The Tillicoultry estate
was granted to the Mar family by Alexander 111 in 1261. Subsequent
owners included Lord Colville of Kinross, The Earl of Stirling and
R Wardlaw Ramsay who bought the estate in 1814. Tillicoultry House
was built 15 years later in 1829 at the top of the present day Fir
Park.
The house was vacated by
Major AB Wardlaw Ramsay in 1938 and began to fall into disrepair. The
roof was removed and now all that remains is the stable block which
has been converted into housing and the walls of the orchard. Heathwood
Crescent with it's modern bungalows has been built where the orchard
once was but the walls can still be seen marking out garden boundaries.
The original parish Church
was built close to Tillicoultry House complete with manse and churchyard.
The old churchyard which was at the back of Tillicoultry House still
remains and although the majority of the headstones lie flat on the
ground some of the inscriptions can still be read.
the
old churchyard
There is of course a local
legend attached to this churchyard which goes as follows.
A wicked laird quarrelled
with one of the monks of Cambuskenneth and in the heat of the exchange
actually knocked the holy father down. The laird died shortly after
this and on the morning after his funeral it was discovered that the
clenched fist which had dealt the blow to the monk was sticking out
of the grave. This was seen as a punishment from heaven for his wicked
conduct but since the hand obviously could not remain above ground
the grave was opened and the hand placed in it. However the following
morning the hand had reappeared out of the grave. This happened every
day for a whole week until as a last resort a huge stone was brought
and placed over the grave which finally stopped the hand appearing.