Norman Morrison b1790 Applecross/Gairloch - looking for parents/birth location

[whatkaileysaid]

Thanks for the suggestions Skoosh, I will do all of what you've listed. I do have an appt with the Gairloch museum for when I'm there, so hopefully I can find something. Are there any others I should be looking into, or is Gairloch the only one?

And thanks Forfarian, so neat. I stayed up late two nights ago going through a HTML version of Dixon's book. I did find several references to a Donald Morrison who lived in Drumchork. It says this about him:

"Donald Morrison, of Drumchork, was a grandson of Murdo's son and Lord Breadalbane's daughter. He went to see the Lord Breadalbane of his day, a descendant of the lord whose daughter was married to Murdo's son. Lord Breadalbane gave Donald Morrison three hundred pounds when he went to the castle. Rorie Morrison also went to see Lord Breadalbane, but he did not get anything. Donald was a very fine, tall, handsome man, and looked grand in his kilt and plaid; there was no one like him in the country, so good-looking and so well shaped for the kilt!""

It never mentions any kind of fishing business management, and I don't know much about Lord Breadalbane, but a brief google search makes me think it's not the same Donald..as the family lineage is not from Lewis from what I can tell.

In the part where it describes in great detail all of the little towns and lakes, they stop JUST short of where Norman and family were living, so nothing there either. It was more of a key word search than a full read, so if you do find anything interesting at some point please let me know! I will do the full read at some point.

Will update you if I find anything interesting via Skoosh's suggestions!

[Forfarian]

Donald Morrison, of Drumchork

Drumchork is at Aultbea, about as far from Diabaig as you can get and still be in the parish of Gairloch.

[whatkaileysaid]

Hi all,

So I got in touch with Steve, who got me in touch with someone named Alice, who got me in touch with Murdoch MacDonald, the author of "Old Torridon".

This was his response to a summary email I sent inquiring about Portlair and Normand/Donald Morison:

I'm only aware of a couple of families living at Portlair; it is pretty remote and both would have been Gaelic-speaking. They were Maclennans and Camerons and Campbells. The land there is part of the parish of Diabaig and therefore the Gairloch estate. Donald Morison was from Lewis (a relation of the Morison brieves there, I believe) and set up the curing station at Ardmore, on behalf of Kenneth Mackenzie. I'm not aware that he had any land, and as far as I know he was only in Torridon for a few years. He may well have taken over one or more of his relatives to help with building the curing station. I suspect Mackenzie didn't pay him what he was due, and he went back to Lewis as far as I know.
Morison is not a common name around the loch, and I'm not aware of any others.
Sorry I can't be of more help.

regards
Murdoch MacDonald

A few things I've learned from this:

1. The fact that there were no other Morisons near the loch reinforces the idea that Normand likely came from Lewis (and likely with Donald)
2. The fact that there were Maclennans in Portlair...and Normand married a Isabella (Bell) Maclennan in 1813 may be the connection to Portlair
3. He says that Portlair is actually part of the Gairloch estate, which means I may be able to go record searching at the museum in the fall
4. If Normand is related to Donald, there could be a connection to the brieves

I've done an initial search on Donald Morison to see if I can confirm him as a relation, but haven't been able to find very much. I will continue with it - if anyone can find anything more on him, please let me know

Kailey

[Skoosh]

Interesting thread, Bill Lawson, or one of his clients, might already have researched this family Kailey & will save U a lot of trouble!

Very hot Gadget, never lit the fire but had a wee one outside at night for the benefit of the midgies. The clegs were fearsome, including the fancy Episcopalian variety with the green eyes! killed hunners! 

Skoosh. 

[whatkaileysaid]

Thanks Skoosh! Will try to get in touch with Bill. Would be lovely if that were the case!!

Received Murdoch MacDonald's book today. I need to do a full read on it, but I did read that most of Donald Morison's work in the area for fishing was in the late 1780s...and that he was likely unpaid and went back to Lewis a few short years later. Normand's birth is listed as approx 1790, although as indicated in earlier threads, his birth year is debatable. Still, it seems unlikely that he would have been of age to help. Perhaps the link was Normand's father? Or, none at all.. I just can't imagine why else he'd be in Portlair during that decade...with quite literally no other Morisons around. Hoping the curator at Gairloch museum can help clarify this element of it.

I'm going to be in Wester Ross in about eight weeks time so trying to get enough information to guide me while I'm there. I will be hiking into Portlair. If anyone has any recommendations for other things to do in the area (genealogical, hiking, or general suggestions) please let me know

[Skoosh]

Kailey, very hot here & no sign of a let-up. Hope you have a great trip. See Stevie Carter's website for the attractions, just being there will doubtless be the main one!

Skoosh.

[whatkaileysaid]

Hi again,

Haven't heard back from Bill Lawson.

But, I've had another interesting development. I've found a mention of a "Port Blair" on Loch Shieldaig that is listed in Miller's Royal Tourist Guides to the Highlands and the Islands in 1877.

Here's a pull quote:
"hills of Torridon beyond Opposite Flowerdale is Eilean Horrisdale protecting the small bay or harbour of Badacro at one time a busy resort of the herring fishing fleet but since the failure of this fishery fallen into decay Badacro has a small public house and shops. From it a moorland track runs southward to Port Blair on Loch Shieldag from which a boat ferries to the southern shore of Loch Torridon and Shieldag village. From thence a good road leads to Jeantown or Strome on Loch Carron"

and: "At Diobaig is a fishing clachan and at Port Blair is the ferry house nicely built without mortar from the slaty Cambrian sandstone of Alligin While days may be spent loitering in sight of the solemn and savage scenery of Torridon the tourist will have to trust to his feet for travel Reaching the eastern end of Upper Torridon by a path a good road will then carry the tourist to Kinlochewe on Loch Maree."


I've done a search and can't find a Port Blair on Loch Shieldaig. Of course, there is a Port Lair. He repeats similar directions three times with 'Port Blair' and nearby Diabaig involved and I've tried to follow what he's talking about on a map... and while I can...taking "a wild moorland path" (he calls it later) from Port Lair to Gairloch sounds like an incredible trek. Am I missing something?

If you search Port Blair in the doc below you'll see 3 references.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=_LsHAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA4-PA77&lpg=RA4-PA77&dq=port+lair+fishing+torridon&source=bl&ots=TcqbgHPG8-&sig=4veUacTgopVnbLE_5dtoGI8tiAY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjN84aXj6XcAhUl_4MKHYKBCL0Q6AEwAHoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=Port%20Blair&f=false

[Forfarian]

That seems a bit bizarre.

This description only makes some sort of sense if the author wrote 'Port Blair on Loch Shieldaig' when he actually meant 'Port Lair on Loch Torridon'. But even then it's confusing.

There are two Loch Shieldaigs - one just a mile or two from Badachro in the parish of Gairloch, and one at the west end of Loch Torridon opposite Diabaig. He obviously can't have meant the one in Applecross, because you could only walk from Gairloch to there by going round the head of Loch Torridon.

The first edition of the Ordnance Survey map, surveyed in 1875, does not show a path south across the moorland from Badachro. See https://maps.nls.uk/view/74428380. The obvious land route from Badachro to Diabaig is by the path that roughly follows the coast.

The Gairloch Loch Shieldaig is east-south-east, not south, of Badachro, and therefore in the opposite direction from the path to Diabaig if you are starting from Badachro.

There is a path south from the Gairloch Loch Shieldaig, but it peters out in the moorland south of Loch Gaineamhach.

Do any of the censuses describe anyone residing at Port Lair as a ferryman?

BTW I have found my copy of Dixon's 'Gairloch', published in 1886. The map shows the coastal path to Diabaig, but no path over the moor. It does not show Port Lair, or mention or indicate any ferry across Loch Torridon (though that isn't conclusive because that would be outside the parish of Gairloch, and the book concentrates on the parish).

It's quite likely that the author of the guide had never been to most of the places he was describing and therefore didn't really know what he was talking about.

[Skoosh]

Kailey,  been in Badachro on a yacht, trying to row ashore the dinghy made no headway at all, turned out the burn by the inn was in spate, tasting the water confirmed this. Lunch at the inn excellent. It was an elderly couple had the place then!

Bests,
Skoosh.