Glen Quaich and her Townships ~ Easter Turrerich, Perthshire

Copyright: Google Maps

This posting focuses our attention on the continuing walk along the banks of Loch Freuchie in the Glen Quaich areas of Perthshire and up towards the township of Easter Turrerich. 

The path towards the township from Wester Turrerich is a good path still used today by walkers and farmers alike and continues along the length of the Loch to our final destination at Amurlee.

Like the township and mill at Wester Turrerich, the site holds commanding views across the loch and into the valley beyond. The three pictures provided here show different evidence of the settlement from1863 right through to present day.

Copyright: Crown

Copyright: NLS/ Crown

The three pictures provide a fascinating view of the main part of the village and there is evidence of a another part of the village slightly past the main township, halfway down the slope of the hill on the right. 

Be sure to visit both.

 





The site, and others along this route are also accompanied by the overhead transmission lines of that run through the valley and close to many of the remains. Please be careful when walking near to these.

Easter Turrerich. Copyright: Author

From along this valley, many of the inhabitants left these townships and made the journey across to Canada and to a new life. Records show that in 1842 the Canada Company set out to obtain statements and evidence from those who had settled in the new colony to help sell parcels of land to others coming across to settle. Of interest to us, there are statements collected from settlers from a John Crerar, Robert Frazier and John Stewart. 

At this time, I am unable to establish exactly as to which township they were from, but they were from Glen Quaich and therefore we can confirm that their residence would have been in one of the townships we cover on this journey.

I have reprinted extracts from one of the statements below.

John Stewart's Statement

He came from Turrerich, in Glenquaich, in 1832, having left the glen that year about the middle of June, and arrived at North Easthope on the 1^st of September; eight families from the same place emigrated and travelled together and settled in this township and in the adjoining one, South Easthope.

Easter Turrerich. Copyright: Author

This settlement was only then beginning, for in the distance of twelve miles and a half between Stratford, (called then the Little Thames,) and the easternmost part of the tract bordering on Wilmot, there were only three houses or "shanties," occupied by Mr. Helmore, Mr. Fryfogle, and Mr. Sargint; one other settler, Mr. D. Bell, had just arrived, but he had no house up. These settlers were on the road side, for it was in 1833 and 1834 when settlers moved to lots of land off the main road.

The farm which he leased in Glenquaich was a small one, a few acres, with a privilege of pasture on an adjoining hill. His neighbours were similarly placed; possessing only what may be called "small holdings" from five to fifteen acres each. His family then were six in number, but not of age to assist in chopping and clearing but very little. There are three of them now well able to help, and they perform the most of the work.

Easter Turrerich. Copyright: Author

He applied to the Canada Company for three lots of land, 100 acres each, situated on the road side, and the following year he also applied for the three lots in the rear, in all 600 acres of land. He commenced at once to chop and clear the land, and built a small house. There were so few settlers at that time that the houses though small took no little trouble to put up, but the same difficulty was not experienced next year, as the settlement increased rapidly. 

When he came he paid and got a deed for one of the lots, and paid part on the other two, an instalment; since that time he has paid money on the five lots.

When the spring came, or rather towards the commencement of summer, his money was exhausted, but the provisions bought were sufficient till the crops were ready. From the crops of oats and potatoes this season he made some money, and particularly as they were scarce, and a brisk demand by increased emigration and traffic by the main road. The land since that time has yielded sufficient, not only for support but for sale. His family have been industrious, and he has managed to be economical in every thing.
 

Easter Turrerich. Copyright: Author

He has now a good stock of cattle: they had the first winter one cow, which gave milk till spring, when he bought another, and at the same time a yoke of working oxen. He has now one span of horses, one colt two years old, and another one year old, two yoke of working oxen, one yoke of five-year old steers, two yoke of two-year olds, three steers, seven cows, six calves, forty-six sheep, five year old heifers. 




 He sold two cows the other day, and has during these some years past sold a good many cattle. He has about 102 acres of cleared land. He had this year forty acres in hay, twenty in pasture, seventeen acres in wheat, fourteen acres in crops of oats, barley, &c., and ten acres in fallow. He has nearly ten acres of new land cleared this season for wheat. 
 

Easter Turrerich. Copyright Author

He states that all his neighbours have succeeded well. Many have emigrated this season from Glenquaich, and expects that next year all his old friends in the glen will be in Canada, and in this tract. A brother-in-law, who has been settled for some years in the township of Beckwith, has taken up 900 acres of land in the adjoining township of South Easthope, to which he intends removing in the winter or spring.

(Courtesy: University of Waterloo, Canada, whose copyright is recognised)

The statement not only provides evidence of  mass emigration from the Glen and a hard former life but an insight into a new more prosperous life being developed for all.

  

Emigration to New Lands.

A significant part of the clearances was the movement of people from their crofts and the estates of the the landowners to new sites along the coast, south to developing conurbations and even overseas to start a new life in a new land (often enforced).

One such place was Canada, which became the new home, enforced or otherwise of many crofters. In his book, 'On the Crofters Trail' Craig David, explores the lives of many, and their descendants in Canada. An excellent website to support this area of the clearances, and one that contains a lot of information on passenger lists, dates and  supporting information, can be accessed here 

This site is particularly useful to those tracing a particular family as the site does not concentrate on the clearances, indeed it is a very small part of it.

The 'Exiles' Statue, Helmsdale, Scotland

One estimate for Cape breton, Nova Scotia has 25,000 Gaelic-speaking Scots arriving as immigrants between 1775 and 1850. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were an estimated 100,000 Gaelic speakers in Cape Breton, but because of economic migration to English-speaking areas and the lack of Gaelic education in the Nova Scotian school system, the numbers of Gaelic speakers fell dramatically. By the beginning of the 21st century, the number of
 native Gaelic speakers had fallen to well below 1,000


The Emigrants Statue 'Exiles', pictured here, commemorates the flight of Highlanders during the clearances, but is also a testament to their accomplishments in the places they settled. It is located at the foot of the Highland Mountains in Helmsdale, Scotland. An identical 10 ft-high bronze "Exiles" statue has also been set up on the banks of the Red river, the modern city of Winnipeg was founded by those who left Scotland for Canada

Have the Displaced become the Displacer?

There is alot of evidence to suggest that crofters evicted from their lands in both the Highlands and the Lowlands not only emigrated to Canada, Nova Scotia and Australia (forced or otherwise) but also migrated south into England to take up poor farm lands and small holdings that would otherwise not be farmed.

The abilities and skills of crofters to farm on the poorest of soils and climatic challenging areas of the highlands would stand them in good sted when farming on better arable conditions on the plains of Cumbria, Cheshire and Derbyshire. Census records show the increased development of Scots families appearing in Cheshire around 1840 onwards.

Scots names also frequently appear in the more industrialised areas of the Northwest of England, Manchester, Liverpool where industrial development and employment would attract migration towards these areas in the search of work.

Migration within Scotland would have taken crofters towards the new Conurbations of Glasgow and New Lanark where Robert Owen (1771-1858) were cultivating Mills and industrial areas that would have provided both employment and social housing.