Highland Archive Centre map shows drove roads leading to Falkirk Tryst
The Highland Archive Centre took part once again in the annual Doors Open Day event last month, with more than 170 people coming through our doors to go on behind-the-scenes tours, to ask our expert conservators, archivists and family historians questions and to look at displays of archival material relating to the Doors Open Day theme of ‘Routes, Networks and Connections’.
With such a wide-ranging topic, staff took different approaches in selecting what material to put on display showcasing the huge variety of archival material that we care for.
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The theme obviously lends itself well to maps - of which we have thousands. One map on display, showed the drove roads of Scotland in the early 20th century. This map shows the routes of movement of livestock from all corners of the Highlands and Islands to the Falkirk Tryst, the meeting-place of cattle-dealers and customers.
It is hard to imagine the scale of the cattle market, and its impact on the local area and economy. The area around Falkirk, nowadays overlooked by the Kelpies, is a wide, flat plain ideal for the sale and onward movement of vast numbers of livestock to the south.
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The drove roads were in use from roughly the late 18th century until the advent of the railways in the mid-19th century which meant that livestock began to be transported by train. Probably due to the construction of the Forth and Clyde canal, which obstructed access from the north, the Tryst moved in 1785 to Stenhousemuir near Larbert, where, still known as the Falkirk Tryst it remained until the end of the 19th century.
You may remember the brand Highland Toffee, with its distinctive Highland cow on the packaging. The brand was founded by Andrew McCowan, who with his wife attempted to make some extra money during the Tryst by selling toffee from the window of their Stenhousemuir home.
We also looked at methods of communication with one particularly interesting letter on display, from William Baillie to his sister Anne. Written in the first half of the 19th century when William travelled extensively overseas. He came back to London around 1814 and was considered to be in poor mental health and from this time, his letters to his sister are most interesting.
At first appearing to be gibberish and difficult to read, once read aloud, they seem to be written phonetically. Some of these phonetic letters are dated and in between these dates, he sent perfectly ‘normal’ letters to the plumber and other workmen about repairs to the family home at Dunain. Perhaps we will never really know if the letters were a product of mental illness or if he just enjoyed writing in this way.
Archives for Beginners
Our next set of Archives for Beginners classes is coming up! A set of four classes will be delivered in person at the Highland Archive Centre, Inverness on Friday mornings (10am-noon) starting on November 1 and online on Wednesday afternoons (2pm-4pm) from November 6. The cost for four classes is £44 (£36 for High Life Highland members). For more information or to book a place, call 01349 781130 or email archives@highlifehighland.com
