Glen Quaich and Her Townships ~ Wester Turrerich

My visit today was to the Glenquaich area to start to document and record the villages in this area. This is quite an interesting area as there is quite alot of detailed evidence and testimonies from people removed from the area and their eventual new locations.

Location of Wester Turrerich

The visit today concentrated at the western end of Loch Freuchie and the township(s) around Wester Turrerich. There is an ordnance survey map of Scotland from 1843 to 1882,showing the location of this,and other townships, that I will be visiting over the coming months. This can be accessed here

A modern day location map, I have included on the left. The grid reference for the site is NN858 389



The clearances in Breadalbane, did not occur until the 1830’s, under the command of the Second Marquis of Breadalbane. In 1835, the factor, James Wyllie, had cleared the entire population of Glenquaich, with many (and most) taking flight by sea and populating lands in the new world, including the Huron settlement in Western Ontario and North Easthope, County of Perth, Ontario. There, they settled with other families from Amulree, Auchnafauld, Aberfeldy and Kenmore. All areas covered by the events of the 1830 clearances.

Further information regarding ships passage to Canada can be accessed here The information on these pages has been extracted from various government records, as well as the odd shipping record (mostly from the Allan Line). It contains, voyage accounts, emigration information, lists of ships sailing to Canada, information on the ports, and on the people.

After a decade, the land was striking in its desertion. Of the 3500 inhabitants once living along the Loch Tay and within the Glenquaich valley, only one hundred were left by 1850. That year the Second Marquis tried to raise a Fencible Regiment, as had his father so successfully in the eighteenth century. He found no recruits. An old man of Loch Tayside growled at him to “Put your red coats on the backs of the sheep that have replaced the men!”

Here are some photographs recording my visit today. (copyright Author)

Approaching from the west

A prominant gable of around 8ft.

Outline dwelling 2

Dwelling 4 looking south

Outline of dwelling 3

looking across dwelling 2 and 4

Altogether there are around 9 dwellings with evidence of more on the east side of the township, further down towards the burn. These are almost gone now and form grazing areas for cattle and sheep.