry that
the first church was built in the Parish of Arroquhar, in 1733.
McAlpine was translated to Campbeltown 2nd Charge on 2nd. January, 1750.
He
was followed by Alexander Macfarlane, A.M., who was admitted
to Arroquhar on 2nd. January, 1754, and died in Arroquhar in 1763. He
was a distinguished Gaelic scholar and a great wit. He translated
Baxter's Call to the Unconverted; the Psalms of David with the
Paraphrases; and some Sermons, into Gaelic.
The
sixth minister was a John Grant, A.M., who was presented by
Sir James Colquhoun of Luss in January, 1764, and ordained in
September of the same year. He only stayed until 25th June, 1765,
when he was translated to Abernethy.
John
Grant was followed by a William Grant, A.M., a native of
Keith who does not appear to have been a relation of John. William
was admitted to Arroquhar on 14th May, 1766. In 1772 he was presented
to Fintry by William, Duke of Montrose, which he resigned and was
translated to Luss on 1st. December of the same year.
John
Stuart, son of the minister of Killin, was the eighth minister
and was presented to the Parish by Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, Bart,
in October 1773, and ordained on 12th May, 1774, and was translated
to Weem on 26th. March, 1776. This John Stuart eventually came to
Luss and while there translated the Holy Scriptures into Gaelic. He
was honoured by his Alma mater with the degree of Doctor of Divinity
and was also a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died at Luss in 1821
and was buried there.
In
1776 John Grant was presented by Sir James Colquhoun of Luss,
and admitted on 26th June of that year. He demitted on 7th December, 1779.
Hugh
McDiarmid, who was promoted from the Gaelic Chapel of Ease,
Glasgow, was presented by Sir James Colquhoun of Luss in April, 1780,
and he demitted on the 5th. December of the same year, and was
settled in Comrie in 1781.
The
eleventh minister was John Gillespie, who was licensed by the
Presbytery of Dumbarton on 3rd October, 1780, presented by Sir James
Colquhoun of Luss in 1781, and ordained in Arroquhar on 23rd. July,
1782. He remained as minister until he died on 28th. August, 1816,
and was buried at Arroquhar. During his ministry the First
Statistical Account of Scotland (edited by Sir William Sinclair in
1792) was issued, and Mr. Gillespie wrote the Account for Arroquhar.
Mr. Gillespie, in his Account, makes little mention of Church matters
except to say, "The stipend, including the glebe, is below the
minimum. The manse, which is in bad repair, was built in the year
1754. Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, Bart., is patron." It is not
known where this Manse was situate as the succeeding Minister, Mr
Peter Proudfoot, who wrote the Second Statistical Account of the
Parish mentions the erection of a new manse in 1837, and this
remained the Manse until the year 1951. Perhaps the last sentences of
the First Statistical Account reveal Mr Gillespie's nature: "The
sale of the estate of Arroquhar, which happened some years ago,
contributed not a little to extinguish the remains of that system of
barbarity, which so long retarded the progress of civilisation in
Europe. In proportion as it lost its influence, the manners of the
people changed to the better. They are now civil, well bred, honest,
industrious, and not addicted to an immoderate use of spirituous
liquors." The 'system of barbarity' was the feudal clans, and at
the time this was written there was a shebeen in almost every corner,
and at least six recognised public houses between Tarbet and the head
of Glencree, (about six miles).
Peter
Proudfoot was licensed by the Presbytery on 7th. May, 1816,
presented by Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, Bart., on 21st. January,
1817, and ordained at Arroquhar on 8th. May, 1817. As stated above,
he wrote the Second Statistical Account of the Parish, published in
1839. In addition to his mention of the new Manse he writes: "The
church is situated rather at a corner of the parish; but the great
body of the parishioners are at no great distance; some families are
at the distance, however, of ten or twelve miles. The church was
built in 1733, and will soon require a general repair. It is seated
for about 300. The sittings are all free. The glebe contains about 19
acres; but with the exception of little more than three acres, is all
hill ground and of inferior quality. It is not worth more than £9
annually. The stipend is £231, with 12 bolls meal. This also
includes communion elements. The teinds are exhausted. There are no
government churches, no chapels of ease, no catechists, no Dissenting
chapels, and no Dissenters within the parish. Divine service is
exceedingly well attended. In summer, the church is generally crowded
to overflowing, and is felt then to be much too small; and, in
winter, when the weather is favourable, it is filled. Probable
average of communicants, 216. No religious societies; but collections
are occasionally made for religious purposes, which have always been liberal."
It
was during the ministry of Mr. Proudfoot that the Ten Years'
Conflict which ended in the Disruption in 1843 divided the Church in
Scotland. Mr Proudfoot has not left any record of his own feelings at
the time and I have had to glean something of them from "An
Account of the Origin of Ballyhennan Church, 1845," written by
Colin Mackenzie, the first Free Church minister in Arroqhar. From
this it appears that Mr Proudfoot's "mind had been weakened and
distracted by sickness and embarrassment in his worldly affairs."
He had had great difficulty in making up his mind on the important
questions at issue, and he took no steps to inform his people on the
subject, previous to the Disruption. "Though various printed
papers and pamphlets published by the Committee of the Convocation
were regularly received at the Manse, not one of them ever found
their way into the hands of the parishioners" ... "The time
of the meeting of the General Assembly was at hand ... Their strong
attachment to their minister, and a reluctance to part with him in
case he should keep his 'living.' ... Not many days after his name
was seen in the newspapers among those who had signed the Deed of
Demission. This was a surprise to most of his people, but a great
disappointment to the Established party as the general opinion was
that he would have acted otherwise ... On his return he preached on
11th June, not in the church, but in Arrochar House." On the
next Sunday a Mr. Reid, a probationer, officiated at Arrochar House,
Mr Proudfoot being a hearer. Then on the third Sabbath, to the
consternation of the whole parish, it was found that Mr Proudfoot had
returned to the Establishment Church. His health deteriorated
rapidly, and he died on 27th. October, 1843, and was buried in
Arroquhar. From this date both congregations, the Free Church as well
as the Establishment, had to procure ministers as best they could.
Arroquhar
Free Church
The
great surge of Evangelical Fervour which poured forth in Scotland
from the Disruption has been described far better in other histories,
and in the parish of Arroquhar there was soon practical evidence of
that spirit which was abroad among the Scots. Money poured in for a
General Building Fund, and after an open-air Communion Service on the
first Sunday of August, 1843, it was decided to petition to the Free
Church Presbytery for sanction to build a church and call a minister.
Application was made to Sir James Colquhoun, Bart., of Luss, the
proprietor of Arroquhar for a site; which was readily granted, close
to the Burying Ground of the Parish at Balhennan (now Ballyhennan).
This proximity to a burial ground by a Free Church is unusual, and
tradition also has it that near this church lie the bodies of the
Norsemen who were defeated in a battle with the Scots at Tarbet
("neck of land") as they attempted to carry their long
Viking ships from Loch Long to Loch Lomond. "A contract for
building was entered upon with Mr Alexander Stewart, builder at
Dunoon, the church to be seated for 250 at £240 sterling, the
members of the congregation to cart all the materials. The work was
commenced on 10th. January, 1844, and finished on the 11th. day of
April, 1844, and fully settled for with the contractor." Colin
Mackenzie, who was then minister of Sheildag but had been
'outed' by his Laird, accepted the call to the Free Church,
Arroquhar, and was inducted on the 18th. April, 1844. The Session
records of Arroquhar Free Church do not record when Mr Mackenzie left
Arroquhar, but on 8th. December, 1882, his death is noted and he is
referred to as Senior Minister.
In
1869 the second minister of the Free Church was ordained. He was Mr
Kippen and he was minister here until his death on 26th.
October, 1881. A set of stained-glass windows at the rear of the nave
of the church commemorate his ministry.
On
13th. April, 1882, John Robson Elder, was translated from
Cromarty to Arroquhar Free Church, and he ministered here until his
death in May, 1897.
He
was succeeded on 21st. October, 1897, by the Rev. A.P. Telfer,
who had been a member of Duff College, Calcutta. During Mr. Telfer's
ministry the Free Church union with the United Presbyterians took
place and from 4th. November, 1899, the local church became the
United Free Church and a member of Dumbarton United Free Presbytery.
There is also recorded in the Minutes of Session the decision of the
House of Lords of 1st. August, 1904, when the residue of the old Free
Church obtained the whole of the property it had claimed. On the 5th.
of May, 1904, is recorded the last issue of Communion Tokens by
Arroquhar Free Church. Mr Telfer applied for a colleague and
successor on 2nd. October, 1925. Mr Telfer died on 24th. November,
1938, and was buried in Arrochar churchyard.
On
28th. April, 1926, Mr Richard D.E. Stevenson was inducted to
the United Free Church of Scotland, and during his ministry the Basis
and Plan of Union between the United Free Church of Scotland and the
Church of Scotland was submitted and approved. On 1st. September,
1929, at a joint meeting with the Parish Church it was agreed that
the new names of the churches would be (Parish) Tighness and (United
Free) Bally Hennan. On 10th. November, 1929, the two ministers
dispensed the Lord's Supper to the whole Parish in Bally Hennan
Church. In 1947, Mr Stevenson applied for permission to demit office
to facilitate local union, and on 23rd. June, 1947, a Service of
Recognition of Local Union was held in Tighness Church.
Established
Church
On
the death of Mr Peter Proudfoot, on 27th October, 1843, the
Established Church determined to have a Gaelic-speaking minister, and
after severe competition (Arroquhar was regarded as a plum with a
stipend of £240 whereas the school-master had only £30 or
£40 per annum) the Rev. John Macfarlane, assistant at
Saddell from 1822, was admitted to Arroquhar in 1844. Mr. Macfarlane
was granted his Doctor's Degree while in Arroquhar. Of him the story
is told that one day an exciseman, who was new to the district,
travelled from Glasgow to Tarbet by coach and met Dr Macfarlane on
the way. The exciseman thought he might safely rely on the reverend
gentleman for help and guidance. So he told the Doctor that the
excise authorities had received information that a certain man in
Morelaggan was just about to commence a brew, and that he had been
sent down to catch him. Dr Macfarlane certainly gave him the right
directions but as the day had been cold and wet he suggested that the
gauger might come in and get some refreshments before he proceeded on
to Morelaggan. The gauger accepted and while he was regaling himself
on the Manse brew, the Minister's housekeeper had sent a swift
messenger to warn old Macintyre that the gauger was coming, and by
the time the refreshed exciseman reached Morelaggan there was nothing
of a questionable or lawless nature to be seen. It was Dr Macfarlane
who purchased the ruins of the original church for the sum of £10
and at his death in 1868, he was buried within the old walls where
the old pulpit was supposed to have stood.
The
fourteenth minister, Mr James Dewar, M.A., was the son of a
schoolmaster in Arroquhar. He attended Glasgow University to study
for the ministry and graduated M.A., and then was licensed to preach
by Glasgow Presbytery on 8th. January, 1851. He was assistant to Rev.
D. Jamieson of St. Paul's. Glasgow and then to Norman Macleod of St.
Columba's. He was then presented by the Duke of Argyll to Kilmodan
where he was ordained on 8th September, 1851. He was there until May,
1869, when he was translated to Arroquhar. Mr. Dewar was minister in
Arroquhar until 1901, when he died and was buried in Arroquhar
Churchyard. During his ministry he took an active part in local
affairs, and he was the driving force behind the erection of the
Mission Church at Ardlui, and also the erection of the Parish Hall
midway between Arrochar and Tarbet. There were both built in 1895,
the year that the West Highland Railway was opened for traffic.
Ardlui Church was built to serve the shepherds, and the railway
workers and the summer visitors to the northern tip of Loch Lomond.
It is about a mile from the boundary between Perthshire and
Dunbartonshire, set some fifty yards to the left of the main road to
Crianlarich. It is a substantial stone harled building with an
outside belfry. It seats 80 people and is a pleasing church inside
and out. It was built for a little more than £600.
Mr.
Dewar was followed as minister by Dugald Macfarlane who came
from Glencoe in 1902 and was minister of the Established Church until
21st. December, 1906, when he was translated to Kingussie. Mr
Macfarlane remained at Kingussie for the rest of his life and during
his term there was honoured by being elected Moderator of the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1937.
Coll
Archibald Macdonald, M.A., B.D., was the sixteenth minister of
Arroquhar, being translated from Ardrishaig on 2nd. May, 1907, and he
remained in Arroquhar until he was translated to Legierait on 4th.
June, 1913.
Mr.
Hugh
Sinclair Winchester, M.A., B.D., was trained as a school-teacher
and was licensed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh. He was ordained at
Arrochar on 11th. September, 1913. During World War I he served as
Chaplain to the K.O.S.B., (King's Own Scottish Borderers) and
saw service in France and Palestine. He published three Bible Class
Handbooks which were widely used, and also "Traditions of
Arrochar and Tarbet and Clan Macfarlane" which is now out of
print. He retired from Arroquhar on 28th November, 1935, and died on
8th. November, 1958.
The
eighteenth minister was William Fraser Wills who was ordained
at Montrose in 1935, and came to Arroquhar in 1936. In 1940 he was
translated to St. George's Tron, Glasgow.
Mr
James E. Esslemont followed Mr Wills on the 22nd November, 1940,
as nineteenth minister of the Established Church and remained in
Arroquhar until the 31st. of March, 1947, when he demitted the charge.
The
Rev. R.D.E. Stevenson, minister of the United Free Church at Tarbet
(Bally Hennan) being agreeable to facilitate local union by retiring,
the Parish became once more a single charge from the 23rd June, 1947,
and the united charge had as its first minister Angus MacCuish
from 20th October, 1947, until he was translated to Stornaway High on
6th December, 1950.
The
present minister, Iain Dunnet Reid, was ordained and inducted
to the charge on 25th. June, 1951, as twenty-first minister of Arroquhar.
The
Parish lies on the neck of land in the northernmost part of the
County of Dunbarton between the sea Loch Long and the fresh-water
Loch Lomond. Taking as the starting point the middle of Loch Long
opposite Glendouglas, the parish boundary goes through that glen to
meet the imaginary county boundary running down the centre of Loch
Lomond. It follows that boundary, taking in two farms on the east
side of Loch Lomond, until it reaches the road bridge over the
Falloch river. It then turns west still following the county boundary
until it meets the Loin Water. At that point by Act of General
Assembly, 1953, it invades the County of Argyll and takes in that
part of the Parish of Lochgoilhead and Kilmorich contained "in a
straight line to the point 'Rest-and-be-Thankful' on the Inverary
Road then south-east in a straight line to Coilessan Farm, and then
south down Loch Long to the original point opposite Glendouglas. The
Ecclesiastical Parish is about 50 square miles, and contains very
much 'high ground' (seven mountains well over 2,500 feet), very
little arable, no general farming, and mostly hill-grazing for sheep.
The population is about 850 and the industries are sheep-farming,
forestry, Hydro-electric scheme, Torpedo Testing Range, and British
Railways. These all tend to employ the older groups of men and there
is an exodus of the young from the community as they approach manhood
and womanhood. The people of the parish are in the majority
'incomers' and there is no true communal spirit expressed yet. When
it is realised that the four industries in the district are all new,
the Railway in 1895, the Torpedo Range in 1912, Forestry in 1922, and
Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric in 1949, the lack of 'roots' is partly
explained. And to create a certain amount of dis-union, each of these
industries have had built for their employees blocks of houses which
are placed at considerable distances from each other, resulting in
little coteries within a Parish which should be a single community.
Iain
D. Reid
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