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Lairds and Lands of Loch Tayside
Killin


TO the south of Easter Kenknock, which is here bounded by Allt Fuileach, are the lands of Killin and Barna-carry, the former of which gave name to the parish. These include the one-merk land of Margowan, the two-and-a-half-merk land of Reinrune and Marginluig, and the two-and-a-half-merk land of Stix and Barnacarry, latterly known as Ballechroisk and Monomore. Reinrune and Marginluig extend from Margowan to Allt Torraidh, and embrace, we believe, what may properly be called Killin, a name now applied to the whole village, although in the Valuation Roll of the County the old names of Ballechroisk and Monomore still appear. The stance of the Killin fairs1 is at Reinrune, beside the parish church. The latter was erected in 1744, and a stone in the north gable bears the following inscription :—

Tho. Clark

THE BUILDER OF THIS Church 1744*

The following is a list of the Killin markets :—

Feille Faolain (St. Fillan’s market), third Tuesday of January.
Feille Seorais (St. George’s market), 5th May.
An Fhaithir bheag (the Little market), 12th May.
Feille bheag na samhna (Hallow little market), Friday before first Wednesday of November.
Feille Martain Chillin (Killin St. Martin’s market), Tuesday before nth November.

The site of the former church is pointed out a little to the westward, near to Tom-na-croich (the hanging hill), and beside a stone under which the Ossianic hero, Fingal, is said to be buried. Close by there is a mound called Tomnangill, where, from time to time, Courts of the Bailiary of Discher and Toyer were held on delinquents at this end of Loch Tay. An inn has existed where Streethouse stands for a long period, and in 1748, when Heritable Jurisdiction in Scotland was abolished, it became the seat of Justice. In that year a Sheriff Court was instituted, and Duncan Campbell, of Glenure, was appointed first Sheriff-Substitute at Killin. The act for disarming the Highlands and restraining the use of the Highland garb, had undoubtedly much to do with this step. In 1764, J. Campbell, of Lochdochart, became Sheriff, and continued till 1770, when the office was discontinued. The prison of Killin was also at Streethouse, and during recent improvements there, one of the dungeons was discovered, and converted into a cellar.

The manse and glebe of Killin lie at the foot of Stronclachan, facing the river Lochay. The old Parochial school and schoolmaster’s house, a substantial building erected in 1797, stands by itself on the Ballechroisk crofts. Killin at one time had three mills—a wauk mill, a lint mill, and a corn mill. This last was in addition to Millmore, which belonged to the lairds of Macnab, who also owned, on the north side of the Dochart, several houses, and a small portion of land east of Monomore, besides two crofts marching with Craignavie. In Monomore, where there was a change-house, the croft-lands were divided into four possessions, called Croftnamaish, Croftintobair, Croftcroy, and the Officer’s Croft. We are inclined to believe that the first-named is the holding which was originally called Dewar-na-mais croft, and which had been in the possession of a family of Dewars, the keepers of a relic of St. Fillan or his Church, in the shape of a vessel of some kind. The crofts in Ballechroisk had also distinctive names, mostly betokening the crafts of the possessors.

The lands of Killin had been granted to the Carthusian Monastery or Charterhouse, which was founded at Perth in 1429, by James I. and his Queen, being the first of the order in Scotland. Besides Killin, the Carthusians owned other lands in Glendochart, and also a part of Ardtalnaig. In 1488, we find the Prior granting to Donald McCause (McTavish)1 a croft of land in Killin, “with the houses and garden, and pasturage of four cows and two horses, with power to bake, brew, and sell flesh, and to buy and sell within the Lordship of Glendochart, according to the assize of the country, paying yearly to the Parish Church of Killin, three pounds of wax in honour of the blessed Virgin and St. Fillan, and all Saints, and for the increase of St. Fillan’s lights before his image, one pound whereof at the Feast of St. Fillan in summer, and another at the Feast of St. Fillan in winter.” In 1506, a croft was granted by charter, in similar terms, to Finlay Macnab. In 1561, a contract was signed at Islandran, between Sir Colin Campbell, of Glenorchy, and Duncan Campbell, of Lix, and Ewen, son of the latter, wherein Sir Colin bound himself to defend them in possession of the lands they held of the Charterhouse. In 1573, Duncan Campbell, of Lix, infefted Sir Colin in liferent, and his son, Duncan in fee, in the one-merk land of the Clachan of Killin,2 lying at the Port of Islandran.


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