New Spalding Club > Records of Invercauld MDXLVII - MDCCCXXVIII [1547- 1828]

ESTATE PAPERS : TULLOCHCOY.
Deduce Publick Burdens : —
Stipend - - ;fii i^ 8"j
Feu Duty - 8 6 8 [
Schoolmr's Salary i 15 9J £2\ 16 i
Remains of free Rent - - . . £,'^i\ 6 3
N.B. The above men & horses in ==^===
Spring are for putting out the dung
on the Heritor's Land in the time
of the Bear Seed'
" There are no Tacks on the Lands except a Liferent Tack that TuUoch-
coy's Sister has, who is married to Donald Coutts within mentt ; and
about seven years that's to run of Thomas McDonald's Tack — Att the
expiration of Donald Coutts's wife's Tack, it will rise to about twenty
pounds Scots more. It was sett by Old Tullochcoy to her and her
former husband, who was also Donald Coutts, and the longest liver of
them both ; & it may be presumed by any body who knew old
Tullochcoy that he would not sett it but at a very easy Rent, especially
to his Daughter.
" Thomas McDonald's possession will rise to about five pounds Scots
yearly more.
" The Lands are very improveable. The purchaser may, by enclosing
and improving, increase greatly the Rent — There is also on the Lands a
good deall of fine Birch wood acknowledged to be the best in the whole
Country. It will give the Heritor upwards of 3000 mks once in the
twenty years.
" The Tennants pay the Cess.
" The Straans are the low grass ground lying
by the side of the Burn and marching wt.
Invercald's lands of Inver."
The family of Tullochcoy trace from the Inverey branch of the Clan.
James the first of Inverey had by his second wife — Agnes Ferries or
Fergusson, daughter of the minister of Crathie — three sons :—
I. Lewis or Ludowick, ist of Auchindrine,
II. James ist of Tullochcoy,
III. Donald, who died unmarried ;
and three daughters.
I At that time and for nearly half a century later, bear was the crop most relied on for rent,
and to the cultivation of which most attention was given. As yet neither potatoes nor turnips had
been introduced as a field crop, and the farm manure was applied to the fallow on which the bear
was to be raised. Hence the common saying, " When the muck's out the bear-seed's done." The
bear was also the most marketable of the farm produce. It was sold as grain, as meal, and as
malt, which last in the days of the smuggling rose to a very high price.