About Us On purchasing the Crown hotel, Callander Youth Project (CYP) successfully applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund, which enabled us to fund a project about "The History of The Crown Hotel and the Future of Youth".

We are a group of people from McLaren High School, other groups and people who work for CYP. We have made a DVD and a website to make people aware of what we are all about.

Setting the Scene: Callander before 1740 We work in Callander, live in Callander but do we really know Callander?

The name "Callander" comes from the Gaelic Calastaid. Behind the Gaelic origin may lie the Latin "Collis" meaning hill, and "Strata" a way or road. Variants are Kaledrach (1322), Calatrad (1430), and Callendrath (1548).

Pre-history There are several archaelogical sites in the Callander area. In the summer of 2001 an early Neolithic site was excavated on the Claish farm. This was evidence of the first farming communities around 4,000BC! Also, at Auchenlaich Farm to the east of Callander, Scotland's largest chambered cairn (320m) was officially recorded. Several Iron Age forts are to be seen at Dunmore (or Taraduin) west of Callander, and at Auchenlaich and Torrie farms to the east

Romans To the west of Callander are the earthwork remains of a first century Roman camp built during the campaigns of Agricola. The straight lines of the square earthworks can be clearly seen on Bochastle Farm between the River Leny and the old railway embankment.

Christian Missionaries St. Kessogg, a disciple of Columba of Iona, preached and taught in this area in the sixth century AD. The mound beside the River Teith, and adjacent to the old Parish Graveyard is known in Gaelic as "Tom na Chessaig", meaning "The Hill of Kessogg", and by tradition open air services have taken place on this spot from time to time.

Later, a Celtic church (Cell of St. Chug or Luag) was established at Kilmahog, a mile or so to the west of Callander.

On a small mound near the "Meetings" (of rivers Leny and Vennachar) an Augustinian mission station from Inchmahome on the Lake of Menteith, was established in the 13th Century and nearby is a high walled enclosure, the ancient burial ground of the Buchanans of Leny. In time, these early foundations merged with the pre-reformation church in Callander sited in what is now the old Parish graveyard, next to Tom na Chessaig.

16th Century and 17th Century In the 16th century the land around Callander belonged to the Livingstones of Calendar Park near Falkirk. They had a tower house (or keep) on the south bank of the river Teith beside the former Parish Church manse.

Later in the 17th century the lands around Callander became part of the Drummond Estates administrated from Drummond Castle near Crieff. Their hunting lodge built in 1625 still remains as the Roman Camp Hotel, just across the Livingstones Tower House.

The lives of the people were organised around the parish church (St. Kessog's), which was originally adjacent to the old church yard at the road bridge which is now over the river Teith. The church was later moved to Anquaster Square, which is now the Rob Roy Centre. The Minister was much respected, he looked out for the poor and the sick, and made sure the people in his parish were 'godly'.

18th Century The original village of Callander was where Bridge End now is. In 1739 a plan by the Duke of Perth was produced showing the layout of the new town of Callander on the other side of the river. This did not occur until the 1770's.