Apersuaine Boat (Boat of Invervack)

Apersuaine Boat is the old name for the Boat (or ferry) of Invervack. This is shown by a land document of 1725 which mentions the 1/2 mark land of Invervack and Boat of Appersuany.

The name Apersuaine is said to be derived from an event which took place in the sixteenth century. A band of marauders from Sunart in Argyll had raided Atholl and were returning homewards with stolen cattle. They crossed the river near Invervack with the owners of the cattle in hot pursuit, a well-flighted arrow killed the marauder's bard. The rest of the party fled but their pursuers caught up with them on Torr Dubh, the hill above Bohespic, where cairns mark their final stand. Afterwards the ford was known as Ath Bhaird Suainidh (the ford of the Sunart bard).

Early estate maps show that the house of the ferryman was on the south side of the river and downstream from the position of the ferry marked on the 1867 O.S. map

Site of Invervack

Site of Haugh of Invervack (Ballindalloch) and the dwelling of the Boat of Apersuaine ferryman
have been superimposed on the First Edition of O.S. map for Perthshire, 1867

In 1722, the ferryman was probably Alexander Robertson. He and his wife, Elspeth Robertson, had three children born at Boat of Apersuaine: Donald, 23rd September 1722; an un-named child, 16th May 1725; and Isobel, 11th November 1727.

Thomas Frazer and Elspeth Richie were also living at Apersuanie, when their son, Alexander, was born on 27th August 1724. The family moved into Blair village by 1728 and Thomas is described as an officer in the Old Parish Records.

Site of Invervack

Ath Bhaird Suainidh (the ford of the Sunart bard), from the north.

Even today, the site of this ford is quite obvious from the north side with a grassy track leading down from the old main road to a steep sandy cut in the river-bank. Although the diversion of water to the hydro-electric scheme has tamed the river, the passage of time has deepened the river at this point and deposited the stones downstream forming a new ford lower down.

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