The earliest buildings (or traces of buildings) that have come down to us are the hill fortifications, but these vary greatly in antiquity and type. Some sites are clearly pre-Roman, the Caterthun (Menmuir, near Brechin) is an example. In the case of others (as at Turin Hill) several constructions can be traced, overlapping to some extent. Some sites (like Finavon and The Laws) show signs of vitrification.

These hilltop buildings were the forerunners of the castles built on lower ground. Denoon Law, for instance, was probably the site of an earlier Glamis Castle, and Macbeth’s Castle (Dunsinane) is misleading in its name, for it is a hill-fort and certainly never was a turreted castle.

Archaeological excavation at Ardestie (near Monifieth) has shown what an early farm settlement looked like two thousand years ago-partly built underground, with surface huts for the humans. But even as late as the 15th century country cottages were very humble two rooms usually, with the walls built of stones, wood and turf. The walls would be about six feet high, made of stones packed with clay, and topped with two feet of turf. The wooded supports for the roof were fitted to posts built into the walls, and bolted with wooden pegs.
Branches were laid across the supports and these were covered with turf and overlaid with thatch heather. The only virtue of this type of dwelling was that, if it got out of repair it could be dismantled and rebuilt in a few days.

Cottown in the parish of St. Madoes (pronounced locally Semmiedores) can still show a few of its 17th and 18th century houses, clay built and with thatched roofs. They are mostly used as sheds and storehouses now.

In most districts the thatched roof is now a thing of the past, but some Tayside villages (especially in the Carse of Gowrie) can still show many cottages with this traditional roofing. Rait is a striking example.

Time and again I have travelled a country or glen road, and found that yet another old cottage had shed its familiar thatch in favour of the more durable, if less picturesque, galvanised iron.

Many factors have brought about this change. Thatch is composed of perishable materials. One man said to me:

“Ye’re never dune mendin’ and patchin’ at it.”

Furthermore, it needs to be renewed completely every fourteen years or so, and this recurrent expense makes the galvanized-iron roof more attractive-economically, at least.

A lack of competent thatchers has been another factor in the disappearance of thatch. The local handiman has taken over the work of the professional, and patched and mended roofs show a general decline in the standard of craftsmanship.

Then, not only is it costly to keep a thatched house water-tight, thatch is also highly inflammable, and insurance rates are in consequence rather high. Further, there is the question of social prestige, and a new-fangled roof, whether of slate or iron, does give the owner a certain satisfaction.

At the same time I must confess I have seen the thatched roof passing with some regret. Rural housing may have gained in hygiene and general comfort, but it has lost in appearance, for the thatched roof had a valuable “regional character” quite lacking in many modern houses and housing schemes. From the aesthetic point of view standardisation is by no means a blessing!

Thatch, too, has certain advantages. It is non-conducting and it keeps an equable temperature, warm in winter, cool in summer. It suits our climate, and it will withstand the gales better than slate. In villages where the thatch remains they speak of galvanized-iron as “the lazy man’s roof,” and seem well content with what they have.

Before leaving this subject I should like to mention “cruck-framed buildings.” Throughout the greater part of Scotland roof frame-works of cruck form are widespread, but a special type of this, called the “ad” roof truss, is well represented in the area around the eastern end of Loch Tay, especially in the villages of Camserney and Dull.

As a footnote referring to thatch, perhaps I should mention that the reed-beds along by Powgavie, Seaside and Errol (though we are inclined to accept them as a natural feature of the firth) were actually planted for thatching purposes, this about 1836, when reclamation projects were also carried out.

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