THE HORSE SHOE AND WESTERN SUBURBS OF DOLLAR ETC On entering Dollar from the west the first house approached was a rather peculiar one a substantial one storied house with a very wide door in the shape of a horse shoe which was built by Mr Tait of Harviestoun for a smithy and carried on as such for many a year It was a well known landmark on account of its peculiarly shaped door and was always spoken of and still is by the old inhabitants of Dollar as The Horse Shoe Harviestoun Villa now occupies its site The next house on the high road Belmont was for a long period occupied by Dr Elliot's widow and family and Miss Elliot was one of the sprightliest and most spirited young ladies of our Dollar society There were four sons and five daughters William Alexander John Henry Margaret Helen Jane Jemima and Louisa The Doctor died in 1834 Captain Porteous house Mount Devon comes next I cannot recall the Captain to memory but Mrs and Miss Porteous and Tom will always be associated in ....my memory with this house Miss Porteous was a very superior young lady and lived for a long time in the house alone after her mother's death She married a Mr Beveridge Thomas commenced business in Glasgow but died when quite a young man leaving a widow and young family to mourn his early death He was a very pushing young man and had he been spared would have soon taken a prominent position amongst the successful merchants of Glasgow The present occupants of the cottage below Mount Devon Belville

Mr William and Miss Drysdale are associated with my earliest recollections of Harviestoun Castle and the home farm adjoining it where the family so long resided

I do not recollect much of Mr Drysdale their father who was so long factor for Mr Tait but Mrs Drysdale who survived her husband for twenty three years was a most kind amiable lady and much esteemed by every one who knew her

On the death of his father in 1843 Mr William succeeded to the factorship and acted in that capacity till the estate passed out of the hands of the Globe Insurance Company

Two brothers Robert and Adam went to the West Indies and died there Robert in 1835 and Adam in 1839

Mr John died in Belville Cottage in 1860

Mr James Drysdale banker Stirling is the youngest brother

An amusing story is told of a goat and gander that were long amongst Mrs Drysdale's collection of live stock at Harviestoun A strong and lasting attachment sprang up between the two and wherever Nannie was to be seen there was the gander his natural companions the geese being in a most ungentlemanly way invariably left out in the cold When Mrs Drysdale and family left Harviestoun ............and took up their residence in Belville Cottage the goat and gander were made a present of to Mr Henderson of the Castle Campbell Hotel in Dollar and the same strong attachment continued between the two as before the goat never being seen anywhere without his companion Well one Sabbath day this worthy couple took it into their heads that they would like to hear what kind of a preacher the Kev Mr Craigie was and just as the congregation in the Established Church had nearly all assembled and the advent of the minister into the pulpit was momentarily looked for who should march slowly along one of the passages but Nannie and his companion the gander and in order to make sure of hearing well went right up the pulpit stair and apparently were bent on getting into the pulpit itself As may be readily imagined the arrival of such unexpected and distinguished visitors created the greatest excitement and amusement in the church to all except the poor beadle who seemed to view the situation of affairs in absolute dismay What was to be done 1 The gander was known to be of a very pugnacious disposition and resented at once the slightest interference with his companion and for any stranger to have attempted to forcibly eject Nannie would have been sheer madness The church officer was fairly at his wits end what to do when fortunately Mr William Drysdale who happened to be in church came to the rescue Rising out of his seat he approached the worthy couple and calling the goat by name told it to follow him Eemembering its old master thoroughly well it at once obeyed his order and the two were quietly walked out of the church to the no little amusement and great relief of all concerned How to explain the very singular and strong attachment that existed between these two I must leave to some of my ornithological friends who are more skilled in these matters than I am What subsequently became of them is not recorded in history but we must be left to suppose that after reaching a good old age they both died a natural death faithfully attached to each other to the last Mrs Hynd Dollar informs me that she was present in the Established Church when this most ludicrous scene took place and it really was a most amusing spectacle Broomrig the next house in order was in my young days occupied by a Mrs Young and family and Robert one of her sons was a class fellow of mine Miss Young got married at a very early age to an Edinburgh gentleman It was after they left that it was then occupied by the Honourable David Erskine and family There was only the centre house at that time the extensive additions to and adjoining it having since been made by the present proprietor James Leishman Esq Devonside House so long occupied by Mrs M Callum and family comes next which was built by a Captain Pinkerton a stout military looking man with pure white hair Miss Pinkerton a nice young girl of fifteen was cut off after a few hours illness in the year 1833 Mrs Pinkerton died in 1835 Devongrove close to the Dead Waters and Springfield have been referred to already Mr and Mrs Martin had no family and I recollect well of them sitting in the front square seat of the west gallery of the old church along with the Honourable David Erskine and family right above where they now lie buried 

Reminiscences of Dollar, Tillicoultry and other districts adjoining the Ochils

 By William Gibson (of Tillicoultry.) 1883