Castle Menzies garden and farm papers

The Castle Menzies Collection comprises of accounts, bills and general receipts for the running of the Castle Menzies estate and a few pieces of correspondence with gardeners and the Baronet of the day. There are complete Head Gardener’s Journals and tool inventories for the early 1800s, seed lists from different periods and proposed plans for two different walled gardens. It also includes weather data for the late 1790s.
Listings:
MZC/1 – Accounts
Folder 1: Weekly State Proceedings at the Farm, Castle Menzies from Jan-Nov 1830, including names, work and wages. Inventory of Garden Tools for 1804 + 1805; Gardeners Journals for 1803 +1804; Weekly State of Proceedings at Garden May 1828; Nov + Dec 1832 part record; May-Nov 1833 with list of names, work and wages in each list: Wages and general receipts for 1803-1810: Receipts for agricultural machinery 1801-1841: Vegetable seed, fruit tree lists for 1800s: Plan of proposed walled garden 1838: Document in response to advice given by Sir John Sinclair about growing potatoes 1841.
Folder 2: Sir Robert Menzies “His Book” accounts for the Castle from 1805-1809, including stock sales, crop details etc. Labourers Accounts from 1803-1811 (incomplete)
Folder 3: Copy of Rules and Articles for the Improvement of Highland Farms 1774: Labour Accounts from 1790-1795 (not all complete): Seed receipts and list for 1700s and 1 plant list for 1800s: Receipts for Trees and Wood sales for 1782, 1783, 1790-1806, 1807:Receipts for peat + heather for burning in lime kilns for 1763s-1831s: General and wages receipts for 1708-1753 : Plan of proposed walled garden 1790.
MZC/2 – Weather Reports: Menzies Castle Collection – Weather records
1774- incomplete record – only parts exist for Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec.
1790- only Nov and Dec exist
1791- complete record except for 17th -28th April and 16th June -16th July
1792- Jan complete, 1st -15th Feb complete; Dec complete. Rest of year missing
1793- Jan to 16th May complete; 17th May to 30th June missing; 1st July to 31st Dec complete
1794- Jan to 16th Oct complete; 17th Oct-15th Nov missing; 16th Nov -31st Dec complete
1795- complete except for 17th Dec-31st Dec.

The collection is divided into two subjects – accounts / documents related to the running of the Castle, and weather reports recorded at the Castle.

Collection open to researchers by appointment, see (right click, open link in new tab:) https://www.rbge.org.uk/science-and-conservation/library-and-archives/visiting-the-library/

The collection comprises of material brought together from two boxes of general material held on Castle Menzies at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. When and how the material was acquired is unknown but much of it has the stamp of Plean Castle which was a part of the larger Menzies Estate. It's possible the collection was donated by David Menzies 9th Bart. The collection was catalogued in 2015.

(right click, open link in new tab) http://www.castlemenzies.org/gardens-full/

Permission required from RBGE to publish.

Castle Menzies is a small castle situated in Weem approx. one mile west of Aberfeldy, Perthshire. The castle was located on its current site in the 1500s and was abandoned as a permanent residence in the late 1890s. It was part of the Menzies Estate until bankruptcy forced the sale of the castle, buildings, policies and gardens in 1914 and then again in 1918. The Castle, with a narrow surrounding parking area, was bought by the Clan Menzies Society in the 1950s and the walled garden in the 1980s while the other buildings including Gardener’s House, Gardener’s Bothy and former Glasshouses were sold privately. The land was bought by the local farmer. Much of the policies of the former estate are now incorporated into Forestry Commission land. The plant collector Archibald Menzies has a connection to the estate as his father was Head Gardener. This connection is reflected in a small exhibition in the castle and some trees planted in the walled garden.

published