Inside the 19th century time capsule left in the Highlands
A glass jar containing coins, newspaper cuttings and a handwritten letter from 1887 has shed welcome light on the lives of people in and around Torridon, says Alison Campsie
It holds some fine details of life for one Highland community during the late 19th century – from the date of the first ripe strawberry of the season to a rent reprieve for crofters during Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee year.
The time capsule, from 1887, was found embedded in the wall of the old Coire Church, which overlooks Loch Torridon, Wester Ross, and serves as a unique social document of those living in the area.
The glass jar, packed with a collection of coins, newspaper cuttings, a local gazette called the Gladiator and a handwritten letter, was discovered in 2015 ahead of the church’ s conversion by its new owner, from the united States, who transformed the humble place of worship into a modern residence complete with infinity pool.
The time capsule, which was recently included in a project to define Highland heritage in 16 objects, marks the building of the new church in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee year.
A report by AOC Archaeology said the relic provided a “wealth of information to construct a picture of life in the Torridon area”.
It contained a number of coins released to mark the occasion, including the short-lived double florin and a half crown, as well as a pamphlet about the new church, a series of press cuttings and a copy of a local news sheet called The Gladiator.
The Gladiator, which is full of limericks and jokes, includes information on a whooping cough epidemic and the date of the first ripe strawberry of the season appearing in the Loch Torridon area on 26 June.
An effort to tickle trout, which puts the fish in a trance before it’s taken from the water, was made in the River Corrie on 20 June, according to the news sheet.
The newspaper stowed in the glass jar, which was found cracked in the church, reports fully on Golden Jubilee celebrations both at home and abroad. The Inverness Courier detailed a parade of 300 local people along Loch Torridon before a speech was given on the Queen and the accomplishments of the British Empire. The National Anthem was also sung.
A letter in the paper, written by Reverend Angus Fiddes, a Torridon resident, set out how the landowner, Duncan Darroch, had informed his tenants, crofters and cottars that no rent would be collected for the Queen’s Jubilee year.
The letter describes the good relationship between Mr Darroch and the Torridon people with the new post office, roads, medical officer and missionary brought to the area. The landowner’s latest act, the building of the new church, is also noted.
The letter said: “He has contracted for the building of a small church, in memory of the Queen’s Jubilee, for the use of the people, instead of the old dilapidated meeting place erected by a former proprietor of Torridon more than a hundred years ago.”
A pamphlet on the new church details how the community came together to prepare the ground for the new place of worship.
It said: “In spite of… all threats of spiritual penalties, the people of Alligin flocked to the ground with their picks and spades and in an incredibly short time had the rough surface cleaned down so as to admit of the foundations being laid.
“This was their contribution to Her Majesty’s Jubilee, and a more hearty and praise worthy one there could not be. Friends at a distance have been most generous in giving their aid in money, for which the people here are most grateful.”
The new church was free to be used by all Protestants with the Church of Scotland entitled to the first sermons, according to the time capsule.
A report by AOC Archaeology said the time capsule sheds new light on life in the area.
“Without these documents, our knowledge of the Church is severe- ly limited, as is the knowledge of the people who lived there at the time. The importance of a space for not only worship, but general meetings, is huge. The role it played in Torridon’s community cannot be overstated.”