Hamlets of Glack and Balwhern in Perthshire

[moragb]

I have ancestors living in these hamlets in the 1861 census within the Parish of Methven.  However, having found them on the map, they are only a couple of miles from Bankfoot and would therefore seem to be in Auchtergavin Parish
 Does anyone know whether there are other places called Glack and Balwhern in Methven Parish or have I got the right ones?  I am going to Perthshire in a few weeks and had hoped to get some pictures - disaster if I photographed the wrong places!!
Thanks
Moragb

[ev]

Hi Moragb ,

Found this -

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/PER/Methven/Gaz1868.html

ev

[moragb]

Hi Ev,
Yes, saw this too but the Glack and Balwhern that I have found on the map is a lot further from Perth than 4 miles.  The reason I think I've got the right hamlets is the fact that they are so close together on the map and the entries for Mother and father (Glack) and son (Balwhern) are next to each other on the census.
Ah, well, probably much ado about nothing.
Thanks for your help.
Moragb

[ev]

I see what you mean -

http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/boundary_map_page.jsp?u_id=10098970

ev
 

[chender]

I too have relatives there.  Mine is Charles Henderson of the Farm House, Glack.  This piece from Ancestry.co.uk forum notes that they often mixed up the Parish in the census.  Also, Balwherne is aka (Balwherene, Balquharn) and neither it nor Glack exist today.  The correct parish is Auchtergaven.

Here is a list I located of all the people there in mid 1800's (  http://archive.org/stream/perthshiredire188990dire/perthshiredire188990dire_djvu.txt )

PARISH OF AUCHTERGAVEN-.

Allan, Francis, (r«p. of) N. Bams
Allen, Robert, New Ardonchie
Allan, Wm. , Pitsundry
Anderson, Hen. (rep, of), Burnside
Black, Robert, Upper Obnie
Butter, James and Donald, East

Blelock
Chalmers, James, Rashieley
Chalmers, James, Shielhill
Chalmers, John, Nether Blelock
Chalmers, John, Westwood
Chalmers, Peter, Logiebride hill
Chalmers, John, Little Tullybelton
Do^^•, John, Belston
Duff, James, Westerton
Dunn, James, Tullybelton
Dunn, Wm., Balwharn
Eraser, James, Jackstone
Gorrie, Wm. & Janet, Kinglands
Henderson, Charles, Glack
Keiller, Alexander, Loak mill


My Grandfathers Grandfather is Charles Henderson.
_____________________________

http://boards.ancestry.ca/localities.britisles.scotland.per.general/5583.1/mb.ashx

Hi
Depending on where these hamlets like Glack and Balwhern were situated, regarding census returns, the enumerator could easily mistake one parish from another. 

However, on the 1881 census in Methven
Dwelling:   Farm House Glack
Census Place:   Methven, Perth, Scotland

Marr   Age   Sex   Birthplace
Charles HENDERSON   M   48 M   Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland
Rel:   Head
Occ:   Farmer Of 54 Acres Arable ((Employing 1 Boy 1 Girl))
Marjory HENDERSON   M   50 F   Methven, Perth, Scotland
Rel:   Wife
Catharine HENDERSON   U   20 F   Methven, Perth, Scotland
Rel:   Daughter
Occ:   Farmers Daughter
Isabella HENDERSON   U   18 F   Methven, Perth, Scotland
Rel:   Daughter
Occ:   Farmers Daughter
Robert HENDERSON    16 M   Methven, Perth, Scotland
Rel:   Son
Occ:   Farmers Son
Marjory HENDERSON    13 F   Methven, Perth, Scotland
Rel:   Daughter
Occ:   Farmers Daughter
Jessie Jane HENDERSON    6 m   F   Methven, Perth, Scotland
Rel:   Niece

[rupiezucki]

I realize that this is an old thread, but this information will be helpful.

The places you are looking for all still exist today, but are much smaller than they would have been.  Today they are mainly single family farms. 

Glack and Balwhern (sometimes spelled Balquharn) were in a detached part of Methven parish that abutted Auchtergaven parish.  In most cases, you will find their births, deaths, and marriages taking place at the Auchtergaven church, although some may be in Logiebride.

The Bankfoot (current name of Auchtergaven) Church has graciously made the monumental inscriptions for these churches available online at no charge.  They have been raising money to rstore Auchtergaven church which was destroyed by fire in 2004, and in 2019 the tower fell down.  It's beginning to sound like a Monty Python sketch.

I am including a link to the page where you can download the MIs from these 2 churches.  You MAY find some records actually in Methven records.

https://bankfootchurch.org/2018/01/06/graveyard-memorial-inscriptions/


There are also old parish maps, which show this part of Methven parish as 'detached'.

https://maps.nls.uk/view/74428152

[Forfarian]

The magic date is around 1890, when an extensive rationalisation of boundaries took place that tidied up most of the small detached portions of parishes all over Scotland.

For example look at https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=56.44237&lon=-3.52645&layers=5&b=1 and note the R E D .... which is the parish of Redgorton. Yet there are two tiny enclaves in it, one of Auchtergaven and one of Moneydie - the latter only just 25 acres!

So if you look at a map surveyed after 1890, for example the one used by Vision of Britain, it all looks nice and simple, but before that it isn't.

Then look at https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14&lat=56.50225&lon=-3.57982&layers=5&b=1 and you will see quite clearly that Glack and Balquharn are in a detached part of Methven.

So it's not possible to say definitively that the correct parish is always Auchtergaven. If you are using records dating from before 1890-ish, the correct parish is Methven.

[rupiezucki]

I agree, and thanks for the map.

Even though my people were in Balquharn and Belston,  which were in Methven, they did their hatching, matching and dispatching from the Auchtergaven church, which was nearer.

Cheers!

[Balquharn]

Not sure if this helps? I live in Balquharn, Bankfoot, Perthshire. It is a 200 year old farm house. Just up the road my friend Daryl lives in The Glack, again an old farm house.
We are on the Berryhill estate. I have been looking into the history of the house and came across your post.
Jason