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Perthshire has seen some of Scotland's most historic events, and many of them are still preserved in our landscape, our place names and our culture.
Kings and Queens, armies and generals, poets and artists - even heroes - all have passed this way, leaving behind a rich legacy of castles, churches, battlefields and historic sites.
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Roman encampments, mysterious Pictish carved stones and medieval castles dot a landscape once trodden by figures like:
Mary, Queen of Scots
Queen Victoria
Rob Roy MacGregor
Bonnie Prince Charlie
William Wallace
Robert the Bruce
Robert Burns
Pontius Pilate
Ossian
Macbeth
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We'll show you breathtaking ancestral homes and palaces full of stunning treasures in tapestry, ivory, gold and porcelain; and we'll tell you mysterious tales of secret rooms and tragic rebellions, and show you how we make the whisky that enlivens them in the telling.
Peek back into history and recapture, if only momentarily, the events of the past in a part of Scotland which captivated the historic figures who made Scotland great. Some suggestions include:
- home of a Clan Chief at Castle Menzies, by Aberfeldy, where Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed on his way to the Battle of Culloden;
- two and a half centuries of military history at the Black Watch Museum;
- the childhood home of the Queen Mother at Glamis Castle
- the island castle on Loch Leven where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned for almost a year before her dramatic escape;
- the Church where John Knox fuelled the fire of the Reformation at St. John's Kirk in Perth;
- walk to the stunning waterfalls that inspired Robert Burns' poem; "The Birks O' Aberfeldy".
- oldest existing library in Scotland (Innerpeffray, near Crieff), founded by Lord Madderty in 1680.
- Queen's View, one of the most famous views in Scotland across Loch Tummel to Schiehallion. Queen Victoria took tea here in 1866, but the viewpoint actually commemorates Queen Isabel, first wife of Robert the Bruce.
- the fairy-tale white Blair Castle, protected by the last and only private army in Europe;
- the magnificent Scone Palace, where Kings of Scots including Robert the Bruce, were crowned - many atop the fabled Stone of Destiny.
- Listen for the footsteps of "My Lady Greensleeves" who is reputed to haunt Huntingtower Castle where Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1565 while on her honeymoon with Darnley
- Stanley Mills - if it's industrial heritage that you're interested in then Stanley Mills expertly showcases and explains how the mill harnessed the power of the River Tay to drive cotton-spinning machines.
Our history truly comes to life in our castles and stately homes which have been at the centre of Scotland's history on countless occasions. But even during prehistoric times, when Scotland was being geologically formed, Perthshire was at the crossroads of the country. The great Highland Boundary Fault, which separates the Highlands from the Lowland, lies just outside Comrie where the first shock was recorded in 1788. This fault was highly active 400M years ago when Perthshire, like much of Britain, was a hot dry desert. Earthquake House at Comrie stands as proof that minor earth tremors can still be felt from time to time as this once great fault settles.
Modern archaeology has uncovered evidence of Stone Age farmers, Roman garrisons and Iron Age Forts. At Meigle, the intricate stone carvings will draw you in to the world of "the painted people" as these mysterious native tribes were described by the Romans. They too left their mark, and at Ardoch Roman Camp by Auchterarder, you can picture life in a Roman military station on the furthest outpost of the empire! It is rumoured that at one of their patrol outposts, near the village of Fortingall, Pontius Pilate was born. You can even imagine yourself in the Iron Age and experience life in a Crannog on Loch Tay where archaeologists have reconstructed one of these ancient dwelling places.
Perthshire is the perfect place to take a fresh look at Scotland's past and to discover what's best of our present. Search the visitscotland.com database for information on the historic attractions and museums mentioned above and details of others in the area.
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Family History
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Do you have some ancestral connection with Perthshire?
Whether you want to trace your genealogy in detail or are just curious about where your family might have come from, we want to make your journey of discovery as easy as possible. See our Genealogy Services Section for a list of local business throughout the area, which may be able to help you trace your family's roots or, at the very least, give you an insight into village life in the time of your ancestors. For further information, the A K Bell Library in Perth is the focal point for family history in the area.
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Museums and Collections
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Some of the most unusual and fascinating museum collections in Scotland can be found in Perthshire. An array of museums bring the area's history to life. Whether telling their stories through the eyes of local farmworkers, soldiers, clansmen or artists, each brings a new dimension to the distant and not-so-distant past.
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