Where was that ? The Crieff of yester year !

 

The top of Church Street was known as the " Shambles " 

 

There is  an incredibly detailed  map of Crieff  drawn up in 1822 by John Wood . Wood was a Scottish surveyor resident in Edinburgh. Between 1818 to 1830 he engraved 52 plans of Scottish towns, of which 48 were published in Atlas form in 1828. He also surveyed numerous Northumberland and Durham towns during the period 1826 and 1827. Fortunately his  work  has been  preserved   by the National Library of Scotland in digital form on the internet : (http://maps.nls.uk/towns/detail.cfm?id=321)

By clicking on the image  you can increase or decrease the size  making it  so easy  to take  a town tour of Crieff as it was nearly two centuries  ago ! For the  genealogist / family historian with  roots in the town there is an added  bonus  in that the houses are clearly delineated  with the owner or  occupier’s  name shown . Indeed in some cases the  occupations are also listed !

An area shown with cross hatching is described as the “ Shambles ” . I had always associated The Shambles with the lovely City of York in the North of England and certainly not here in the heart of Strathearn ! . The name also occurs in both Manchester and in Lutterworth in Leicestershire . Historical evidence indicates that the word is used to denote  a place where cattle  were slaughtered or butchered . Crieff’s “ Shambles ” is located  opposite  The Cross at the junction of Church Street , East High Street and High Street . Old timers  will recall that the little shop now trading as the Community Council Charity Shop  was  once the Coop butchers ! Although it  was  certainly not around in 1822 when Wood produced his master piece – the area was the  focal point of The Tryst when 30 000  beasts  invaded our little town ! It was here that Rob Roy – drover – rustler – bandit and folk hero – toasted the health of King James –“ the King across the water ” despite the presence of a somewhat immobile contingent of Hanoverian Redcoats .

 Other places  which have disappeared or  just  changed  name include Cross Street or Kirkgate now Church Street , Pudding Lane  now Bank Street , Brown’s Lane now Ramsay Street , McFarlane’s Lane now Roy Street , The Octagon  now Burrell Square and Cowper’s Lane  now Cornton Place . Late Victorian Anglicisation saw Hall or Hill Wynd  become Hill Street and Lodge Brae become Lodge Street