Lovely to read these threads and find more information on the descendants of John McKay and Ann Mason - including Lachlan. Thank you.
My wife Morag is a descendant of Ann Mason's brother Patrick/Peter Mason of Fort Augustus. Ann Mason's and Peter Mason's father (Lachlan's maternal grandfather) was Archibald Mason who died in 1799 described as "overseer to William Hall of Whitehall [Whitehall is in Chirnside, Berwickshire], at Port Clair, parish of Boleskine and Abertarff". I believe William Hall had purchased the Abertarff estate (which I think included Inchnacardoch, of which John McKay became tacksman) from the Forfeited Estates Commission post-Culloden and perhaps earlier than 1769. Before moving north to Fort Augustus area in the 1760s, Archibald Mason was living I think at Prestonkirk in East Lothian.
Many tales of John McKay as a messenger-at-arms appear in Fraser-Mackintosh's publications "Antiquarian Notes" (both series). John's marriage was referred to in a previous post: at the time of his marriage to Ann Mason on 16 May 1775, John was described as living in "Bona" in Dores (at the north end of Loch Ness not far from Aldourie), and Ann Mason was in Abertarff parish.
Ann's sisters and brothers traceable in the Fort Augustus area/mentioned in Archibald Mason's testament were:
1. Marion Mason, probably b 1748 at Prestonkirk, m 1776 at Abertarff to John Strathdee, one of the King's masons. Large family born in Abertarff.
2. Robert Mason, probably b 1750 at Prestonkirk.
3. George Mason, probably b 1753 at Prestonkirk, m Elizabeth Coupland and had a dau Mary Mason b 1777 at Inchnacardoch.
4. Peter/Patrick Mason, probably b 1758 at Prestonkirk, a mason in Fort Augustus, m Janet Macdonell alias McNeil, large family including my wife's ancestor. Peter/Patrick d 1797 in Fort Augustus - interesting gravestone at Kilchumein.
5. Ann Mason (above) b abt 1760? d as per previous post.
There MAY also have been a son Archibald Mason who was involved with the Hudson's Bay Company at an early period.
Peter Grant (New Zealand)
