Annotation:Dunkeld Hermitage
X:0348 T:Dunkeld Harmitage Reel. Roose.0348 M:C| L:1/8 Q:1/2=72 B:Roose MS, 1850 Z:Village Music Project, Peter Dunk 2019 K:Em |:e|E/E/E B2 GEBG|FdAd FDAD|E/E/E B2 GEBG|AFdF E/E/E E:| |:f|e/e/e "^tr"g2 bege|d/d/d fd adfd|e/e/e g2 bege|dBdF E/E/E Eg| e/e/e g2 bege|d/d/d fd adfd|gbfa efde|BFdF E/E/E E:|
Hermitages were a for a time a fashionable affectation of the rich, derived from the court of Louis XV of France who built a retreat as a place of refuge from the excesses of Versailles and called it L'Hermitage, explains Derek Hoy. The fad spread through Europe until many landed aristocrats had rustic looking, cave-like hermitages tucked into remote corners of their estates. Hoy states that those who could afford it might also employ a hermit to occupy the crude dwelling, although finding a genuine hermit was not always so easy. One hermit was employed to staff a noble hermitage and offered steady wages with full board and lodging, on the condition that he never cut his hair or shave his beard. Perhaps second thoughts set in, however, for soon after receiving his first paycheck the new hermit deserted the enterprise and fled without explanation.
Dunkeld Hermitage refers specifically to a small forest or wood that was planted (by the Dukes of Atholl in the 18th century) specifically to grow certain types of trees, reveals Richard Allardice. He also notes the hermitage at Dunkeld is the most famous in Scotland, over 400 years in age, and is primarily Scots pine, although many trees have been replaced with other coniferous species. The Hermitage is situated above a spectacular waterfall on the River Braan, and today boasts some of the tallest trees in Britain.
