Parish of Kilspindie

“Residents of today may be surprised that the New Statistical Account of 1845 shows that there were 709 residents in the parish of Kilspindie,” writes Donald Abbott of Invvergowrie. “Of the associated families, 155 were involved in agriculture and 133 families in trade, manufacturing or handicraft.

“The three villages of the parish were Rait with 47 families, Kilspindie with 18 families and Pitroddie with 16 families. The 1841 Census had been endorsed: ‘There are at present 13 uninhabited houses within the parish. About 20 persons have emigrated a few weeks ago to Canada and the United States of America. The deficiency in the amount of population at this time compared with the Census of 1831 (which was a head count only) arises from the causes above stated.’

“The Secession church of Pitroddie, which drew its members from the parishes of Errol and Kilspindie, saw 30 of its members emigrate from a congregation of 178. Its minister, the Rev Thomas Nicol, who ministered there from 1833 until 1844 when he demitted office, took very badly at losing so many members and took to his bed very ill.

“He was an ambitious and capable man and his contemporary and friend, the Rev George Gilfillan, of School Wynd Church, Dundee and also of the Associate Presbytery, said of him: ‘Thus passed away in the prime of his life a man who in happier circumstances might have been a distinguished ornament either of the world or of the Church.’ “Mr Nicol died in Perth Infirmary (today’s A.K.Bell Library) on August 23 1845 at the age of 42.”