The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fragments survive Kept for best
“Like your correspondent, the Rev Gordon Campbell, I enjoyed seeing the recent photograph of the old church of Loch Lee,” emails Norman Atkinson of Kingsmuir, Forfar.
“Although this church was known as St Drostan’s, it only dates to the 14th Century, when it was merely a chapel of the parish church of Lethnot. According to the Aberdeen Breviary, Drostan did indeed live in Glenesk, and built a church there. Although there were several Drostans, this one probably died in 819 AD.
“The oldest church, as far as we know, was that of St Drostan’s in Newdosk, which although now in Aberdeenshire was in Glenesk. It boasted a well, sadly removed during agricultural improvements, although it is marked on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map of the 1860s.
“The church has also gone, but the graveyard is still there, with fragments of the building. A broken 13th Century font also survived, but was threatened by over-zealous grass cutting! I rescued it and donated it to the Aberdeenshire Museum Service in the 1990s.
“Also associated with St Drostan is a very fine early Latin cross incised on a granite boulder which sits at the side of the track north of Tarfside beyond the present Episcopal Church, also dedicated to the saint.
“I’ve attached a photograph I took of it some years ago. It was moved from another part of the hill in the late 18th Century, possibly to be close to the Episcopal Chapel which was erected on the moor nearby. The ruins of this, the first such chapel, can still be made out, especially now since the lank heather has been burned.”
To clarify matters. . .
“I’m pleased that my photograph of Cargill Smiddy evoked memories and was interested to read the comments of Mrs Patterson and Isabella Bruce,” says Jim Black.
“To clarify matters, I based my supposition that the Redfords left the smiddy in 1951 on a series of entries that appeared in The Courier in May that year. On May 22 1951, Hay & Co Auctioneers gave notice of a displenishing sale by public roup to be held on May 26 at Cargill Smithy on the instructions of Mr Alex Redford. The extensive list of equipment included: ‘all the usual smithy tools and equipment.’ A subsequent article confirmed: ‘A very large attendance of buyers made a spirited demand for all on offer.’
“Published on the same day as the sale,
Feeling argumentative
They say the course of true love never did run smooth and, according to a recent study by SellHouseFast.uk, buying a property is no exception. A huge percentage – 71%
– of couples confess to arguing with their
significant other when buying a house. Sellhousefast.uk also found out the topics that caused most arguments.
The most common argument of all is how much money to borrow, with 67% of couples claiming they disagreed on this.
A whopping 66% of couples argued about location, with things like proximity to in-laws (61%) and closeness to work (54%) causing a stir.
And then 45% disagreed on whether to buy a renovation project or spend more money and buy something already to their liking. Other arguments that came up were size of garden (44%), importance of transport links (42%), parking facilities (16%) and proximity to local football club (7%).
Biographical notes of Dundee Celebrities were published in 1878 by William Norrie, who claimed that (for its size) Dundee had produced ‘more eminent men’ than anywhere else. Women were underrepresented, and many of the “celebrities” are long forgotten.
The Rev Gordon Campbell of Kingoodie was intrigued to read of Thomas Clark, who lived alone in a garret in Tindal’s/Tyndal’s Wynd, and whose fame derived from gathering savings of nearly £1,000.
“Clark survived mainly on oatmeal – mixed with warm water, obtained from neighbours to save on fuel,” he says. “He consented to a bladder operation only if carried out in a neighbour’s flat – so that he could return home immediately.
“The next morning, he scolded the old woman looking after him for her extravagance in using soap! Poor Clark slept under a tattered blanket.
“On his death in 1817, the new bed-clothes he’d been persuaded to buy were found neatly folded in a corner – he hadn’t had the heart to use them.
“How fortunate we are with the NHS that we need not refrain from consulting a doctor, as Clark did for so long, for fear of cost.”