inverchaolin

[poppysmum]

Hi
My father is researching the history of his house and the local area.  He lives near Toward Point near Dunoon, in a parish called Inverchaolain.  We have some info about the residents of his house but we would love to hear from anyonw who is researching in this area. 
I don't want to give the name of his house for privacy reasons but we are interested in learning more about the entire area anyway!
caroline

[poppysmum]

hi,
replying to my own post!
I just wondered if anyone knew of any other sites i could post this question on, maybe one which would be more specific to this area?
thanks, caroline

[Ann Baker]

Hi Caroline

Dunnoon actually has a family history centre in the town centre but the only sue way of finding out who louved there before your dad is to ask to see the deeds.

Am assuming he has bought the house and therefore the deeds will be with the lawyer that did the conveyancing work.

Ann

[Thrall]

Hi Caroline, if you contact the archivist for Argyll and Bute Council, now probably Jackie Davenport, archives[at]argyll-bute.gov.uk (replace [at] with @) you may obtain some information through the county Evaluation Roll which was updated every few years. I have gone this way to obtain information about my gr.grandfather´s situation and employer and been given good service.
See:
http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/content/leisure/localhistory/introductiontoarchives

Guid hunting,

Thrall

[museum man 2]

Might be able to help you with some detail but certainly with an overall and detailed description of the area . I also have at home a very early photograph of the original houses.

Castle House Museum Dunoon.

[Heather Jean]

I'm sorry if I'm doing the wrong thing here. This is my first entry and I'm not sure of the procedures. I can't help on the original topic but was interested in the reply from the Castle House Museum. (Should I be addressing my query here or somewhere else?)

My gg-grandparents were on a croft at Stronyaraig, just out from Inverchaolain.
Archibald Brown and Jane Weir had seven children: Duncan 1810, Mary 1811, Archibald 1813, John 1815, Janet 1818, Alexander 1821 and Jane 1824. John came to Australia in 1854 and he is my great grandfather.
Archibald's parents were Archibald Brown and Mary Mackellar (various spellings) and Jane's were Duncan Weir and Janet Harkness.

I am researching anything I can find on the family and am interested in information about Inverchaolain and Stronyaraig. Any images of these areas would be like a goldmine for me.

Heather

[museum man 2]

I do not have a lot of time to give you a fuller reply but you have a famous ancestor. Janet Harkness was the first born child of Thomas Harkness and the first of his 3 wives Mary Iver "a native of nether Cowal" Janet was born 22nd. February 1755.

Thomas  commonly called "An Gall Ruadh" the Red Stranger came to this area in the early 1700's. There was an article about him in the Scots Magazine as far back as 1808. He was the first person to winter sheep on the hillsides. He amassed a fortune. His remains are in Kilmun churchyard and he has relatives still in Dunoon. I have quite a bit of information about his very extensive family in a rare book called "the History of Cowal"

[museum man 2]

Janet and her husband Duncan Weir of  Invervegan had a family of 6 sons and  6 daughters.

In 1808 Thomas had " 67 descendants now living"

If I get time I will try and scan the three pages that refer to this large family.

Thomas's policy, which made him a wealthy man was to " to sell a' and buy nane"

[Heather Jean]

Thank you Museum Man 2!!

I can't believe how fortunate I am that you have that sort of information available on my family going back so far. It opens up so many more pathways for me. I went to Scotlands People tonight and found the will of Thomas Harkness.

Once again, THANK YOU.

Heather