Where is Caolasraide or Coalasraide, Argyll?

[Shirley Crampton]

My Crawford and Fletcher ancestors apparently came from Caolasraide or Coalasraide, Argyll.  I found references to both names in Google but can't find it in any Scottish gazatteers.  Does anyone know where it is?

[Craclyn]

Looks like it may have Gaelic origins. Try genuki website and look for place names in Argyll. I think I remember seeing several names that started with Coalas.

[Gadget]

Hi and Welcome 

Could it be  Caolas Rahuaidh, Morven?  It's listed in the OS place names on Scotlands Places: 

http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/ordnance-survey-name-books/place-names/Argyll?page=12&class=county&id=3


Gadget

Added - just found this:  http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2055874

[iancraw]

My family has been looking for the elusive Caolasraide  for years.  My great great grandfather John Crawford was born in Caolasraide  in 1801 and emigrated to Ontario, Canada in the 1830s.  We understand Caolasraide is in South Knapdale, Argyll, Scotland and family legend said it was a fishing village.  Many families in the area I come from in Ontario originated from Caolasraide.  One farm in Poplar Hill, Ontario even had the name Caolasraide. I was told 30 years ago my aunt wrote to a university in Scotland trying to locate Caolasraide  and they sent her  an article from our local Ontario paper that was about people who originated from Caolasraide but they had no further information.

[IMBER]

Hi Iancraw

If your great great grandfather was born in this location then I take it you may have some form of record backing this up. If so then this might be a useful start in pinning down this elusive place. What is the source of your information?

Imber

[Skoosh]

Caolis means the narrows so in South Knapdale this would surely apply to somewhere on West Loch Tarbert ot Loch Killisport, which itself means Loch Caolisport. At the head of the loch is Ceann Loch Caolisport.

Shirley, I'm using a 2" to the mile map, much more detail available on the National Library website.

http://maps.nls.uk/os/

Skoosh.

[iancraw]

The best information we have about John Crawford's birthplace is found in "Some Sketches of the Early Highland Pioneers of the County of Middlesex" originally published in 1904 by the Gaelic Society of Toronto was republished in 1979 by Ottawa Canadian Heritage Publication. Page 35 indicates John Crawford came from Caolasraide in 1835. The information found on page 34 is indicated this information came from from Donald Campbell who was the father in-law of Duncan Crawford (John's son). According to this book a large number of immigrants to Caradoc and Lobo townships came from Caolasraide. Page 15 of this book locates Caolasraide in South Knapdale.

[Gadget]

somewhere on West Loch Tarbert ot Loch Killisport,

A while ago just after I did my first post on this thread, I found the baptism of someone who was said to be from Coalasriade. The baptism was in the parish of  Kilcalmonell and  Kilberry. This ties in with Skoosh's deduction. Couldn't find it on the Nat Lib 6 ins OS maps.

Gadget

[iancraw]

Thank you for the postings, Gagdet's posting was the first time I have come across a Scottish reference for Coalasraide.  Up to now all my references have been Canadian.
From 1790 to 1799 the British government developed a Statistical Account of Scotland by Parish. This can be found at www.stat-accscot.edina.ac.uk. Follow the links to Argyll and select the South Knapdale parish to see information about this area. I also looked at he KIlacalmonell and Kilberry parish but there are no mentions of Coalasraide.  However these documents do give an impression of life in the area at the end of the 18th century.