THE COMRIE RAILWAY SONG
Hurrah for our Railway,
Success to it now,
We have looked for it long
And we’ve got it I trow,
Hurrah for the Colonel.
Who worked for our good,
And our noble Directors,
Who by him have stood
May we all be the better,
And none be the worse,
Since now we’ve got hold
Of the grand Iron-Horse
May Comrie now flourish,
Her commerce increase,
And gentle and simple
Have pleasure and peace
Chorus
We’ll welcome the rich,
We’ll welcome the poor,
And those will come now
Who were ne’er her before.
Our mountains are grand
And our Breezes are fine
And the birds they sing blithely
O’er woodland and sea
Our rills are like crystal,
As onwards they flow,
Our Earn it is calm,
Its murmurs are low
Our Lednock’s a sight
Worth coming to see
And our Ruchill’s the bless
Of all that is free.
Our thanks to the Colonel,
So earnest and brave
For us and our railway,
He worked like a slave.
And now from our hearts,
We will earnestly pray
Success to us all
And our useful railway.
About this time Colonel Williamson built an iron gate across the path to Coneyhill House which since time began had been a right of way for all to pass to and from Glen Lednock. Furthermore it had allowed for people from the east to go directly to the local Parish Church in the Village. It obviously was a sore point and during the work of erecting the gate evidence came to light of an undiscovered clachan called the Laggan. He employed men as guards to ensure that only those with right of access could walk by Coneyhill, and that excluded most of the local community. As Colonel Williamson was adamant in his assertion that he was correct in his interpretation that this path was a right of way he even went to the extent of threatening the following:
Withdraw his contributions to the Comrie Parish Church (these were unknown)
Withdrawal of money spent on bread for the Comrie poor
Permanent closure of the Village Public Hall
Closure of Lawers estates against fern and flower gatherers
Transfer of shop accounts “in an easterly direction” i.e. Crieff
Employment of Crieff, instead of Comrie, workmen
Closure of the golf course, football and cricket grounds, curling pond and slaughter house.
Certainly this was tough talk as the Colonel had in various ways been generous to the village; however, although he proposed an alternative route, the Comrie Council declined the offer as it reeked of vested interest. They dug in their heels, even using the slogan “No Hunkersliding” stating and feeling that acquiescence would set a precedent, as it has today on the Aberuchill estate.
All readers will be pleased to know that right triumphed in the end, and the path is a right of way, and the Colonel was wrong. Sadly, as he is no longer with us, his contributions to the Church and the poor are no more, there are almost no shops left in the village and much purchasing has gone in an “easterly direction,” unemployment is colossal, the railway is gone, the slaughter house is no more, and Lawers estate is owned by people from faraway foreign lands, so no one picks the ferns and flowers. However, the Public Hall still continues in use to provide an entertainment centre to the people and visitors of the village, and the golf course, football and cricket ground are enjoyed by all. The seats in the Public Hall were so hard my mother always took a pillow with her when she went there!
It was suggested at the time that his wraith would end up like the “spectre” at the Anaba ford condemned for ever to watch as his tenants go past without even acknowledging his presence! However, it would be prudent to be cautious as you leave the golf club. It is just possible that you might meet a livid and “spirited’ Colonel!
His son Charles who was born in 1853 had a completely different disposition. He was warm and sensitive, intelligent and caring. As heir to the estate he was educated at Brighton and Eton, and turned down an offer to join the Coldstream Guards. Instead he embarked on the career of an academic at attended Oxford University. He was drawn to the Roman Catholic faith and this caused a rift with his father. They never came to an accommodation about it and the Colonel developed a burning resentment to it.
Charles was ordained as a priest in 1880 and worked in a very poor, working class area of London. He worked in the Brompton Oratory; a place where a man’s soul could be stretched. Later he lived a quiet life in Venice eventually returning to Comrie as a working priest at the start of the First World War. After his father’s death the Lawers estate was sold off and he and his mother, Selina, lived out their lives in Tomperran. She died in 1922. He was instrumental in having the very simple RC church built nearby at the Laggan. The stone work came from houses called the “Transvaal” These old houses were part of the estate and he had arranged to look after three widows with their children in them. Two of the children became Princes in the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop Foylan of Aberdeen, and Bishop McGee of Dumfries and Galloway. He had a very natural loving way with him, and all who came in contact with him spoke in loving terms about him. He passed on in 1943 during World War Two and the whole community mourned. He was buried with his parents at Ochtertyre.
