The Soldiers' Trenches on

Rannoch Moor Rannoch Moor (, gd, Mòinteach Raineach/Raithneach) is an expanse of around of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch in Scotland, where it extends from and into westerly Perth and Kinross, northerly Lochaber (in Highland), and the area of ...

are drainage ditches dug by British army soldiers in 1763-64 in an attempt to drain part of the Moor of Rannoch,

Fortingall Fortingall is a small village in highland Perthshire, Scotland, in Glen Lyon. Its nearest sizable neighbours are Aberfeldy and Kenmore. Its Gaelic name is ''Fartairchill'' (lit. "Escarpment Church"—i.e. "church at the foot of an escarpmen ...

Parish,

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The aim was to produce agriculturally useful land for crops, grazing, etc.Robertson, Ref A.E. (1946). ''Old Tracks. Cross-country Routes and ''Coffin Roads'' in the north-west Highlands. P.21'' Edinburgh : The Darien Press.

History

Close to the

West Highland Line The West Highland Line ( gd, Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - "Iron Road to the Isles") is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in th ...

, about three miles (5 km) from the Gruund, are five large parallel drainage ditches known as 'The Soldiers' ditches' that were dug by British army soldiers between 1763 and 1764 under the direction of

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

James Small of Lord Loudoun's Regiment, the Government Factor of the forfeited estate of the Jacobite supporters, the Robertsons of Struan in

Kinloch Rannoch Kinloch Rannoch (; Gaelic: ''Ceann Loch Raineach'') is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, at the eastern end of Loch Rannoch, 18 miles (29 km) west of Pitlochry, on the banks of the River Tummel. The village is a tourist and outdoor p ...

. Ensign Small had been stationed at

Finnart The lands of Finnart to the west of Greenock belonged to the Earl of Douglas in medieval times. Around 1455 they were forfeited to the crown. Finnart was given to the Hamiltons, while the western part of the barony of Finnart went to Stewart of ...

and in 1754 he took up his new appointment and remained here in office until 1777 when he died, having made many considerable improvements in the area and especially to agriculture, such as the use of lime, a crushing machine being introduced so that lime could be used to reduce the acidic nature of the ground. In 1739 James Small married Katharine Wilson and had three daughters. His younger brother was

Major General John Small John Small (13 March 1726 – 17 March 1796) was a career Kingdom of Great Britain, British military officer from Scotland who played a key role in raising and leading the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) during the American ...

These lands were the site of the summer

shieling A shieling is a hut or collection of huts on a seasonal pasture high in the hills, once common in wild or sparsely populated places in Scotland. Usually rectangular with a doorway on the south side and few or no windows, they were often cons ...

s of the Rannoch inhabitants and the intention was to produce land upon which crops could be grown and pasture created. These extensive works, intended to "drain and sweeten the soil" were in vain and the lands were left to their previous purpose, however such was the extent of the excavations that they remain visible and attracted the name of 'The Soldiers trenches'. The

, 3¾ miles (6 km) from

Rannoch railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Rannoch.jpg , caption = Rannoch station, looking north from the footbridge , borough = Rannoch, Perth and Kinross , country ...

, cut through the Soldiers' Trenches that are now visible only as

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

moss filled linear structures on the moorland. The drains ran from Abhainn Duibhe to the railway on the south-eastern side of the moor.Strathspey and Badenoch Herald
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References

;Notes ;Sources # Robertson, Rev. A. E. (1946). ''Old Tracks. Cross-country Routes and ''Coffin Roads'' in the north-west Highlands.'' Edinburgh : The Darien Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:The Soldiers' Trenches National scenic areas of Scotland Protected areas of Perth and Kinross

Rannoch Rannoch ( gd, Raineach or , meaning 'bracken') is an area of the Scottish Highlands between the A9 road, to the east, and the A82, to the west. The area is crossed from south to north by the West Highland railway line. Features of the area inc ...

Rock formations of Scotland

History

See also

References