Whereabouts of Buthkollidar, nr Dunoon

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi again, Jap,
Peripheral vision is a marvellous thing at times too!  It really must be very frustrating living on the other side of the world trying to get at ancestral info. without the help of the internet;  I'll certainly have a good poke about in the Dunoon area when I eventually get there and look up anything that might be of interest to you. (Can't promise when).  I believe the 1851 and 1861 Censuses are not on the ScotlandsPeople site yet, but can be viewed for the local area in Dunoon itself in the Museum or Library there (can't precisely remember which without checking.)
Mind you, on behalf of another (extremely) esteemed Rootschatter recently I had a lovely time in mid-Wales studying gravestones and a possible ancestral dwelling, gathering the info, only to discover that she'd given me an incorrect name to chase down.
But I had fun, nonetheless...
Keith

[Thrall]

Hi Keith, My g.grandfather was Duncan Campbell, and in fact I only found details of his birth last week in the Scottish Archives in Edinburgh - there were 9 pages of minutes of the kirk session meetings at Kilchrennan in 1845-6 on Loch Awe re his paternity - just goes to show that records can be found though no birth is registered. He was married to Margaret Moyes Dick in 1873, and seems to have moved to Buthkollidar between 1875 and 1877, with one daughter, and 3 children being born in B., my grandfather being named  Duncan as myself. They moved up the road  to Dunoon (to a bigger house?) sometime after 1886, and to Innellan before 1901. I tried to find out when these gardener's/coachman's houses were built without much success, but am very impressed by how old they are for concrete dwellings, perhaps some of the first in Scotland. Manifold seems to have been leesing Buthkollidar in 1882, but have bought it before 1886. In the valuation roll then, it is spelled Buth-Kollidar. If you go up there, tread very carefully, as the occupants of the left house are very sensitive about photos etc.; best to have a word first, then you´ll probably be invited in for a cup of tea! The only other feature that remains to my knowledge, is a very tall tree which used to stand in front of the big house and is now behind the row of small houses. The view is wonderful of the Clyde and over to the far shore; this was a fairly prosperous area in the second half of the 19th century, and easy to commute to Glasgow by ferry and train; took less than an hour. I was told that there are caves on the shore, under the garage which were possibly used by Kollid the pirate. I went there two years ago and stayed a few days scratching around as my father was brought up in Innellan, so ask if you have any further questions. One from myself: how are you related to Dyson, and how did he arrive in Buthkollidar?

Best wishes,

Thrall

[Keith Sherwood]

Thrall,
Thanks so much for all that on-the-spot detail about Buthkollidar, and for warning me about possible local reaction to an "intruder"!
Gt-gt-grandfather Daniel Dyson's first wife, Isabella, died at an early age of TB in the Liverpool area in 1848.  He remarried in 1849, and I am beginning to think that as early as 1851 he may have moved to the Dunoon area. (no sign of him in the 1851 English Census). This may have been because this part of Britain was supposed to be good for TB sufferers, or more likely that the man John Manifold for whom he was a gardener at Buthkollidar was also from Liverpool, and might have asked Daniel to move up there. (Having perhaps known him in Liverpool before he, John Manifold, retired as a merchant and moved to Scotland)
Daniel Dyson had been a gardener in Wavertree, near Liverpool, on both his 1843 and 1849 marriages.  Much of this is guesswork based on the rather threadbare early facts...
Very best wishes,
Keith

[Thrall]

Hi Keith, after a pause for reflection and now correction.

An eminent Scottish place name scholar has the following to say, thus discounting more or less the theory proposed to me on my visit some years ago:

 First element looks more like modern Sc Gaelic bùth _shop_, rather than both _hut, bothy_ etc. Re second element, various meanings quoted from other sources by McLean 1985, 35-6, including cùiltear _smuggler, skulker. Dwelly (most comprehensive Gaelic-English dictionary) has coilleadair, see coinnealair, _tallow-chandler, candle-maker, which starts to look much more plausible.
 
   
Just to round things off for the present!

Best wishes,

Thrall

P.S. Have you been up to visit yet, Keith?

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi again, Thrall,
Yes I did, last July...But as a matter of fact I'm returning with my family at the end of August to see the Cowal Games.  Hoping to have a bit of time to potter about and follow a few genealogical footprints,
Regards, keith
Very interesting bit of place name research on your behalf, by the way - many thanks for that!

[Merideth]

Hello Keith, just as a side line to this thread, the Cowal Games shop on Hillfoot st was my GGrandfather and Grandfathers plumbers shop, they both were called Hugh Stewart and both served on the games committee.  Several years ago my mother and aunt presented a prize at the games in honor of my grandfather after he had passed away so I would love to hear about your trip when you get back. Cheers Merideth (Australia)

[Keith Sherwood]

Merideth,
Fascinating piece of personal family history!  Will take my camera (of course) and will PM you when I get back at the beginning of September...
Regards,
keith

[prophetess]

Hi,  Just reading throgh the posts, and if you need any photo's done (weather Permitting) I would be more than happy too ,
Since I live in the Area,
Keith let me know how long you will be in Dunoon for, might manage to help with the Balaclava /Bullwood area if you need it
Syb

[museum man 2]

Castle House Museum has full plans of the area and all the land transactions in exceptional detail which have taken place since what was Dunoon Estate was sold off in feus. If you intend to visit to have a look at these it may be as well to make sure that I am there.

Name probably means place of the woodsman's hut( Angus McLean, Placenames of Cowal)

 Telephone      01369 701422
website     www. castlehousemuseum.org.uk
email          info[at]castlehousemuseumm.org.uk (replace [at] with @)