Scotland’s Highlands were once a tapestry of tightly knit clans, their lives intertwined with the land they worked, the traditions they upheld, and the loyalties they defended. The village of Fearnan, on the northern shores of Loch Tay, was one such place—a stronghold of Highland families, particularly the MacGregors and Robertsons, whose names were etched into local history.

But today, the landscape tells a different story. The bustling village of the past has all but vanished, with only whispers of its former life lingering in burial grounds, old foundations, and historical records. What happened to the people of Fearnan? Why did the heart of this once-thriving Highland community fade into obscurity?

A Community Rooted in Clan Tradition

For centuries, Fearnan and its surrounding lands were home to families who farmed, fished, and lived under the protection of their clan chiefs. The Robertsons of Strowan and the MacGregors were particularly prominent in the area. The Robertsons, who had been granted lands in the 15th century by King James II, played an influential role in local governance. Meanwhile, the MacGregors, a clan notorious for their struggles against oppression, also had deep roots in Fearnan, despite their frequent conflicts with neighboring clans and the Crown.

The village’s social and economic life revolved around traditional Highland structures, where land was divided into merk lands (units of value), and people paid their dues in kind rather than money. Mills ground the grain, ferries carried travelers across the loch, and local markets thrived.

However, by the 18th century, change was looming over the Highlands, and Fearnan would not be spared.

The Decline of Fearnan: A Perfect Storm of Change

Several key factors led to the decline of Fearnan and the dispersal of its people:

1. The Aftermath of the Jacobite Rebellions

The early 18th century was a time of upheaval for Highland Scotland. The failed Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745, in which many Highland clans fought to restore the Stuart monarchy, had devastating consequences.

Alexander Robertson of Strowan, the local clan chief, was a staunch Jacobite. He fought in the 1715 rebellion and was captured at Sheriffmuir, only to escape and later support the Jacobite cause again. Though too old to fight in Bonnie Prince Charlie’s 1745 rebellion, his clan still took up arms. After the Jacobite defeat at Culloden, the British government cracked down on Highland culture.

New laws banned tartan, bagpipes, and the carrying of weapons, aiming to dismantle the clan system. Highland chiefs lost much of their traditional power, and the people of Fearnan, many of whom had lived under this structure for generations, found themselves at the mercy of landlords who no longer saw their tenants as kin but as sources of revenue—or obstacles to profit.

2. The Highland Clearances

The Highland Clearances of the late 18th and early 19th centuries accelerated Fearnan’s decline. Wealthy landowners, including those in Breadalbane, began evicting tenants to make way for more profitable sheep farming. Families who had lived on the land for generations were forced from their homes, often with little more than what they could carry.

Some were relocated to less fertile coastal lands, where they struggled to survive. Others had no choice but to emigrate to Canada, Australia, or America, seeking a better life far from the lands of their ancestors. By the early 1800s, entire villages were emptied, and Fearnan was no exception.

3. The Loss of Traditional Industries

Before its decline, Fearnan had a functioning economy, with a mill at Croftnallin, a smithy at Balnearn, and even an ale-house at Taynloan. A ferry connected the village to the south side of Loch Tay, ensuring that trade and communication flourished.

But as people left, these industries fell into decline. Mills became redundant as fewer people farmed the land, and local businesses shut down. The ferry, once a vital part of the village, ceased operation when there were no longer enough people to use it.

By the mid-19th century, Fearnan was no longer a bustling community but a scattered remnant of its former self.

4. The Encroachment of Nature

As families left and farms were abandoned, nature reclaimed the land. The once-productive fields and crofts that had sustained generations became overgrown. By the time Drummond Hill and surrounding areas were planted with trees in the 19th and 20th centuries, the transformation was complete. The old village of Stronfearnan, once at the heart of the community, was demolished.

Even the land’s history became obscured. Only faint traces remained—a few standing stones, burial sites, and the occasional remnants of a stone wall hidden beneath the moss.

Echoes of the Past: What Remains Today?

Though the village of Fearnan as it once was no longer exists, its history lingers in several ways:

• Cladh-na-Sroine Burying Ground: This cemetery, near the site of the old village, is a resting place for many MacGregors and Robertsons. Some of the names on the gravestones are the last physical traces of those who once lived there.
• The Stone Cross at Lagfearn: A three-foot slab with a roughly carved cross, this ancient marker hints at the area’s religious and cultural past.
• Local Legends and Documents: Old letters, like Alexander Robertson’s 1730 letter to the minister of Kenmore, provide a glimpse into the lives of those who lived here before Fearnan’s decline.
• Ruins and Forgotten Landmarks: Though many homes were lost, keen-eyed explorers can still find signs of former crofts and settlements beneath the encroaching vegetation.

Fearnan’s story is a reminder of how rapidly history can change a landscape. It is a story of resilience, loss, and the enduring power of memory. Though the people are gone, their legacy remains woven into the land—a land that, even as it changes, never forgets.

Adapted From: Christie, J. (1892). The Lairds and Lands of Loch Tayside. Aberfeldy: Duncan Cameron & Son.