ngeon cut in
the solid rock. There lay all that remained of the proud and daring
Joanna, Countess of Strathearn and Princess of the Orkneys. A few gold
and silver bracelets and ornaments, belonging to a lady's dress, were
found among the black rubbish with another trinket, teaching the old,
old lesson, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

It only remains to describe the antiquities of Strowan. There was a
Thane of "Struin" in Strathearn, in very early times, when Thanes were
servants of the King, holding their land in fee-farm for a certain
"census," or feu-duty. Strowan, like Monzievaird, had a Celtic saint
for founder--St. Ronan. He is not to be identified with the saint of
that name, of whom the venerable Bede records that he championed the
later Roman method of calculating the time of the Easter festival
against Bishop Finan of Lindisfarne, who stoutly held the Columban
rule. Rather may we count him the same with the Abbot of Kingarth, in
Bute (died 737 A.D.), and founder of Kilmaronog, on Loch Etive, the
parish of similar name in Dumbartonshire, and the Parish Church of
Iona, called after him "Tempul Ronain." St. Ronan's name is to this
day associated with his well, the pool that never failed to supply him
with fish on Fridays; the ruins of the old church or chapel, and St.
Ronan's bell. Tradition says that the Cross of Crieff was taken from
Strowan to Crieff upwards of 200 years ago. The market cross of
Strowan now stands on a small mound west from the old kirk and near the
mansion-house. A fine old lime tree which shaded it succumbed to the
unprecedented storm of November, 1893; and all who know the venerable
Laird of Strowan hope that he may live to see the young lime sapling
with which he lately replaced it grow up to cast its shade over the
cross once more. The latter is Maltese in form; and has on it, besides
the initials of the Latin inscription on the Saviour's cross, I.N.R.I.,
the Moray star, and other symbols. It was probably taken from the
churchyard. The arches of the bridge, with its narrow roadway and
parapet, and little cities of refuge for foot-passengers, are not of a
hoary antiquity; but the pillars, on which at one time planks used to
be laid for crossing, are much older. The Kirk-Session records contain
many entries of sums paid to the boatman for ferrying parishioners from
the north side to Strowan Church. Picturesque ruin though the church
is, it is not 230 years old in any par