Here is my transcription of (I believe) my ancestor’s baptism record:
‘March. 7. 1712.
‘Gregor Mcgregor alias Jo: [John] Grame in Ruskanach & Janet McFarl
-an spouse had a lawful son baptized called John Witnesses
Dugal Grame and John Mcfarlan in Corgrinan’
I also have an image of the baptism of John’s older brother, Dugal (1708), in which the name is written twice and clearly spelt, “Ruskanach”.
I’ve identified the maternal grandfather’s home, “Corgrinan”, as “Corriegrennan”, a farm visible on modern maps about a mile south-west of Loch Ard. I’m thinking that the other witness, Dugal Grame, the paternal grandfather, either lived at or came from Comer farm at the opposite end of Glen Dhub. (In written histories, Dougal McGregor alias Graeme/Graham was the son of “Gregor of Comer”.) About halfway between was the township of Ballimore, the main meeting place for people living in and around the glen.
Apart from in the baptism record, the only other place I’ve seen the name “Rusk[e][a]nach” is in an online excerpt from Burke’s, A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain, which says it is part of Craigrostan estate: “... extending to a ten pound land of old extent, comprehending the lands of Ruskenach, Knockeild, Rouchoishe, Collneish, Auchinroy, Ashland, Cluckbug [truly!], Inversnaid, Polchrae, &c,...”
In W H Murray’s biography of Rob Roy he describes the extent of Craigrostan as: “... about 6720 acres... It extended from the Allt Rostan near the head of Loch Lomond eight miles down the eastern shore to near Rowardennan, including the entire west flank of Ben Lomond, its northern spurs, and the west end of Loch Arklet”.
I’m wondering if “Ruskenach” could be an old version of the name “Rinzoorach”. According to Canmore maps there are ruins of buildings near the modern day Rinzoorach Burn. And, according to Issue 36 of ‘Strathard News’, March 2007 (
www.strathardnews.com, part of a series of articles titled ‘Local Names in the Parish of Aberfoyle’, by Louis Stott): ‘In Glen Dubh occupants of the glen would be tenants of Montrose, probably through the tacksmen. There was probably still some community organisation and the Tom-a-mhoid (Moot Hill) at Ballimore, the big township, may well have remained the central meeting point for the glen, even if it was only to decide when the cattle and other livestock would be moved from the low ground to the summer grazings behind the Bein Bhan. There the airidh (summer houses) can still be found. Rinzoorach and Glashlet still have traces of them.’
Rinzoorach farm would have been roughly equidistant from Corriegrennan and Comer.
Craigrostan certainly extended down far enough, but whether it went east enough I’m not sure. And “Ruskenach” equalling “Rinzoorach” might be a bit of a stretch. Having said that, “Scotlands Places” says, “The name [Rinzoorach] is a corrruption of Gaelic which cant be interpreted satisfactorily”, so perhaps the two names could mean the same place.
Any help in positively locating this place would be very much appreciated.
Cheers, Peter