The Baldarroch Murder

Added on 30 April 2019

When I started researching what happened at Baldarroch House on the evening of Friday 16th January 1925, and its aftermath, I thought I didn't know anything about it. Then I recalled a conversation from a quarter of a century ago. When first finding out about Murthly. Someone told me of a c...

The Rumsfeld Theorem

Added on 11 April 2019

The Rumsfeld Theorem was expounded by Donald Rumsfeld, then US Secretary of Defense, in 2002. It seemed to take America’s foreign policy and reduce it beyond absurd, all the way to gibberish. In essence, what he said was: There are known knowns; There are known unknowns; and, There are unknow...

13 to Dinner in Birnam Hall

Added on 01 April 2019

Sir John Everett Millais loved Perthshire. It was here that he first met, then wooed and won Effie Gray away from her husband, John Ruskin. Causing quite a scandal. It was also his quiet corner, far from London Society, where he could pursue his three other loves: landscape painting, shooting, and ...

Murthly Church

Added on 16 March 2019

Just getting into a pile of documents, letters, invoices etc relating to the building and funding of Murthly's church. One letter jumped out at me, mainly for its pawky informality, which was so untypical of the time. Dated 9th June, 1913, it was from Rev. RH Dunlop of the Church of Scotland En...

Murthly's Roman Arch . . . & Dance Hall

Added on 11 March 2019

There once was a strange and rather wonderful building, like something a Roman emperor might erect to big himself up, halfway along the ancient track from Home Farm (Douglasfield) to Murthly Inn (Kingswood House). Built about 1857, it stood square on the skyline, imposing, something monumental to c...

Give Stobie Some Credit

Added on 06 March 2019

Step forward James Stobie (1775 - 1804) factor to the Duke of Atholl, surveyor and, more importantly for us, mapmaker. He published his 'The Counties of Perth & Clackmannan' in 1783. In which he maps the 'Druid Stones', quite precisely as a circle of five. Without recourse to...