Pedlar’s book – “A Journey Through Tomatin and Strathdearn” is finally available on Strathdearn Community Website. Sorry for the delay – we promised it would be ready weeks ago – but it triggered a cascade of changes and other additions which took a while to work through . The result is a much expanded and improved History Section which we hope you’ll agree was worth the wait.
(If you can’t wait any longer to read Pedlar’s book, you’ll find it here.)
“History” now has its own heading in the menu rather than being a sub-section of “About Strathdearn. It is divided into three areas: Ancient History, Recent History, and Archaeology. Work is ongoing, some pages are marked “work-in-progress,” but the menu is now settled enough to allow easy navigation.
Please don’t be put off by the word “history”. You’ll find stuff in here that will educate you, yes, but also amuse, intrigue, and surprise you … and most of all help you understand and appreciate this lovely corner of the world that we are so lucky to live in.
Ancient History
Strathdearn and its people through the ages. Sections include:
- Strathdearn – Ancient to Modern Times Hunter gatherers to modern Highlanders – the last 10,000 years.
- Invereen Stone A carved Pictish stone, unearthed near Moy, 1200 – 1500 years old.
- The Rout of Moy How five loyal Jacobites saw off 1500 Hanoverian troops.
- A hand-written record of historic landholdings in the Parish of Moy Land ownership and church ministers in Moy since the 14th century.
- The Steep Brae of the Corpses and the Grave of the Soldiers About a cairn erected to the memory of 2 unknown soldiers, executed in the bloody aftermath of the Battle of Culloden.
- Cattle rustling in the Streens near Moy (1760) A cattle rustling incident is settled with honour on both sides.
- Witches, Thieves, and Archers Historic Strathdearn characters, including sportsmen and witches; pipers and hunters; thieves and archers.
- Clan Davidson connections to Dalarossie A Clan Davidson historian is surprised at the number of connections he has found.
- Place Names of Strathdearn
An academic paper listing locations and Gaelic derivations. (work in progress) - Tracing your Ancestors A guide for those seeking family connections in Scotland, with emphasis on Strathdearn.
Recent History
It really is quite extraordinary that a small community like ours has such a wealth of recorded memories covering the last century. The quality of the material is due to many gifted locals being able and willing to document their reminiscences in such detail. That so much of it has been retained is largely due to the Strathdearn Newsletter which has published and thus safeguarded it through the years. Sections include:
- Anne Glynne-Percy – An exceptionally knowledgeable and well-educated local historian, Anne wrote a series of essays about our locality, offering a rich and detailed perspective on its history.
- John Perguson (Pedlar) – A well-known local figure who wrote a book about his childhood and working in the distillery, on farms, and on hunting estates. Pedlar documented the homes, businesses, and families of our community in meticulous detail, creating a lasting record of our heritage.
- Oral History Recordings – A collection of audio recordings in which local people recall their upbringing, schooling, work, and family life, painting a vivid picture of everyday life in our area.
- Miscellaneous – Various one-off contributions to our historical record.
Archaeology Map
An interactive map of sites in Strathdearn of historic and archaeological interest. The map was created from data collected by the Strathdearn Natural History group. It preserves and makes available the locations of these sites for future historians. Some of the sites have sparse descriptions.
