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Perthshire  Scotland

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In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Perthshire like this:

Perthshire, east-midland co. of Scotland, bounded N. by Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire, E. by Forfarshire, SE. by Fife and Kinross-shire, S. by Clackmannanshire and Stirlingshire, SW. by Stirlingshire and Dumbartonshire, and W. by Argyllshire; greatest length, E. and W., 72 miles; greatest breadth, N. ...


and S., 60 miles; the detached portion (lying along the upper reach of the Firth of Forth, and separated from the main body by a belt of Fife and Clackmannanshire) is 6½ miles by 4½ miles; area, 1,617,808 ac.; pop. 129,007. Perthshire includes some of the grandest and most beautiful scenery in Scotland, combining features characteristic both of the Highlands and the Lowlands. The ranges of the Ochils and the Sidlaw Hills, which are parted by the estuary of the Tay, occupy the SE.; while the N. and NW. districts, to the extent of more than one-half of the entire county, are occupied with the mountains of the Grampian system, this Highland region being intersected by numerous lochs and glens. The rich and beautiful valley of Strathmore, extending from the SW. to the NE. across the whole co., lies between the base of the mountains in the N. and NW. and the lower ranges in the SE.; the fertile alluvial tract known as the Carse of Gowrie stretches between the Sidlaw Hills and the Firth of Tay; while the Carse of the Forth lies along the S. border. The general slope of the co. is towards the SE. The principal rivers are the Forth and the Tay. The largest tributaries of the Forth within the co. are the Teith, the Allan, and the Devon; while those of the Tay are the Tummel, the Lyon, the Isla, the Bran, the Almond, and the Earn. The largest lochs are Lochs Ericht and Rannoch in the N., Lochs Tay and Earn in the NW., and Lochs Katrine, Achray, Vennachar, and Menteith in the SW. The soils of this co. are of the most varied character, - rich deep clay or loam in the straths, a light sandy or gravelly soil in the hill valleys, and moorland on the higher lands. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) Coal and ironstone are wrought in the detached section of the co.; roofing slate is obtained near Alyth, Comrie, and Dunkeld; and limestone is quarried at various places. Agriculture and sheep-farming are the chief industries. There are extensive deer forests, and the fisheries on the Tay are of very considerable value. The mfrs. of woollen and tartan stuffs, cotton, and coarse linens are carried on to some extent. The ancient divisions of Perthshire, now only of local significance, were Athole, Breadalbane, Gowrie, Menteith, Methven, Perth, and Stormont. The co. comprises 68 pars, with parts of 13 others, the parl. and police burgh of Perth (1 member), the parl. burgh of Culross (part of the Stirling Burghs), and the police burghs of Abernethy, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Callander, Coupar Angus (part of), Crieff, Dunblane, and Rattray. For parliamentary purposes the county is divided into 2 divisions - viz., Eastern and Western, each returning 1 member. The representation of the co. was increased from 1 to 2 members in 1885.

Vision of Britain presents long-run change by redistricting historical statistics to modern units. However, none of our modern units covers an area close to that of Perthshire. If you want trends covering a particular location within the county, find it on our historical maps and then select "Tell me more".

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Perthshire | Map and description for the county, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/17444

Date accessed: 19th March 2024


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