INTRODUCTION

My intention when I first thought of writing an account of Strathkinness was to produce a fairly short book consisting largely of the reminiscences of people living in the village, and with a short section on its history. But it soon became clear that unless a good deal of attention was given to the background of present-day Strathkinness much of the value of the book would be lost. Because a place is small does not mean that it cannot have a complex history. As Professor T.C. Smout said, “Local history is very difficult because it is such a vast subject, and is of little use unless there is an attempt to put it in context”. In writing this book I have discovered just how right Professor Smout is. I could not, without spending many more years on research, do much more than scratch the surface of the history of the village. I discovered so much material of interest, often contained in records and documents that have never before been studied, that the volume which has finally emerged is very different from the one I originally envisaged.

However, the basic principle which I adopted from the start is still the same. It is not an academic book, but one written primarily for the people of Strathkinness, though the need to make it as accurate as possible is important.

It is quite impossible for anyone to present a complete and wholly accurate picture of the past. Distortion, whether the result of incomplete information or unconscious bias in the selection of material, is unavoidable. Records which survive can give only part of the story; but they are nevertheless the most important means of ascertaining what life might have been like in the past.

I have written at length about the churches and the school, although I have left out a lot of material I would have liked to have included. Other topics have not been covered to the same extent, partly because the time needed to study the papers would have been too long. What I am presenting, as the title states, is merely a “glimpse” of the story of the village and its people.

The book is in two separate parts, one based on recorded sources and dealing with the more distant past, and the other on oral sources, that is, on the recollections and reminiscences of people living in the village today, and what those who are involved in village activities today say about them.

Almost all the material given to me by present or past inhabitants of Strathkinness has been used in just the way it was written, as it soon became evident that to try to edit it would often destroy its flavour and even remove

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