Glen Lyon

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Glenlyon, a long narrow glen and a quoad sacra parish in Breadalbane district, Perthshire. The glen, commencing among alpine mountains at the Argyllshire border, 5 miles NNE of Tyndrum, descends 24 miles east-north-eastward to the vale of Fortingall, 4¼ miles WNW of Kenmore; contains at its head Loch Lyon; and takes down thence the river Lyon towards its confluence with the Tay. Belonging mainly to Fortingall parish, but partly to Weem, it contains a number of ancient Caledonian forts ascribed to Fingal by the voice of tradition; was the scene of a sanguinary conflict between the clan M'Ivor and the Stewarts of Garth; and gives the title of Baron in the peerage of the United Kingdom, and that of Viscount in the peerage of Scotland, to the Duke of Athole. Its southern flank comprises Meall Ghaordie (3407 feet), Ben Lawers (3984), and the mountains connecting them; its northern flank consists of mountains similar in character, though not so lofty, and both rise with such rapid acclivity as to shut out the sunbeams and render it a valley of shadows throughout the livelong winter, and during great part of the other months of the year. Yet its side s, to the very summits, are generally clad in verdure, and dotted with hundreds of sheep; display a rib work of ravine and dell, traversed by limpid brooks or leaping cataracts; and form, in many points of view, fine blendings of soft beauty and savage grandeur. Its bottom, beginning on the high elevation of over 1100 feet above sea-level, is seldom more than a furlong wide, and has no carriage outlet except at and near the foot; yet acquires such picturesqueness from its vista-views and its flanks, that, in the language of Miss Sinclair, ' not a feature could be altered without injury, and a painter might advantageously spend his whole life in taking views, every one of which would appear completely different. ' One mansion, noticed separately, is Meggernie Castle; another, Glenlyon House, 9 miles W by S of Aberfeldy, is a seat of Francis William Garden-Campbell, Esq. of Troup (b. 1840; suc. 1848), who holds 10, 516 acres in Perthshire and 9546 in Banffshire, valued at £1621 and £5794 per annum. Archibald Fletcher (1745-1828), the ' father of burgh reform, ' was born in Glenlyon. The quoad sacra parish, constituted by the ecclesiastical authorities in 1833, and by the Court of Teinds in 1845, is conterminous with the glen and its flanks; and bears the name of Innerwick in Glenlyon, from the hamlet of Innerwick, on the left bank of the Lyon, 18¼ miles W by S of Aberfeldy, under which it has a post office (Glenlyon). It is in the presbytery of Weem and synod of Perth and Stirling; the minister's stipend is £120. The parish church, at Innerwick, was built in 1828 at a cost of £673, and contains 550 sittings. Glenlyon Free Church stands 2 miles lower down the glen; and two public schools, Cambusvrachan and Meggernie, with respective accommodation for 62 and 44 children, had (1881) an average attendance of 14 and 18, and grants of £29, 2s. and £31, 7s. Pop. (1841) 570, (1871) 393, (1881) 355, of whom 283 were in Fortingall and 72 in Weem-Ord. Sur., sh. 46, 54, 55, 1869-73.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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