inverchaolin

[gc1660]

The Currie family owned Garrachoran and lived there part of the year.  Around the main house were many more houses were servants lived and also farmers, working on the estate.  The village of Clachan did not exist at that time.  That came only into existance with the Powder Mills.  Many of the Garrochoran buildings no longer exist.  Some are now part of the Clachan village, from others one can only see the remains of foundations, walls etc or even nothing! 

A tacksman is a middle man, who rents himself from the landlord a part of the estate and rents it to others.  Sometimes a tacksman does not even lie on the estate he is tackman off!

At the time of the Powder Mill, there was even an Inn at the start of the road to the main Garrachoran House!  Of this Inn, nothing can be seen today.  There is a nice story of how a funeral procession stopped at this inn for refreshments.  They let the horse pulling the cart graze while they drank a few drams before continuing to Kilmun to bury the deceased.  When they finally arrived in Kilmun they discovered they had forgotten the coffin at the Inn at Clachaig ...

There was indeed a settlement at Glen Tarsan.  Most of it got inundated when the dam was built.  Only the remains of what looks of a sheep-pen is visible today.

I have an old map of Loch Striven ...

[themeda99]

Thanks for the info gc1660. Did the Curries hold the land from Argyll? Argyll held his land from the monarch of the time, but did it extend as far as the places we are talking about? There seemed to be Campbells under every stone; they held Glendaruel in the early 19th C, one dying in about 1803, his successor in 1812. Would you have any idea whether the tacks for this land still exist and where? Did the Curries send any one to Australia, there are some who were squatters in the Port Phillip district of NSA(now Victoria).

[gc1660]

Hi

Most of the land in Cowal did belong to the Lamonts at first.  They were the main clan here.  No need to say the Campbell's tried to get hold of the land of the Lamonts throughout the centuries …  you even had the Lamont massacre in Dunoon in the 1600's upon which the Campbells appropriated all the Lamont lands but after the trials, the Lamonts got most of it back but not everything.

The Curries were originally the bards of the McDonalds.  At first they received the lands of Kilberry from the Lord of the Isles and that is where there Bard School was located (back in the 1300's!).  At that time their lands were mainly Knapdale and naturally Islay  area.  Then they received some land in South Kintyre all close to Dunaverty from the Lord of the Isles.  That was in the 1400's.  No need to say that James IV gave the Earl of Argyll charge of the territories of the Lord of the Isles in 1499 ... after the abolishment of the Lordship of the Isles in 1493.   The MacMhuirrich being on the wrong site they lost the lands in Kintyre as well as in Knapdale.

Donald McMhuirrich held land in Bute from the Socttish King from 1496.  That is when they got know as the Barons os Bute or Balilone.    Gilchrist MacMhuirrich held Balilone on Bute by Feu Farm directly from the King.  (Balilone territory is from Loch Fad till the end of the peninsula in the North as well as Achamor next to it).  Even when the Stewarts started to rise in Bute, it continued and both of them were the main owners of the lands in Bute.  Both of them however tried to resuscitate the Lordship of the Isles and by 1539 Donald McMhuirrich thought it safer to go to Kintyre and in 1541 he rented the lands of the Duke of Argyll which had previously belonged to his father John.

In 1545 they again tried to resurrect the Lordship and together with Stewart from Bute who was also on the wrong site they got outlawed for their part in the affair and Mary Queen of Scots granted to Colin Campbell of Ardkinglass all the lands in Bute.  Both of them fled to Ireland and MacMhuirrich established an estate there also called Balilone.

One of the Clan MacMhuirrach however lived with the Clan Lamont in Cowal from 1472 onwards, when Agnes McDonald married John 8th of Lamont.  He was the bard of the Lamonts and became the father of all the Curries in Cowal.  On 10 September 1618 Duncan McGorrie Lamont of Garrochoran transferred the land to Gilliepatrick McClugas a member of the sect of the clan Lamont .  It was John 1st of Garrochoran (714-1772) who bought the Glen Lean estates of Garrochoran and Coorachaive) from Gilliepatrick McClugas.  The principal territories of the Curries were Garachoran, Corrachaive, Stuckgowan, Balmichael, Glen Tarsan amd Garvie.

[gc1660]

this is the second part of the message ... you can only have 5500 characters!

I went through the familie tree in the book and just found something interesting ….
He had 4 children, Ann of Garrochoran who married John 13th of Balilone), Duncan the 2nd of Carrochoran, John 1st of Coorachaive and Archibald of Garvie.  John the 4th of Garrocharan died at the Battle of Helde in Holland in 1799 and his sister Jean inherited Garrocharon upon the death of her brother.  James of Balilone became her guardian and executer … she married Thomas Harkness of Clachaig!  It remained her property but was past on to their children after her death!

Jean of Corrachaive who was born in 1782 was engaged to her cousin John Currie of Garrocharan who was killed in 1799.  She was a great beauty and was the heroine of the Gaelic lovesong “Clachan Glendaruel” (no need to say the composer of this was also a Currie!)… she eventually married Commander R.N. Black!

This explains the occurance of the Blacks and Harkness at both properties!

Did you know there is even a song “The Ghost of Garrochoran” which was composed by Murdo Currie of Balilone?

I came across the book “With Sword and Harp” in the Dunoon library and took it to read as I thought it might be of the Lamonts (after all they have a harp as one of their symbols!).  Once at home I discovered it was about the Curries … provided however interesting reading! 

As far as Glendaruel is concerned, that belonged also to the Lamonts … it was only later that the Campbells came in.  Need to look into the details on how it became Campbell land, it could be through marriage as well as … after the Lamont Massacre!

Most of the families here in Cowal have members who emigrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the USA … 

Shona McKellor (born McIntyre) has done research on the McIntyres of Kilfinan, Kilmodan, Inverchaolain and Bute … She wrote an article about her research for the Colintraive Heritage Centre.  She talks about Donald, Alexander and Peter who went to NSW and Victoria in Australia.  Peter emigrated in 1852 and went to work for Neil Black … apparently Neil Black came home a couple of times between 1843 and 1850 reporting and looking for likely immigrants and on a second trip he stayed in Scotland for several years while looking for a suitable wife to take out.  He had obviously impressed some of the McIntyre boys who followed him!  Of the Clark family apparent John Lamont Clark followed him as well … am trying to find him back … all we know is that he died in Australia and had no children … we do not know when he emigrated nor if he ever married!

I do not know if Shona has email, but I am bound to see her next week at the Colintraive fete and will ask her ...  She might have some more details about the lands in Glendaruel ... I know that Lochgilphead archives as well as Edinburg archives have lot of documents but will need to verify what they have available ....

[themeda99]

Good so far. Who held these lands in the 19thC? Also  have come on a place called Benbuy and have no idea where it could be. Have you heard of it? Also Eligmore, which I think is Glen Shira. Pigot's 1837. Is there any source for the namesof all the farms around the place? Thanks

[gc1660]

Hi

About Benbuy I found this

These notes come from Origines Parochiales Scotić, 1855, vol. ii, part i, pp. 85-90. The northern portion of the MacVicar lands is traversed by the valleys of Glenshira and Glenaray (Fig. 1). Its highest mountain is Benbuy, 2,800 feet above the sea (853 m). All of this area is understood to have once belonged to the MacNaughtons, who accept the MacVicars as a sept (the MacVicars could be descended from a MacNaughton who was a vicar). This section, on page 61, goes on:
In the year 1403, Margaret, the daughter of Gyllecrist, called Macgillegeachin, with the consent of her son and heir, Fynlay Macawaran, resigned to Colin Cambell Lord of Lochaw, her overlord, the sixth part of the lands of Glenserw (Gleann-sěora) and of other lands which heritably belonged to her, and which had formerly belonged to Alexander McNeachden, lord of the same lands.
Angus Macnaghten [13] on page 19 tentatively identifies this Alexander as a Chief of our Clan. This seems to refer to Glen Shira.
In 1596, Archibald, Earl of Argyle, appointed Alexander M’Nauchtan, the son and heir of John Macnauchtan of Dundaraw, keeper of the forest of Benbuy for 19 years, for the yearly payment of Ł80 and on condition that he not keep “oversoumes” in that forest. [p. 64]. There still exist the remains … of the castle of the Macnaughtens on the Důloch … A standing stone on the castle lawn is said to mark the old march between the McIvers and M’Vicars. [p. 65].
A march can mean a boundary; there are no decipherable marks on the stone [Fig. 2] nor any indication when it formed such a boundary. The McIvers are not listed as a sept of the Macnachtan Clan in The Red Banner

[gc1660]

As far as Eligmore is concerned, in which parish records did you come across them and what is the exact text ...  That can help finding that back ... Benbuy is easy as it is one of the well known mountains here in Argyll and indeed Glen Shira area!

The McNaughtans had all the lands around there with their castle at Dunderaw which is still standing today at Loch Fyne.

Pity our neighbour who was a McNaughtan is no longer alive because he could have told us more about that!

[gc1660]

I think the Eligmore must be the Elrig More (you also had an Elrig beg) in Glenshira (correctly writen Eileirig).   Was once part of the McNaughton lands as well ...

[gc1660]

follow this link and you find some more info on Elrigmore
http://nz.mcneur.com/inverary/invlettr.htm