In the early years of the last century
smuggling was the staple industry in Glenisla, as well as in many other
Highland districts. Small holdings and crofts abounded, but it would
have been impossible for their occupants to have existed had they not
grown a large proportion of barley, and converted it into the potent
produce of the sma’-still. Excise and preventives raided the district to
put down the practice, but so warlike were the smugglers and so
successful the defence they put up, that latterly the assistance of the
military was requisitioned.
Dalnamer, near the head of Glenisla, consisted of a little coterie of
small holders, whoso buildings stood close together, and whose land
provided them with the raw material necessary to enable them to
prosecute their real, but illegal means of livelihood. In a word they
were inveterate smugglers.
Of course they soon attracted the notice of tho revenue officials. The
officer in charge of the district was a supervisor, named M'Leod,
located at Coupar-Angus. He was a diligent officer — on some occasions
perhaps too zealous — and as a natural consequence was hated and feared
by the smugglers. The illicit operations at Dalnamer did not long escape
his notice, and his visits there soon became alike as hazardous to tho
preventive officials as unwelcome to the residenters. At the period of
which we write they had two very narrow and successive escapes of being
captured red-handed, and enduring considerable loss. It was only their
own ingenuity and fertility of resource that saved them on both
occasions.
On the first of these occasions the supervisor was within sight of the
hamlet ere the residenters became aware of his approach. Liquid products
hud been disposed of, but the whole smuggling apparatus stood intact
whore operations had been prosecuted. This was enough to incriminate
them, and even the confiscation of the articles in question would entail
a serious loss to them. There was little time for deliberation, but that
little proved sufficient. Seizing an old pitcher one of the smugglers
dashed off to the hill with it. M'Leod, of course, saw the man, and that
he carried something. Deeming that this something was the coveted
“head,” which the man would attempt to hide in some of the large cairns
of stones that littered the hillside, the supervisor gave chase.
Meanwhile the other smugglers were busy removing and obliterating all
traces of their illicit operations, and it was only when M'Leod
returned, and searched the buildings with no result that he realised how
cleverly he had been outwitted.
Even narrower was their next escape. A large quantity of malt lay in one
of their barns, when they became aware of the supervisor’s approach.
Concealment of such bulky material was impossible in the time at
disposal. Detection seemed inevitable, when a master mind suggested a
simple, but feasible expedient. The season was early spring, their
ground was ploughed and ready for sowing. Put the malt in sacks and lay
it down in the fields, as if it were seed oats, was the man’s proposal.
This was done with all haste, and though the last load was only leaving
the homestead as Mr M'Leod rode up, he never once suspected the ruse
that had been played upon him. Tidings of what had been done afterwards
leaked out, and when they reached the supervisor’s ears his
mortification at again being duped, may well be imagined.
Twice outwitted, M'Leod determined on his third attempt to take all
measures deemed likely to ensure success. The period chosen for this
raid was the late autumn. By that time the crops were secured, and the
smugglers, having little else to do, with plenty of the raw material at
hand, would almost certainly be engaged in illicit operations. The
military being at his command, and knowing that the smugglers would put
up a stiff fight for their goods and gear, M'Leod ordered ten troopers,
including a sergeant, to accompany him. Thus, strong enough to overcome
any opposition likely to bo offered, he timed his departure from Coupar
Angus so that he would enter Glenisla after nightfall, when tidings of
his approach would not likely precede him.
In the early hows of the morning M'Leod and his satellites arrived at
the scene of action. Everything seemed to indicate that his approach was
unsuspected. No one was stirring, not a light was visible; the whole
community was wrapped in slumber. Elated with prospects of success,
M‘Leod sprang from his horse, and ac-compained by several troopers,
began the search. A sheep-cot at the northern extremity of the
buildings, where illicit goods had been previously found, was first
visited. Nothing incriminating was discovered here, however, and a
search of the other out-buildings was no more successful. M'Leod was
foiled, again. His feelings of elation now gave place to those of
chagrin and revenge. In his wrath he ordered the dragoons to set fire to
the sheep-cot. A stack of peats, thatched with heather, stood near by,
and the troopers tearing this off in armfuls, threw it down on the
cot-floor piling peat and turf on the top of it. On a light being
applied, the inflammable material leapt in flames to the rush-covered
roof, and in a very short time the erection was a mass of smoking ruins.
Meanwhile the dragoons left in charge of the horses had led them to the
stackyard, where, after fastening them up, they pulled sheaves out of
the stacks as food for the animals. The horses were, however, fastened
within roach of the stacks, and helped themselves, tearing out and
destroying a great deal more than they consumed.
When the inhabitants of Dalnamer became aware that they had nocturnal
visitors, they hastened out of bed to view a scene of devastation. Their
sheep-cot lay a mass of smoking ruins, from which fate their
thatch-roofed cottages must have had a narrow escape, and their
stackyard was strewn with straw and grain, trampled and destroyed by the
hoofs of the troopers’ horses. Little wonder that they became incensed
at the ruthless and wanton waste confronting them. The emissaries of the
Government had clearly acted in a most unwarrantable and unlawful
manner.
On M'Leod, as leader of the expedition, their wrath first found vent.
The chagrin of this officer when he first realised that what he had
fondly hoped would be a success had proved nothing but a complete
failure, was now very considerably modified. He recognised the serious
position in which he had placed himself, and, dreading that even worse
would happen, began to wish himself away. To the accusations of the
smugglers he admitted having fired the cot but denied all responsibility
for the damage done to the stackyard.
The sergeant of dragoons was next approached, and a reason for his
having destroyed so much of their crop was demanded. To this they
received a haughty and insulting reply. Matters now began to assume a
dangerous aspect. High words seemed likely to give place to blows.
Threats were bandied about. The sergeant drew his sword, the smugglers
armed themselves with whatever came handiest, and the fire that lurked
in their eyes told plainly that they had no desire to evade any
scrimmage that might ensue.
The supervisor, now thoroughly alarmed at the turn affairs were taking,
assumed the role of peacemaker, and interfered between the disputants.
He pleaded, urged, entreated, and finally peremptorily ordered the
sergeant to put up his sword and draw off his men. This the officer
rather reluctantly did, and M‘Leod, after vainly endeavouring to pacify
the outraged community, leapt on his horse and rode after the soldiers.
Thoughts of retribution did not, however, depart from the smugglers’
minds with the departure of the exciseman and his party. They were well
aware that he had exceeded his commission, and resolved to bring his
conduct under the notice of his superiors. With this object a letter was
drafted, stating the full particulars of the case, and addressed to the
civic dignitaries then in power. This letter is now in the writer’s
possession. From its contents it would appear to have been written
shortly after M'Leod’s departure, and while the wrongs they had endured
rankled keenly in their minds. It would also appear to have been a mere
draft, intended to be copied or rewritten, for a blank is left for the
date and signature. The document is an interesting one, not merely as an
illustration of the life of the time, but as affording a glimpse of the
educational abilities of the humbler class of country people. The
spelling is rather shaky, but no worse than many of the same class at
the present day; while the handwriting and composition are decidedly
better than might have been expected. All smugglers were evidently not
ignorant and illiterate. The following is an exact copy of the
document:—
“Dalnamer.
“To his Majesty’s justice of the piece, Colector of Excise, and
gentlemen of the County—we, the poor pendiculars in Dalnamer, in
Glenisla, doth find ourselves under the Dissagreable needsesity of
giving you our complaint on the misconduct of a party of Excise and
Dragouns that came to our Countray on the night of ----under the command
of M'Loud, Supervisor in Couperangus, who came, not as Excise, But as
plunderers, and thieves of the neight. they went to our stack y cards
and pulled, down our corn stacks to the ground, fas[tened] there horses
to the number of Eleven, they thrang more of our Corn before them than
was Sufficient for six times the number.
“they then went to a sheep cote, where they some time before had found
some smuggled stuff, and when not finding anything belonging smuggling,
they went to the said sheep-cote, carring pets, turf, and hether to it,
and then set it a' burning, which, had it not been the goodness of
providence in turning the wind from the north to the north-cast, our
whole houses, our solves, Wives, and children, along with our corn and
cattle, being in the Dead of the neight, had been all Burned to ashes.
“What the monsters' desire was we know not, only they could have no
ground for so baise an action, nor doth the Uwe of our Count nay alow
such practises, and if the county gentlemen dos not pay, or cause to be
pay’d, the loss of our Corn, of course we must aplay to the fiscal of
the county to look after such thifts and volinces,
“true there were smugglers in our countray, yet such as was not, cannot
be robed by the Excise—nor do we deserve such usag from them, for had
they call'd on us, and asked it of us, we would have given them as at
other times, meat for themselves, and corn or hay for there horses. But
in place of that the Serjeant of the Drogouns threatened us with a drawn
syord in his hand, that if we said annoy more about our corn he would
satisfy himself with our Blood.
“So if the fiscal of the county doth not put a stope to such Barbaras
practices Blood for Blood must be allowed.”
Whether this letter was extended and forwarded I cannot definitely say,
but am inclined to think it was not. At all events, nothing further was
heard of the incident. The writing of the document had probably acted as
a safety-valve to the pent up feelings of the injured smugglers. If it
had not been immediately despatched (and facilities for doing so were
then far from common) it is not improbable that their feelings having
cooled down; no further action in the matter was taken by the smugglers.
David Grewar. |
