A small low plaque in the front garden just opposite the entrance to the Rodney Gardens car park describes the history of the house and some small details of the Threipland family, particularly their Jacobite sympathies. Sir David Threipland fled to France after the “1715” with 100 others. He forfeited his estates which were only restored to the family when his son purchased them from the crown in 1782.
A prominent brass plaque reveals that Charles Edward Sturt (Bonnie Prince Charlie) visited the hotel on South Street during his stay in Perth in 1745 on his way south to Edinburgh. It is thought he planned his campaign in room 20 which the hotel is happy to say is still in use. The original building from the 1600s was the town house of the Murrays of Scone Palace. It was converted to a coaching inn in 1699.
A plinth on the North Inch just off Charlotte Street records that the Jacobite armies assembled on the North Inch in 1715 and 1745. James VII “The Old Pretender” arrived in Perth in December 1715 where he received a cold reception. He reviewed his troops after they had fought at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in November 1715 and was so disappointed with what he saw he decided to “abandon the contest as hopeless, due to the reduced state of the army and its deficiency in arms and ammunition” (Marshall, T.H., The History of Perth: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, 1849, pp262-263). Bonnie Prince Charlie entered Perth on 3rd September 1745. He reviewed his troops on the North Inch on 7th September 1745 and declared that with training they would make excellent soldiers. The army left Perth on Wednesday the 11th September 1745 (Marshall, T.H., The History of Perth: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, 1849, pp282-287).
The building of the citadel began in 1652. A modern information board, located within the South Inch car park set out a comprehensive history of the site. This was recently replaced with Panel 11 of the Perth Medieval Trail entitled Cromwell in Perth. The board details the area occupied by the citadel and the quantities of material used in its construction giving an indication of just how large and extensive was the citadel. Many of the older historic buildings of Perth were destroyed by Cromwell’s engineers as they gathered building material for its construction. In some cases only plaques remain as evidence these buildings ever existed. After the restoration the citadel was given to the town with orders to demolish it. The result is that only the foundations of the citadel remain, under the turf with no visible indications of the building.
This plaque is on the wall of a bungalow at the corner of Needless Road and Wilson Street. The Battle, also known as the Battle of Tippermuir, which is the old spelling Tibbermore, was fought on the 1st September 1644. The events were originally commemorated by a painted stone in the area of Fairies Road. This stone was moved from its original position in Fairies Road, closer to Pitheavlis Castle and later when the stone deteriorated beyond recovery, a decision was made to find a convenient site for what the Chairman describes as “some sort of memorial.” As a result, the plaque we see today was installed on a convenient newly built bungalow in 1921. The battle was the first to be fought between the Scottish Covenanters led by Lord Elcho and the government forces of Charles I, commanded by the Marquis of Montrose. The royal army, despite having fewer men and poorer equipment managed to defeat the Covenanters. Much of the details of the battle are unclear, but the City of Perth was under threat. Although there were a number of Perth citizens killed in the battle, the plaque principally remembers Covenanters from Fife. The Scottish Covenanters were established to…
One of the carved alcoves in the flood defence wall on Tay Street tells of the Monks Tower. The Monks Tower was situated in the south-east corner of the gardens of Gowrie House and jutted out over the river. The tower acted as a lookout post, working in tandem with the Spey Tower to defend the southern approaches to Perth. The Tower later served as an ammunition store prior while Gowrie House was being used as a barracks prior to its demolition at the end of the 18th century.
The large plaque on the front of the Sherriff Court in Tay Street records the events of the 5th August 1600 when an attempt was made on the life of James VI. The Gowrie House was built in 1520 by the Countess of Huntly who later sold it to the Ruthven family. After the Gowrie conspiracy the Ruthven family, who were considered responsible for the attack on the king, forfeited the building which was then held jointly by the Murrays of Stormont and Perth Town Council. Charles II stayed in Gowrie House after his Scottish coronation in Scone in 1651 before departing for Worcester. After the Restoration he returned in 1663 to be entertained in Gowrie House by the Earl of Kinnoull. In 1746 the house was given by Perth Town Council to the Duke of Cumberland who sold it to the Board of Ordinance for use as cavalry barracks until its demolition in 1807. (The Stewart Society) The building occupied an area greater than the County Buildings and the Prison, now a car park, which were erected on the site following the demolition of Gowrie House. The river frontage of the grounds extended for 275 metres from a line beyond…
Originally this bench on the South Inch was a column marking the site of the archery butts on the scholars’ knoll. The knoll was lost during the levelling of the Inch during the 16th century. In the medieval period, towns which were attacked, relied on their citizens for defence which meant regular practice of archery was vital. According to Marshall a second stone, now lost, was sited “500 fathoms” from the first, approx. 1,000 metres. This must give an indication of what was expected from archers. The importance attached to archery can be judged by the setting out of two areas in Perth for archery butts and by Act passed by James I in 1424. The Act that required “That all men busk to be archers fra they be twelve years of age ”and “To play at futeball under the paine of fifty shilling”. Later Kings enforced this act declaring “That in na place there be used futeballis, golf or other unprofitable sports…” . ( The History Of Perth Academy, 1932, E. Smart, p6.) The stone had previously marked the site of the scholars’ knoll midway between Scott Street and Nelson Street. The stone was relocated to its present site during the construction of the…
On the north side of the narrow passageway that runs from Skinnergate to George Street a simple plaque indicates what is reputed to be the remains of the old city wall. There is debate on whether this claim is justified. In the 19th century, plaques were sometimes put up based on less information than we would accept to-day. This is undoubtedly an old wall and may rest on the foundations of an even earlier wall which along with the lade, walls provided Perth’s main defence. According to Thomas Hay Marshall the city walls were re-built by Edward I. After the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 Edward I destroyed the walls and fortification in most other Scottish towns. He considered Perth so important that instead of destroying its fortifications, he ordered that the fortifications and the walls be re-built in the strongest possible manner. (Marshall T. H. The History of Perth : From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, 1849. p25) The walls were in turn demolished by Robert the Bruce and then rebuilt by Edward III (1312-1377). The walls were seen as a defence against marauding highlanders but later demolished in a piece meal fashion. It was thought they had been…
Robert III viewed the Battle of the Clans from the Blackfriars Monastery gardens. The site of the battle in 1396 is marked by a stone plinth on the North Inch opposite the Blackfriars plaque. The staging of the battle of the clans in 1396 was an attempt by King Robert III t to find a solution to a long running feud between Clan Chattan and Clan Kay. The identity of the actual participates has not been firmly established. Clan Chattan was originally called Clan Qwhewyl. The Clan Chattan was a confederation of a number of individual clans, principally the MacIntoshes and the MacPhersons together with others. Clan Kay was originally known as Clan Yha. This clan according to William Skene in his “Highlanders Of Scotland” (1837) might well have included among others, dissident MacPhersons and Camerons who had previously been part of Clan Chattan. The contest was arranged by The Earl of Crawford and the Ear of Moray to prevent a previously local feud over land holdings developing into a larger conflict, involving the entire highlands. As Sir Walter Scott describes it, the clans were to “refer their differences to the fate of the battle”. Thirty warriors from each clan were…