Camusnagaul Free Church, Kilmallie?

[Br1gau]

Hi,

I have two marriage certificates; 1856 and 1869 at Camusnagaul, Kilmallie, Argyll.  The celebrant for both was Charles Stewart, FC minister of Fort William, but I cannot find any reference to a church at Camusnagaul.  Can anyone help with this?

[MonicaL]

Hi Br1gau

I can't see any reference to it so far. The only FC church coming up nearby is mentioned as being in Ballachulish - see https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Kilmallie,_Argyll,_Scotland_Genealogy#.28north.29_Ballachulish_Free_Church

Am I right in thinking that Camusnagaul is also known as Ardgour (now ferry port)? If so, it is pretty close to Ballachulish isn't it.

Monica 

[Br1gau]

Thanks for looking, Monica,

not really close - Camusnagaul is in the northern part of Ardgour, on the inner elbow of land where Loch Linnhe meets Loch Shiel.  Ballachulish is in the area of Onich and Glencoe, on the other side of Loch Linnhe.  There was a Free Church in Ballachulish, built in 1874, I believe.   

There was also a Free Church tent used in 1844, just one year after the Disruption. Col. Maclean of Ardgour objected to this because 1. It was erected right next to the established Parliamentary church designed by Telford in 1829; 2. The Free Church didn’t ask permission; neither did they pay rent, & 3. The tent was in full view of Col. Maclean’s home at Ardgour House.  I don’t know how long the tent stayed in position but Camusnagaul was also owned by the Macleans.

It' a mystery to me!  Thought it might be a case of a floating church like the one at Strontian, but if so surely there would be a reference too it

[MonicaL]

I think I was looking at the map with sunglasses...of course it is not nearby!

Which are the marriages you were looking at, Br1gau? 1851 and 1861 just seems to show one family of McLachlans at Camusnagaul.

Monica

[Br1gau]

Oh, it’s these Boyds again!  Two marriages from unrelated families

1856 Ann Boyd from North Garvan, Ardgour, her father, Duncan, was a farmer & Free Church  elder, and Duncan Cameron from Sunart (his parents were buried on St Finan’s!)

1869 John Boyd, crofter from Blaich, Ardgour, and Isabella McGregor from Morvern 

I too, can only see John McLachlan at Camusnagaul; a spirit dealer in 1841 and a ferryman thereafter. 

Re-reading the account of the FC tent, I notice that Col. Maclean did offer to negotiate a suitable site for a FC place of worship in Ardgour, but not right outside his door.  Camusnagaul is about as far away from it as one could get!

[Carolbea]

In the NRAS Register a bundle of 12 ref NRA 3583/800001  there is an address by Col Maclean to "my tenants and crofters within the bounds of Corran Church who have separated themselves from the establishment," dated Cuil 25th December, 1843 where Col Maclean has plenty to say about the "tent church on seized ground near as to the Parish Church as they could obtain".
The address will give you considerable background up to the erection of the tent and the proposed conditions and support from Maclean for a building site for a another church.

[Br1gau]

Hi Carolbea,

Thank you for posting that NRS reference; it was reading Col. Maclean’s address referred to that first prompted me to post here.  In this address Col. Maclean objects to the tent and states that if certain criteria were met, ‘I will give you a Site for a House of Worship adequate to your numbers’.

But, although the history of the Free Church is generally very well documented, I can find no reference anywhere to the erection of an actual church building at Camusnagaul or anywhere else in Ardgour.  As Monica points out, there is only one residence showing in the censuses at Camusnagaul, occupied by John McLachlan; Innkeeper 1841, spirit dealer, 1861 and ferryman 1881 (13 occupants, so quite large.)  I suspect that this building may have been used for the two Boyd weddings. 

Regards, brigau

[hanes teulu]

The 1872 map shows the ferry route from "Camas nan Gall" to the pier at Fort William, and just south of the pier is marked "Free Church & School" (at least I think there's an ampersand between "Church" and "School" - difficult to make out).

1872 Map
https://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html#/Map/210500/773500/12/100750

To bring up the old map, use zoom (- symbol)and when it appears, scroll north to Fort William and then across the water to Camas nan Gall. 

[Br1gau]

Diolch yn fawr iawn, hanes teulu, but that church and school is in Fort William.  I'm looking at Ardgour, on the western shore of Loch Linnhe, stretching from Loch Eil in the north to the Sound of Mull in the south.

Thank you for looking though.