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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Caithness => Topic started by: Mcphee1944 on Saturday 27 June 15 00:26 BST (UK)
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I'm after any information about the cave people of wick. Family trees etc. I believe I'm related but still trying to put together my McPhee family tree. The people in the photo 1866 will all be dead now..... But maybe you have a family tree (dead) I can look at and see if my family matches yours? Hope I've not broke any rules again.
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Hello, an welcome to RootsChat!
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This can be found at http://surname.rootschat.com/ , there is a link to it under "Your Tools" at the bottom of each Rootschat page.
The more people who enter their surnames, the more chance there will be of making a connection!
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Hi McPhee, welcome to Rootschat. New users often post things in the wrong place, so don't worry about that!
I'm not a McPhee but have you seen this article written by the Doctor Sir Arthur Mitchell? It refers to the people you speak of. Sounds like a very rough life.
https://www.amazon.com/Castles-Dwellings-Europe-Classic-Reprint/dp/1330880242
Apparently the name McPhee is very common in Wick, hopefully someone can help you go back further generations.
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Very kind of you good reading
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I am also very likely to be related, but am first-generation removed from Caithness. I have traced back to early 1800s for sure, with a probable link to 1779. All were living in Caithness, but not sure how they arrived there. Most earlier links about McPhees prior to late 1700s were in the Western Isles or thereabouts. We can only speculate, but the 50 yrs after the battle of Cullodden were times people in power in the region should be deeply ashamed of with the Highland Clearances etc, so perhaps the McPhees were displaced and forced further north and living hand to mouth. For whatever reason, pride, dispute, choice and want for freedom? the lifestyle continued. I don't know. After the second world war, the family were shifted into housing or put up in caravans.
Another person responded to your post by adding a link to a book chapter. I've seen that book chapter before. While there's no doubt that the families were living an unconventional and very tough lifestyle, i think that it's very unlikely that they'd be walking around naked. Just think about how cold it gets up there, and cutting past the very crude/tough language there is a prudish undertone, at least in my family. The writer has also clearly embellished in the final paragraph on p64 (71), choosing to ignore the accounts of oral history and instead creating tales of slum dwellers.
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The McPhee's feature in a book by Alastair Phillips called, "My Uncle George. There is a poem about the family of which I can only remember the first line,
"From out the cave in single file stepped forth the clan MacPhee!"
I think your best bet would be to contact the Wick Heritage Centre for info'.
Bests
Skoosh.
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Hi there McPhee1944.
I am a Scottish Gypsy Traveller. Just so you know. Not all McPhee's are Gypsy Travellers.
Gypsy people did not originally have western names like McPhee.
Back in the medievil period when Gypsy people first arrived into Europe we tried to adapt to western culture by changing our names. It did not really work out well. As historic record of us during that period often refers to many Traveller groups as Eyqtian or "Moors" or Black people
So your going to find a wide mix of both White Scottish and Irish, possibly Black Carribeans and ethnic Travellers all with the name McPhee.
However luckily for you I know a Traveller lady name of Roseanna McPhee who claims in the video link below, to know about the Gypsy Traveller line of Mcphee's going back to the 1700's. Also a lot of McPhee's women would give their children the McPhee name via the middle name. So you'll find a lot of Townsley's, Cook's, White's, Robertson's, Stewart's, Johnson's ect who also came from McPhee's. Its on my Mammy and Granda's birth certificates as the middle name.
I currently live in France. But if I was back home, she'd be the one to ask.
Also many of McPhee Traveller decendants live in the Lochgilphead area. So try searching over west as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MmfS3yfoA
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Hello
I have been discovering all about my cave dwelling Mcphee ancestors while researching my family history. My line were from Caithness but started occupying the caves on the moray coast up until about 1917.
I trace my family back to William McPhee and Margaret Campbell married in Orkney in 1810 whose descendants inhabited the caves.
Its been very interesting and I have built a fairly solid tree around my grandmother Nellie McPhee
Kind regards
fiona
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Welcome to Rootschat you folks! ;D
Skoosh.
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Hi. I believe i am related too. But im lost after my great great grandmother as she was left by her mother and adopted to the horrocks surname . We now live in lancashire as our grandfather's family has lived here but we come from wick origins. If you have any info id be happy to sponge it ? :D
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Hello
If you give me any names and dates that you know I’ll check my tree and get back to you. If your ancestors were travellers living in Caithness we are probably connected.
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Some of them are in Wick and some in Culbokie...ask at the pub there
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Hi, my grandmother lived in the caves as a small girl although she refuses to talk about it. My mum tells me as much as she knows about their history. I’m definitely related to the McPhee’s who resides in the caves although having very little luck in trying to build the family tree beyond my great grandparents due to lack of documentation and too many of them having the same name makes it even harder (lots of William John’s and George’s).
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Hi everyone.
I've had my DNA tested. I am connecting to people who have the McPhee cave dwellers in their Ancestry. My mutual matches all have the same segment(s) in common with myself. The McPhee cave dwellers of Wick are the people in common with them all. Another name in connection with them is Newlands.
I unfortunately don't have any documentation in relation to them (other than the DNA), so I feel it's been an NPE, an error in my tree or perhaps a child was removed from their care.
EDIT: It appears to be on my paternal side, my dad has stronger matches to people with McPhee cave dwellers from Wick.
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Hi All,
My other half and family are direct descendants from Mcphee, Williamson and Newlands who lived in the caves in Caithness. Cousins to McpheeMoray who posted earlier on this thread.
Liviani - my mother in law shows as a very distant match to your father gedmatch at 9.8cm around 5.5 Generation wise
It be great to hear from others and help expand the tree and family further or help you work out your ancestors.