HISTORY - TOMINTOUL
For much of the last 600 years the area which is now the Glenlivet Estate were part of the estates of the Dukes of Gordon then latterly Richmond and Gordon, until the late 1930’s, when they were acquired by The Crown Estate. The village of Tomintoul , the main settlement in the area, derives its name from the Gaelic meaning ‘hill like a barn’ and its layout has not changed greatly since it was built in the 1770’s. The village owes its origins to the improvement plans of the 4th Duke of Gordon who saw it as his duty during this ‘Age of New Towns’ to develop this bleak and barren moor. Construction of the village was delayed by several factors, not least the initial lack of interest from the local population. However, the first of the tenements - which as stipulated by The Duke had “to be built in a regular manner all fronting the street of equal height and as uniform as possible” were completed in 1780. Despite there being “new ground to labour, glens in the summertime for the grazing of cattle, plenty of goods moss fir ,a freestone quarry nearby and plenty of slate which the feuers may have a liberty of winning and carrying away, “ enthusiasm for the village took a while to develop. The stipulation that “a right good Public House for the accommodation of travellers and others to be built in the most central part of the town” undoubtedly spurred some folk into action, and today there are several to chose from in the village square.
While it was the intention of the 4th Duke of Gordon that a linen mill be built which could “draw the flax of the neighbouring counties to be dressed” and “encourage the inhabitants of Strathavin and Glenlivet to raise flax themselves” - it was not a labour that caught on. Possibly the height of the village had something to do with it, but more likely there were other distractions. Certainly the minister of the time thought so, as he wrote in 1797 “Tomintoul is inhabited by 37 families, without any industry. All of them sell whisky and all of them drink it. When disengaged from this business, the women spin yarn, kiss their inamoratos or dance to the discordant sounds of an old fiddle.” Linen it seems was far from the mind. The Tomintoul of today is slightly a different place although many would agree that the whisky, if not the fiddle, is still very close to the hearts and minds of the local population!
The height of the village tends to be a characteristic that visitors often comment on, and claims of being the highest village in the Highlands are sometimes disputed by residents of Dalwhinnie near Newtonmore who swear they are at least 3m higher! However, this is not something to be discussed in the open in mid-winter, as at 354m or 1164 ft in the square, you would do well not to dwell too long on the subject. Wind and snow feature prominently, a fact well recorded in numerous reports about the place. In fact, as long ago as 1798 the effects of the weather then were noted in a Survey of the Province of Moray :-
“There is little to recommend the climate, always cold in winter and in summer seldom warm, subjecting the inhabitants to coughs and disorders of the lungs by which many at an advanced period and several early in life are cut off; and nervous fevers frequently fatal prevail during the summer and autumn.”
Despite this hostile description, in reality the climate is far from being as bad as it is sometimes made out, and Glenlivet and Tomintoul can enjoy many sunny days in summer and winter, while the high hills to the west intercept much of the rain carried on the prevailing Westerlies, ensuring that the rainfall (which tends to vary from between 800 - 1000 mm per year) is much drier than many other parts of Scotland.
If exploring Tomintoul you may wish to visit the Tomintoul Museum and Tourist Information Centre in the north-west corner of the square, where you can find out more about the history of the area.
Tomintoul in winter
Glenlivet welcomes you to explore its tracks and byways. |
