Places I went on tour with Hugh

The geography of my tour:

First we crossed the Kessock Bridge and went to Killearnan Church where Alexander and Catherine married in 1830. Lovely, had a look around the gravestones of course, very nice views across the Beauly Firth. We then passed the entrance to Red Castle now done up again, it was famous in the 1500s.

Saw Kirkhill across the water from here, just a few houses visible. Went up to big Tore roundabout which is roughly where something important was, but is no longer. 

Then to Muir of Ord which I had not mentioned to him previously so we tootled around it. I had only given him some broad towns as a guide, but I should have sent him a very detailed rundown of where was most important, street addresses etc. He would be googling something I had scribbled (and to my embarrassment it was scribbled by me the night before in my tiny Inverness B&B, with no desk). This was great as it helped us get to key places.

Saw the 6000 year old henge site, no signage what so ever, but he said it was the oldest man-made structure I would see in Scotland. You can just make out some ripples in the grass. Hugh talked about prehistory, due to ice sheets a mile thick, no humans could survive in Scotland till 8000BC. Later talked about types of Celtic peoples coming separately through Northern Europe to lower England and up to Scotland. Iberian celts coming to Ireland. These invading western lands of Argyll, Dal Raida, whom the Roman’s called Scot’s meaning pirate/raider. Romans called englanders Britons and Scotland’s people Picts as they had pictures, paintings on them. So we owe a lot of modern names to Roman writers.

The ripples are all that remain of the henge at a town near Corntown

Story of Brahan Seer, Coinneach Odhar, who had the misfortune to ‘see’ the betrayal of a wife by her husband when he was off fighting on the continent. She so disliked this information she decided to execute him by boiling him alive. As he was dying he pronounced a great curse, details of which I forget, but it was not going to go well for the family. Much of it has happened. There is a book of his prophecies divided into thirds, 1. Came to pass, 2. Partly came to pass, 3. Yet to pass. This story was told to me in Maryburgh so it must relate to a local lord. Crossed a river. Hugh pointing out salmon fisherman, not my interest, but salmon fishing very big industry for this area.

The Lord was the Seaforth Mackenzie, and his line would end with someone deaf and dumb. One of the Mackenzie’s was so afflicted in the late 1700s, and although he had four sons, they all died before him. Anyway the prophecy came to pass. Kenneth somebody. Hood St in Maryburgh refers to Admiral Hood who was related to the Mackenzie’s. ‘ A Woman in white from east will cause death’. So a sister who had been to India, returned for funeral, was wearing white as this is the colour of mourning in India, was wearing a white turban and gown when travelling with her sister, and the sister died in a wagon accident.

Glen is Gaelic for valley, strath is Norse for valley. 

Clan chatton is pronounced ch like in loch. Chatton means cat, so many septs of the clan, including MacBain have cats on their shield or motto. “Touch not the cat, or be getting the glove (fist)” or for Bain targe=shield, or a fight in other words. Now I think that the Bain family of Dingwall has NOUGHT to do with the McBain clan of Inverness-shire, so take all the cat and the glove with a more dispassionate eye. I won’t say Hugh misled me because he never said they were - he just asked if I’d like to take that tour, and in my ignorance I said “of course”.

Clan means 4 things - kinship (blood), territory, loyalty and ?

After Conan Bridge, which now merges with Maryburgh, we went up to Dingwall. Main St is now pedestrian. Went to Mill St, which was on the corner with Blackwells St, then around to Hill St, forgot #29 to look out for where several of Alexander’s siblings lived, and Wormald was born. Took pictures. Spoke to old man about Tesco. They bought the land of the old mart or cattle market which was in a low lying area that flooded. Dingwall was the biggest cattle market in UK, napoleonic wars fought on highland cattle, so a lot of people put all their resources into it, led to depression in 1815. The new cattle mart is on higher ground. Some dodgy deal but the old man said Tesco was good, you could get anything you need. He had lived in Dingwall for 30 years, so not long.

Hill St Dingwall, #29 no longer exists according to google streetview

Mill St, Dingwall, quite close to the Centre of town.

From there to Fodderty, where there were a few houses but no real Main Street as I thought. Cemetery was massive, and very orderly. Walked around the old parts that are terraced. A lot of Mackenzie’s. Nice drive through trees. There was a kinetta cottage, but we were looking for a Kinella cottage, but it was modern anyway. Saw the heights of auchter….. x2, and went up to auchterkneed where he had never driven. A crossed railway track. Talked about outlander author and tv series since some was filmed there ? laud castle where owner charges £140 per person for private tour, opens x6 a year in order to get national trust money, and further grants.

Saw 2 highland cows at a farm where he has friends. I asked about highland cows first, so I can’t know if we were always going there, but there is a gift shop! Highland cows are slow growing so are not commercially viable, and so it can be hard to see any. A clan chief whose home we passed did have about 50, and they were standing next to a henge. There is some Spanish connection. Also a group of highland cows is not a ‘herd’ but a ‘fold’ - one for the trivia buffs.

Mcbain tour - territory is from south of Loch Ness, loch ashie loch duntelchang. Lands close to Mcphails, mcgillevery, and ?

Went to Dores beach where the Nessie hunter caravan is, can see 40 miles down the loch today as was clear. MacL chief used to be at Dores (later confirmed over drinks with Chief), now I think at Fala. We passed through this village which had impressive primary school, playground and sporting fields.

The eastern end of Loch Ness looking westward. What is that on the left?

Castle Moy, the plains, Gillis MacBain, hero of Culloden, lived nearby, inn still standing. All nothing to do with us, I think.

He told the story of David Bain the mass murderer in NZ whom he had stay in his home overnight and the series of circumstances over years where the story unfolded. He had forgotten the name, and it came to him and he felt cautious to say the name to me.

Ghosts at some loch which has no human purpose. They have been seen three times; one a friend of his, was fishing and looked up to see a man in 17th century battle dress,a re-enactor he thought? Looked down for a second and just a nano second later he was gone. Another ghost was a horse and rider racing through the brush right in front of a car, couldn’t miss it, but went straight through.  3rd one?

Susan the eccentric German woman who was having dreams/visions of battles, colorfully dressed fighters and destruction, went to psychiatrists, finally sent to an historian who thought it might be highland fighters. She came to Culloden and felt an affinity, so has been here nearly 30 years.

I am writing these notes on the train back to Eccles.

Would you believe I was reading about Craigesk house when I looked down and saw the very same house below me. It was the first time I had realised that I travelled over the Lothian bridge on the train!!! It feels very Xfiles. Lots of lovely pictures on a real estate ad but when I saw it there was a lot more rubble and less lovely furnishings. Although some did persist.

This is my last trip on this train I think, unless I have to do the same trip back into Edinburgh on Thursday. Bus from Kelso, train from galashiels all up £20. I will probably stay in Edinburgh on the second last night. The night before is at the George, the one after is Heathrow airport hotel. Then also need to book flight from Edinburgh to Heathrow on the Sunday I think. [All done now by 19 May.

Back to the tour - the MacBain tour was the weakest, being a few ‘highlight places’ like the memorial, driving around territory of the MacBains and their confederate clans under the name of Chatton. We saw Gillis MacBain’s inn, a memorial to the ?clan, of course Loch Ness especially the length of it being very clear on the day. 

I have booked an hour with Anne Fraser a noted genealogist recommended by both Rory and the archivist in Hawick. Not sure what I’ll ask really. Untangling earlier generations I guess. She might know something about tenancy records. Ask about changes of the time late 1700s . Hugh talked about the agricultural improvers who decided that bigger fields, fences/walls and rectangles would all help make more money for the landowners, the lairds. The Black Isle was involved early on in the improving game, as it was good land. A lot of the area around Dingwall was drained by Dutch experts brought over in ?early 1800s. Prior to this every holding was higgedly piggedly set just wherever. Roads were straightened. What is the history of the railways up there? How was grains distributed. I would say by boat for a very long time. Cattle were driven south as we know.

Hugh’s books, one was for his mother who didn’t speak English till age 6, took up family history late but spent years with a seaaanach who recounted what he knew. She then went and checked records, like in London and estate records as well as the usual. The book about leaving Scotland is about his father’s family, especially Minto family and the hero of Darwin raids in WW2. There is a report in the Australian national archives as his first hand statements. The captain when to pieces and Tom Minto had to take over to repeatedly try to rescue people. The stones of the title of the first book, re Scottish and his family history, is to do with Gaelic word for stone.

The Culloden Tales book was inspired by woman who had early dementia who was unable to read a book through because she forget the start. But she liked readers digest. He wondered if could he write a book like that, something you could dip in and out of. But if you read it from the start it is still a chronological story of Culloden. In bite size stories it is good on a bus.

The green of the hills near Stow are literally hurting me eyes. Funny how I hardly ever take pictures anymore but the fields around here are gorgeous. 

Losing my entire general post when fiddling with an image -bugger bugger bugger.