Once again I find myself having to apologise for the delay to this episode. My excuse this time is that I had my 30th birthday, and my parents came to visit me in Edinburgh. We had a great time, visiting Edinburgh Castle, Aberdour Castle and Falkland Palace. Falkland Palace is very similar to Aberdour, just on a grander, more regal scale. I can highly recommend a visit.
Today we return to Scotland and the village of Aberfoyle, a remote place to the west of Stirling but popular with tourists thanks to the Trossachs National Park to the north west. This is a beautiful, forested area, whose popularity grew in part thanks to one author with a connection to this village. Here also the River Forth comes into being, as the Duchray Water and Avondhu River come together into a single entity. From here it grows and grows as it meanders south east, eventually emerging into the great Firth of Forth by Edinburgh.
Ancient capital
Aberfoyle’s origins date back to 569 when Aedan, Prince of the Forth, was pronounced King of Manau Gododdin – the lands south of the Forth – and made his capital at Eperpuill, as it was then called.
Aedan’s great-grandfather Fergus Mor was the leader of the Scotti, an Irish tribe, who brought them across the Irish Sea into Pictland. Here he founded the kingdom of Dalriada, which includes the western coast of Scotland and some of north-east Ireland. Fergus died in 501 and his son Domangart became king after him. But his reign was not long, and he soon died in 507.
Comgall mac Domangart became king of Dalriada, and meanwhile Gabhran mac Domangart his brother decided to expand their borders. Gabhran married a British princess whose father ruled Manau Gododdin, and whose uncle was king of Strathclyde. Aedan was born from their union in 527. Some suggest he was even born at Aberfoyle.
In 538 Comgall abdicated to enter a monastery, a common thing for kings to do in those days, and was succeeded by his brother Gabhran, since the tradition of the eldest son inheriting was not then in place. Aedan married a Pictish royal princess in 545, extending Dalriada’s connections.
Gabhran died in battle against the Picts 20 years after taking the throne, and his nephew Conall succeeded him. Conall died in 574, and the choice of heir was between two of Gabhran’s sons – Eogan and Aedan. It could have led to war, but in stepped Saint Columba.
Columba is the most well-known of all the Irish saints. He came across to Scotland in 563 and founded the monastery at Iona. From there he travelled all over the country, converting people to Christianity. It’s said that the holy man’s word was always heeded, so when he gave his opinion on the choice of King of Dalriada, he was listened to. He had a dream in which he was told by God to ordain Aedan as king, so he had to abandon his first preference of Eogan. At this time Iona became the Royal Church of the Kingdom of the Scots.
Over his life, Aedan made Dalriada as strong as it had ever been, freeing it from Irish overlordship and sending out expeditions as far as Orkney. Eventually in 606 he abdicated in favour of his son, retiring to a monastery. One of his sons was Artur MacAedan, who is one of many potential inspirations for the legend of King Arthur.
Literary connections
It would be a thousand years before anything else of historical significance happened at Aberfoyle, but since the late 17th Century it has proved an inspiration for several authors.
The appropriately-named Robert Kirk was born at Aberfoyle in 1644, the seventh son of the minister. When he grew up he also became a minister, since despite his family’s relative poverty he was able to study theology at St. Andrew’s University thanks to church sponsorship. Later in life he followed in his father’s footsteps, also becoming Aberfoyle’s minister.
Robert had an interest in magic, which wasn’t so uncommon as scientific study was still in its infancy, and wrote a book about magical creatures – The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies. He claimed that Doon Hill nearby was the gateway to the fairie world, and was visiting there in 1691 when he mysteriously died. His body was found and he was brought home. Some claimed that the fairies carried him away, but it more likely a heart attack.
Later he appeared as a vision in front of his cousin Graham, and claimed he would appear at Graham’s son’s christening. Graham should throw an iron dagger over him, and that would bring him back. But Graham was too afraid, and did not obey. It’s believed that Robert Kirk’s spirit is still trapped in the tree on Doon Hill, which is also called “Fairy Knowe”. Today the residents leave wishes on white cloth tied to the trees, hoping the faeries will listen.
Sir Walter Scott came to Aberfoyle in the early 19th century, and stayed in the same Old Manse that Robert Kirk had lived in. Here he wrote a poem, The Lady of the Lake, whose descriptions of the Trossachs landscape so inspired its readers that tourism increased fivefold! Aberfoyle was gaining a new role as the ‘Gateway to the Trossachs’.
The village also features in his novel Rob Roy, about the notorious Scottish cattle thief Rob Roy MacGregor. Scott painted him as a noble figure, a Scottish Robin Hood, but the real figure was more like a mafia boss. He extorted the locals, demanding protection money so that their cattle would not be stolen, and had control over all the raiding bands in the area. He was not someone you wanted to cross.
Unfortunately for Rob Roy, he made the mistake of stealing cattle from the Duke of Montrose – not someone he wanted to cross! While he escaped, his family were thrown off the Duke’s lands. Living as an outlaw, he stayed on the outskirts of the destroyed Jacobite army after the 1715 rebellion as long as he could. He was captured in 1717 and was almost deported to Barbados until King George I pardoned him. Perhaps his time in captivity taught him a lesson, as he lived lawfully from then on. But his sons have their own story to tell…
Not only British authors found Aberfoyle inspirational. French author Jules Verne’s novel Les Indes noires (‘the Black Indies’, publishes in English as The Child of the Cavern) tells the tale of the Aberfoyle mining community, and strange happenings connected to the Aberfoyle mine.
The tourism boom initially started by Sir Walter Scott soon brought the railway to Aberfoyle, and later in 1886 “The Duke’s Road” was built here providing a link north to south through the Trossachs.
Aberfoyle today is still a tourist hub, and home to the largest ‘Go Ape’ adventure centre in the UK, hosting the country’s largest zip line. A number of the hotels and restaurants also reference the literary connections in their names. And if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can visit the Scottish Woollen Centre, which tells the story of how sheep’s wool is turned into clothing.
Next time we’re leaving Scotland for Wales once again, to the town of Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, a small town with many names.
References
Historical Chronology of the Early Kingdoms of Scotland, Early British Kingdoms, David Nash Ford
Welcome to Aberfoyle, Scottish Accommodation Index
GENERAL SURVEY OF SCOTLAND NORTH OF FORTH, W.J. Watson, History of the Celtic Placenames of Scotland, 1926
http://www.trossachs.co.uk/reverend-kirk.php
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Rob-Roy-MacGregor/
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