Parish of St Madoes

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.

This edition is copyright © The Editors of the Gazetteer for Scotland, 2002-2022.

It has taken much time and money to make the six-volumes of Groome's text freely accessible. Please help us continue and develop by making a donation. If only one out of every ten people who view this page gave £5 or $10, the project would be self-sustaining. Sadly less than one in thirty-thousand contribute, so please give what you can.

Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry

Links to the Historical Statistical Accounts of Scotland are also available: (Click on the link to the right, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Browse scanned pages")

1791-99: St Madoes 1834-45: St Madoes

St Madoes, a small parish at the W end of the Carse of Gowrie, Perthshire, adjoining, at its north-western boundary, Glencarse station on the Caledonian railway, 15½ miles WSW of Dundee and 6 E by S of the post-town, Perth. It is bounded NW by Kinfauns, NE by Errol, S by the Firth of Tay, and W by the Inchyra section of Kinnoull. Its utmost length, from N to S, is 1⁷/₈ mile; its utmost breadth, from E to W, is 1⁵/₈ mile; and its area is 1417½ acres, of which 153½ are foreshore and 104½ water. The Firth of Tay, which curves along the southern border for 1⁵/₈ mile, broadens eastward from ¼ to 1 mile, but at its widest is divided by Mugdrum island into the North and the South Deep. The shore is fringed by three old sea-margins, 3, 9, and 14 feet above the level of the Tay; and, beyond, the surface rises gently to a maximum altitude of 71 feet near Dumgreen. Old Red Sandstone is the predominant rock, and has been quarried at Cottown. The soil, a deep strong clay near the Tay, on the higher grounds is a rich brown loam. Excepting about 30 acres of plantation, 76 of permanent pasture, and 68 in the policy of Pitfour Castle, the entire area is constantly in tillage. A large brickwork employs about 60 people. Near the eastern boundary is the ` Hawk's Stane ' referred to under Luncarty; in the Pitfour policy are remains of a stone circle, with cup-markings; and in the churchyard is an elaborately sculptured stone, 7 feet long, and 3 to 2½ feet broad. Alexander Lindsay, Bishop of Dunkeld, was minister from 1591 till his death in 1639. Pitfour Castle, noticed separately, is the only mansion; and Sir J. T. Stewart-Richardson, Bart., is almost the sole proprietor. St Madoes is in the presbytery of Perth and the synod of Perth and Stirling; the living is worth £247, with a manse and a glebe of £80 value per annum. The parish church, near Glencarse station, was built in 1798, and contains 410 sittings. The public school, with accommodation for 114 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 85, and a grant of £74, 1s. 10d. Valuation (1860) £3980, 8s. 10d., (1885) £5297, 13s. 10d. Pop. (1801) 295, (1831) 327, (1861) 280, (1871) 290, (1881) 316.—Ord. Sur., sh. 48, 1868.

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