Comrie (; Gaelic: ''Cuimridh'';

Pictish Pictish is the extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geographica ...

: ''Aberlednock'';

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Victoria'') is a village and parish in the southern

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia * So ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, towards the western end of the

Strathearn Strathearn or Strath Earn (, from gd, Srath Èireann) is the strath of the River Earn, in Scotland, extending from Loch Earn in the West to the River Tay in the east.http://www.strathearn.com/st_where.htm Derivation of name Strathearn was o ...

district of Perth and Kinross, west of

Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has becom ...

. Comrie is a historic conservation village in a national scenic area along the

river Earn , name_etymology = , image = River Earn at Forteviot.jpg , image_size = 250px , image_caption = The River Earn viewed from Forteviot bridge. , map = , map_size = , map_caption ...

. Its position on the

Highland Boundary Fault The Highland Boundary Fault is a major fault zone that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east. It separates two different geological terranes which give rise to two distinct physiographic terr ...

explains why it has more earth tremors than anywhere else in Britain. The parish is twinned with Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada.

Location and etymology

Comrie lies within the registration county of

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

(Gaelic: '' Siorrachd Pheairt'') and the Perth and Kinross local council area. The name Comrie derives from the original Gaelic name ''con-ruith'' or ''comh-ruith'' (from ''con/comh'' 'together', and ''ruith'' "to run", "running") translating literally as "running together", but more accurately as "flowing together" or "the place where rivers meet". In modern Gaelic the name is more often transcribed as Comraidh, Cuimridh or Cuimrigh. This is apt as the village sits at the confluence of three rivers. The River Ruchill (Gaelic: ''An Ruadh Thuill'', The Red Flood) and The River Lednock (Gaelic: ''An Leathad Cnoc'', The Wooded Knoll) are all tributaries of the Earn (Gaelic: ''Uisge Dubh-Èireann'') at Comrie, which itself eventually feeds into the Tay ( Gaelic: ''Uisge Tatha''). Due to its position astride the

, Comrie undergoes frequent earth tremors and has an old nickname of "Shaky Toun/Toon" ( Scots) or 'Am Baile Critheanach' (Gaelic). In the 1830s around 7,300 tremors were recorded and today Comrie records earth tremors more often and to a higher intensity than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Comrie became the site of one of the world's first

seismometer A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground noises and shaking such as caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The outpu ...

s in 1840, and a functional replica is still housed in the Earthquake House in The Ross in Comrie. The position of Comrie on the Highland Boundary Fault also gives the village a claim to the contested title of ''Gateway to the Highlands''. To the north of the village, Ben Chonzie and the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian rang ...

rise majestically, while to the south of the village broad open moorland is joined by lesser mountains and glens that provide a wide range of terrain and ecology.

History

(Bridge of Ross, Comrie, Scotland) (LOC) (3450353038)

There is significant evidence of prehistoric habitation of the area, marked by numerous standing stones and archaeological remains that give insight into the original prehistoric,

and later Celtic societies that lived here. In AD 79, the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

General

Agricola Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to: People Cognomen or given name :''In chronological order'' * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85) * Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the mi ...

chose what are now the outskirts of Comrie as the site for a fort and temporary marching camp, due to the area's strategic position on the southern fringe of the Highlands. It is one of the line of so-called "

Glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

blocking" forts running from Drumquhassle to

Stracathro Stracathro ( gd, Srath Catharach) is a small place in Angus, Scotland. It was the site of a Roman marching camp as their forces invaded to the north. Location Stracathro is located southeast of Edzell in north-east Angus. It lies to the north ...

and including the

legionary The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republ ...

fortress of

Inchtuthil Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland (Roman Caledonia). It was built in AD 82 or 83 as the advance ...

. The temporary camp was c. 22 acre (c. 9 ha) in size. An infamous battle between the

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

and Romans is known to have occurred on the unidentified mountain

Mons Graupius The Battle of Mons Graupius was, according to Tacitus, a Roman military victory in what is now Scotland, taking place in AD 83 or, less probably, 84. The exact location of the battle is a matter of debate. Historians have long questioned some ...

. The area around Comrie,

, is one of several proposed battle sites.

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and dur ...

came to Comrie and Cultybraggan regularly in September to hunt deer. Records survive of the food he consumed included bread, ale and fish sent from Stirling. His consort

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. Sh ...

and her ladies in waiting also came to the hunting in Glenartney. Comrie's early prosperity derived from

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

. This was mostly done as domestic piecework. Comrie was also important as a

droving Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding. Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the aid of dogs—has a very long history in the Old World. An owner might entrust an agent to del ...

town. Cattle destined for the markets of the Scottish Lowlands and ultimately England would be driven south from their grazing areas in the

. River crossings, such as at Comrie, were important staging posts on the way south. Much of the land around Comrie was owned by the Drummond family, Earls of Perth, latterly Earls of Ancaster, whose main seat was

Drummond Castle Drummond Castle is located in Perthshire, Scotland. The castle is known for its gardens, described by Historic Environment Scotland as "the best example of formal terraced gardens in Scotland." It is situated in Muthill parish, south of Crieff. ...

, south of

. Another branch of the Drummonds owned Drummondernoch (Gaelic: Drumainn Èireannach – Drummond of Ireland), to the west of the town. Aberuchill Castle, however, just outside Comrie was originally a Campbell seat. Over the years the village has grown to incorporate many smaller satellite settlements, including ''The Ross'' (Gaelic: ''An Ros'') a small settlement to the west of the village contained within a river peninsula (''An Ros'' literally translates as peninsula) which became more accessible when the Ross Bridge was constructed in 1792. Before that the peninsula was only reached by a river ford. Similarly, the once isolated communities in the surrounding glens and mountains, such as Invergeldie in Glen Lednock and Dalchruin in Glen Artney, have generally come to be seen as part of Comrie village. Previously, they existed as small isolated settlements – for instance, Glen Lednock contained 21 different settlements of 350 individual structures and 25 corn-drying kilns. However, these exclusively Gaelic-speaking hamlets were largely eviscerated by the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase result ...

of the 18th and 19th centuries. Comrie underwent something of a renaissance in the early 19th century and Victorian periods as an attractive location for wealthy residents and visitors, an image which has been maintained to this day. This popularity helped to bring the railway in 1893, when the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...

completed a branch line from Crieff. The line was later extended to meet the

Callander and Oban Railway The Callander and Oban Railway company was established with the intention of linking the sea port of Oban to the railway network. This involved a long line from Callander through wild and thinly populated terrain, and shortage of money meant that ...

Lochearnhead Lochearnhead (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Loch Èireann) is a village in Perthshire on the A84 Stirling to Crianlarich road at the foot of Glen Ogle, north of the Highland Boundary Fault. It is situated at the western end of Loch Earn where the A ...

. The Comrie–Lochearnhead line was closed in 1951 and the Comrie–Crieff line in 1964, due largely to the improved road network in the area. Comrie's mountainous setting with abundant streams and lochs brought a number of hydro-electric power plants into the area in the earlier 20th century. A dam was built in Glen Lednock and water piped to another plant from Loch Earn in the west. Today Comrie is an attractive retirement village, recording the highest proportion of over-65s in Scotland in the 1991 census. Its economy is supplemented by adventure and wildlife tourism. Like other Highland villages, it has seen an influx of residents in recent decades. Some have bought buy-to-let and second-home conversions, which has tended to raise housing prices and cause tensions with locals. Even so, Comrie retains its spirit, traditions and community feel.

Sights and culture

Architecture

The White Church, the former parish kirk, is Comrie's most striking building, with a prominent tower and spire by the roadside of the ancient churchyard at the heart of the village. This is an early Christian site, dedicated to an obscure early saint, Kessog or Mokessog, who may have flourished in the 8th century. Comrie Parish Church is of a grand Gothic style, disproportionate to anything else in the village dominates the distant skyline. It was designed and built in 1881 by George T Ewing. Comrie is also graced by a little-known

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macd ...

building, a shop in the main street with a first floor corner turret built in a version of the Scottish vernacular style (not visible in the above illustration). Some of the buildings and homes in the village date back centuries, with many traditional Highland cottages built in dry-stone and/or clay and originally roofed in thatch. In the higher mountain glens around the village, traditional Highland blackhouses, most now in ruins, can also be found. There are a number of grand estate homes and historic castles in the area. For the most part, however, the main quadrants of the village house Victorian and Edwardian buildings, including many large detached villas and small terraces. The newer parts of the village are dominated by modern properties from the 1950s onward, including extremely modern properties of varying character.

Awards

The village won the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (N ...

"Large Village

Britain in Bloom Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

award" in 2007 and 2010. It also won awards in the 2009 Beautiful Scotland Campaign, including Best Village and a special award for Continuous Community Involvement. In 2013 Comrie won gold in the village category of the Beautiful Scotland Awards and a special Community Horticulture Award.

Glen Lednock, The Monument and the Deil's Cauldron

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies underg ...

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

atop Dùn Mòr (English: Great Hill) to the north commemorates

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18t ...

. It was designed by

James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 11 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Life Graham was born in Dunblane on 11 June 1776. He was the son of Malcolm Gillespie, a solicitor. He was christened as ...

in 1812. This monument is reached via a woodland trail through wooded Glen Lednock (Gaelic: ''Gleann Leathad Cnoc'') in which is found the ''Slocha'n Donish'' or ''De'ils Cauldron'' (also known as the ''Falls of Lednock''). The trail begins in the village, at Laggan Park (Gaelic: An Làgan Mòr – The Great Basin) and ascends through a native forest of pines, oak, elm, ash rowan, alder and beech to Glen Lednock. Via ''The Shaky Bridge'' (although the original shaky bridge was replaced with a decidedly less shaky successor), hikers are treated to a splendid view of the glen, a truly Highland landscape, where a single-lane road leads up to Glen Lednock Reservoir and the Munro, Ben Chonzie. From there Dùn Mòr and the Monument are easily reached, offering unparalleled views across Strathearn and further west to the central Highlands. A swift descent (or ascent depending on the route chosen) leads through a long, steep, wooded gorge containing the impressive De'il's Cauldron. Here the river has cut a high, cascading waterfall in the surrounding rock, with pools below resembling a boiling cauldron. It is said that a water-elf, ''Uris-chidh'', lives here and tries to lure victims into the treacherous waters. The path down leads to a lesser companion to the great falls, ''The Wee Cauldron,'' with a calmer view of the river. The path through the forest eventually returns to the village.

Prisoner-of-war camp

To the south of the village is a military camp at nearby Cultybraggan. During World War II, this was

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

Camp 21 for Italian and later German prisoners of war. This was a "black" camp as most of its inmates were ardent

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Naz ...

. It became infamous after anti-Nazi German POW Wolfgang Rosterg was lynched there by fellow inmates, who were hanged after the war for the act. Many more difficult Nazis were moved to

Camp 165 at

Watten Watten may refer to: Places * Watten, Nord, a commune in the Nord ''département'' of France ** ''Blockhaus d'Éperlecques'' or Watten bunker, intended to be a launching facility for the V-2 ballistic missile * Watten, Highland, a village in Ca ...

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

. The camp grounds have a two-storey nuclear bunker (Cultybraggan RGHQ), the proposed site for a provincial Scottish government in case of nuclear attack. Even in the 1990s the bunker had accommodation, a telephone exchange, a sewage plant and a BBC studio. In 2007 a local community trust bought the camp and the surrounding of land, under

Land Reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

legislation, for the sum of £350,000. In December 2016 Heinrich Steinmeyer, a former

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from th ...

prisoner of the camp until 1948, left Comrie £384,000 in his will, as an expression of "my gratitude to the people of Scotland for the kindness and generosity that I have experienced in Scotland during my imprisonment of war and hereafter." A local trust manages the legacy.

Notable sights

* Ben Chonzie (Gaelic: ''Beinn a' Chòinnich'') – a mountain and Munro that overlooks the village, famous for its many mountain hares * Cultybraggan (Gaelic: possibly ''Cul taigh bracan'') – an ancient farming site, and site of the once-secret underground nuclear bunker *Linn a' chullaich (English: ''Pool of the Boar'') – a deep freshwater pool still commonly used for wild swimming in the summer months, known locally as The Lynn *The Deil's Cauldron (Gaelic: ''Slocha'n Donish'', English: ''The Devil's Kettle'') – a deep rock waterfall where there resides a legendary water-elf called ''Uris-chidh'', who lures victims to a watery death *The Earthquake House (Gaelic: ''An taigh crith-fuinn'') – a small research station housing one of the world's first seismometers, still active today *Tullichettle (Gaelic: ''Tulach a' chadal'', English: ''The knoll/mound of sleep'') – an ancient churchyard *Auchingarrich (Gaelic: ''Achadh an gàradh'', English: ''Field of the garden'') – An ancient farming site. Now home to a wildlife centre *

Loch Earn Loch Earn (Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Eire/Loch Éireann'') is a freshwater loch in the southern highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling. The name is thought to mean "Loch of Ireland", and it has been suggested ...

(Gaelic: ''Loch Éireann'') – A beautiful freshwater loch surrounded by mountains. * Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn) (Gaelic: ''Beinn Mhùrlaig'') – A nearby mountain and Munro. *Fort Victoria (Gaelic: ''An Gearasdan Borgach)'') – The remains of a Roman ' glen-blocking' fort. This site is considered by some the furthest north that the Romans were able to invade Scotland. Lord Melville's Monument - geograph

*Standing stones (Gaelic: ''Na tursachan'') – A number of standing stones are relics of the pre-Christian Celtic and Pictish societies which once inhabited the area. *Melville Monument (Gaelic: ''Carragh Melville'') – A 72-foot granite obelisk which sits on a high, steep, craggy hillside overlooking the village. Built to commemorate First Lord Melville Henry Dundas *Dundas Monument (Gaelic: ''Carragh Dhùn Deas'') – A similar, but smaller obelisk to the east of the village *Glen Artney (Gaelic: ''Gleann Artanaig'') (English: This may be ''Artanag's glen'', a name based on old Gaelic ''art'', meaning ''bear'') – A beautiful glen and ancient royal deer forest immortalised in

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy'' ...

's ''

The Lady of the Lake (poem) ''The Lady of the Lake'' is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it is composed of six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day. There are voluminous antiquari ...

'', it supplied venison to the Sovereigns of Scotland at Holyrood, Dunfermline and Falkland. *Glen Lednock (Gaelic: ''Gleann Leathad Cnoc'') (English: ''The Glen of the wooden knoll'') – A beautiful highland glen in the mountains above the village, once home to a smaller community prior to the

. The glen holds a great stock of wildlife, including elusive Scottish wildcat and capercaillie,

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds ...

, buzzard,

mountain hare The mountain hare (''Lepus timidus''), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. Evolution The mountai ...

, grouse and number of deer species. *Sput Rolla (English: ''The spout of the scroll'') – A waterfall which breaks the River Lednock as it flows down from the mountains in Glen Lednock to the village. *Lawers House (Gaelic: ''Taigh Labhar'') – A grand estate home to the east of the village. From south Comrie Scotland

*St Kessog's Free Church of Scotland (Gaelic: ''An t-eaglais Naomh Cais-Òg'') – A grand church built in 1879 which replaced the smaller Free Church (White Church) *The White Church ( gd, An t-Eaglais gheal) – Built in 1805 on the site of another ancient churchyard. The centrepiece of the village and a category A listed building. Now a community centre. *Brough and Macpherson shop – A building re-designed by

in 1903 following a fire. *The House of Ross (Gaelic: ''An Taigh Ros'') – A grand estate home constructed in 1908 in the 18th-century Scots vernacular style. The home is now subdivided into a number of separate dwellings. The estate grounds contain an extensive miniature railway which is opened to the public several times a year. *Aberuchill Castle (Gaelic: ''Caisteal Obar Ruadh thuill'') (English: ''The castle at the mouth of the red flood'') – A grand castle and estate home initially constructed in 1602 at the foot of the hills of Ruchill. The castle is now owned by

Vladimir Lisin Vladimir Sergeyevich Lisin (born 7 May 1956) is a Russian billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and majority shareholder of Novolipetsk (NLMK), one of the four largest steel companies in Russia. According to ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index ...

, a Russian industrialist and billionaire and according to ''Forbes'' magazine the richest man in Russia. The castle has played host to many infamous characters of Scottish and world fame historically and to the present day. * Dunira (Gaelic: ''Dùn Iar-a''))Castle and estates – A grand estate and home west of the village.

Amenities

Comrie has a number of amenities, which include a primary school, a post office, two hotels ("The Comrie Hotel" and "The Royal Hotel", both of which contain their own restaurant and bar), five churches of various denominations, two small cafés (one also the local fish and chip shop), a restaurant ('The De'il's Cauldron'), and an independent petrol station. The railway to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

was closed in 1964 by

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four (British ra ...

under the

Beeching cuts The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...

Flambeaux parade and Hogmanay

Comrie has a curious

Hogmanay Hogmanay ( , ) is the Scots word for the last day of the old year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning of New Year's Day (1 January) or i ...

ritual: on the stroke of midnight, a torchlight procession marches through the village. Traditionally the procession involves the twelve strongest men of the village carrying long, thick birch poles, to which burning tarred rags are attached and taken to each of the four corners of the village. The procession is usually accompanied by the village

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

and villagers with floats and dressed in costume. After the procession the torches are thrown from the Dalginross Bridge into the River Earn. The origins of the ceremony are unclear. It is generally assumed to have pre-Christian Celtic or possibly Pictish roots and to be intended to cleanse the village of evil spirits in advance of the new year (albeit the new year's commencing in January is a relatively modern convention). The use of the birch tree specifically may have significance as the first letter of the Celtic

Ogham Ogham (Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langua ...

alphabet, and a symbol of new beginning. The spectacle attracts thousands of visitors to the small highland village each

. A countdown to midnight is usually held at Melville Square and after the processions people gather here again for traditional Scottish music and dancing. Drinking alcohol in the street is commonplace and tolerated. Parties in village homes are common and other Scottish

traditions like first footing are also observed.

Comrie Fortnight

An annual two-week festival, called the ''Comrie Fortnight'', is held in the village during July and August. The Comrie Fortnight started in the late 1960s and has evolved over the years, now consisting of a wide range of activities including competitions, outings, dances and a float parade. Profits from the Comrie Fortnight are used to support events and groups in the local community.

Language

Today the principal languages of Comrie are English, Gaelic and Scots. Historically, Comrie and the surrounding area were part of the

Gàidhealtachd The (; English: ''Gaeldom'') usually refers to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and especially the Scottish Gaelic-speaking culture of the area. The similar Irish language word refers, however, solely to Irish-speaking areas. The term ...

. A 1799 statistical account of Comrie Parish states, "The common language of the people is Gaelic and all the natives understand it; but many, especially the old, do not understand English." Gaelic appears to have remained the primary language in the early part of the 19th century, as testified by this 1828 passage by Mr Mushet, local minister at the time, describing the annual celebration of the sacrament of the lord's supper: "The Lord favoured us (blessed be His name) with fair and seasonable weather. We had near eleven tables in Irish (Gaelic). Each table contained forty-eight persons or thereabout, and we had only two tables and some few persons at the third in English". As with the rest of Scotland however, the process of

language shift Language shift, also known as language transfer or language replacement or language assimilation, is the process whereby a speech community shifts to a different language, usually over an extended period of time. Often, languages that are perceiv ...

away from Gaelic and towards English, facilitated by the

and the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872, was apparently well established by the late 19th century. Indeed, by 1891 census estimates suggested that only 17.9 per cent of Comrie's population were native Gaelic speakers.Linguae-celticae.org
/ref> In 1901 only 8.3 per cent of the population were native Gaelic speakers, while only 4.5 per cent had Gaelic as their sole language. The most recent census data for 2002 shows that less than 5 per cent are Gaelic speakers. The decline of Gaelic in the area can be attributed largely to The

(

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: ''Fuadach nan Gàidheal'') in the 18th and 19th centuries, which saw people in the smaller satellite settlements of the village (located in the surrounding mountains and glens) forcibly displaced from their homes, and many forced to emigrate to Canada, Australasia and North America. In addition, the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872 led to generations of Gaels forbidden from speaking their native language in the classroom, and punished for doing so. As with the rest of Scotland (excluding the north-west), Gaelic speakers have struggled to retain their language through the generations, though Comrie retains a larger than average number of speakers.

Notable people

In alphabetical order: * Carly Booth (born 1992), professional golfer, was born and lives in Comrie. *

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

(1759–1796), Scotland's renowned national poet, spent case time at Aberuchill Castle. * John Craig (1896–1970), recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

(born 1956), the richest living Russian according to ''

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'' magazine, owns and occupies Aberuchill Castle in Comrie. His guests have included the

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. * James Drummond MacGregor (1759–1830) was from Comrie and became the first Gaelic-speaking Presbyterian minister in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Engl ...

in 1786. * Alexander Trees, Baron Trees (born 1946), is a professor of veterinary parasitology and Crossbench member of the House of Lords, under the title Lord Trees of The Ross (a street on the western edge of the village).

Comrie Golf Club

Comrie Golf Club was founded in 1891 and lies on the outskirts of the village of Comrie.Comriegolf.co.uk
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Image gallery

Bridge of Ross Comrie Scotland.jpg Remains of Stone Circle in hills to NE of Comrie - geograph.org.uk - 657641.jpg Woods near Comrie - geograph.org.uk - 1573712.jpg Comrie Golf Course - geograph.org.uk - 1652215.jpg

References

External links

Comrie at www.scottish-towns.co.ukComrie Community WebsiteThe Roman Gask Project''Local Walks Around Comrie''
– Comrie Community Council {{Authority control Villages in Perth and Kinross Highland Boundary Fault National scenic areas of Scotland