Wednesday 29th September 1819
Wednesday Sepr 29th The Inn at Forfar I forgot to mention is very comfortable after breakfast we proceeded to Glamis Castle 6 miles, it formally belonged to Macbeth but is now the seat of the Earl of Strathmore the exterior has a grand & ancient appearance situated in a most beautiful park the interior is not worth inspection thence to Dundee 13 miles the country flat & cultivated the view on entering this pretty town was beautiful situated on the bank of the Tay there are some very nice houses in Dundee & the company appears very good changing horses we proceeded
to Perth 21 miles we passed in our way several beautiful seats & ruins of castles & that part of Scotland so gently called Carse of Gowrie or the garden of Scotland, which is excessively rich & fertile approaching Perth we passed the Depot for Prisoners of war ( a very fine building likewise a beautiful bridge thrown over the river Tay this town appears large & well built we went to the Star Inn which is good.
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Inn at Forfar: Yesterday we considered The Stag Inn. However the Queens Hotel was also in operation pre-1822 and from its external appearance below it would appear to have suited the Copland’s preference for staying in a newer establishment and one that Lucy is more likely to consider very comfortable .
The Queens Hotel, from its website at http://www.thequeenshotelforfar.co.uk/gallery.php
“Situated in the centre of the historic county town of Forfar, this former coaching inn dates back to pre-1822” http://www.thequeenshotelforfar.co.uk/
Glamis Castle: In 1034 King Malcolm II was murdered at Glamis, where there was a Royal Hunting Lodge. In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth (1603–06), the eponymous character resides at Glamis Castle, although the historical King Macbeth (d. 1057) had no connection to the castle. By 1376 a castle had been built at Glamis, since in that year it was granted by King Robert II to Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis, husband of the king's daughter.
1780: Glames - Castle in Scotland, the Seat of the Earl of Strathmore, engraved and published by William Watts, in the seriesWatts's Seats, after Thomas Sandby. http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/12108
Glamis has remained in the Lyon (later Bowes-Lyon) family since this time. The castle was rebuilt as an L-plan tower house in the early 15th century. There are numerous legends, including monsters, vampires, that may be linked to the true story of the Ogilvies. Somewhere in the 16-foot-thick (4.9 m) walls is the famous room of skulls, where the Ogilvie family, who sought protection from their enemies the Lindsays, were walled up to die of starvation. The legend of Lord Beardie tells how, when none would play cards with him on the Sabbath, he became so furious that he claimed that he would play until doomsday, or with the Devil himself, depending on the version. A stranger then appears at the castle and joins Lord Beardie in a game of cards. The stranger is identified with the Devil, who takes Earl Beardie's soul and, in some versions, condemns the Earl to play cards until doomsday
2005: Glamis Castle in Glamis, Angus, Scotland, UK on August 12th at 12:18:44 in the afternoon with a Canon PowerShot A20 digital camera by Baryonic Being~commonswiki and licensed under Creative Commons ShareAlike 1.0 License.(CC SA 1.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GlamisWide.JPG
Glamis was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, wife of King George VI. Their second daughter, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was born there.Since 1987 an illustration of the castle has featured on the reverse side of ten pound notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glamis_Castle
Dundee is Scotland's fourth-largest city. It developed into a burgh in the late 12th century and established itself as an important east coast trading port. The economy of mediaeval Dundee centred on the export of raw wool, with the production of finished textiles being a reaction to recession in the 15th century. Two government Acts in the mid 18th century had a profound effect on Dundee's industrial success: the textile industry was revolutionised by the introduction of large four-storey mills, stimulated in part by the 1742 Bounty Act which provided a government-funded subsidy on Osnaburg linen produced for export. Expansion of the whaling industry was triggered by the second Bounty Act, introduced in 1750 to increase Britain's maritime and naval skill base.
1824: The Town of Dundee. Artist & Engraver John Heaviside Clark, in Clark's Views in Scotland , printed by Smith & Elder, Fenchurch St, London http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/16044
Dundee, and Scotland more generally, saw rapid population increase at end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, with the city's population increasing from 12,400 in 1751 to 30,500 in 1821. The rise of the textile industries brought with it an expansion of supporting industries, notably of the whaling, maritime and shipbuilding industries, and extensive development of the waterfront area started in 1815 to cope with increased demand for port capacity.
2005: The Dundee Law by Gordon Czeschel. The Dundee Law War memorial viewed from St. Mary's Tower. Cox's Stack another landmark is seen in the left Skyline. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Gordon Czeschel and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Dundee_Law_-_geograph.org.uk_-_63200_(lighter_ground).jpg
2004: Midsummer night! by Val Vannet. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Val Vannet and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. (CC BY-SA) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Midsummer_night%5E_-_geograph.org.uk_-_9752.jpg
Above left, View of the Dundee Law, the hill at the centre of the city, and right, View from The Law, overlooking Dundee City Centre and the Tay Road Bridge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundee
Carse of Gowrie is a stretch of low-lying country in the southern part of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross that stretches for about 20 miles along the north shore of the Firth of Tay between Perth and Dundee.
2005: Newlands, near Cairnie Pier. Surrounded by the flat drained fields of the Carse of Gowrie, by Lis Burke. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Lis Burke and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newlands,_near_Cairnie_Pier_-_geograph.org.uk_-_84373.jpg
The area offers high-quality agricultural land and is well known as a major area for fruit growing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carse_of_Gowrie
Perth became known as a 'capital' of Scotland, due to the frequent residence of the royal court. The presence of Scone Abbey, home of the Stone of Destiny (Rightfully known as the stone of Scone) where the King of Scots was crowned, enhanced the early importance of the city, which became one of the richest burghs in the country, doing trade with France, the Low Countries and Baltic Countries for goods such as Spanish silk and French wine.
1824: Title: The Town of Perth. Artist & Engraver John Heaviside Clark, in Clark's Views in Scotland , printed by Smith & Elder, Fenchurch St, London http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16045
The Scottish Reformation also played a big role in the city with the sacking of the Houses of the Greyfriars and Blackfriars, after a sermon given by John Knox in St John's Kirk in 1559. The Act of Settlement later brought about Jacobite uprisings. The city was occupied by Jacobite supporters on three occasions (1689, 1715 and 1745). The founding of Perth Academy in 1760 helped to bring major industries, such as linen, leather, bleach and whisky, to the city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth,_Scotland
View of Perth from Bridgend http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16867
2015: Perth, Scotland - Bank of Tay River by Ingo Mehling, the copyright holder of this work, and published it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Perth,_Scotland_-_Bank_of_Tay.jpg
Depot for Prisoners of war: From 1812 the majority of prisoners taken in the Napoleonic were shipped directly to the depots in Scotland, in particular the newly opened depot of Perth. In July 1813 there were 852 German and Italian prisoners held there who were transferred to Valleyfield, in exchange for the same number of French who were sent to Perth. Amongst the Germans were 204 men from the Hesse-Darmstadt troops who had been part of the garrison of Badajoz when it fell in April 1812. There were already such nationalities being held at Valleyfield, so by August there were at least 641 Italians and 588 Germans collected at the depot. https://www.cairn.info/revue-napoleonica-la-revue-2014-3-page-118.htm
Perth Prison - A view of the Fair City from Moncreiffe Hill, with the light-coloured prison buildings prominent on the near side of Perth. © Copyright James Allan and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1210515
Perth Harbour . The large building in the background is Perth Prison. © Copyright Paul McIlroy and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/563485
The following is from the Scottish Prison Service’s history of Perth Prison: “During their captivity in Perth Depot they were relatively well treated. The offenders would make dolls from straw and carve beautiful ornaments from animal bones which sell to the people of Perth at a market held every Wednesday at the Depot. French Officers were usually 'paroled' into the City and would stay with local families. They had to sign a promise that they would not try to run away, indeed, the few that did escape back to France were sent back by their own side to ensure that the conditions of parole were maintained on both sides of the Channel. All of the French prisoners were repatriated after the Battle of Waterloo on 1815 and thousands of Perth people turned out to wave them off!” https://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Prisons/Perth/HMP-Perth.aspx
Perth Bridge (also known locally as Smeaton's Bridge, after John Smeaton who engineered it) spans the River Tay.
circa 1800: Perth Bridge in Perthshire, engraved by Eastgate published by Alex. Hogg. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEPerthBrHogg.JPG
2003: St. Matthew's Church, on Tay Street, and Smeaton's Bridge, Perth, Scotland by Dudesleeper at English Wikipedia who has released the picture into the public domain with the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Matthew%27s_Church_and_Smeaton%27s_Bridge.jpg
It was completed in October 1771 but construction began in 1766. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth_Bridge
River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom
View of the River Tay, Perth, from the railway bridge carrying the line to Dundee. © Copyright David Robinson and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6230892
The Tay is internationally renowned for its salmon fishing and is one of the best salmon rivers in the United Kingdom, and western Europe, attracting anglers from all over the world. The river is of high biodiversity value and is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation. The SAC designation notes the river's importance for salmon (Salmo salar), otters (Lutra lutra), brook lampreys (Lampetra planeri), river lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis), and sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus).
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2010: Mother and kit Eurasian beaver on a Tay River tributary by Ray Scott. This work is free and may be used by anyone for any purpose subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tayside_Beaver_mother_and_kit_June_5,_2010_Ray_Scott.jpg
The Tay also maintains flagship population of Freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifea margaritifera). Freshwater pearl mussels are one of Scotland's most endangered species and the River Tay hosts two-thirds of the world's remaining stock. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Tay
Star Inn, 32-34 Canal Street, The large “Old Star Hotel” was founded in the late 18th century. Poor repair. Main block has Roman Doric pilastered doorpiece and high in the facade between 2nd and 3rd floor windows is a painted panel with Black Watch badge. Internally the entrance hall has a pilastered screen with a semi eliptical fanlight and a lozenge plan cantilevered stair of impressive height. https://canmore.org.uk/site/158011/perth-32-4-canal-street-old-star-hotel
Can you help us?
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?