Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Monzie

Monzie, a hamlet and a parish of central Perthshire. The hamlet stands on the left bank of Shaggie Burn, 3 miles NNE of the post-town, Crieff.

The civil parish consists of a main body (containing the hamlet) and of three detached portions-the Innerpeffray, Auchnafree, and Logiealmond sections. Its total area is 33¾ square miles or 21, 5921/3 acres, of which 104¾ are water, and 3849½ belong to the main body. This, with an utmost length from NNW to SSE of 4¾ miles, and an utmost breadth of 2 miles, is bounded NE and E by Fowlis-Wester, and S, W, and N by Crieff. Shaggie Burn, rising on the NE border at an altitude of 2050 feet, runs 5¼ miles south-south-eastward and south-south-westward, mainly along the north-eastern and southern boundaries, but for 17/8 mile across the interior, till it passes off into Crieff, ¾ mile above its influx to Turret Burn; and Keltie Burn, rising at an altitude of 2200 feet, runs 4½ miles south-south-eastward along the western border, till it falls into Shaggie Burn at the SW corner of the parish. The surface sinks here to 250 feet above sea-level, and rises to 700 feet on the *northern slope of the Knock of Crieff (911), 1153 at *Milquhanzie Hill, 1461 at Cnoc Beithe, and 2255 at *Mealneveron, where asterisks mark those heights that lie upon the boundaries.

Of the three detached sections, the smallest (17/8 x 1¾ mile) contains the ruins of Innerpeffray Castle, 4 miles SE of Crieff, and is bounded NE by Madderty, E and SE by Trinity-Gask, SW by Muthill, and W and NW by Crieff. The Earn flows 1½ mile south eastward along all the Muthill boundary; and the surface sinks nowhere much below, and nowhere much exceeds, 100 feet above sea-level. Of the two Glenalmond sections, the upper (4½ x 4¼ miles) contains Auchnafree Lodge, 7 miles WSW of Amulree, and is bounded SE by Crieff, S by Monzievaird and Comrie, W and NW by Kenmore, and N and E by detached portions of Dull, Weem, Kenmore, and Fowlis-Wester. The new-born Almond has here an easterly course of 4 miles; and along it the surface declines to 880 feet, chief elevations being Ben Chonzie (3048 feet) at the SW corner, and a nameless summit (2838) on the northern boundary. The Logiealmond section (53/8 x 4¾ miles) in its SE corner contains Glenalmond College, 9¾ miles NE of Crieff and 11¾ WNW of Perth, under which there is the post office of Heriotfield. It is bounded NE by detached portions of Methven and Redgorton, E by Auchtergaven and Moneydie, S by Methven and Fowlis Wester, W by Fowlis-Wester, and NW by Little Dunkeld. The Almond winds 6 miles eastward, mainly along the southern border; Milton Burn runs to it 4½ miles south-south-eastward along the western border; and Shochie Burn, another of its affluents, runs 2¼ miles south-eastward along the Auchtergaven and Moneydie boundary. The surface sinks to 450 feet along the Almond, and rises to 654 feet near Saddlebank, 773 near Montreal, and 1913 at Meikle Crochan on the Little Dunkeld boundary.

Such are the general features of this large and scattered parish, whose rocks include excellent slate, red sandstone compact and durable, and limestone of indifferent quality. The soil of most of the arable lands is light, dry, and fertile. There are several hundred acres of thriving plantation; but fully two-thirds of the entire area are desolate upland, partly green, mostly heathy, and good only for the grazing of Highland or blackfaced sheep. ' Weems, ' or subterranean dwellings, have been discovered in Monzie Park, where also are remains of several stone circles. Monzie Castle, 5 furlongs SSW of Monzie hamlet, bears date 1634, and is a square, three-story, battlemented pile, with a western two-story wing, and round towers flanking the angles. In its beautiful grounds are four out of five larches, coeval with those of Dunkeld (1738), and one of them 18 feet in girth at 3 feet from the ground. The estate belongs to George Johnstone, Esq. of Lathrisk, his father having purchased it from Alex. Cameron-Campbell, Esq., who died in 1869, and who from 1841 to 1843 was Conservative member for Argyllshire. (See Inverawe.) Another estate, with a mansion, is the Cairnies in Logiealmond; and altogether 5 proprietors hold each an annual value of more than £500, and 3 of less than £100. Ecclesiastically, the parish, as redistributed at various periods between 1702 and 1871, takes in part of Fowlis-Wester, and gives off its own detached sections to Muthill, Amulree, Methven, and Logiealmond. Monzie itself is in the presbytery of Auchterarder and the synod of Perth and- Stirling; the living is worth £200. The parish church, at the hamlet, was built in 1831, and contains 512 sittings. There is also a Free church of Monzie; and Monzie public school, with accommodation for 133 children, had (1883) an average attendance of 50, and a grant of £58, 10s. Valuation (1860) £7753, (1884) £8868, 1s. 1d. Pop. of civil parish (1801) 1157, (1841) 1261, (1861) 972, (1871) 803, (1881) 753; of ecclesiastical parish (1871) 324, (1881) 304, of whom 208 were in Fowlis - Wester.—Ord. Sur., shs. 47, 48, 1869-68.


(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a hamlet and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Logiealmond ScoP       Perthshire ScoCnty
Place: Monzie

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