Author Topic: Durness Parish Register - Part 2  (Read 57380 times)

Offline djct59

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #135 on: Sunday 26 January 20 11:13 GMT (UK) »
Wilros: In reverse order

Yes, the old Cape Wrath Hotel (owned for many years by my mother's cousin) is very close to the south end of Loch Borralie, and can be seen easily from the ground rising above the loch.

Grudie/Achuchairn/Achuchorachan:

If tou look at Forfarian's pictures you will see an isolated house, not accessible by public road, called Grudie, on the headland (rubh) overlooking the Kyle where the River Ghrùdaidh enters it. There is an old stone buidling there that is over 200 years old and is now an outhouse. Half a mile away there is a former shepherd's bothy and some outbuidings, on the fertile ground that was the site of the Achuchairn/Achuchorachan township, again generally accessible only by footbridge.

My reading is that the former has always been "Grudie", and the latter was Achuchorachan, although when my uncle was shepherd there and the house on the point was empty, the whole area on the west of the Dionard was known as "Grudie".

The Manse a very substantial construction, close by the old schoolhouse and Balkakeil church. as far as I know it was regarded as separate from the rudimentary buildings that formed the township of Ballinloch.

Offline wilros

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #136 on: Sunday 26 January 20 15:12 GMT (UK) »
Attached is a draft pre-1800 township map that I made. it is not intended to be inclusive of all townships, rather is intended to support a genealogy narrative about specific family members and their spouses, in-laws, and cousins (Ross, MacCulloch, MacLeod, Morrison, Calder, Mackay, etc.) who lived in these locations.

The map base layer I used was https://her.highland.gov.uk/Monument/MHG17907

Please suggest corrections that will improve the accuracy of the township names and locations.

Thanks very much.
Ross, Manson, Mackenzie, Mackay, McGregor, McColl, Chisholm, McLellan, Grant, Calder, Sinclair, Carpenter, Bowen, Carothers, Wilson, Renwick, Gillette, Warner, McBride, Struthers, McKee, Hogg, Dunbar, Anderson

Offline djct59

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #137 on: Sunday 26 January 20 20:12 GMT (UK) »
That's not bad.

I'd move Croispol up north slightly to the direct left of where it says C1134, and Clashneach a bit south nearer to the coast. At the point on the map where it says C1134 was Balvoolich, and where the word "Durness" appears was Durine (the dark soil - dubh rinn). Lerin is between Sangomore and Sangobeg, and Ceannabeinne overlooks Eilean Hoan - perhaps the Norse burial place (How Ey - burial island).

Hope this helps.

Offline meanno

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #138 on: Sunday 26 January 20 21:08 GMT (UK) »
Whilst on the subject of locations, in the DPR Alexander Campbell and Angus Mackay are described as millers in Craigiemhulin, I believe also known as Craggywillin.
Would this be the ruin of the original mill, near to Balnakeil House, and so is this the location of Craigiemhulin?


Offline djct59

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #139 on: Sunday 26 January 20 21:31 GMT (UK) »
That's part of the mill. There has been a mill there since Timothy Pont's map in c.1590 https://maps.nls.uk/view/00002282. It drew is water from Loch Croispol. The  larger building was the mill proper at Craigiemhulin - you can see where the wheel went, although the water channel has virtually dried up in the last hundred years. It was still working when my grandfather was a young man.

The present mill house dates from c.1830 https://canmore.org.uk/site/4814/balnakeil-mill The mill house in Alexander Campbell's time may have been on the same site or may have been the building in your picture. The current mill is B Listed and is now in a very dangerous state

Offline wilros

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #140 on: Sunday 26 January 20 21:47 GMT (UK) »
I'd move Croispol up north slightly to the direct left of where it says C1134, and Clasneach a bit south nearer to the coast. At the point on the map where it says C1134 was Balvoolich, and where the word "Durness" appears was Durine (the dark soil - dubh rinn). Lerin is between Sangomore and Sangobeg, and Ceannabeinne overlooks Eilean Hoan - perhaps the Norse burial place (How Ey - burial island).

Hope this helps.

djct59 - that is a fabulous amount of detail, thank you very much for the excellent suggestions. i'll increment the map to the next version and then post it for further review.

i'm also working on a second generation base layer from the ordinance survey that extends south to grudie and achuchoran.

[wr]
Ross, Manson, Mackenzie, Mackay, McGregor, McColl, Chisholm, McLellan, Grant, Calder, Sinclair, Carpenter, Bowen, Carothers, Wilson, Renwick, Gillette, Warner, McBride, Struthers, McKee, Hogg, Dunbar, Anderson

Offline meanno

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #141 on: Sunday 26 January 20 21:55 GMT (UK) »
That's part of the mill. There has been a mill there since Timothy Pont's map in c.1590 https://maps.nls.uk/view/00002282. It drew is water from Loch Croispol. The  larger building was the mill proper at Craigiemhulin - you can see where the wheel went, although the water channel has virtually dried up in the last hundred years. It was still working when my grandfather was a young man.

The present mill house dates from c.1830 https://canmore.org.uk/site/4814/balnakeil-mill The mill house in Alexander Campbell's time may have been on the same site or may have been the building in your picture. The current mill is B Listed and is now in a very dangerous state

I took this photo last October. As you rightly say, it's in a dangerous state and the roof is now falling in.

Offline djct59

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #142 on: Sunday 26 January 20 22:05 GMT (UK) »
Quite a dramatic decline in the last five years... :(

Offline meanno

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Re: Durness Parish Register - Part 2
« Reply #143 on: Monday 27 January 20 00:01 GMT (UK) »
Quite a dramatic decline in the last five years... :(
At least it doesn't have a tree growing through it like Angus Mackay's later mill at Badlehavish!