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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Sutherland => Topic started by: debbiebozkurt on Sunday 04 August 13 20:40 BST (UK)
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Hi
Can anyone tell me where the village, township of Achunahanait is, I know it was in Durness and I think it is near Hope but I can not find it on any map, looked at some of the old maps. I have a family of Macleods in the mid to late 18th century that were living there when married and some of their children were born there.
They all have the alias Macnishbhain which I know the Bhain means fair and the Mac means son of but I have searched and asked friends what nish bit translates - does anyone know Gaelic - even tried my dictionary.
Donald Macleod jnr alias Macnishbhain came from Achunahanait but married Ann Mackay from Hope and then settled there. I am trying a to trace his father and his brothers which can be identified through the fathers alias.
Any help appreciated
Regards
Debs
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"Nish" is Anglicisation of "Anaís", the genitive of Angus.
Achunahanait was to the south of the main village, between Sarsgrum and Keodale. Some early maps have it to the west of the road, but as far as I know it was slightly east of there, where the land rises towards the peat moss. As far as I know it was cleared when the Keodale estate was turned over to sheep farming. I can see if i have a more detailed archaeological map amongst my papers
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For a decent old map, go onto Scotlandsplaces, go to Sutherland, click on Durness parish, and look for "Plan Of Intended Road From The Kirk Of Durness To The Head Of Loch Naver, Sutherland". That dates from 1790 so fits with your chosen time frame.
"Auch-na-Hanet" is on that, due west of Loch Meddie, but please remember two points. 1. The shape of the loch has been changed since it was dammed in the 19th century and 2. The modern road is far closer to the coast of the Kyle than the planned road; at this point the A836 road is next to the shore, so the former township is to the east of the present day road.
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I see his brother John McLeod married Ann McKenzie nin Hustianmacenichmacenich (daughter of Hugh, the son of Kenneth, the son of Kenneth) at Dalnaheru in Strathmore on 19th October 1779, in a joint wedding with her sister Janet, who married Donald MacKay. John and Ann had a daughter Barbara (chr. 6th June 1783), who must have died in infancy. The crops failed in 1782 and 1783 so infant mortality was high, and their next child was another daughter Barbara (chr. 7th November 1785). Their next child was Hugh (chr. 6th June 1788), followed by Angus (chr. 11th May 1793) and Wilhelmina (chr 4th April 1796), then another Angus (chr 17th June 1798).
Hope this gives you something to work with.
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Hi Debs,
I am not a Gaelic speaker but I have picked up a few things during my almost 20 years of researching my Durness ancestors. Gaelic is known as a " reflective" language, meaning that the spelling of nouns, proper nouns, and pronouns often changes when the grammatical case changes. Most important for us is a change from the nominative case to the genitive case when a patronymic is involved.
The simplest version is a single patronymic, e.g. "A" son of "B" substitung your names we would have (in English) Donald son of Angus. In gaelic we would have Domhnall son of Aonghas, except that the name in the genitive case is lenited (a softening of the first consonant - often indicated by adding an "h" after the first consonant but not when the name starts with a vowel; and by inserting an "i" after the last vowel) Thus Aonghas becomes Aonghais. "ais" is pronounced "ish" and Aonghais is pronounced something like "anish". The minister was not a native Gaelic speaker and recorded Aonghais as "nish".
Hope this helps,
IanB
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IanB: It's also worth remembering that in the dialect of Strathnaver and north-west Sutherland, the "n" and "l" in Domhnall are transposed - it's always been pronounced "Dolan", hence the references to MacDholi in the parish records.
When I was a small boy, the local postman was an oldish man, probably about sixty, known as "Dolan Ruadh" - red-haired Donald, and my uncle and cousin Donald both use/d variants of the "Dolan" sound.
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I've heard Dolie used for Donald in the Seaboard villages of Easter Ross. The fishing community was partly of Sutherland origin.
Skoosh.
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Thanks, DJCD59. I wasn't aware of that. My family was not Gaelic-speaking, having left Lerin for Edinburgh approx. 1880, when my grandfather was 9. Donald was a favourite name in our family (my great great grandfather; grandfather; father; brother; cousin; & nephew)
IanB (Morrison)
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...in which case I suspect our lines intermingle six generations back!
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It would be interesting to compare. My ascent is as follows:
Donald Ross Morrison (grandfather) Lerin 1871
John Morrison(g grandfather) Lerin 1844
Donald Morrison: Balamhulich; 14 Nov, 1813 to Hugh Morrison & Fairley Reay MacCuloch (nblw)
Hugh Morrison; Achins of Cnocbreac; 19 June 1793 to John Morrison* & Christina Calder, alias Donn
*alias macUilliam macHustian macAchin ruaidh (William; Hugh; red-haired Hector)
A distant cousin, Hugh, operates Smoo Cave Hotel and he and his wife operate 2 other B&Bs, one of which is at Morvern, the croft where my grandfather was born (just before you come to Smoo Cave Hotel). I have visited several times. The other side of my family are Mackays and Sutherlands from Sangomore.
IanB
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*Your* John Morrison was a joiner in Durine who married the widow Christian Calder at Rispond in February 1792.
*My* John Morrison MacUileam MacHustain was on Islandhall (Eilean Choraidh) married to Catherine MacKay in 1766. He had a brother Hugh, a tenant in Ceannabeinne. The last of John and Catherine's ten children was born in 1787. His wife bore two pairs of twins in quick succession, but i can't rule out a fairly early death for her. It is possible that they're one and the same, as he would have been about 45-50 years old in 1792, with several dependent children, so might well have remarried a local widow. He had been a boatman at Rispond in 1780.
My descent is through his ninth child Catherine, who married Alexander Munro in 1804. Their daughter Ann married a William Morrison.
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Some years ago I tried to reconcile the Morrisons having the patronymic "macUlileam mac Hustian" with those Morrisons having the patronymic "macUilleam macHustian 'icAchin ruaidh" but was unsuccessful. There were too many overlapping dates, even allowing for the long childbearing years of some of the families.
There is a huge website, database "J&Jroots", or something similar, that shows at least 2 generations prior to Eachann ruadh, although there is no citation to back this up. When I contacted one of the sister/authors asking the source, her reply was "church records". I doubt this and did not follow it any further.
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The fact that both Johns had a connection to Rispond (a hamlet of fewer than twenty dwellings) is interesting, but hardly persuasive, given how common the surname was, and still is locally.
There are, as you rightly surmise, no church records of any sort in Durness prior to 1764, so anything more than three generations back, unless relating to an aristocrat, is pure conjecture.
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Greetings,
my name is Ian Morison and I live in Melbourne Australia.
By chance I have stumbled upon your post and find it interesting for a number of reasons.
I have GGGG Grandfather named Hugh Morison,reported in our family history as coming from Isle of Lewis,born about 1745. I have managed to find his wife and children but would love to find his brothers/sisters/father/ mother etc.
I noticed from your post the mention of the gaelic names (MacUileam Machustian) and a connection to the MacLeods.I have noticed these names in my genealogy searches and would love to have them explained in regards to the Morison surname.
I have just had my DNA tested and found there is a close connection to some MacLeod surnames as well as to some Morison's from Sutherland.
Why I am writing is that you mention that your ancestor John had a brother Hugh , tennant in Ceannabeinne.......
My first question is could this be my GGGG Grandfather Hugh ? (who married a Janet Ross in Edinburgh 1768 ).
Second question is are the Morison's related to the Macleods?
Third would really appreciate any help or general info you might have.
My email is *
Regards
ian Morison
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Uistean is certainly Hugh.
Skoosh.
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The Clan MacLeod originated in the Outer Hebrides, so MacLeod would be a pretty common surname on Lewis. The MacLeods in this thread are MacLeods of Assynt; a sept that settled on the Mainland in the MacKay country of northern Sutherland in the 15th century. Thus by the 1740s the two groups, though sharing some common ancestry, had diverged by some distance. the surname MacLeod is thus fairly common in Sutherland.
Morrison is also not an uncommon name on Lewis. A nineteenth century history by Leonard Allison Morrison, published in Boston, Mass., states "Many sanguinary battles, still recounted by tradition , were fought between the McLeods and Macaulays on one side and the Morisons on the other.At last the Morisons were forced to leave Lewis and take refuge with that part of their clan which was settled in Duirness (sic) and Edderachyllius (sic), Sutherland, where still, in 1793,the natives were all, except a few,of the three names of Mac Leay, Morison or Mcleod."
Even by 1765, though, the Morrisons could be traced back three generations in Durness, and it remains a common local surname to this day.
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I think the Raasay Macleods are from the same stock and also those of Geanes in Easter Ross.
Skoosh.
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Thanks for your replies.I realise my questions ..were a bit vague...any suggestions how to locate the record of GGGG Grandfather Hugh morison ,born about 1745 Isle of Lewis.Would love to find his brothers and sisters and father mother etc.There is a close DNA match to George Morison of Sutherland born about 1800.
Thanks( from far away!)
Ian Morison
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Hi Ian,
Tradition has it that a certain Aodh MacThormoid Morrison, a ship's captain from Lewis, married the daughter (or sister) of the Bishop of Caithness and, as her dowry, the couple were given land in Sutherland in the districts of Durness and Ashir. (the name Ashir has been corrupted and now appears on maps as Oldshore.) "Ay Morrison (or Morison) brought over from Lewis some 60 families of Morisons to settle on this land, and this is thought to be the source of many of the Morisons who lived and live stll in these districts. I have read several accounts of this tradition but none of them mentions any date.
To answer one of your questions: "Are the Morrisons and the MacLeods related", the short answer is: No, meaning they do not appear to have the same origins. With regard to the MacLeods, the origins of the eponymous Leod have been the subject of considerable debate but scholars do not agree. The Morrisons, according to the DNA study, in which I also participated, had over 200 sources of the name. From this I take it that the most common source is, as the name suggests, sons of Moore, Maurice (Moorish or dark complectioned) of which history records many, many.
All of that aside, the only reliable way to trace your 3 x great grandfather is to start with the oldest confirmed fact you have - a birth cert.; marriage cert.; or death cert.and work back from there, generation by generation. There are no reliable short cuts. Even family lore and family bibles should be confirmed.
Prior to 1855, there was no legal requirement to register births, marriage, or deaths. For most people, registration (mainly christenings & marriages) took place in the Church of Scotland Parish Registers. These were maintained by the Ministers and commenced at different dates by each parish, roughly from early to mid 18th century. If you Google, you can find out the names of all the parishes in the County of Sutherland and the dates that their register began. These registers have now been centralized and digitalized and can be accessed on the LDS site, FamilySearch.org, and on a pay-per-view site called "Scotlands People" ( I think, but you can find it by Googling - I don't use it myself)
Ian, this hobby requires a lot of time. Good luck!
IanB (morrison)
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Thankyou Namesake ! ...maybe cousin! really appreciate your answer.
I have had my DNA tested and the results are in the Morrison project through myFTDNA.Is the study you mention still available to look at?
And should I be considering changing my nmae back to the Gaelic Machustian Macachinroy or something to that affect ?!
Best wishes and a meery Xmas to you and family.
Ian Morison :) ;)
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Ian: MacHustian MacAchinroy means "Son of Hugh, the son of Red-haired Hector". Gaelic names were based on patronymics as there were inevitable several, say "Angus MacKays" or "Donald MacLeods" in any community. That particular name might not suit you....
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True, I don't have red hair , and my names not Hugh.
It's just been good for me to reconnect with the names of my ancestors.
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At last I have found a site that nearly answers my MacLeod ancestry problems. I have managed to trace back to Donald (Bain)MacLeod jnr,( or Little Donald Bain) born c1758 in Achunahanait who married Ann Dalrymple(MacKay) in 1779 and then had a family of four. James 1779, Mary 1786, John 1788, and Janet 1788. all listed for Christening at Durness, Sutherland. Can anyone help with more information on this family, Would appreciate any comments.
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This may take a while...
There were two Donald MacLeods married in Durness in 1779. I think the one you're referring to is Donald MacLeod junior alias Macnishbhain (son of fair-haired Angus) of Achunahanait, who married Ann MacKay nin Nishnmaceniconil (daughter of Angus the son of John the son of Donald) in Hope on 12th January 1779. As his youth is not commented upon, he's likely to have been in his mid-twenties; early marriages were rare in this part of Sutherland.
Unfortunately his older brother Donald mhor MacLeod Macnishbhain was also a tenant in Achunahanait, and married to Barbara Campbell aka Grange.
On 19th December 1779 there is a baptism entry of one James MacLeod, son of the younger Donald MacLeod and Ann Dalrymple nin Nishnmaceanicdhonil in Hope, which is clearly the child of the marriage above, although there is no explanation of the change of surname from that listed eleven months previously.
By the birth of Hugh (baptised on 1st April 1782), they are still in Hope and Ann is now MacKay, alias Dalrymple.
There's an error in the baptism entry for Mary on 4th March 1786, where Donald's surname has been mistranscribed as MacKay, although the place of birth, wife's name and patronymics all fit.
By the time the twins Janet and john are baptised on 2nd November 1788, Donald is correctly listed as MacLeod, and is a dry stone mason. Ann is listed only as Dalrymple, but retains her former patronymic, although the spelling in the printed version differs from one entry to the next.
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James MacLeod of Hope married Flory MacKay of Hope on 14th March 1803. They are probably the parents of Neil MacLeod, baptised at West Moine on 14th June 1805 and a daughter Dol baptised there on 15th February 1808, although no mother's name is listed (the West Moine records are often very poorly kept). The birth of Catherine, baptised on 22nd August 1811 does list both James and Flora (sic) as parents, as does the baptism of Ann on 29th January 1814.
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Mary MacLeod of Hope married one Hugh Gunn from Skirrid, parish of Tongue on 3rd January 1812. *Your* Mary would be 26 then. There are no children of this marriage recorded in the Durness records till 1814, but that may be because they had set up home in the parish of Tongue.
There is no record of a marriage for Hugh up to 1814
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many thanks djct59 that has moved me further back with correct information. Am I correct in thinking that Angus MacLeod was son of John MacLeod born Isle of Skye c1695
Are you a relation of mine by any chance? My line goes from these MacLeods down to Ellen Caroline MacLeod c1824 who married John Christian from the Isle of Man in 1845.
again many thanks Mary
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Harbert: there's no evidence in the Durness records (which start in 1764) as to the grandfather of either Donald MacLeod, so your hypothesis cannot be proved or disproved.
The only MacLeod in my tree is Barbara nin Uisdean mac Uisdean (daughter of Hugh the son of Hugh) - she was from Durine, and married John MacPherson of Achiemore on the Cape side in July 1770, so at best she would be a first or second cousin of your Donald.
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djct59 Thanks again for more useful information, I had gathered some facts from Ancestry tree hints, but as you know you can never trust things unless there is a ref number and originals. thanks again.
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I started this thread and there was some great information to read, thanks for all the help, I also see someone else is wading through this line too. I have now joined up all the brothers and 1 sister that I can see living of Angus the Red Macleod and with the helpfull offspring surviving until after 1855 where parents were mentioned on the death records I have been able to trace them to Latheron, Eddrechillis, Tongue and even Canada for John Mackenzie. I am still wading through the 1764 registers trying to translate the gaelic names to find and map all the off spring but I would like to just ask for help in the translation of a couple of names.
Flora Mackay (of Hope) married James Macleod (son of Donald Macleod jnr) in 1803, I can not find her baptism but on her death record her father is Donald Mackay and mother Ketty Mackay (the way it is written leads me to assume her maiden name was also Mackay. There is a marriage for a Donald Mackay alias Macneilicenicdicuilem in Mercen to Catherine Mackay alias nin Macenicneil at Hope 1777 - is anyone able to translate the alias for me. Thank you very much
Debs
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Hi Debbiebozkurt, I find this site amazing and it has made me carefully check my information. I have found:
Donald Macleod Macnishbhain born 1758 married Ann Dalrrymple or MacNishiciniconil 12th Jan 1799 in Durness, Sutherland. It appears they had James 1779 (DEC) Mary 1786 Janet and John 1788. My James (1779) joined the Army and was posted abroad, but whilst serving in Canada he married Mary Heglin a widow. I do have a copy of the marriage certificate from Canada on my file. I am still trying to work backwards, so and help is greatfully recieved.
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Hi Debbiebozkurt, I find this site amazing and it has made me carefully check my information. I have found:
Donald Macleod Macnishbhain born 1758 married Ann Dalrrymple or MacNishiciniconil 12th Jan 1799 in Durness, Sutherland. It appears they had James 1779 (DEC) Mary 1786 Janet and John 1788. My James (1779) joined the Army and was posted abroad, but whilst serving in Canada he married Mary Heglin a widow. I do have a copy of the marriage certificate from Canada on my file. I am still trying to work backwards, so and help is greatfully recieved.
I do have some different information:
Donald married Ann Mackay 1779 bride was from Hope, Durness, their first son James was born Dec 1779 Hope, as was their son Hugh and other children, they appeared to have made their home in the brides township.
James married Flora Mackay 14 March 1803 Hope and all his 5 known children was born at Hope as follows; Neil ch. 14 June 1805, Dol ch. 15 February 1808, Catherine 22 August 1811, Ann 29 January 1814 and Mary b. 1816.
Hope was part of Bighouse Estate in 1819 when there were 7 tenants – by 1840 was turned into a sheep farm. In 1809 according to Durness Militia records James Macleod was a labourer from Hope under the age of 30 and a volunteer By 1841 James Macleod (mentioned on Flora burial inscription) had died and his widow and family were living at Skinnid near Melness, a township with 31 crofts in 1891.
Kind Regards
Debbie
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Debbie: Macneilicenicdicuilem is "son of Neil the son of Kenneth the son of William", or perhaps "son of Neil the son of John the son of William".
Reverend Thomson transcribed Gaelic phonetically - "Mic Enic" could be "Mac Coinneach" (son of Kenneth) or "Mac ean mhic" (son of John the son of) - the rogue "d" suggests version 1 is preferable, but others may disagree.
Macenicneil is easier; that is "son of John the son of Neil".
The difficulty for any researcher is that fair-haired Angus MacLeod had two sons called Donald: Donald mhor, married to Barbara Campbell Grange and Donald beag married to Ann MacKay/Dalrymple in Hope, and in addition there was a shoemaker in Alt-na-Ceallich called Donald MacLeod, who married a Janet MacKenzie
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My copy of Hew Morrison's transcript of the Parish Register of Durness does show the marriage of Donald MacLeod junr. to Ann Mackay on 12 Jan 1779 (not 1799). Their aliases are shown as noted above. However, the entry recording the baptism of the son, James, on 19 Dec 1779 shows the mother as Ann Dalrymple, but her alias is the same, or almost the same. I think the "marriage" alias is incorrect and her patronymic should be nin Nish mac Ean mhic Dhonil, which I read as a phonetic rendering of daughter of Angus, son of John, son of Donald. Donald's patronymic is given as mac Nish bhain ( son of fair Angus). The minister notes that Donald is commonly called "little Donald Bain'
I think it is a reasonable assumption that Ann MacKay and Ann Dalrymple are the same person. When their son Hugh's baptism is recorded on 1 April 1782, Ann Mackay is shown as the mother but is given an alias of Dalrymple. However, she is given a different patronymic, " nin mac achin mhic dhonil" note that I have separated the names in the patronymic; it is recorded as one word. This one is a bit of a mixture but I read it as daughter of Hector, son of Donald. Perhaps the minister got it wrong?
I hope this helps.
IanB
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I apologize for the repetition of information previously given. I should have read the whole thread before I responded. ( I have been without a computer for a week or so)
I did notice the baptism of a George (MacLeod) on 26 Mar 1766, father Angus MacLeod, alias Bain. Possibly a brother of Donald.
IanB
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Dear All
I had spotted George too and thought perhaps the youngest son of Angus which would fit in with the other children being born from mid 1740s onwards.
I have discovered some interesting things and I wonder with your local knowledge whether you could recommend books on clearance and areas cleared to.
I discovered Hugh son of Donald Bain More in Latheron, since Hugh Macleod born around 1771 Durness appeared too be the only one born around that period I coughed up for the certificate on line and yes it states Hugh Macleod father Donald Macleod mother Barbara Campbell (happy to share if anyone wants any - message me). I searched around Latheron area and found Mary Macleod single from Durness again got her death records and she was also the daughter of Donald Macleod and Barbara Campbell but her death was witnessed by Donald Sutherland brother! Finding her on the census she was with Donald Sutherland who was considerable younger also from Durness.
I went back to the Durness records and there I found 2nd December John Sutherland 2 December 1783 married to Barbara Campbell widow from Achunahanait - Donald Macleod More must have died between his birth of his daughter Janet in 1779 and 1783. With Mary on one of the census was Hughina Sutherland who was also her sister born 1796. Looking at the age of Hughina Barbara Campbell must have been quite young when she married Donald Macleod More.
Would love to know if the whole family were cleared to Latheron as at the same time I also found Neil born 29 May 1794 Durness to Murdoch Macloed Bain living in Latheron - also have his death records which confirm father Murdoch Macleod mother Barbara nee Mackay. I have the last daughter born to Murdoch 15 June 1803 Jean but there is also a John Macleod born in Latheron to Murdoch Macleod 1809 not have not managed to traced John to the same family. Still searching.
I have traced Barbara Macleod Bain through 2 marriages and the family moved from Mussel to Dalnaherve, where her last two children were born to John Mackenzie and her only daughter Janet from Alexander Campbell were married from. The family the seem to move to Eddrachillis as at least Mary and Angus (children of John Mackenzie) married and lived there. Mary married Hugh Mackenzie who was a forester and yesterday I discovered his will but have yet to purchase it.
I found John Macleod Bain traveled to Canada on the Elizabeth and Ann 1806 but the records relating to Pictou Nova Scotia are poor on line thereafter.
Yet to find out what happened to Angus Macleod Bain jnr after his son was born 1776 my next job.
Any thoughts on the clearances gratefully received writing all my notes up now so if anyone wants a copy when I have completed them feel free to ask. Also apologies for the spelling, although I live in Coll, Isle of Lewis and have a small understanding of Gaelic names through my research on the island I am a Londoner so get very confused.
Regards
Debs
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Your thoughts on this would be appreciated:
The only thing I have to say there was a son of Angus Bain Macleod called Angus that I can find was the baptism Angus Macleod 26 Sept 1776 son of Angus Macleod alias Macnish Bain. There is no marriage of an Angus Macleod pre 1776. In 1803 a Weaver from Achunahanait called Donald Macleod marries Marion Mackay widow. On one of their sons records it states William born 1809 son of Angus Macleod alias Macdholicnishbain - which I think is son of Donald son of Angus Fair, on all the other baptisms it states Angus Macleod son of Donald Macleod. I wonder if Angus' birth records was transcribed correctly and father should have been Donald not Angus - it wouldn't be the first time, certainly in England there are lots of transcription areas or even parish clerk errors where the sons name was recorded as father.
Can not trace Angus and Marion past 1811, did find a birth of a Janet in Wick 1830 but that felt a little too late.
Regards
Debs
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Debbie: In the 1911 printed Register, Hew Morrison comments on the level of care Reverend Thomson took in recording births and marriages. My copy of the records has a marriage on 30th March 1803 between Angus MacLeod, weaver, lately of the Reay Fencibles, in Achunahanait, marrying a widow Marion or Mary-Ann MacKay, the daughter of Robert the son of John the son of William the son of Neil, a young widow in Achiemore on the Cape side.
The muster rolls of the Fencibles, who were drawn from the whole of Sutherland, on their disbandment on 13th October 1802 contain no fewer than four privates named Angus MacLeod.
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Back to the patronymic for Donald Mackay who married Catherine Mackay on 15 Jul 1777, my copy reads "Macneilicenicolicuilam" (no d in it). Separating for the macs and the ics, I get "mac Neil 'ic En 'ic Ol 'ic Uilam" The "Ol" is a bit unusual but, assuming "Dol" is meant, I read the patronymic as " son of Neil, the son of John, the son of Donald, the son of William. BTW, "ic" in a patronymic usually means " 'ic" which is a common contraction of mhic, [pronounced "vic"] the genitive case for mac. For example, A, son of B, son of C would be: A mac B 'ic C. When spoken, and when written in the minister's phonetic-Gaelic record, they appear to be one word.
There are at least two baptisms of children of a Donald Mackay with very similar patronymics: 4 May 1778; "Donald Mackay, alias Macneil macen mhic Dholicein, tenent in Hope, John" [the words are separated in the record] I take this as: son of Neil, son of John, son of Donald, son of John. [rather than William, as above] Also, 5 May 1781 alias virtually the same but now in Mercan, twins Katherine and Bessie. I don't think it is surprising that the recorded patronymic for the same people vary occasionally. I usually check the patronymic from the marriage to the subsequent baptisms.
Enough for now!
IanB
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IanB: It's sometimes necessary to recall that (1) Reverend Thomson was not a native Gaelic speaker and thus translated phonetically, and (2) the Gaelic dialect of Assynt was very different to that of the Western Isles or Inverness.
In "classic" Scots Gaelic, Donald is "Dòmhnall" pronounced DOE-nall; in Assynt it was and still is "Dolan", with both syllables equally accented. There are several entries where Reverend Thomson failed to pick up the "D" sound in the middle of a patronymic
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djct59; Thanks for the clarification/amplification. However, I beg to differ with regard to the "classic" pronunciation of Domhnall. When followed by an "h" [which is actually not a letter but a substitute for the aspiration/lenition symbol], the letters, d, f, m, s, and t can become virtually silent. Thus, Domhnall [with a grave accent over the o, indicating a broad vowel] is usually pronounced "Daw-ull" - not too different from doll - the middle n being dropped also. Donald was a very common name in my family, including my father who was always called "Doll" by his brothers.
IanB
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Ian: you may of course be right in southern and western parts. In Durness, the "l" and "n" are both clearly pronounced when it's a person's name, although in the genitive form "son of" it's long been "Dholi". when I was a very small child, the man who delivered the mail on his bicycle (probably born around 1900) was known as "Dolan Postie".
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could anyone confirm how many children Angus the Red had, and the mother of them, plus the names and years of birth, if at all possible. your help would be most appreciated.
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I can message you with the information I have written up and why I came to that conclusion and where the family went, I have found some of the grand children deaths (certificate detail) which ties them into the sons of Angus the Red too.
Debs
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Hi Debs, That would be very kind of you, and may make a bit more sense to me and my research. Mary
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Incidentally, when I was up there a fortnight ago I took a photograph of Cnoc Ach na H'Anaite. Unfortunately as it's been farmland for over 150 years there is no evidence of the old homes visible on the ground that you can see from the roadside, unlike some of the other abandoned townships (Croispol, Borralie, Sangobeg, Ceannabeinne). THere aree some building foundations visible on Google Earth (including a church), but to reach them I'd have had to cross sheep fields during lambing. FWIW I can send you the photo...
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Hi, I'm fairly new to this forum but came across this thread whilst putting together my family tree and I think there could be some similarities to some of the names mentioned. I have got as far back to Murdoch McLeod (born c1766) and Barbara Mackay (born c1771) who are both mentioned. From what I can see they married in Durness and that is where they had their children.
I am a descendant of their son Angus McLeod (born c1790) and trying to go as far back and find out as much as I can. It looks as though he and his wife Ann Sutherland moved from Durness to Latheron, Caithness where they had their three children (Murdoch, John and Ann).
If any of you have any information or guidance of where to look next that would be really appreciated.
Thanks, Craig
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Hi Craig,
I see the registration of this marriage in 1788, Jan 4:
Murdoch MacLeod, alias macnishbhain, in Auchunahainait...Barbara Mackay, alias nin Neilicemish, in Keoldale. Murdoch's patronymic means "son of Angus the fair". and Barbara's means "daughter of Neil, son of James"
Also christening of William on Sep 26, 1788 to Murdoch (tenent in Keoldale) and Barbara;
" Angus May 7 1790 " " "
I took a quick look for the christening of Murdoch C1766 but couldn't find it, although Angus bain christened a son, George, in that year, and a son, Neil, in 1768. Perhaps the christening of Murdoch and the Marriage of Angus bain took place before the register commenced in 1764. Where did you get the dates from?
Ian
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Hi Ian,
Thanks for the quick reply. I have been getting my information from Scotland's People but I have also struggled to find the christening of Murdoch. There are two Murdoch MacLeod's with birth dates in 1766 but they are showing as Inverness and Urray respectively and I don't have any other details to support this as the rest of the family are from Durness.
I did however find some more information on RootsWeb.... it was showing Murdoch and Barbara as having 8 children including my descendant Angus and the William that you mention. This website says that Murdoch was born (one of 3) in Durness ABT 1760, his father was Donald MacLeod (born in Tongue, Sutherland ABT 1725) and his father was Hugh MacLeod (born in Durness ABT 1690). I dont have any other information to confirm this.
Do you know where else I can look for this information?
Craig
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Craig: Murdoch was married in January 1788. Early marriages were very rare in Durness in the 18th century, as you had to have demonstrated yourself to be possess a degree of skill and maturity. the parish records often refer disapprovingly to the marriage of "a young man". This, he's likely to have been born about 1762/3, a few years before there was any local record keeping.
There are a few MacLeods listed in the Judicial Rent Roll of the Reay Estate in 1678 (you can locate this in the Book of MacKay, out of copyright and locatable online, but proving a link over the best part of a century is virtually impossible. They are all over towards West Moine and beyond, viz - Neil MacLeod in Kirkiboll by Tongue, Donald MacLeod in Kinsaid, Donald MacLeod in Lettermore and Hector MacLeod on Eilean Choraidh. This does at least prove that MacLeods were established in "MacKay Country" in the 17th Century.
Unhelpfully, in 1789 the land at Keodale was all let to James Anderson so the names of his subtenants are not recorded in the Judicial Rent Roll
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Incidentally, Barbara's birth is registered on 16th May 1768, daughter of Neil MacKay alias MacEmish in Keodale, about 500 metres from Achunahanait where Murdoch lived. Neil had married Christian Campbell on 18th November 1765 in Clashneach, less than a mile from Keodale. There are no other children of that marriage listed in Durness
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Other children of Murdoch MacLeod and Barbara MacKay:
Jean (chr. 3rd June 1792)
Neil (chr. 29th May 1794)
Twins Janet and Joanna (chr. 9th April 1796)
William (29th March 1798)
Johanna (chr. 2nd May 1800, suggesting at least one twin died in infancy)
Jean (chr. 15th June 1803, suggesting that the previous Jean also died young
Janet (chr 23rd December 1805, suggesting an early death for the other twin)
Adding those to the two mentioned in your post and verified by IanB, I get a total of ten.
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Thanks djct59 for all of the information. I had come to the realisation that my research would likely end with Murdoch given the lack of birth certificate but the information I read on RootsWeb where they show Murdoch's father and grandfather has got me intrigued. Do you think this is trustworthy information and, if so, where could they have got this from? Or would you say that I have reached an impasse in my efforts to track my ancestry beyond Murdoch?
Thank you for the additional details on Barbara. If you don't mind me asking, where are you getting your information from? Like I said in my original post, I am new to this but really enjoying it.
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Not sure if this will show up properly but I have attached the information I have come across on RootsWeb.
Craig
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The question of late marriage in the Highlands was due in no small measure to obtaining the land necessary to support a family. Land is a finite resource and fragmentation of a farm leads to starvation, the eldest son might have to wait until his father became unfit or deceased before getting the farm. Younger sons might have to resort to the navy, becoming soldiers, drovers or learning a trade and becoming a landless cotter.
Skoosh.
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Craig:
1. The source of my data and that of IanB is Hew Morrison's 1911 Scottish Record Society "Parish Register of Durness 1764-1814". It's long out of copyright and good quality copies can be accessed and downloaded online.
2. There are no written parish records of names between 1678 and 1764, apart from a very brief reference to the area in the 1696 Hearth Tax records, which are almost illegible and contain very little real data (next to no-one had a hearth as opposed to a fire in the centre of the home).
3. If the Rootsweb entry is correct, there should be some reference to Angus MacLeod bearing the patronymic MacDholi vicUisdean or similar, or to Murdoch MacLeod being "MacNish bhain mac Dholi", but there's no evidence for that. The only other way to check is by looking for a brother and seeing whether his patronymic helps. There is a George MacLeod born to Angus in Clashneach in 1766 who fits. There's an Angus MacLeod father of Mary who was born in 1770. He's in Balvoolich which is not far from Clashneach, but his patronymic is "MacUilleam MacHustian" (son of William son of Hugh), and there's no reference to his fair hair, so he's not a good match.
4. Having looked through the records, there is not a match for the Rootsweb names. If Murdoch, George and Mary were siblings, then their grandfather was called William (there is a son born to George, son of Angus, son of William in balvoolich in 1806), but I wouldn't bet my house on the evidence I've seen so far.
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Craig: The information you copied appears to come from the “JandJ” site maintained by two sisters who have done a fantastic job assembling a huge data base. Much of it may have been imported from other sites but I think they assembled the “Durness” content themselves. I checked my own family on it, both Morrisons and Mackays, and in both cases they show three generations farther back than my research took me. I contacted one of the sisters and asked the source and was told “church records”. At that point I lost faith in it because, to the best off my knowledge, there are no church records of that kind in Durness that go farther back than the parish register, which commenced in 1764.
Prior to 1855 when registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages became law, marriages and christenings ( and in some parishes births and deaths) were recorded by the minister in the Parish Register. The Durness Parish Register commenced in 1764, and I have a photocopy of an extract/transcript of it by a Dr. Hew Morrison for the years 1764 to 1814. ( I’m not sure why he stopped in 1814).This published transcript is available “on line”.
The Durness register is one of the most informative because the minister took the time to record most of his parishioners’ eke names. This was important because this was how they were known in every-day life, and because of the need to distinguish between so many duplications of the same names, such as Donald Morrison for example. Eke names, or nick names, took several forms: physical descriptions (bain/fair; dubh/black; ruaidh [roy]/red, or beag; mor); location (Aberach); occupation (gobhainn); patyronymic (mac/mhic/ic ; son of or nin daughter of) The last –mentioned was the most common, and the most helpful for us because they often contained two generations.
To answer one of your questions, or perhaps two, I would have no confidence in information which predates the parish register, other than the patronymics, unless I was able to verify it, nor do I know of any other source that you could research. You could research some Mackays (those descended from the chiefly line) in the “Book of MacKay” and in the “History of the House and Clan of Mackay”, so you may find some of the MacLeods’ wives’ families there.
But you have gone back further than Murdoch. We know, from his patronymic, that his father was Angus-the-fair MacLeod. Assuming Murdoch was approx. 30 when he married, he was probably born 1758 +/-, and Angus about 1728. But these dates are conjecture to give a rough idea.
Skimming through the transcript, which is in chronological order, I noticed four others that had the same patronymic as Murdoch (Macnish bain). They were:John (married Ann MacKenzie 1779); Donald Jr./little (married Ann Mackay/Dalrymple 1779); Donald Sr./Mor (married Barbara Campbell 1768); Angus (christened son Angus in 1776). They were almost certainly Murdoch’s brothers. There may also be sisters in the register but they are more difficult to spot, because the wives are either not listed (in early christenings) or they are at the end of the “registration”.
I have been going on long enough so I will stop, except to encourage you to make a lot of use of Google to find out general information about the Parish of Durness. It is a tremendous source.
Ian
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IanB: Reverend Thomson began keeping records late in 1764, soon after his appointment to Durness. His predecessor as parish Minister was Reverend Murdoch MacDonald (1696-1763). His diaries and records were transcribed longhand and are held in the National Library of Scotland. However, he kept no organised records of parish births and deaths, noting only the passing of his master Lord Reay, members of the Lord's family, and one or two trusted church servants taken in time of disease.
As a record of parish life around the 1745 rebellion (he was very strongly pro-government) it is useful if not easy to read save when parts were typewritten. As a record of population, and of the daily lives of the tenants, it is not worth reading.
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Craig:
When reviewing my notes before I destroyed them, I noticed a christening entry I forgot to tell you about.: Mar 26, 1766. "Angus MacLeod, alias Bain, in Clasneach, George." i.e. George appears to be another brother of Murdoch.
Ian
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Hi Ian,
Thanks again for the really useful information. I have taken a look through the parish register and can see all of the entries you refer to which is great. It is interesting you refer to Murdoch's brother, George, as djct59 referred to a son born to George, son of Angus, son of William in Balvoolich in 1806 which could mean that Angus' father was William? I don't think I'll be able to verify this or find out any more information but I think I can definitely make a case for justifying the link.
I'm pleased with where I've got to and appreciate everyone's help. I think this will be where my search ends but I'm happy with where I've got and take your advice and do some research into Durness more generally at this time as it is interesting to know more about the area at the time my ancestors were there.
Craig
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Craig: There's an Angus MacLeod, weaver from Clashneach, aged under 30, listed on the local Militia Roll in 1809, and George MacLeod appears on the list of people fit for kelp manufacturing and herring fishing in 1826.
I note that there's beginning to be a bit of duplication of research results here, but there are some good quality historical records of Durness locatable online.
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Craig:
I agree that the George, father in the 10th July, 1806 christening, could be the son of "your" Angus but it would be a bit more convincing if "bain" appeared in his patronymic. Because there were many common names, similar patronymics also occurred. For example, christening #23 of the same year: "John Macleod, alias Macnishmacuilliammachustian (son of Angus; son of William; son of Hugh)"
Note that this John had a different wife from your John (at least at that time) She was a Barbara Campbell, same name as the wife of your Donald Sr.
I am glad you are enjoying this hobby and wish you well on your journey.
Ian
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IanB: With the greatest of respect, I had already made the point about the absence of "Bain" as point 3 in my post on Thursday afternoon.
The John MacLeod you refer to as having a christening in September 1806 was a little tenant in Lerin, at least three miles from Keodale, Clashneach and Achunahanait. his wife was Barbara Campbell nin Rob MacAllister , one of the very few "local" women to be called Barbara, as that name was more common among the Grange Campbells who had migrated north in the late 17th century. The Barbara who married Donald in 1768 is likely to have been a "Grange", as may of them settled in Keodale and Sarsgrum.
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djct59:
If you have all that much respect, you might choose to read my posts more carefully. I was responding to Craig's post addressed to me wondering whether the patronymic of the George Mcleod who had a son Donald christened in 1806 might indicate that Angus Bain's father was William. I mentioned the John Mcleod entry to illustrate that there were similar, but possibly unrelated, patronymics.
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Thanks to everyone for their help in my search. I will take all of this information away and try to piece it together best I can. I will let you know how I get on and if I have any other questions.
Craig
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Is there anyone still working on this thread? I’m the Gr-gr-gr granddaughter of John Mc Leod and Ann MacKenzie, 1806 immigrated to Pictou, NS on the Elizabeth and Ann. Would like to connect . Visited Durness and tried to find Auchunahait
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Joriejo:
There is nothing left to see of Achunahanait at ground level, but aerial photos show some of the foundations of the crofts. As you head north into the village from Rhiconich the roadway narrows and you pass some small cliffs with the Kyle on your left. Just before the road branches to the left to Keodale and the Cape Wrath Ferry there are some fields on the right a few feet above road level; that was Achunahanait.
Your ancestors were John MacLeod Macnishbain (son of fair haired Angus) and Ann MacKenzie ninHustianmacEnichicEnich (daughter of Hugh the son of Kenneth the son of Kenneth) from Dalnaheru, near Ben Hope, who married in 1779 -is that right?
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Thanks for responding. When we visited in 2022, I had not only perused the aerial photos but also the old map of 1798 (from Scotland’s Places) Intended road from Kirk of Durness to Head of Loch Naver. I will include the link. https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/record/nrs/RHP11592/plan-of-intended-road-from-the-kirk-of-durness-to-the-head-of-loch-naver I believe someone from this site clued me into this map years ago. It’s quite exciting! You can see Achunahanait clearly, here. I do believe my husband and I roamed the place close to where this little hamlet used to be, much of the stonework repurposed into sheep holdings, we thought. You can see the stonework on google earth maps.
And, yes, you are correct on my MacLeod and Mackenzie ancestors. That was my Dad’s side (ended up settling in Prince Edward Island, my mother was a MacLeod, as well, her mum a MacKenzie, all from the Beauly area. So wonderful to make these connections.
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Deb, I do have information on John MacLeod and Ann MacKenzie and their children emigrating to Canada if you are interested.
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I don't think the 1780 map is terribly reliable (it has no houses at all in Durine or Sangomore which is demonstrably wrong) - as far as I know from the 1876 O.S. Maps Achunahanait is a few hundred metres east of where it's shown, but it was close to the road and south of the present village.
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Well, I thought that, as well. I was thinking about how maps were made back then…it’s mostly interesting thinking about the small hamlets and imagine how they lived. I’m also curious as to how they got the family over to Thurso to make their way across the Atlantic… to a place that was fairly untamed, as well. I honor their intrepid souls.
Do you have any advice for me in finding more information? I do know a bit about where they settled, first in Pictou, Nova Scotia, then on to PEI. My grandfather, one of 12 children, made his way down to Boston in the 1920’s.
I live in rural western Massachusetts, I’m a retired primary teacher and have visited the highlands of Scotland 3 times. So lovely.
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Many made their living as crofter/fishermen, taking to the Pentland Firth when the demands of the croft allowed. Within the parish there were smiths, millers, cobblers, weavers (My g-g-g-grandfather wove the burial cloths for those not interred in a coffin) and latterly cattleman from Skye and shepherds from Northumberland as sheep took over the harsher straths where it was difficult to grow enough to survive AND pay rent.
There were no roads. Supplies came in and left by boat, so that was how your ancestors would reach Thurso. The people werere hardy; if you survived infancy you could expect to live to eighty.
As I understand it, the land and climate of Nova Scotia and PEI, while harsh for many, differed little in the skills requred to farm it from the lands they left