Laid out below is an extract from the Third Statistical Account of Scotland. This excerpt, written in 1961, was published in 1966 for volume 18 of the accounts, this volume entitled "County of Stirling and County of Clackmannan". Menstrie, located within the County of Clackmannan, comes under the editorship of The Rev. T. Crouther Gordon, with overall organisation being carried out via Glasgow University.
The Third Statistical Account of Scotland – Volume 18, (1966)
Chapter 18
MENSTRIE
(County of Clackmannan.)
By the Rev. Ian S. Cran Knox.
Physical Features.
The ecclesiastical parish of Menstrie lies at the western end of the civil parish of Alva of which it forms a part; prior to 1891 it was in the parish of Logie. This village, like the other towns of the Hillfoots, is situated at the base of the southern slopes of the Ochils, and presents the typical Contrast between the well-nigh precipitous hill face and the almost unbroken flatness of the widening western end of the Devon valley. The liability of this flat carse land to flooding is well suggested by the course taken by the old main road from Stirling to Dollar. This road clings to the hill, slightly above the level of the carse land, and, although it is no longer used throughout its whole length, its remains can still be traced as they wind through the Menstrie Wood towards the west, while to the east it is still a thorough-fare. Along this ancient roadway, which must have carried many a distinguished traveller in the great days when royalty dwelt at Stirling, the visitor may find the oldest houses of Menstrie, safely perched on the firm rock of the hillside. Through the village there flows from north to south the Menstrie burn, a tributary of the Devon, next to which the village grew, making use of the water supply and the motive force provided by it. The burn itself rises some distance to the north, in Menstrie Glen, a spacious and beautiful region whose beauties cannot be glimpsed from the road but must be visited by the foot traveller who essays the initial ascent. Three smaller streams add to the volume of water - the curiously called First, Second, and Third Inchna burns, which flow down through the three side glens known to the people as the First, Second and Third Glens. The observant visitor can see that the Menstrie burn flows through a shallow mound of alluvium brought down by itself throughout the ages, and on this slight rise lies the original site of the village. The name itself supposedly derives from Gaelic Meadhonac Strath - Middle of the Strath.
Historical Background.
The earliest mention of Menstrie occurs at the beginning of the fourteenth century. Sir Neil Campbell married Mary Bruce, the king's sister, and his third son was termed 'of Menstrie;' it is thought that the king granted the lands of Menstrie to the Campbells for the part they played in his support. In 1526 the Earl of Argyll granted them to Andrew Alexander, whose family traced its descent from Somerled in the reign of Malcolm IV. The Alexanders held the barony of Menstrie until the days of Sir William Alexander, Earl of Stirling (1567-1640), but the castle and lands were bought in 1650 by Sir James Holburn, in whose family Menstrie remained until 1719 when Sir James's grandson sold it to Alexander Abercromby of Tullibody, whose son Ralph, the hero of the battle of Aboukir, was born in Menstrie in 1734. The castle itself still stands, now converted and modernised into convenient houses. Although the Holburn family sold the estate in 1719 they must have retained an interest and affection for it, for over 150 years later, in 1882, the last member, a Miss Mary Ann Barbara Holburn, of Bath, left the sum of £8,000 for the building and endowment of the church of Menstrie.
Certain legal formalities delayed the execution of her pious intention, with the result that this sum had nearly doubled itself by the time it was used: and as a result the church building was enlarged, a hall built, a manse erected, and an endowment left for stipend and other purposes.
Antiquities.
Menstrie castle is described and illustrated in the Report on the Counties of Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan (1933) of the Royal Commission on the Ancient Monuments of Scotland. There are certain other buildings of historical interest. On the south side of the old road, close to the hill, a handsome house, now in some disrepair, is given the name of Windsor Castle; this must date from the days of the Holburns, as over the doorway is cut in stone a shield with their arms and motto Decus Meum Virtus. This building is now divided into several separate apartments, and is fully occupied. To the north-west, a few yards away, stands a modern house which retains the name of the old house on whose site it is built - Deafhills. A field on the other side of the Menstrie burn is called Temple Croft, While the name of a part of the village close by, the Hollow Hill, might well be a popular corruption of Hallow Hill; at the eastern side of the burn stand the old Malt Barns and Mill, whose title deeds go back to 1717, and which are now the property of the local Scout and Guide groups, who use them as a hall. Among other curious names are the Sandy Hole and the Birdie Raw, the former once a hole from which sand was removed, but later filled with rubble and the like, the latter a group of three cottages, deriving its name from the one-time occupants, who were the Craws, the Linties and the Doos (Crow, Lindsay and Dow).
Population.
The census of 1951 gave the population as 1325 (630 males, 695 females). In 1901 it was 898, the increase within the last fifty years being due to the growth of industry. In this village a large proportion of the people are not descended from local stock, for, while the old families, with their complicated relationships, make up the core of the inhabitants, to these have been added several families of English origin: during the nineteenth century many workers in wood came from England in connection with the ‘charrier.’ and settled where their work was. It is worth noting that these folk, to this day, still retain their characteristic English and even Cockney tongue, while their children, who are now part of the middle age group, are quite unmistakably of Hillfoots speech. It is also worth noting that the two groups - the descendants of the original inhabitants and the 'newcomers' from the south - have grown together amicably to form a real community.
Another influx in recent years has been caused by the arrival of employees of the Distillers’ Company Limited. In this extensive company both clerical and and scientific staff are transferred from place to place, and several such employees from England and other parts of Scotland have recently taken up residence in Menstrie. Whether they will blend into the community as successfully as the older generation of wood-workers remains to be seen.
A much greater problem is presented by the arrival in Menstrie within the last few years of a number of National Coal Board workers. The opening up of the East of Scotland coalfields has necessitated the building of housing for miners in many places, of which Menstrie is one. It is perhaps fortunate that the numbers of these newcomers are not too large for them to be absorbed comfortably in the total population, and many of them have been drawn into the life and ways of the place. But there is little contact with Menstrie folk through their work; most of them came from beyond the Hillfoots - e.g., from the Lanarkshire coalfields - and have a very different background; and rightly or wrongly the new houses for them are nearly all in one particular street, all of which makes for a sense of separation. One can only hope for a more complete unification in the future.
Housing.
Menstrie shows a wide variety of types. from the old red-tiled cottages to 'prefabs' and steel-walled houses. The old village as a much loved place for artists and seekers after the picturesque, but its houses were not the best of homes, being often ill-lit, ill-ventilated, ill-equipped with conveniences, and almost always affected by damp. Not very many of them are left, and no doubt the present inhabitants will in course of time be offered new and more healthy living quarters. One effect of the building programme has been the shift westwards of the bulk of the population: the old village clustered close to the burn, and stretched a little way along the roadside, but a county council 'scheme' at the south-west extremity of the village now houses the largest section. These newer houses with two three, or four rooms provide comfortable accommodation, but many households still live in two-apartment homes, and a small number in ‘single-ends.’
The overcrowding that does exist is often caused by the marriages of younger members of a family, with the subsequent occupation by the young couple of one room in the family home; the more serious cases have been largely alleviated, but some still remain. The two chief owners of house property are the county council and the Distillers' Company Limited, whose employees form a large proportion of the community. For their key workers the D.C.L. have recently provided a handsome terrace of semi-detached houses, set back from the main road with a wide lawn in front.
There were at one time two large houses in Menstrie, Broomhall and Middleton Kerse. Broomhall, a handsome nineteenth-century mansion on the hillside, was destroyed by fire during the early years of the war, and only the empty walls remain.
Middleton Kerse is a house of much longer history, as the titles go back to 1725, before which time it was part of the estate of Menstrie; the handsome oak panelling in the room that occupies the whole east wing of the house was installed by the owner, Alexander McNab, who was responsible for the initiation of the furniture and wood-working industry here, and who in this way provided work for the new industry.
Public Services.
The most noteworthy of the public services is the gas supply, dating from 1817, only a year later than the introduction of gas in Glasgow, and five years before Stirling had its first plant. In the woollen mill of the brothers Archibald a gas plant was installed in 1817, from which a number of the village houses received their supply. Now, of course, the gas comes from the nationally controlled Gas Board with its local headquarters in Alloa, but soon the Lurgi plant at Westfield [a coal mine in Fife, near Kelty] will take over the supply.
The water supply in the very earliest days was no doubt the Menstrie burn itself, along with the other small streams in the vicinity. Even today several houses on the old road along the hillside draw their water from the most convenient stream, and keep a small private store in case of drought. However, the main part of the village ‘county water,’ the county authorities having taken over the old water supply company, which did good work in its time but was hindered by lack of official status.
Electricity (not yet installed in many of the older houses) comes from the South of Scotland Electricity Board. The village is capably served by three doctors, resident in Alva, each with an assistant, and by a district nurse in Menstrie, who also attends to a part of Tullibody. Hospital treatment is available at Stirling Royal Infirmary or at the Alloa Hospital, and a child welfare clinic is provided fortnightly.
Agriculture, Industry and Commerce.
At the eastern end of the area are the fields of the old Doll Farm, now attached to Balquharn. Nearer Menstrie, Loaning Bank, amounting to 68 acres of arable ground produces mixed crops and supports a small number of cattle; it is now combined with the hill farm of Jerah, with 1,100 acres of rough hill pasture carrying an average of 450 sheep. South of the village Menstrie Mains, with just over 130 acres, has recently suffered the loss of excellent land for necessary building; besides producing a variety of mixed crops, it pastures a dairy herd of about 90 cattle, and supplies excellent tuberculin-tested milk to a large number of the inhabitants. Further west the Girnel Farm (the only one owned by an absent owner and left in care of a manager) extends to nearly 150 acres, almost all in grass, and maintains about 70 cattle and 120 sheep; its chief point of interest is the installation in 1947 of an I.C.I grass drier, a coke burning oven which can dry 4 cwt. of freshly cut grass an hour.
Three, four, and even five cuttings of grass are taken in a season, while the growth is still tender, and quickly dried; the resulting fodder is reported to be more acceptable to cattle than ordinary hay, and is believed to retain more of the food value of fresh grass.
There are three chief industries in Menstrie, the old wool milling having disappeared. In 1788 the Doll Farm, like many another farm, began to distil spirits from the grain, and in course of time it grew to be a large distillery, owned by Alexander McNab of Middleton Kerse. This enterprising man was instrumental in forming the Distillers' Company Limited, under whose management the Glenochil Factory, as it is called, is now run. One of its by-products was commercial yeast, the production of which gradually displaced the distilling of spirits, so that the yeast factory now provides Scotland and parts of England with daily supplies of fresh yeast for baking. Advances have been made in the manufacture of yeast in pellet and flake form, and in its preparation for medicinal purposes.
The recent addition of a large research wing has brought in scientists, many of them from England, but the laboratory work also offers good opportunities to youths, especially if they are prepared to study through the evening classes. Altogether over 230 workers are employed, some of them in a continuous process which requires three shifts a day. The factory is to this day frequently called ‘The Doll’ (pronounced 'dole') - a good example of the persistence of an old place name. Six warehouses for storing 18,000,000 gallons of proof whisky, worth £244m., are presently being erected.
The other main industry in Menstrie is that carried on by Angus and Company at their Elmbank factory. During the latter part of the nineteenth century the woollen trade was not prosperous, and, through the efforts of Alexander McNab of Middleton Kerse, a French firm of wood carvers and furniture makers called ‘Charrier’ took over the Elmbank Mill. Presently an amalgamation took place with a London firm called Marbut, forming Charrier and Marbut. By the end of the first decade of this century the premises were being shared with the Angus Company, who took over the whole factory when Charrier and Marbut withdrew to London. Since then the factory, familiarly known as 'Charrier,' has made a reputation for the best quality of furniture, and of late years has specialised in the construction of office furniture. The old elm tree by the burn, which was old enough to have known Menstrie in the days of the Holburns, and from which the factory took its name, was declared dangerous and taken down only a few years ago. Over 100 workers are employed.
A smaller factory, now part of Donaldson Brothers of Alloa, called the Forthvale Mills, employs about 70 women, half of them local, in the production of knitted woollen garments for ladies' wear.
The village is served by a postal and telegraph office, three grocers or general merchants, a sweet shop and a chip shop. The Menstrie Co-operative Society, founded 105 years ago, carries on grocery, hardware, bakery and meat retail business in commodious premises, with an adjoining hall, which provides a convenient centre for wedding receptions and dances. For purchases of goods not available in Menstrie only a short distance need be travelled to Alva, Alloa or Stirling.
The Church.
Menstrie church, with a membership of 400, was originally a chapel of ease under the old parish of Logie, and was erected into a parish quoad sacra in the year 1897. In the 55 years of its history it has had only four ministers, of whom one, the Rev. Dr John Boyd, whose ministry lasted from 1903 till 1940, exercised great influence over the people by the versatility of his gifts and the strength of his character. The present minister is the Rev. G. A. Manson. The church building owes much to the generous benefaction of Miss Mary Holburn, already noted, which also provided the commodious church hall, while, as a result of long-continued efforts, the Congregation has installed a new electronic organ.
At the extreme west end of the village a church hall belonging to the congregation of Blairlogie, formerly United Presbyterian, and United Free Church, is used for worship, Sunday school, and general purposes. Some members are residents in Menstrie.
Education.
Menstrie is well equipped with a fine school, whose traditions for good scholarship have been maintained by a succession of able schoolmasters. In 1898 there were 185 pupils; in 1923, 181; in 1931, 162; in 1941, 145; in 1948, 131; and in 1951, 154. The 154 pupils are accommodated in five classrooms, with a light, airy hall (available for gymnastics) and the staff consists of the headmaster and four women teachers. The pupils leave about the age of twelve to receive their secondary schooling at Alloa or Alva.
Voluntary Organisations.
Menstrie is served by Scouts and Cubs, Guides and Brownies, with their headquarters in the old mill already mentioned, with about 80 to 100 boys and girls as members. The local branch of the Scottish Women’s Rural Institute has 80 members, of whom half come from beyond the bounds of the area, and holds monthly meetings. The church’s Woman’s Guild, with just short of 100 members: meets fortnightly, and plays a big part in the social, cultural and devotional life of the community. A social and recreational club, with premises of its own, provides opportunities for billiards, bridge, and whist, while the recently formed Motor-Cycling Club has an enthusiastic membership, taking part in hill trials and similar events. A branch sub-committee of the British Legion, with its nominal headquarters at Alva, has for many years done excellent work in providing summer outings and Christmas parties for old age pensioners and for school children. The supporters of the angling club show a wide range of ages, from teen-agers to senior members. Menstrie Victoria Football Club has a history of over a generation and ranks as a secondary juvenile team.
In the grounds of the D.C.L. factory a tennis court is provided, and bowling is available too, on a green presented to the community by James Johnstone of Broomhall in 1918.
The Way of Life.
There can be few places which better combine the advantages of the country with those of the town, without the often serious disadvantages of both. Clean air and the beauty of the countryside are on the very doorstep of each home, but these homes are not so far scattered from each other as to destroy any sense of community. The settled industries provide employment for many workers, without obtruding themselves in any way. Transport for the nearby towns has made their amenities available, but even that short distance has made possible a healthy development of indigenous social activity and self-made pleasure. People do take the bus to 'the pictures,' but large numbers are happy to attend concerts, whether of local or imported talent, whist drives, dances, an 'socials.'
The incidence of large families and of intermarriage has, of course, contributed very much to the sense of community - at a class for country dancing, for example, there are only two members out of over twenty who could not claim at least one relative in the company. Recent incomers have on the whole settled into the life of the place, often making a valuable contribution to it. There is very little class division, and, when any good cause requires support, this may be found from all groups in the community. One learns of occasional acts of delinquency, seldom of a serious kind, and major crime is hardly known. The only licensed premises have a seven-day licence and it is from bona-fide travellers rather than from the local users that any unseemliness has arisen. The church may not have outstandingly large attendances except at the sacrament season, but membership has increased, and there is goodwill towards the kirk even from non-members and scarcely any hostility.
How far the religion of the kirk becomes the religion of the home it is difficult to assess, but one might be led to a favourable verdict by the prevalence of a neighbourly spirit, which extends through all the adult age-groups, and does much to sweeten the life of Menstrie. One contributory factor to the peace and goodwill of the village is the school where, in addition to a sound junior education, the children are given a strict but kindly training in behaviour.
The prospects for the future are fairly good, since it is unlikely that Menstrie will suffer to any extent by the calamitous flooding of the Devon Valley which is envisaged as a result of the new Glenochil Mine. Also there is every expectation that the demand for yeast will not change, and employment at ‘the Doll’ will continue as before. Unless there should be an extensive increase in building with the consequent arrival of an overwhelming number of strangers, one may expect the life of the place to continue in its present balanced pattern, with such gradual adjustments as modern conditions require.
Written June, 1952.
Revised May, 1961.