Blair Collection > Place names in Strathbogie, with notes historical, antiquarian and descriptive

Cab rack. 1 63
tiates thie said Mr. James Ross, and the
parishionerris forsaids to repair to the said kirk
of Cabrach, for the ordinarie publick worshipp,
until the tyme above expressed' (Reg. Syn.
Abd., p. 222). This state of matters continued for
eleven years, and on the 29th October, 1663, the
Bishop and Synod appointed five of the brethren
to ' perambulat the lands of Strathdoveraine,
and to represent the commodiousness of dis-
joyning the said lands from the parochin of
Morthlick, and joyning them to the parochin of
Cabrache.' In the following year (October 20,
1664), the Synod ' thocht fitt that the mater of
perambulatione betuixt the parochines of Morth-
lick and Cabrache be presented be the lord
bishope to the commissione for plantatione of
kirks, whereby the best remedy according to law
may be provyded' (Reg. Syn. Abd., p. 276). I do
not know the exact date of the union of the
parishes, but suspect the matter was allowed to
drag on for several years before it was settled.
Nearly as far back as we can trace the re-
cords of the Cabrach, it was called a royal forest ;
though this does not necessarily imply that the
country was wooded. Tradition says that it was
reserved for grazing the royal horses, which is
perhaps true of part of it, as we know from the
Chamberlain Rolls that Strathaven certainly was
so used in 1438. The earliest mention of the
Cabrach I have found is in a charter of Robert II.,