Crook of Devon
Map of this area

The Rumbling Bridge

It is a little village on the very hem of Kinross-shire-a frontier village of pleasantly varied houses strung in a row at the edge of the capricious waters of the Devon across which lies Perthshire. The Devon's course here takes her around three sides of the "Field within the Crook", and thus the village gets its name.

Mr Robert S. Young, F.S.A. Scot., of Kinross, rightly describes the river as "the wayward Devon". From her source above Menstrie in the Ochils to her end in the Forth at Cambus is a distance of some six or seven miles. As the crow flies. But the Devon does not travel as does the crow. She winds no less than 36 miles in her journey. And no one resents this twisting course, for it provides many extra miles of lovely banks. The Devon's gentle beauties were sung by Burns.

How pleasant the banks of the clear winding Devon,
With green spreading bushes, and flowers blooming fair.

Then, beyond the village, we see her in most angry and turbulent mood for two miles of her course. She plunges into the Devil's Mill. Tearing through a narrow and fearsomely deep gorge, she roars in the grasp of black and mossy rocks and sends up her chill spray. The hollow, rumbling sound caused by this progress has been likened to "that produced by heavily-ladened wagons passing along a rough road between reverberating heights", and although the chasm is not more than 100 feet deep, it is so overshadowed with crags and rock ledges as to present the aspect of a profound abyss. From here the Devon throws herself over the Caldron Linn. She is then a little over 200 ft. above sea-level, and has dropped about 250 feet in the four miles from Crook of Devon.

A Bridge Above a Bridge

At Rumbling Bridge wooden landings have been strung along the cliffy sides of the gorge, and from these we get a close, spray-splashed view of the raging stream. From here also we see in their striking dual construction the two bridges-one resting atop the other--which carry the road across the great cleft. The lower of the two bridges, 80 feet above the bed of the river, was built in 1713, and for a century the road had to descend to its level to make the crossing. Then in 1816 the upper bridge was built, 120 feet above the bed of the river, resting on its predecessor and carrying the road straight across. Below the bridge is a path leading to the Caldron Linn.

It was in Crook of Devon that nearly 300 years ago there took place a series of witch trials. This grim and horrible business went on from April to October in 1662. We can see today, south of the railway station, the knowe upon which the bodies of the strangled victims were burned to ashes. We are indebted to Mr W. Shand of Crook of Devon for a summary of these trials.

There were five trials in the Crook, all under the personal supervision of Alexander Colville of Blair, His Majesty's Justice General Depute for Scotland. Thirteen people in all were put to trial- twelve witches and one warlock, Robert Wilson. This, incidentally, was supposed to be the number comprising a "covin"-an organised company of witches. Of the thirteen accused eleven were executed and one-79-year-old Margaret Hoggin-although no record of her execution survives is referred to in the trial following her own as "deceased". One Agnes Pittendreich was the only one who escaped condemnation: due to the fact that at the time of the trial she was pregnant, and she was released only under obligation to come up again for trial if required. Christian Grieve was acquitted on 21st July, 1662, and less than three months later was, by the same Court and without apparently any additional evidence, convicted and "stranglit".

The court's sentence on these unfortunates was framed in this wise: "Agnes Murie, indweller in Kilduff, Bessie Henderson, in-dweller in Pitfar, and Isabel Rutherford in Cruick of Devon" were convicted "by the hail assize in ane voice" and were sentenced to be "all three taken away to the place called the Lamblaires, bewest the Cruick Miln, the place of their execution, tomorrow, being the fourth day of this instant month of April betwixt one and two in the afternoon, and there to be stranglit to the death by the hand of the hang-man and thereafter their bodies to be burnt to ashes for their trespass, and ordain all their moveable goods and gear to be escheit and in-brought to his Majesty's use for the causes foresaid. Whereupon William Donaldson, Dempster, gave doom. Sic Subscribitur J. Alexander."

One of the meeting-places of the "covin" was alleged to have been at the "Stannerygate, bewest the Cruick of Devon"-which is part of the old road leading past present Newbigging Farm to Fossoway Kirk.

At the side of what is known locally as the "Broomie Road", near its junction with the old Kirk Road leading from the Muckle Town of Aldie to the parish kirk of Fossoway, is a large whinstone boulder known as the Bull Stone, for it is believed that it was used for the sport of bull-baiting-like that stone we can see on the green at Leslie. It once stood as high as a man, but some years ago was blasted by a local proprietor who intended to use it in the building of a dyke. He was ordered to cement it together again, but it could not be restored to its original height.

Two Fine Castles

There are two fine castles near Crook of Devon. Aldie Castle stands on a knowe near the banks of the Pow Burn south of Crook of Devon. The present castle is believed to have been built in the early 16th century and was for centuries the seat of the Mercer family. Recently it has been restored by Mr Hope Dickson and is once again, after generations of decay, a residence.

About a mile along the road from Crook of Devon to Kinross is Tulliebole Castle. The present building was built by John Halliday, an advocate, at the beginning of the 17th century, and bears the date 1608 above the door. Near the castle is the old burial-ground of Tulliebole-a mournful collection of slanting obliterated memorials, some almost buried. The visible stones are not very ancient, but in their neglect have assumed an atmosphere of great and mossy antiquity. More than 200 years ago the Tulliebole estate was acquired by the Moncreiff family, who for many generations occupied important positions in Scotland as lawyers and clergymen. No fewer than three of them became Lords of Session, and six others were ministers of the Church. Sir James Moncreiff, who was appointed Lord Justice Clerk in 1869, was raised to the peerage with the title Baron Moncreiff of Tulliebole in 1874.

If you would like to visit this area as part of a highly personalized small group tour of my native Scotland please e-mail me:

Return to Places to Visit in the Kingdom of Fife