The Highland Clearances. 'Fuadach nan Gàidheal': Glen Tarken and her townships 1 . Wester Glentarken, Loch Earn.

Failte gu Fuadach nan Gaidhealt na h-Alba

Failte gu Fuadach nan Gaidhealt na h-Alba.

The Highland Clearances were a devestating part of the history of Scotland. For many it changed not only their way of life but also shaped the rural future of Scotland. Many villagers suffered at the hands of their landlords and tackmen and fought a desperate struggle to find a new life. Others managed to propser in a new life that never saw them return to Scotland again. Here is a resource that supports the documentation and historical value of this important area of Scottish history. You can follow in the footsteps of these villagers and find detailed descriptions and locations of the remains of some of the villages and townships through site descriptions, photographs and suggestions for further reading and links to follow.

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Monday 6 February 2012

Glen Tarken and her townships 1 . Wester Glentarken, Loch Earn.


Loch Earn from Easter Glentarken. C: Author

As I sit here writing this post watching the snow fall heavily onto the paths and garden outside, it is hard to think that this photo, and my visit to this area was only last Friday, when I was blessed with a crisp white morning that gave way to brilliant sunshine and a degree of early year warmth that made the visit to the townships of Glen Tarken a joy.

This is my first visit to the area to record the townships and and as I now study the OS maps and research further the information on the area, I think you will find this area as interesting as I.

The shores of Loch Earn, and this particular region, provides an area comprising of more than one settlement in close proximity to each other. There are the remains of the settlements that are known as Easter and Wester Glentarken, the township of Morell and an interesting site known as Jerusalem, which I hope to add verse to in a later posting.

Wester Glentarken. Copyright: NLS/Crown

We approach Wester Glentarken from the roadside on the A85. We move swiftly through a farm path and very quickly the township comes into view, being a mere 10 minutes walk from our starting point.

The village or clachan, as the orginal collection of dewllings were known as, contains the remains of thirteen rectangular buildings, four kilns (one probably a lime-kiln) and associated enclosures. The buildings vary in size from 31.0m x 5.5m to 7.0m x 4.5m with walls up to 2.0m in height.

There is a barn in the middle of the clachan that has been roofed and used for many different uses to support rural life in the community. Enquiries carried out by previous reserchers have revealed that the larger group of buildings included a school for upto sixty children and that the area was finally depopulated about the turn of the last century.

There are further remains to the left of the pathway slightly further along the path that would have formed the same township area.