The Parish of Strathblane and its Inhabitants from Early Times (1886) by John Guthrie Smith

Resources

The main source of early historical information about the area is John Guthrie Smith’s book “The Parish of Strathblane and its Inhabitants from Early Times”. This weighty tome was published in 1886 and contains vast amounts of information and is available to refer to in the local library.

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Strathblane Record of Applications for Parochial Relief 1888-1917

The applications for poor relief often survive as a separate series. Between 1845 and 1865 the information they contain is not much less than that in the registers of poor, but they are considerably less detailed than the general registers of poor introduced in 1865....

Groome’s Gazetteer, 1884

Groome's Gazetteer of Scotland offers a snapshot of Strathblane in 1884 at which point the valley contained "an ex-quisite assemblage of mansions, lakes, woods, and luxuriant corn fields", according to the author. The huge printworks, employing hundreds of men, women...

Gazetteer of Scotland 1803 by F Ray

Ray's Gazetteer, published in 1803, describes the parish of Strathblane in pre-industrial times, stressing the beauty of the Blane Valley with its spectacular views towards the Trossachs. Several errors are worth noting: it is not bounded by the Grampians and the...

Farm Horse Tax Rolls for Strathblane, 1797-1798

In order to raise extra tax revenue to finance the cost of fighting the French Revolutionary Wars of the 1790s, the British government imposed a number of taxes, including Farm Horse Tax. The Scottish farm horse tax rolls (National Records of Scotland, E326/10) list...

Hearth Tax Records for Strathblane, 1691-1695

In 1690 the Parliament of Scotland granted a tax of 14 shillings on every hearth, payable by both landowners and tenants, to raise money for the army. Only hospitals and paupers living on parish charity were exempt. Because hearths were a proxy for wealth, hearth...

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