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During the 16th and 17th centuries Crieff was Scotland's own Wild West town when drovers brought their black cattle to the annual tryst.
Crieff is the main town of Strathearn Perthshire, a popular tourist destination for thousands of visitors who flock to the hotels and guest houses of one of Scotland’s most beautiful regions.
Rob Roy Over the centuries, this historic destination has played host to Rob Roy Macgregor, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Robert Burns During the long years of the 16th and 17th centuries the Scottish Highlander’s way of life encouraged over production of the hardy black cattle but the long winters and the poor infertile soil meant that they could not grow and store enough winter feed for their beasts DroversConsequently, for hundreds of years drovers from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland made the long and dangerous trek to the cattle trysts (markets) of Crieff in central Scotland to sell their beasts to buyers from Southern Scotland and throughout England. Although the drovers had been making their annual journey since the end of the 16th century it wasn’t until1669 that all duties on cattle being taken to England were abolished and in 1680 a Commission for the encouragement of trade between the two countries marked better times. Between 1727 and 1815, a long series of wars with other European countries meant that a large navy was maintained and fed with salted beef, the sailor’s staple diet. In 1794 for example the main London meat market recorded the slaughter of over 100,000 cattle with eighty percent coming from north of the border. Crieff was chosen as one of the main trysts because of its geographical position and drovers would arrive and set up camp in the town. A 1723 publication noted that 30,000 beasts sold for 30,000 guineas at the market held at the end of October. It also noted that, “The highland drovers often continued southwards offering their services to the dealers for one shilling a day for the southern trip and returning at their own expense.” At market time the town would often descend into chaos and was frequently compared to a frontier town of the American ‘wild west’. It was a common sight to see drunken brawls in the street and bands of raiders would often ride into town looking for cattle to steal. However, for those caught justice was swift and most ended their days swinging from the town’s infamous ‘Kind Gallows.” Crieff ‘enjoyed’ its dominant position until around the middle of the 18th century when a number of factors meant that trade declined and the drovers took their cattle instead to the Forth Valley and the town of Falkirk.
The copyright of the article The History of Crieff Scotland in Scottish History is owned by Neil Gunn. Permission to republish The History of Crieff Scotland in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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