Death of former Crieff farmer David Scougall, 72

By Lindsay Bruce

February 21 2023, 10:00am

David Scougall, whose family lived and worked on Raith Farm near Crieff.

Farmer, footballer and father-of-two, David Scougall of Crieff, has died aged 72.

Farming family

Born on December 19 1950, David William Scougall was the third of four children for David and Isa Scougall.

The family lived and worked on Raith Farm, Madderty, Crieff. A “small, traditional mixed farm” they cultivated the land and reared both cattle and sheep.

With Jack born in 1945, and Graham in 1948, David was the final boy for the couple before Wendy arrived in 1962.

A young David Scougall on the knee of his mother, with his father and older brothers beside them.

David attended Trinity Gask Primary School then went on to Morrison’s Academy in Crieff. After secondary school he studied at Elmwood Agricultural College in Cupar.

“David was much older than me but I always knew him to be an intelligent and well rounded boy. He always had an interest in science and after college he returned to the family farm,” said Wendy Greenlees, David’s sister.

‘The ferret’

However, it wasn’t just science that kept his attention. A keen footballer from an early age, David played for Crieff Earngrove for many years. Though he opted for golf as he got older.

“A friend who first saw David play at 16 said he was a wee slim fellow, but really fast. It earned him the nickname The Ferret,” Wendy added. “He was also good at darts and pool. He won trophies over the years in local tournaments.”

With the cheeky smile he was known for, David Scougall of Raith Farm.

A “fun-loving person with a winning smile” David enjoyed an active social life in his youth. He enjoyed attending Young Farmers dances and parties at friends’ houses. Music always played a big part in his life.

“David and my other brother Jack built themselves a Mini in the 1970s. Its best feature – to them – was the old eight-track stereo they installed. Me and my cousins were always warned not to put our feet down in certain places in case we pulled the wires out,” said Wendy.

Raith Farm

David spent most of his working life at at Raith Farm. He and his brother Graham became business partners with their parents. However, David’s education and knowledge of agronomy helped him take a leading role at times.

In the 1970s he bred pedigree sheep and was known for being skilled in lambing and calving.

Wendy added: “One of the other things his old football friends said was that being a farm boy the farm always came first. He was always having to run home early from practice or dart away if something happened.”

In 1984 David married Janice Watters. Though they later divorced they had two daughters. Claire was born in 1991 and in 1994 Lauren completed their family.

Huntington’s disease

David’s dad was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease in 1993. which led members of the family to be tested for the debilitating, inherited condition.

Though David didn’t do this, he did begin showing symptoms.

By the late 1990s the family made the decision to sell the farm.

David and his family moved into Crieff and he took on a job checking street lighting.

Huntington’s – a genetic condition that damages nerve cells in the brain causing them to stop working properly.- tended to be a late onset disease for the Scougall family. However, David was unlucky.

In happier times, David Scougall, who lived in Madderty for most of his life.

“It tends to vary in severity from family to family. In one sense we were fortunate because it tends to come on later in our family but David was really unlucky in that he had some mini bleeds on the brain followed by an abscess on his brain in 2014,” Wendy explained.

Gruelling surgeries followed, which the family were told he’d likely not survive.

“We began thinking he was made of rubber, because he kept bouncing back,” said Wendy. “Though it did cause a lot of brain damage. It compounded his health problems.”