CRIEFF (Perthshire).

CRIEFF (Perthshire). Has no armorial bearings. I quote the following description of the seal from a newspaper cutting. The seal is supposed to be emblematic of historic scenes in the district. In pre-historic times the Earls of Strathearn — scions of the Royal Family — had their stronghold or castle situated on Tomachastel, a conical hill some three miles west of Crieff, and on which now stands Sir David Baird's monument, a conspicuous object in the valley of the Earn. Singularly enough, too, the title is still held by one of Royal Family of Great Britain, the Duke of Connaught and Strathtarn. The Earls of Strathearn, who flourished in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, were succeeded by the Stewards of Strathearn, and they held courts in a field about a mile south from the town, now part of the estate of Broich. Down till the beginning of the present century the " stayt " or " skeat " where the Court was held was about twelve yards in diameter, with the centre raised, on which the Earls or Chief Judges sat. In 1850 the then Laird of Broich demolished the " stayt." The seal represents the Earl sitting on the mound dispensing justice. On his left is the Cross of Crieff, also a pre-historic relic. In the foreground are the Crieff iron stocks or pillory, which are still seen at the door of the Court-House.

Original Source bookofpublicarms00foxd_djvu.txt near line 7880.