History of village

“Fortunately, the schooner cleared the bar ‘in great style’ inward bound from Berwick-upon-tweed where she had been wind-bound. Things had gone well until May Island was reached then heavy seas were shipped on board.

“Close to the Annat Bank Captain Taylor poured almost a gallon of oil on the broken water. This had a perceptible effect which tended to calm the sea somewhat. Captain Taylor stated later that he had frequently experienced the beneficial effect of the act of ‘pouring oil on troubled water’.

“When the Peter Brown was approaching her berth and the lifeboatmen were drawing their lifeboat out of the water, another large fishing vessel could be seen through the haze opposite the river mouth, but she too headed northwards.

“The Life Brigade had also been on standby and had proceeded along the sands in case a vessel had come ashore, but their services were not required on that occasion.”

“It was a great article about the lost village of Pitmiddle,” says a regular reader.

“Readers may be interested to know that the village was written about very professionally in 1988 in the book Pitmiddle Village and Elcho Nunnery by D. Perry and M.L. Stavert for the Perthshire Society of Natural Science.

“It gets a slight mention, too, in the Friends of Perth & Kinross Archive booklet Curiosities of the Carse of Gowrie confirming that Pitmiddle was granted by King William the Lion between 1172-1174 to Richard the King’s Clerk. At the same dates, King William granted the lands of Kinnaird to Radulphus Ruffus the claimed originator of the noble family of Kinnaird.

“Reference is made also in the latter booklet of the many old Valuation Rolls for 19th Century Pitmiddle and how by the 20th Century ‘no one was left living there’.

“It thus explains that this village of once upwards of 100 residents, is a ‘ghost village today with the remains of the former cottages scarcely identifiable’.

“These valuation rolls are held in the Perth & Kinross archive at the A.K. Bell Library in York Place, Perth, ( closed Sunday and Monday) and are available for public scrutiny and advice together with a multitude of interesting historic documents.”