knockando house

[cjoneill]

gday

on a recent trip to scotland i went to visit a building where it is believed that my gg grandfather worked called knockando house.even though it is on all maps in the area of moray i cant find out anything about it on the web.would someone be able to tell me a bit about its history or maybe someone who worked or lived there.

cheers cj

[Nutty1966]

Hi

what was your ancestor's job do you know??  I tried a search and everything seems to come back to a distillery
also can see it spelt as knockdhu   look at this page,  i can also see a knockando woolmill, that has a great page full of facts.

good luck

Jane

[mitchell]

Hi cj,

Have you looked here http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp

This is a terrific site for all things Morayshire and it would be worthwhile contacting them for help. There are entries for Knockando House if you search in the Places link though it's mainly plans and maps.
Also try typing in your gg grandfather's name in the People link you might find him there.

I also noticed that you have Grant in your profile...my gg grandmother was Margaret Grant born 3 Feb 1822 Mortlach. Her father was William Grant born about 1784 Inveravon, died 22 Nov 1877 Dufftown. I wondered if you have any connection to them. 

Elaine

[cjoneill]

hi elaine
 
no connection that i know of.i have an elizabeth grant born1861 in knockado whose parents were a charles grant and mary margach.she had 2 brothers john and charles born in the 1850s. thats all that i have on them at this stage.

cj

[Forfarian]

According to the 1881 census the occupant was a William E Cattley, aged 62 and unmarried, a 'Landed Proprietor' born in England.

The IGI lists William Esdaile Cattley, baptised 9 July 1819 at Chipping Barnet, Hertfordshire, son of William Cattley and his wife Hannah.

LIBINDX http://libindx.moray.gov.uk/mainmenu.asp says that William Esdaile Cattley or Cautley, laird of Edderton and Rosehill, died at Edderton House [Tain, Ross and Cromarty] on 16 January 1888. You could get an image of his death certificate at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

The 'Places' search on LIBINDX produces a whole list of references to Knockando House, the earliest dating from 1791.

[Forfarian]

I tried a search and everything seems to come back to a distillery
also can see it spelt as knockdhu  

I am not surprised that you are going nutty, Jane! There are or were several distilleries in the parish of Knockando, including Cardhu/Cardow, Tamdhu, Imperial, Dailuaine and .... Knockando. At Knockandhu, which is a different place, near Tomintoul, there is Tamnavulin/Tomnavoulin Distillery. There is also the Knockdhu Distillery at Knock near Huntly.

Knockando Woollen Mill is just beside Tamdhu and Knockando distilleries. It was a losing finalist on the BBC 'Restoration' programme a year or two ago.

[cjoneill]

hi forfarian

thanks for the info on knockando house you have helped me out once again.

cheers cj

[cjoneill]

hi jane

thanks for having a look for me im very grateful

cheers cj

[Alasdair1954]

Just joined this site and saw your query about Knockando House. The Moray history sites suggested by other readers are your best bet for its past.

Basically it was (and is) the "Big Hoose", home of the local Estate Owner - in this case Knockando Estate. In the 1940s/1950s it was in the hands of Major Whitelaw (a relation, I believe, of Willie Whitelaw, who was a Conservative Cabinety Minister in the 1980s). After he died it passed into the hands of the Wills family (of tobacco fame). Not sure of the current owner. My father worked for Major Whitelaw in the 1950s. The Estate owns most of the land round about, farms and forest and moorland. The East Mains and West Mains farms are what elsewhere would be called the Home Farm of the Estate.

I notice one of the names you are interested in is Margach. The local Village Hall (or Parish Hall, I suppose in Knockando, there being no village as such), is called the Margach Hall, presumably after a benefactor.

Knockando still has a Primary School, a Church (and Graveyard), three Whisky Distilleries (Cardow, Tamdhu and Knockando - the latter is still usually called "Gilbeys" locally, after the company that owned it for most of the 20th Century, and Cardow is usually CARDHU once it is bottled). Dhu is the Gaelic word for Black - Cnoc or Cnocan is a small hill, so "Knockando" is a small black hill or hillock. Locally there are several similar Gaelic place names (including Tamdhu, which is basically the same thing) and the numerous Anglified versions of Blackhillock.

Regards

Alasdair