Author Topic: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?  (Read 5786 times)

Offline cjm67

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« on: Wednesday 02 December 09 11:55 GMT (UK) »
Hello

Has anyone come across this very small place in Strathlachlan before?  The reason I ask, it is the place of residence recorded on the 1819 baptism of my three time Great Grandfather and therefore where his parents lived.

If you have can you provide any information on it?

If not, any idea where I can find information?

I have trawled the internet without success, but managed to locate it on an old map, and found it on a 1801 map of the area on the NLS maps website.  It is less than a mile west of Newton (on the shore of Loch Fyne).

Anything on this would be most welcomed.

CJM

Offline ev

  • Global Moderator
  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • ********
  • Posts: 8,083
  • Drumkilbo
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 02 December 09 13:06 GMT (UK) »
hi CJM  :)

there is a portandrain strachur stralachlan argyllshire on the 1841 census
4 families - crawford , gillies , mclachlan and morison

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/counties/countymaps2.html

set the map to historical(top r/h corner)
if you zoom in on this map(takes a bit of time to download) it looks like
Porlan Drain or Portan Drain

ev

Census information Crown copyright , All Census information from transcriptions - check original records , Familysearch/IGI is a finding tool only - check original records

Offline cjm67

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 02 December 09 13:42 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for the post ev.

The family I am looking into is McKechnie (and Sinclair) and I know that by the 1841 census that they had moved to Cardross in Dunbartonshire.

However now that I know that there were still homes there in 1841 I'll try and find out more if I can as I have noticed that my spelling of the place and your spelling differ slightly, so I'll use your version to delve further.

Thanks for your input.

CJM

Offline Stralachlan

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 5
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 23 March 10 21:45 GMT (UK) »
Also researching Sinclair's in Stralachlan, and I've come across two marriages to McKechnie's - Catherine & Christina (but not yet linked to my direct ancestors).  Does this match your names at all?

Its likely Porlindrain was a very small croft with just a few houses.


Offline cjm67

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 25 March 10 16:55 GMT (UK) »
Hi Stralachlan

Yes there is a connection there with me, Christina married Hugh McKechnie who were my 4 x Great Grandparents.

I have since been in touch with the Chairperson of the Strachur and District LHS and a helpful associate who have been trying to help me further.  It would appear that my 4 x Great Grandparents did indeed stay at Portindrain near Kilbride/Chapel Island and which I believe were abandoned in the early 1840's.

If you had any information on this I would very much like to hear more.

Offline Stralachlan

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 5
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 25 March 10 19:45 GMT (UK) »
Unfortunately I've got more on Catherine  ::)  Hugh and Christina had a daughter Christina baptised 13 Jul 1854 in Inverchaolain. That's all I've got I'm afraid - no other records relating to them in the parish registers in nearby parishes either, and no gravestones.

What was the name of yr 3ggf who was born in Porlindrain?

Catherine McKechnie (b1831 d1899) married Angus Sinclair (b1841 d 1916) and I know of four children; Alexander, Catherine, Jessie & Janet. Angus & Catherine were buried in Inverchaolain and I have a picture of their gravestone.

Offline cjm67

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #6 on: Friday 26 March 10 13:06 GMT (UK) »
First off sorry I offered wrong information im my last post  ???

What I have is my 4 x Great Grandfather Hugh McKechnie who married Agnes Ann Sinclair in 1819 in the parish of Strathlachan and in turn resided in Portindrain.  They then had several children, but the oldest born there was Donald (December 1819) who is my 3 x Great Grandfather.

From the records that I have been able to find I know they then moved to Cardross and Renton in Dunbartonshire.  My 3 x Great Grandfather moved to Stonehaven soon after.

Where I was getting mixed up with names is that Agnes Ann's parents were John Sinclair and Christina Crawford.  I have no record of the Christina you mentioned that was baptised in July 1854.  The only one I have is the daughter of Hugh and Agnes Ann who was born in 1834 but died in 1863.

If any off the above is familier in anyway I would love to hear from you.

CJM

Offline hendog

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 42
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 10 April 11 12:01 BST (UK) »
Hi cjm,
was up at Strachur for a weeks R&R and was doing a bit of wandering about. As a youngster shortly after the ice cap retreated  :) we used to have a cottage at Newton and I still visit whenever we are up there. Anyways this time I did a walk from Castle Lachlan up the coast and to Newton via, the ruins of Kilbride Chapel, Portindrain and Newton island and have photos of the site of Portindrain. Thought I would refresh my memory of the story of why the settlement was abandoned and in indulging in a bit of Googling came across your post, hence the email. Not a huge amount to see.  There is an article about the settlement which you have probably already come across at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-753-1/dissemination/pdf/2000/2000.pdf
Unfortunately only just found that or I would have taken a few more photos of some of the things mentioned. Interestingly they talk of the village being abandoned after some unspecified plague. I have had heard an alternative story which is on the Clan MacLachlan web site that it was due to the accidental deaths of some children i.e. the inhabitants of the old Portindrain village had gone to attend a wedding (some versions say it was a funeral) and were late in returning home. Some anxious children set off across the moor to meet their parents. Unfortunately, they lost the footpath and in the darkness strayed into a peat bog where three of them were drowned. Their last desperate cries are still said to be audible in this lonely spot. Guess we will never know for sure.
Hope some of this is of interest Let me know if you are interested in the photos and I can email them on to you.

Offline hendog

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 42
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Porlindrain in Strathlachlan - Anyone Know it?
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 09 July 16 11:13 BST (UK) »
I have been doing a bit of research reference this lost settlement and the last families to live there. The result can be found of the web at
http://www.scotshistory.jejik.co.uk/Portindrain/Portindrain.html