Old Blair is a tiny village of 18th century stone houses in
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, adjoining and overlooking the grounds of
Blair Castle
Blair Castle (in Scottish Gaelic: Caisteil Bhlàir) stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, ...
. It is the site of St Bride's Kirk, the original church of
Blair Atholl
Blair Atholl (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr Athall'', originally ''Blàr Ath Fhodla'') is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Gr ...
parish. This probably early Christian foundation was replaced by a new building in
Blair Atholl
Blair Atholl (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr Athall'', originally ''Blàr Ath Fhodla'') is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Gr ...
village in the 19th century. There are substantial remains of the unroofed original church, set within an unwalled graveyard, though its western tower has been removed. The ancient building is flanked on the south side by a 'laird's aisle' of 16th century date, which encloses several monuments of the family of the
Dukes of Atholl
Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of h ...
.
John Graham of Claverhouse
John Graham, 7th of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee (21 July 1648 – 27 July 1689) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian. He was responsible for policing southwest Scotland during and after the religious unrest and r ...
, '
Bonnie Dundee
Bonnie Dundee is the title of a poem and a song written by Walter Scott in 1825 in honour of John Graham, 7th Laird of Claverhouse, who was created 1st Viscount Dundee in November 1688, then in 1689 led a Jacobite rising in which he died, beco ...
' (d 1689) is also buried in the vault below the aisle.
The modern burial ground of the ducal family lies within railings beside the mound on which the church is set.
The main medieval road north through the Central Highlands of Scotland formerly passed through Old Blair and on through Glen Banvie to the Minigaig Pass. It was in use up to the 18th century. The 'village street' of Old Blair was built on either side of it.
Villages in Perth and Kinross
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