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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Sutherland => Topic started by: pam4kids on Thursday 14 March 13 22:17 GMT (UK)
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I am running into a brick wall with my 4 great grandfather born abt 1759 married to Ann(Nancy) Morrison 1793 and emigrated to PEI around 1803. He settled in the French River area.
Thanks!
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I take it you know that he was a private in the Reay Fencible Highlanders, and that his wife was sixth daughter of John Morrison, the son of William the son of Hugh?
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Welcome to Rootschat but the link only works if you have an Ancestry subsciption. (probably best to keep you details there private/by invitation).
Can you give us an idea of what you need help with so we can either find information or suggest where you could search next.
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Sorry about that. I'm a beginner on here. I have the world deluxe with ancestry.com. Also I'm not a beginner. I've been stuck on this since 2009. I have the Parish record but there seems to be no record of his father and mother. Is there anyone who has cemetery inscriptions in that parish or records?
Thanks!
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I know about Kenneth and the Reay Fencibles but I just checked Ann Morrison and I only have her going back to John Morrison. I've been looking more at the Macleod side right now but, thanks, I'll check the Morrison side.
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The absence of any patronymic attached to your ancestor's name in the parish records suggests that he might be an incomer to the parish of Durness, or at least that his roots were not too deep. I see he is the only Kenneth McLeod in the muster roll of the Reay Fencibles.
The story of the regiment and of its service in Ireland (published 1914) is available online free of charge - it's called "An Old Highland Fencible Corps". If you're struggling to find it let me know and i can send you it as a .pdf
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Thank you!! I'll go check that out! :)
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"Is there anyone who has cemetery inscriptions in that parish or records?"
I suspect his grave is one of the many whose inscription cannot be read. There is a legible grave of an Angus McLeod, who died in 1848 aged 71. If he was your ancestor's brother (feasible, but not certain) then his father was Angus MacLeod alias MacNish bain (son of Angus), a tenant in Achunahanait; wives' names were not inserted onto the parish register till 1779
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Maybe DNA will get me closer. I'm trying to convince my brother to do it.
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A potentially better lead might be Neil McLeod, who lived in Sango, as did your ancestor Kenneth. He fathered daughters named Isobel in 1772, and Janet in 1775. There were a number of male McLeods fathering children in Durness at the time, but parish records do not exist in any written form before Reverend Thomson started them in November 1764
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Wow! Thank you. This gives me something to work with! Is there someplace I should be looking?
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Hew Morrison's Parish Register of Durness 1764-1814 (pub Scottish record Society 1911) is available free of charge online
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http://archive.org/details/scottishrecordso26scotuoft
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I have a copy of that in my files. Kinda hard to figure the names and the aliases etc! I'll just have to try!! :-D
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If you have (a) a rudimentary knowledge of Gaelic names, (b) a printed paper copy, and (c) a decent understanding of parish geography, then it takes about an hour and a bit to get the hang of it.
TOP TIP: Do not try to work off a screen in working out families - you're bound to miss somebody or put somebody on the wrong tree - paper and coloured marker pens work far better.
Okay...let's play detective.
Your ancestor is Kenneth McLeod from Sangobeg, who married Ann Morrison, daughter of John the son of William the son of Hugh in Islandhall. What or where is Islandhall? On a modern map it's called Eilean Hoan - it's been uninhabited since the early 19th century, but was tenanted for sheep for many years, and the shepherd's cottage can still be seen. Landing a boat on the mainland, you would beach at...Sangobeg. That fits perfectly.
Kenneth has no patronymic. This suggests either or both of (a) he was an incomer, or (b) his name was rare enough in the parish that there was no-one he could be confused with. Likewise, Neil McLeod from Sango is the only "Neil" in the parish register. His residence fits with Kenneth's, and the last listed child he fathered was in February 1775. A mother giving birth over sixteen to twenty years was fairly commonplace. Kenneth McLeod the son of Neil would be enough of a rarity not to need a further identifier, so I think he's your man...
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Great detective work!! Amazing!
;D
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If Janet (b.1775) lived till she was eighty, then her death would have to be recorded in the new Register of BDMs that came into force at the start of 1855. If so, that would disclose her mother and father's names. It's a long shot, but that's how I found the name of my great great great great grandfather Teárlach MacAllister's wife - one of his daughters, born in 1772, lived until 1870, so her parents' details are recorded.
I cannot find any trace of a marriage for *your* Janet McLeod in the Durness records though - there are two other Janets, one in Sango, who married Murdo McPherson in 1790, was widowed, and remarried the scooolmaster John McDonald in 1800. Janet the daughter of Neil is too young to have married in 1790, so this Janet (daughter of Donald) seems to be an aunt or older cousin. The only other Janet McLeod is in Achunahanait, on the opposite side of the parish, a good two hours walk from Sangobeg in the days when there were no roads on that side of the village
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Kenneth's son, my 3rd great grandfather is George MacLeod born about 1801. He died in Irishtown, Lot 20, PEI. They came to PEI when George was 9 (1808), I think. I don't know how much that helps. All the history I have was retrieved from the Island Register and one of the researchers there has provided as much as she can. We are related, I found out, so I stick with her as far as validity of conclusions. She refuses to document anything beyond Kenneth without solid records. This is fine with me but I would really like to go further back. I've been looking at the parish records and was wondering if they were mandatory or did people just go to Rev Thomson?
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While there was no legal obligation to register births, in a solidly Calvinist Presbyterian community it would be a rash parent who would not have their child baptised in the sight of God; the number of births recorded annually fits reasonably with a community of around 1200 people, so it's reasonable to assume virtually every live birth in the parish is recorded.
Prior to 1764, you are wholly dependent on patronymics, as to call the previous village records (e.g. the 1693 Hearth Tax records) scanty is doing them a favour.
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George McLeod, son of Kenneth McLeod of Sangobeg and Ann Morrison was baptised on 15th February 1801 - this suggests that the Reay Fencibles (or some of them) were still in Durness in late spring 1800
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So are you saying that your conclusion that Neil MacLeod is Kenneth's father would be based on the evidence? So unless someone came forward with documented records, this would be just an assumption and put that name in your tree? Where else would you find any records other than the ones you know of? Oral history? Is it possible there would be a book written about the area with mention of the families living there? I tried googling that and came up with nothing significant. Have you ever seen DNA pinpointing an area or tree? Or possibly a specific MacLeod branch?
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There are no better documented records anywhere. We are all dependent on Rev Thomson's records.
In support of Neil McLeod, there are -
1. The relative rarity of McLeods in Durness (approximately four or five adult males in the 1760s)
2. His locality in Sango
3. His fathering children within fifteen years or so of your ancestor's putative date of birth
4. Your ancestor marrying somebody with a remarkably close geographical link to a tiny township of a few dozen people
It's definitely not proved beyond reasonable doubt, but on balance of probabilities I'd say he's your man. The other McLeods (except Donald from Sango, who also had a daughter Janet) are in Achunahanait, which is close to the Kyle of Durness or miles to the west by Hope. There simply is no better feasible candidate.
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Thank You!! So my puzzle has been solved!
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Now I'm confused. I added Neil MacLeod to my tree on ancestry and went to search for records. There are marriage records for a Neil MacLeod living in Saingo, Sutherland, Scotland in 1772 and Isobel is the wife. Then there is another record, same place in 1775 and the wife is Janet. The records are from the parish. Also, many, many of the trees there have Donald as the father with many kids and one is Kenneth. Catherine MacDonald is his wife. Marriage, Isle of Skye, 1769. And Donald dies 1830 in Durness. I don't want to monopolize your time but you've been most helpful.
Another tree has their marriage date as 7 June 1775 at Balamhulich, Sutherland, Scotland.
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There is no marriage in the Durness records in 1772 of Neil McLeod to Isobel; someone has misunderstood the birth record for Isobel (seven years before the wife's name was added), and assumed she was a wife not a daughter. Neil McLeod married Janet Morrison in 1775.
I suspect Donald was his elder brother; he also lived in Sango and had a daughter Janet nin Dholicloid; however as she married Murdoch McPherson in 1790 she cannot be *your* Janet. I cannot comprehensively rule Donald out as Kenneth's father, but I'd reckon Neil is a far better candidate
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I have been following this thread with interest but I am puzzled. Did you mean to say that Neil Macleod had a daughter, Janet, in 1775; rather than he married a Janet in 1775? It seems likely that he married ca. 1755, i.e. before the OPR commenced.
Ian Morrison
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Yes; it is a matter of record that Neil McLeod from Sango fathered two daughters, one in 1772 and one (Janet) in 1775. His marriage predates the OPR commencing in 1764. Women bearing children for over fifteen years (and thus likely to be giving birth in their mid-40s) are far from rare in the Durness records.
Kenneth McLeod's father could be Donald, rather than Neil, but there's no reference to him as MacDholi, so I'm not convinced he's a better putative father than Neil
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I'm back again with a new question. I know that Kenneth and Ann's first son's name was John. Wouldn't a John McLeod be Kenneth's father? Kenneth's 2nd son (my 3rd great grandfather) was George (wife is Sophia McKay). My 2nd great grandfather is John and my great grandfather is John McKay McLeod. I was told that the tradition was that the first son born would be named after the father's father. Then the 2nd son would be named after the maternal grandfather. Can you make any sense of this?
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Pam: I didn't read the previous pages (too busy at the moment). However, while most families followed the traditional naming pattern, not all did.
If your family did, and Kenneth named his first son "John", Kenneth's father's name was most likely John. And, yes, Kenneth's second son, George, should have been named after his maternal grandfather. If so, that grandfather should have been a "George"
You do not say which number-of-son your 2xgg and your gg were so it's not possible to confirm that they followed the pattern with them. Do you know?
Ian
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Ian,
They did not follow the naming pattern unfortunately. My 2nd great Grandfather John was second born with Kenneth being firstborn brother. My great grandfather was the only son and he is also John.
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Pam:
That's unfortunate, but even if they had, relying upon this to positively identify Kenneth's father would be a bit risky. As mentioned previously, you do know the the names of Ann's ancestors through her patronymic: Father: John; Grandfather: William; G.Grandfather: Hugh.
(There is a possibility that this is also my line but I have not been able to confirm it. My line is: Hugh Morrison: Father: John; Grandfather; William; G.Grandfather: Hugh; G.G.Grandfather: Hector- red)
Ian
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I am back still trying to figure out Kenneth McLeod's (1759-1840) ancestors. A lot of trees have Donald MacLeod and Catherine MacDonald as his parents. So for the past year I have tried to find out about this new found sources. I see that Donald MacLeod was born in 1740 on the Isle of Skye and married Catherine Macdonald 1769 and died in Durness around 1840. Anybody on here want to comment?
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Pam: As you've probably discovered already there is no marriage listed anywhere in Scotland between a man named Donald MacLeod and a woman named MacDonald. Doesn't mean your information is wrong but you need to be cautious about accepting it as proved.
The cemetery at Balnakeil also doesn't include a legible gravestone for your Donald, and there are no surviving death records for the parish. While weathering and storm damage means that numerous graves are now wholly illegible, the biggest problem is that they are the only reliable source of death information pre-1855.
There are of course numerous men called Donald MacLeod in the parish records, including two brothers with the same name (and both MacNishbhain - sons of fair-haired Angus), but none listed as from Skye or married to a Catherine MacDonald
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I have on my ancestry tree, that Donald is a possibility. So how does one go farther back? Just give up? I would think with all the children that Kenneth and Ann Mcleod had, that someone would at least have an oral history somewhere online. I guess I'm just too impatient.
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Here is something worth looking at re MacLeod surname:
http://thepeerage.com/surname_index.htm
Annie
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Oral history dating back to the 18th century will have passed through numerous retellings over the generations. What is certain is that the MacLeods were established in the MacKay country well before the mid-18th century. The MacDonalds, though, were much later arrivals. Tradition has it that they originated in Sleat on Skye. In the 1750s the absentee MacDonald landlords tried to sell tenants into slavery - this failed but the collapse of order led to mass migration. A large number settled in Scourie and a small number did reach Durness by the 1780s.
As the MacLeods were also largely a Hebridean clan, a marriage of a male MacLeod to a female MacDonald in Skye, followed by a migration to the mainland is clearly feasible, but record keeping in Skye prior to 1800 is remarkably poor save that of the clan chieftains.
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Thanks Annie I'll check that out! And thank you Djct59 for the history lesson!!
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Hello Pam4kids,
I hope you receive this, I'm a descendant of George MacLeod and Sophia McKay as well, although by their son Kenneth. I'm wondering what interest you might have in Sophia's father John's roots? He was a blacksmith who died in Durness in 1811 and his wife Ann Calder remarried and she and her children and their stepfather moved to Prince Edward Island in 1815 (as I'm sure you know) where Ann died a yr. later in 1816. There are traditions and rumours that John was related to and descended from clan chieftains. Do you anything about that? I write about some of what I've been told and read here in the 2nd and 3rd large paragraphs beginning with "Update: Apr. 2017" https://www.flickr.com/photos/97924400@N00/9570573637/stats/
The seemingly 'well researched' study posted online that I refer to is this here.: http://www.islandregister.com/mackay9.html Please let me know what you think.
I'm interested in Kenneth MacLeod and Ann (aka Nancy) Morrison as well.
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Hello to all. I am also a descendant of Kenneth MacLeod and Ann Morrison. Their daughter Ann MacLeod married James Pidgeon in PEI in 1823 and my lineage is directly connected through them. I am following this with great interest as I too went back as far as I could to Kenneth and no further. Kenneth and family came to Canada aboard the Elizabeth and Ann in 1806 with three other MacLeod families namely John, Hugh and another John. John MacLeod b.1761 and his wife Mary MacPherson has been proven to be the brother of Kenneth through John's will in which he leaves his farm adjoining his brother Kenneth's to two of his sons. Connections to other MacLeod's of PEI have yet to be determined. I would love to connect and share our findings with one another in the hopes of gaining a greater perspective of our shared heritage. Cheers.
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Hi ! My 4th great grandparents are Kenneth and Ann MacLeod also! I only got as far as the parish records. For at least 8 yrs I’ve been trying to find Kenneth’s father. A lot of people put Donald And Catherine MacLeod as the parents. Donald was from Trotternish. Hope we can share some ideas.
Pam
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Well met Pam. I would love that. No guarantee that we can get back any further but I am just as interested in the Morison line. I've been to Durness (I live in Ontario, Canada) but have yet to get out to PEI. Let me put some thoughts together for you and I'll post soon! Cheers.
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Well, assuming that the fraternal link betweeen Kenneth and John is established beyond reasonable doubt, that doesn't assist in identifying their father, as Reverend Thomson's records as transcribed by Hew Morrison and published in 1911 give neither man a patronymic.
All that can be said with certainty is that they were nearby tenants, one in Sangobeg, one in Islandhall, and that they were not regarded by Reverend Thomson as requiring their status noted as "incomers" from another parish so the possibility of a father from Trotternish is not strong.
While Ann Morrison's ancestry can be traced back three generations from her marriage record, there is no prospect now of determining from written records who was father of the MacLeod brothers.
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Dear Sir (djct59),
I've checked the 1793 marriage record for Kenneth MacLeod and Ann Morrison available online, and it reads "334. [at top left corner] Kenneth Macleod Tenent in Saingobeg, and Ann Morrison Daughter of John Morrison, alias [unintell. - Marinlem machustian?] on Islandhall were married 19th February [1793]".
I'm fascinated with your information that John is the son of Donald the son of Hugh, and that Kenneth was in the Reay Fencibles. I haven't found a birth record for Ann. Please let me know the source of your info. re John Morrison's father and grandfather, and re Kenneth's employment with the Reay Fencibles, if you would. Thank you very much!!
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My apologies, I misquoted your earlier post. You wrote some years ago that Ann was "the sixth daughter of John Morrison, the son of William the son of Hugh."
Thank you again. I'm fascinated.
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Rw2:
The birth entry on 27th September 1795 in the parish record reads
"Kenneth MacLeod, a little tenent in Saingobeg, presently private in the Reay Fencible Highlanders, and . . . Ann Morison, alias nin Eanmacuilammachustian, Mary Ann".
He left the Fencibles before their formal discharge in 1802, and was back in Sangobeg with his family in 1801
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Very impressive. I understand that the Fencibles fought at the battle of Tara hill. What's the most informative source you might recommend in which I could read about his service?
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Ian Hamilton MacKay Scobie's history of the corps at the turn of thec 18th/19th centuries is now out of copyright and can be located online ay the Open Library- https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7181523M/An_old_highland_fencible_corps
It lists every man who died in the campaign, and everyone still enrolled when the Fencibles disbanded.
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Ann Morison, alias nin Eanmacuilammachustian
Brilliant - daughter of John, granddaughter of William, great-granddaughter of Hugh Morison?
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Wow!! So that's the source! I've tried with 'translator' sites online and haven't had luck translating these aliases. I didn't suspect they'd reveal a geneaology but I should've known. I've JUST found that Ann's mother is a Katherine MacKay who married her John Morison of Islandhall in 1866 (!). She was from Port Chamil, which was on the shore of Loch Erriboll but doesn't seem to have persisted to the current day. She was my great x 6 grandmother and as far as I've gone up my grandmother's (my father's mother's) matrilineal tree, so far.
Katherine MacKay's alias was 'nin Dholicustian'. ? Any idea what that might signify? I'd love to know.
Thank you very much sir for the link to that highly informative book re the Reay Fencibles and their time in Ireland!
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Katherine MacKay's alias was 'nin Dholicustian'. ? Any idea what that might signify?
Maybe daughter of Donald, granddaughter of Hugh Mackay?
It's not an alias, it's a line of descent.
Nin 'daughter of' is the feminine form of the much better known Mac 'son of'.
Dhol sounds like the genitive of Domhnall, the Gaelic version of Donald.
Then comes 'ic' which is an inflected form of 'Mac' - I won't go into the grammar.
And finally 'ustian' which sounds like Uisdean, the Gaelic version of Hugh.
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Forfarian's translation is correct.
John Morison in Eilean Choarie (Islandhall) was MacUilleam Machustain - son of William, grandson of Hugh Morison.
There are no dwelling houses at Port Chamuill now; the land around Loch Suian is very waterlogged and simply not habitable. the land was obviously more habitable in Neolithic times, as there is a stone built souterrain there beneath a hut circle. It was excavated in 1927 by my great-grandfather Donald MacDonald and his son Alexander, under the direction of Dr R. J. Buxton. It is still accessible to this day, although not without difficulty and is very wet inside. You can find photos of the inside online (my camera had a damaged lens so the underground shots I took were not impressive)
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Thank you again! Very, very edifying. Can I ask you (as it seems that you might have roots of your own in the area, and might live nearby, or at least might have visited the area), have you ever visited Eilean Hoan, aka Islandhall, aka Burial Island? Ann Morrison (my great x 5 grandmother) hailed from there as you know, and her father John, and possibly William and Hugh before them, and a great x 4 grandfather Andrew MacPherson (b. 1794) was from Islandhall as well, and his father Angus before him who married (as a "single young lad") Margaret Sutherland, alias nin Sainach (?), widow of Hector Macneilicrory (I believe she'd had 5 children by Hector by the time she married the much younger Angus). (Andrew would marry Kenneth MacLeod [he of Saingobeg] and Ann (Morison) MacLeod's daughter; the two were young pioneers in 'St. John's Isle' which would come to be known as 'Prince Edward Island'. [Unfortunately, Andrew's brother-in-law's son would marry Andrew's daughter years later, a first-cousin marriage. I assume they were left alone together somewhere as young people and one thing led to another.)
The island looks so windswept and flat and exposed, https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eilean+Hoan/@58.5671422,-4.6760862,1394m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48903eaea7e88899:0x3d505e197ce18db!8m2!3d58.567353!4d-4.6755546
although while facing a lovely mountainous setting on the coast. I wonder how many people would have lived there, how challenging their lives must have been. It looks forbidding in the satellite image on google maps; no tree cover at all. Do you have any information about it? I assume there must have been an old cemetery on it, as one of it's names is 'burial island'.
Thank you again!
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Rw2
As I understand it, "Islandhall" is Eilean Choraidh in the shelter of Loch Eriboll. It's also been unihabited for over a hundred years but was sheltered and fertile enough to provide homes and a living quarrying lime for about three families. It was finally abandoned in the 1930s. While very slightly smaller than Eilean Hoan, its location is more hospitable and there were townships by the lochside that could be accessed by boat within minutes. This is the island -
While close to the shore, the currents round it make Eilean Hoan difficult to access. Also the beach opposite is very wide and exposed; fisherman preferred the shelter of narrower inlets. It formerly had one farmstead on it that was abandoned almost two hundred years ago, but it was still used for sheep grazing until more recent times. In the 1950s one of my uncles found himself stuck there overnight after missing the tide. As far as I know it hasn't been used for sheep for many years now. As you say, it's very flat and exposed to the elements. Enough of the old farmstead survives to provide rudimentary protection from the elements, but visiting is not encouraged and is certainly not for an inexperienced sailor/explorer.
There is a belief that the Norse, who called Loch Eriboll Hoanfjord, used the island to bury their dead. There is a smal beach on the south side facing into the fjord, that would be suitable for berthing a small boat.
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Oh dear! I'm much indebted to you now. The strange thing is that I'm pretty sure I recall learning that Islandhall is in Loch Eriboll, but somehow I forgot that and conflated it with Eliean Hoan, and have done for @ a year or so. I'm at a loss as to how. Did I read somewhere since that Eilean Hoan was Islandhall. But I'm a bit relieved tbh to know that those ancestors weren't living in SUCH hardscrabble conditions as it appears they would've been if Islandhall had been Eilean Hoan.
From what you've written in your last reply, can I assume Burial island was Eilean Hoan, not Eilean Choraidh? (You refer to the south side of the island facing into the fjord, but it does for both.)
Thank you again!
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Eilean Hoan
https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NC4467
Eilean Choraidh
https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NC4258
https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NC4257
https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NC4157
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Margaret Sutherland, alias nin Sainach (?).
Again, it's not an alias. It means 'daughter of ...' but I can't think what Sainach would be.
Hector Macneilicrory
Hector, son of Neil, grandson of Roderick.
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Forfarian: Thanks for the photos. The one on Eilean Hoan confirms what I suspected, namely that there was enough shelter for a shepherd to be safe overnight if stuck as my uncle was.
"Sainach" is indeed unusual. It appears once only in Hew Morison's transcript of the parish record, and there is no similar Gaelic word that would make sense in the context of a patronymic. Without looking at the original handwritten record, I would note that Margaret Sutherland is also referred to in the parish records as "MacKenzie", and wonder if it's a misreading of nin Coineach = daughter of Kenneth
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wonder if it's a misreading of nin Coineach = daughter of Kenneth
Ah, possibly.
As you say, you'd need to check the handwritten original.
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Ann Morrison (my great x 5 grandmother) hailed from there as you know, and her father John, and possibly William and Hugh before them, and a great x 4 grandfather Andrew MacPherson (b. 1794) was from Islandhall as well, and his father Angus before him who married (as a "single young lad") Margaret Sutherland, alias nin Sainach (?), widow of Hector
Do you have a copy of the record with "alias nin Sainach" which you could post for us to have a look at & try to decipher?
This is another post on RC you may want to look at...
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=656326.50
Annie
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Here you go.
The first letter looks like a lower case "s", but why would the Minister start a name with a lower case letter? It's nothing like his capital "S". However, I think we can rule out "Coinneach". Thoughts?
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This entry in the DPR confirms that Eilean Choraidh is Island Hall. Having connections to Eilean Hoan you got me worried by the confusion so I checked!
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The first letter looks like a lower case "s", but why would the Minister start a name with a lower case letter? It's nothing like his capital "S". However, I think we can rule out "Coinneach". Thoughts?
It is odd but fwiw, even without a capital, it could be cainach i.e. Kenneth?
Is there anywhere else on the page with a similar letter to the lower case initial we see here?
Annie
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This is wonderful! Thank you dcjt59, Forfarian, Rosinish and Meanno. I'm more impressed and grateful with every post. (I could look for records for a local Margaret Sutherland born to a Kenneth?)
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The book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reay-Country-Sutherland-Farming-Birlinn/dp/1912476274
has a few pages on the history of Eilean Choraidh, how the tenants were cleared for sheep and the island became part of the Eriboll estate sheep farm.
The tenants were relocated to the village of Laid and the book recounts the "shameful affair of the Eilean Choraidh" that took place in 1917/18 when an attempt was made by some of the Laid crofters to bring a part of the island back into cultivation but was disgracefully thwarted by the actions of the Eriboll estate owners in not fencing their sheep who ate the crops. The field they had sown was the best field on the island and "had once yielded eighty bolls of oatmeal, milled by the miller at Bodi-havish" (who was my grx4 grandfather, hence my interest in this account).
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Thank you again, very interesting. I plan to obtain that book.
My ancestors who had lived on the island left @ 1808 I think. But when Ann Morrison married Kenneth MacLeod, it seems she had moved to live with him in Saingobeg. I've learned about Andrew Macpherson's parents from the Durness records, and I don't know when he emigrated or immigrated to PEI. He's buried in the same pioneer cemetery in PEI that his in-laws are buried in.
What I'd most like to learn about the island is it's more interesting earlier, medieval history, how it became known as 'Islandhall', was there a hall on the island at some point, or is that a corruption of the gaelic. Does it feature in any legends or histories or the Vikings or of anyone else. It might have had some prominence as the Loch itself would have had some prominence in ancient times for people in the area.
Thank you again.
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The book doesn't have much on the earlier history of the island I don't think but it is an interesting read anyway for anyone interested in Durness.
King Haakon of Norway visited Eriboll twice in 1263 and there are a number of accounts of those visits online. They weren't friendly visits :(.
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Rw2 you might like to have this distant view of your island. I'm sharing it off Google Drive so you get the full res version. The photo is courtesy of https://uklighthousetour.com/ and was taken in January 2021.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ib7tU3V4sh8uTQs5ZNR7rIn512FRB5pY/view?usp=drivesdk
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No, the island was always sparsely populated and too small to have a hall.
Reverend Thomson, who started keeping the parish records in 1764, was not a native Gaelic speaker and pronounced it phonetically. The word "Choarie" is one of many that confuses non Gaelic speakers. The opening "ch" is not as in "Chicken", but is a soft "h" sound, so it's very roughly "AY-lan Hoo-rie". In local Assynt dialect that's become transposed to a "hall" sound.
The whole story of Laid (Leathad) is a deeply depressing one. The land was so poor that it was unihabited until the 19th century Clearances, but the Eriboll estate then placed several tenants on crofts on which tenants could only eke out a very meagre living. The croft houses were of very rudimentary construction, with some limited power obtainable via windmills. Even as recently as 1978 it was not attached to the National Grid, although it is now a lively little community.
To give an idea of how tough life was: In 1945, when it was still not verified that Adolf Hitler was dead there was much talk about what should happen if he were to be captured. At a meeting of Sutherland County Council it was suggested "Give the bugger a croft on Laid".
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Again I'm fascinated and grateful for the responses. I guess the medieval history of the Durness area might be what I'm interested in, but that's too tall an order for responses in rootschat. That book re the Reay fencibles that you kindly linked to djct59 (thanks again) had much to say re the 18th cent. that was fascinating. It's quite a deep, wide rabbit-hole, but a fun one, this Strathnaver research.
And that's quite a photo you linked to there Meanno, thank you for that too.
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The Book of Mackay might interest you although it's not just about Durness. There is a mention of Island Choary on page 474 in the 1678 rent roll:
https://archive.org/details/bookofmackay00mack/page/474/mode/2up?view=theater
Later: On reflection and considering the original subject of this thread, could it be significant that the tenant of Island Choary in 1678 was a Hector Mcleod?
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Here's a conundrum on the identity of Island Hall:
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A typo? (the reference to Islandhoan). At least the preponderance of evidence is that it's Choarie, and with this welcome info. now from djct59: ""AY-lan Hoo-rie". In local Assynt dialect that's become transposed to a "hall" sound."
I'm just about the check that reference in the Book of MacKay.
Thank you! again!
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Here's a conundrum on the identity of Island Hall:
Why not go back and check the original baptism records in case it's been incorrectly transcribed?
And is there any reason wny they could not have been on one island at one time and the other at a later date?
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The explanation's probably very simple.
Reverend William Findlater took over responsibility for the the parish records very late in 1811. His handwriting was much worse (although the paper he used was also of inferior quality) and his record keeping far inferior to that of Reverend Thomson. It's at this point that several more births start appearing as on Eilean Hoan, so the most likely explanation is that that's what he thought was the correct name of Eilean Choarie.
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The whole story of Laid (Leathad) is a deeply depressing one. The land was so poor that it was unihabited until the 19th century Clearances, but the Eriboll estate then placed several tenants on crofts on which tenants could only eke out a very meagre living. The croft houses were of very rudimentary construction, with some limited power obtainable via windmills. Even as recently as 1978 it was not attached to the National Grid, although it is now a lively little community.
To give an idea of how tough life was: In 1945, when it was still not verified that Adolf Hitler was dead there was much talk about what should happen if he were to be captured. At a meeting of Sutherland County Council it was suggested "Give the bugger a croft on Laid".
There is an interesting description of life in Laid from Donald Mackay, a witness at the Napier Commission in 1883:
http://napier-sutherland.blogspot.com/2010/10/kinlochbervie-sutherland-26-july-1883_27.html
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Thank you again! What an edifying interview, and with a man so well-spoken. Here's an interesting excerpt re local life until the time of the Clearances from the book to which djct59 had posted a link re the Reay Fencibles (from pp.s 15 and 22, An old highland fencible corps : the history of the Reay Fencible Highland Regiment of Foot, or Mackay's Highlanders, 1794-1802, with an account of its services in Ireland during the rebellion of 1798 : Scobie, Ian Hamilton Mackay, 1883).:
"In those days [the 18th cent. and earlier] education, the education of the school, was not much diffused.1 The early training of the Highlander was round the home fireside ; he was taught to revere parents and ancestors, to be faithful to trust, to despise danger, to be respectful to superiors, to fear God and honour the king.2 The scenery round his mountain home excited his imagination and feelings ; adventures by flood and field were congenial and familiar. There were frequent social meetings, or ' ceilidhs,' 3 at which romantic tales and the traditional poetry of his country were rehearsed, where songs of love and war were sung and tales of battle told. New Year's Day (Latha bliadhn'ur), peat-cutting time (Latha buain na moine), harvest homes, Hallowe'en and Christmas (Nollaig), were seasons of great enjoyment. The christening, banquets, and weddings were occasions of much gratification and delight." ..." Few or no strangers were seen in the northern parts of Sutherland. The Government itself seemed to be oblivious of its geographical position, as no exciseman or revenue officer appeared in those parts ; hence large quantities of spirits, gin, and brandy — from Norway, Sweden, Holland, and France — were landed at various places along the west and north coasts of the country." l
The change in the life and habits of the people towards the end of the century had not been without its advantages, for "while Calvinism eclipsed the gaiety of an earlier time and rendered the life of the people more solemn, a higher standard of conduct and morality was undoubtedly attained. The various regiments raised in the county between 1759 and 1800 were invariably noted for the stalwart appearance and good conduct of the men. General Stewart of Garth gives ample testimony to this effect, and his testimony is confirmed by all who write the history of the Fencible Regiments."
In spite of the strict teaching and rigid discipline of Presbyterianism, however, there was still a distinct leaning towards the ancient superstitions. "There was a firm belief that the devil, or donas, roamed about in bodily shape. There were witches by day and ghosts by night. Fairies (Ban - Siths) on land, mermaids (gruagachs) in the sea, and the each uisge (water-horse) in lochs and rivers. There were omens of good and ill, observances for luck in connection with everyday occupations, such as baking, milking, and marketing. There were also regular observances at lyke-wakes and funerals,3 births, and marriages, when setting forth on a journey, or when entering a house for the first time. Certain animals were regarded as of evil omen — for example, the hare, the fox, the magpie, the yellow-hammer." . . . "There was a superstitious belief in the healing powers of certain herbs and plants. On the other hand, as there was seldom more than one doctor in the whole country, people resorted to herbalists to relieve them in their many diseases."
At this period many people of other names than that of Mackay were to be found in the Mackay country. Some of these had been settled in that district from earliest times. Morrisons, Sutherlands, and Campbells were a numerous name in the parish of Durness, the former having at one time possessed lands there, while the latter appear to have been descendants of the followers of a certain Campbell, Bishop of Durness. In the parish of Eddrachilis, there were many Morrisons and Macleods. The Mackay sept-names, such as Neilson, Abrach, etc., together with a few Clarks and Calders, were found scattered throughout the country. Murrays, Munros, Macdonalds, Mathesons, Macphersons, and Mackenzies were also found in Mackay's territory at this time, having in some cases been brought in by the 3rd Lord Reay and General Alexander Mackay, in connection with their schemes of improvement, while the remainder had migrated from their own clan districts at different periods. (to be cont.)
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Lord Reay's estate at this time did not include the whole of the Mackay Country proper.' Strathnaver had been sold in the 17th century to the Earl of Sutherland, while the two branches of the Chiefs family — the Mackays of Strathy and of Bighouse — held the lands of Strathy and Strathalladale respectively.
The inhabitants of the Mackay Country, we have already seen, were mainly occupied in pastoral pursuits, but the kelp industry, fishing and droving, gave extra employment. The failure of the crops in 1782-83 had forced many to emigrate to America, or seek work in the South, and every year a good number left the country in search of employment elsewhere. Manual labour or any handicraft trades were disliked,1 and the one outlet for enterprising young men was the army. ...
Although situated for the most part near the sea, the majority of the people do not appear to have been fond of a seafaring life. The staple forms of food were potatoes, oatmeal, fish, and mutton. Salt was scarce, and barley or beremeal the only bread. " The people here live very hardy, principally on milk, curds, whey, and a little oatmeal. Their best food is oat or barley cakes. A porridge (brochan) made of oatmeal, kail, and sometimes a piece salt meat in it, is the top fare." Tea was known, but seldom drunk on account of its expense. Whisky had begun [only begun?] to take the place of ale as the favourite drink, and brandy and other spirits were easily obtainable, owing to the extensive smuggling which went on. Excessive drinking had been sternly put down by the Church, but still prevailed, although to a diminished degree. Snuff and tobacco were luxuries practically unknown.
Every district had its miller, every township its weaver, while the shoemakers, like the tailors of that day, were itinerant, going from house to house to work. The few artificial and finery requirements of the population, especially those of the female portion, of the communities lying scattered in secluded and out of the way districts, were supplied by travelling packmen or pedlars, who frequented the fairs and markets, or perambulated the countryside exhibiting and selling their wares, and relating the gossip and news of the day in return for free board and lodgings.
(To be continued)
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Gaelic was the language spoken by all, but English was beginning to make considerable progress among the people.
The Act of 1747, abolishing the Highland Garb, had been at length repealed in 1782. As the Mackays, however, were a loyal clan, this obnoxious and unjust ordinance had never been enforced in their country to any extent. In 1794, many of the people still wore the Highland garb, but the lowland dress was fast coming into general use, and the gentry, and those engaged in seafaring pursuits, had worn it for some years previous to this. The bonnet [a bonnet? like the 'Tam'?], however, continued to be the head-dress of the people until well on in the 19th century, when this last relic of the ancient garb finally disappeared.
The women wore the ordinary dress of their sex at the time, but for best wear "all of them have a small plaid, a yard broad, called 'Guailleachan,' about their shoulders, generally fastened by a brooch." The "breid," or "curtah," a fine linen handkerchief fastened about married women's heads, with a flap behind, had given way to the "currachd," or mutch, a head-dress of linen tied under the chin. The unmarried girls were distinguished by a snood, or ribbon, which adorned their hair.
The population was kept down by constant visitations of small-pox and other diseases, directly attributable to defective accommodation and insanitary surroundings, while the generally hard conditions of life prevented any but the strongest children reaching maturity. On the other hand, owing to the climate, although moist, being bracing and salubrious, longevity was common.
The people married young and had usually large families; their physique was of a high order, and their height above the average.
Athletic exercises were encouraged, and trials of strength and agility essentially Highland in character frequently practised, while poetry, music, and dancing still found willing devotees among this fine peasantry.
"Of their character at home one minister, writing in 1791, pays a noble tribute to his people, when he says that only one criminal case had been known in his parish within the memory of man." ... " [!!] Another minister is able to affirm that his parishioners were sober, serious, and industrious, attentive to their business and credit, humane in deportment, respectful to superiors, and ready to show kindness to strangers.
" One feature of the social life of the times," observes the Rev. Thomson Mackay, B.D., "was the thirst for knowledge, and a love of reading, through which both classes (tacksmen and tenant) could clearly discern the merits of questions of the day and the relative importance of passing events." ...
Again, fascinating!
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Hi again,
Would anyone who's responded in this thread (or anyone) have any insight as to a few Gaelic names in the records. My great x 6 grandmother Catherine MacKay (wife of John Morrison and mother of Ann) is listed in the Registry as "alias nin Dholicustian" (in a birth record for Ann's sister dating from 1782). Would anyone guess how Dholicustian might be translated?
There was some discussion of the different forms of the name for Margaret Sutherland, my great x 5 grandmother (Kenneth MacLeod and Ann Morrison's son-n-law Andrew's mother). As noted earlier, one record has it as 'nin sainach' (all lower case). (Someone mentioned that if the name is in fact cainach, that would be Kenneth, which might explain why her marriage record as a widow to the much younger Angus MacPherson [a "single young lad"] has her name written as 'alias MacKenzie'). From a bapt. record in the Durness register dating from 1790 "32. Angus MacPherson, tenent in Islandhall, and ... Margaret Sutherland, alias Na airiaich [or more likely 'Na ainaich' from my reading], [bore] Fairly 11 Sept." Would Na airiaich or ainach make a difference?
Thank you in advance for any response.
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Would anyone who's responded in this thread (or anyone) have any insight as to a few Gaelic names in the records. My great x 6 grandmother Catherine MacKay (wife of John Morrison and mother of Ann) is listed in the Registry as "alias nin Dholicustian" (in a birth record for Ann's sister dating from 1782). Would anyone guess how Dholicustian might be translated?
I have already done so - see Reply #49 on 25 July 2022. Page 6 above.
Would Na airiaich or ainach make a difference?
It would if it were not a mistranscription.
Why not post an extract of the original to see what Rottschatters make of it?
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Here you go.
To my eyes looks like Hew Morison was correct to suggest nin ainaich, but I'm not sure what it means
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Thank you both very much. Forfarian, I should've gone back to review replies, yours on July 25 is very thorough. I think I had planned to go back and read and review it again but forgot. And thanks djct59 for posting that. I've read in this synopsis https://docplayer.net/102524507-Record-society-scottish-parish-register-of-durness-hew-morrison-ll-d-edinburgh-edited-sect-printed.html for the transcript of the Registry that Rev. Thomson wasn't prolific in Gaelic. "He could not master the spelling of the local popular surnames, but he has preserved in the register a careful and minute phonetic rendering both of the names of persons and of places." And so 'na ainaich' might be likely to be incorrect, and 'nin sainach' too if nin cainach reads as Kenneth, and seeing as she's listed as alias McKenzie in the marriage record of 1785.