Comrie, Perth and Kinross

Comrie lies within the registration county of Perthshire (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,[3] which itself eventually feeds into the Tay (Gaelic: Uisge Tatha).

Due to its position astride the Highland Boundary Fault, 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.[4] Comrie became the site of one of the world's first seismometers in 1840, and a functional replica is still housed in the Earthquake House in The Ross in Comrie.[5] 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 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.

Bridge of Ross, ca. 1890 - 1900.

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, Pictish and later Celtic societies that lived here.

In AD 79, the Roman General Agricola 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 blocking" forts running from Drumquhassle to Stracathro and including the legionary fortress of Inchtuthil. The temporary camp was c. 22 acre (c. 9 ha) in size. An infamous battle between the Celts and Romans is known to have occurred on the unidentified mountain Mons Graupius. The area around Comrie, Strathearn, is one of several proposed battle sites.

James V of Scotland 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.[6] His consort Mary of Guise and her ladies in waiting also came to the hunting in Glenartney.[7]

Comrie's early prosperity derived from weaving. This was mostly done as domestic piecework. Comrie was also important as a droving town. Cattle destined for the markets of the Scottish Lowlands and ultimately England would be driven south from their grazing areas in the Highlands. 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, south of Crieff. 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 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 completed a branch line from Crieff. The line was later extended to meet the Callander and Oban Railway at Lochearnhead. 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.

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 was closed in 1964 by British Railways under the Beeching cuts.

Hogmanay flambeaux fire festival with the white church visible in background

Comrie has a curious Hogmanay 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 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 alphabet, and a symbol of new beginning.

The spectacle attracts thousands of visitors to the small highland village each Hogmanay. 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 Hogmanay traditions like first footing are also observed.

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.

Today the principal languages of Comrie are English, Gaelic and Scots.

Historically, Comrie and the surrounding area were part of the Gàidhealtachd. 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 away from Gaelic and towards English, facilitated by the Highland Clearances 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.[15] 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.[15] 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 Highland Clearances (Scottish Gaelic: 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.[15]

In alphabetical order:

• Carly Booth (born 1992), professional golfer, was born and lives in Comrie.
• Robert Burns (1759–1796), Scotland's renowned national poet, spent case time at Aberuchill Castle.
• John Craig (1896–1970), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Vladimir Lisin (born 1956), the richest living Russian according to Forbes magazine, owns and occupies Aberuchill Castle in Comrie. His guests have included the King of Spain.
• James Drummond MacGregor (1759–1830) was from Comrie and became the first Gaelic-speaking Presbyterian minister in Nova Scotia 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 was founded in 1891 and lies on the outskirts of the village of Comrie.[16]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Comrie.

• Comrie at www.scottish-towns.co.uk
• Tourist Attractions in Comrie
• Comrie Community Website
• The Roman Gask Project
• History of Strathearn
• Local Walks Around Comrie – Comrie Community Council