Urquhart and Glenmoriston
Olden Times in a Highland Parish

[561]

APPENDIX S

THE POOR, AND “FOOLS.”

BEFORE the Poor Law Act of 1845, the poor were relieved, by the Kirk Session, out of a fund raised from church collections, private contributions, and fines paid by offenders against the moral law. This relief was, however, insufficient for their maintenance, and large numbers went about begging — certificates of poverty and licences to beg being, before the end of last century, granted to the genuine and deserving poor by their ministers. For these beggars — many of whom came from other parishes — every farmer kept a corner and a blanket in his barn; and they got supper before going to bed, and breakfast in the morning. Some of them were “fools" — helpless lunatics, as a rule, who wandered miserably from house to house, and from parish to parish, until, at last, they lay down on some bleak moor, or in some lonely wood, to die of hunger or from [562] exposure. Since the establishment of lunatic asylums, this sort have ceased to wander. The following were the most noted “fools” who frequented our Parish within the last hundred years:

JOSEPH DAY. A native of England, or the South of Scotland. Wandered during the closing years of last century and the early years of the present. Committed some crime — said to have been murder— and vowed never to speak again, or to sleep under a roof. Would, therefore, never speak, except, unguardedly, when greatly frightened. Carried a blanket on his back, and always slept in the woods, winter and summer.

RUARAIDH RASAIDH. A native of Raasay, who flourished about eighty years ago. Took his father’s body out of the grave, and left it exposed to the elements. Was a trustworthy messenger, and used to carry messages between the Parish and Inverness and other places.

CHRISTOPHER MACLENNAN, from Kintail. Had habit of returning to house in which he had rested, and enquiring, “Am d’fhag mi dad?” “Have I left anything?” Boys used to send him back for miles by suggesting that he had left something in some house which he had entered.

AN T-AMADAN RUISTE — THE NAKED FOOL. A native of the West Coast. Wandered about the same time as Joseph Day. Went mad in consequence of the death of a girl he was about to marry. Composed a touching song on her, which he used to sing as long as he lived. Had habit of tearing his clothes to pieces, and was some times found stark naked. In his old age was carried from place to place, sitting in a kind of chair, and covered with a blanket, which he continually tried to tear into shreds.

DUBH TOMAIDH. Imagined he was a piper, and went through the Parish carrying a branch like bagpipes, and imitating with his voice the sound of the pipes. Continually marched to the “music” which he thus produced — until he was unable, through fatigue, to proceed further. After resting for a time he hurried on again.

TEARLACH NAN ITEAG — CHARLES OF THE FEATHERS. Had his bonnet and clothes stuck all over with feathers, like a Red Indian. Was a great dancer, and his great object in life was to frequent weddings, and join in the festivities.

AN MOON. Wandered between thirty and fifty years ago. An excellent singer. During the Crimean War imagined and related most extraordinary “ news” from the scene of operations.

HANNAH BARCLAY. A native of the South, who wandered about fifty years ago. Delicate and good-looking, and said to have been of gentle blood. Usually slept in the woods, and ate grass like Nebuchadnezzar of old.

[563] CAILLEACH NAM MUC. Went about between thirty and sixty years ago, followed by a number of pigs. Slept with them, and said to have been at last eaten by them. A reputed witch, who bore the devil’s mark on her forehead, which she carefully kept covered.

UILLEAM AN DULARAICH. A native of Glen Convinth, who, for many years, went from parish to parish attending “Sacraments.” Dressed in clergymen’s clothes, and imagined himself a bit of a divine. Died about eight years ago.

APPENDIX T

PAPERS CONCERNING THE MARRIAGE OF AN URQUHART HEIRESS IN 1737.

[Originals at Castle Grant, and printed in “Chiefs of Grant,” Vol. II.]

I. LETTER, JOHN GRANT OF DALRACHNIE, CHAMBERLAIN OF URQUHART, AND OTHER GRANTS, To LUDOVICK GRANT, YOUNGER OF GRANT.

Bellmackaan, January 26th, 1737.

Honorable Sir, — Wishing you and noble laidie ane happie New-Year, we heartly pray the Almightie may longe preserve you both, and grant us off you great posteritie to inherite their ancestors’ virtues and esteats, and to stand on the head of the Clan Grant while sun and moon endure. It afforded us no small pleasure, when you was last in this country, to hear you express publickly your willingness to embrace every faire opper tunity off planting Grants in this countrie, and turning out such as hade ther dependance on other chieffs and masters, whereof ther are too many both in Urquhart and Glenmoristone. One occasione of this nature has leatly cast up here, the which, was it embraced and did succeed, it would be a mean to anable one young pritty fellow of your name here turn out to be one of the most substantiall tennants in the countrie. Wherefor, we begg live to lay the caice before you, viz.: Ther was a tennant widdow who laitly dyed very rich in this country, and bequeathed her whole wordly effects to her youngest daughter, haveing no maille childeren. Immediatly upon her demise, severall young lads appeared on ther amours with the girl, amonge whom ther were one or two Grants, and the rest forreigners to us and our name. One of the Grants pretended to [564] have a promise of marriage of the girle, and sought our assistance to maintaine the same, which wee frankly complyed with, as wee hade much at heart, if possible, to advance our freend and name sake in any just intrest mighte occurr, and particullarly to this gear, as it could all at once enable our freend to succeed the defunct in her tack and means, and so prove one of the most substantiall tennants to your honor and intrest in all the lord ship of Urqhuart. Wherfor, seeing you allwayes disstinguish yourself amonge the best of Highland chieffs in supporting all your name, wee have, with the greater frankness, countenanced our freend to prosecute his intentione in a lawfull and just manner. But in the meantime, to our surpryse, a comone fellow’s sone, of what name we know not, only of late calls himself McDonell, and who all his life was universalie knowen to act the villanous pairt in traffecting with stolne goods, and bringing severall blunders of that nature on this country, by which he made up all his substance, did, by cunning shifts or brybery, engage some of the lass’ nearest freends, and by which means shee was carried off privatly, and made to sculck in such pairts as either our freend or us hade no access to her, except we hade gone to take her at the rightes, which we were sweer to doe till we first acquanted your honour how the matter stood. But in shorte, after all arguments used with him in a faire way, and particullarly by the Chamberland, who told him that the Laird of Grant would be disspleas’d at his conduct in this and other things, immediately made it his business, in oppositione to our project, to make up a pairty, both without and within the country, whereby its propos’d, in despighte of all Grants, to have the girle married to his sone. But now, as wee have made a faire representatione of the caice to your honour, and that wee allwayes rely to be supported in any just or honorable undertakeing by our chieff and master, wee presume to expect, seeing wee are thus touched upon honour, that you will not only advyse what shall be done in this, but also be pleas’d to signifie your disspleasure at such as sett themselves up in oppositione to all your name this syde of Ness, when ther undertakeing is so faire and reasonable. And as wee have nothing so much at heart as to stand for your honour and intrest, either righte or wronge, if any such occasione did offer, we flatter ourselves that you’l not only show to the world your reguard to your freends, in contempt of ther enemies, but give us assurrance to bannish the author of this indignitie offered to us from your lands and esteat, and give his and his son’s possessione to some responsable namesake of our own; which, if you incline, will be very soon hade to your satisfactione. Wee begg, with the greatest submissione, your forgiveness for this tedious letter, and wee are, as becometh, with [565] the greatest esteem, honorable sir, your honour’s most obedient and most obliedged humble servants,

What touched us so verie much in this affair was this, that this Grant who had the girle under promise to marry him, how soon he was observed to come to the town where she was, this Donald Bain, of late McDonald, with some others, advanced toward him, and some of them fell on and cast him down to the ground, and threatned to maletreat him, which would effectuallie have happened had not one McGrigor, hearing the noise of their grapleing, came and rescued Grant from them. JO. GRANT.

II. PETITION PATRICK GRANT OF GLENMORISTON AND OTHER GRANTS, TO THE SAME.

March 14th, 1737.

Unto the Honourable the Laird of Grant, younger. The humble address of the Laird of Glenmoriston and other gentlemen of the name of Grant, both in Urquhart and Glenmoriston, subscribing hereto.

Honourable Sir, — Give us leave to signify that your name in said two countries have not been thir several generations so perfectly unite among themselves, nor so absolutely determined to follow their chief in opposition to all mortals, as they have been of late and continue to be since you came first among them.

Not but that our predecessors aiwise intertained the greatest esteem for their chief, in all ages, that was possible for any people to do. But, sir, their situation differed from ours, which made ‘em at some occasions suppress the sincere sentiments of their minds, and conceal their natural affections; viz., their case was thus: Tho’ Urquhart and Glenmoriston did belong to the Laird of Grant and to his friend Glenmoriston upward of two hundered years agoe, yet in both said countries there were not till of late but very few Grants, tho’ there were of other names near to four hundered. Wherefore, in all times of trouble, the Laird of Grant being at a distance, while the multitude of other names ran to and flocked after their respective chiefs, the few Grants behoved, for the safety of their persons and interests, either to sit still or join with other neighbouring chiefs, who were upon the opposite side of the question with their own chief, and such of them as did otherwise were cruelly massacred themselves, and their posterity [566] robbed of their worldly effects, whereof there have been several instances since the Grants first possessed these countries. But, sir, the case is now otherwise (thanks to God) with your name in said countries; they have, and continue to multiply to that degree, that if their chief continue his countenance, favour, and protection, they shall be able to possess the most of said countries themselves, pay their dues, and without fear or awe of their neighbours, turn out after their own chief in whatever he has adoe, and cutt a figure under him. And it gave all of us great pleasure to hear your firm resolution, when last in this country, of embracing every fair opportunity of turning out strangers and prefering such of your own name as were capable to any possessions that from time to time came to be free of tacts; and this was the cause that made us meddle at all to have that rich girl we once before mentioned in our letter to you for some namesake of our own. But we are heartily sorry that our opposites have been at great pains to missrepresent our conduct in that matter, and run us down to you and others, and the more sorry that their reports seem to be believed of us, while meantime we made no step that was either mean, unfair, or unjust, as may bee seen by the inclosed information, which we intreat you may cause read before you, and examine the facts therein narrated; and we all begg as one man, that none of us be condemned unheard. Our characters and interests have been attacked already, and probably may much more, unless prevented, and both without any foundation. Where fore, we apply to you (as our common parent), and we are, with the greatest submission and esteem, honourable sir, your most humble, most faithful, obliged, and obedient servants and followers,     
       
PAT. GRANTT of Glenmoriston.
ALEX. GRANTT of Shewglie.
ALEX. GRANTT of Corrimony.
ANGUS GRANTT.
ROBERT GRANT.
DUNCAN GRANT.
P. G., elder of Craskie.
ROBT. GRANTT.
PATRICK GRANTT.
ALLAN GRANTT in the Hills.
JOHN GRANT.
AENEAS GRANT of Deldregin.
ALEX. GRANT of Craskie, younger.
PATRICK GRANT.
ALEX. GRANTT.
ALEX GRANTT in Bunloitt.
EWEN GRANT.

To the Honourable the Laird of Grant.

[567]    III.             LETTER, SIMON LORD LOVAT TO THE SAME

Beaufort, 13th April, 1737.

My Dear Laird of Grant, — I am glad to hear from other persons, tho’ I have no line under your own hand, that you keep your health, and that good Lady Margaret goes on very well in her pregnancy. I pray God she may bring you a boy that will make your family more illustrious than ever it was, and I beg leave to assure you and her of my most affectionate respects, and my Lady Lovat’s, and your young cousins. I bless God they are all in good health, but I have labour’d under the ague these twenty days past, which the easterly winds brought upon me. I was forced to send for Dr Cuthbert, and take a vomit yesterday, which wrought very severely and fatigued me much, but I hope it will do me good. I was much surprised at the little noti[c]e you took of the unaturall and dangerous combination that was enter’d into in Urquhart against your person, your interest, and your family: for the famous contrivers of it bragg’d when they came out of Strathspey that you rather encouraged than chastised them for such an illegal and insolent association. I wrote some thing of it to you in the letter that I had the honour to send you by one of the soldiers of my company, but did not receive any answer since; and, truly, I must own that I was never so astonished as to find that you took no great concern about the most barbarous, villainous, horrid, and unprecedented crime that was committed in the Highlands in this age, in any country, or by any people: that is, the decoying one of your tennents from his own house, while he was at supper, by a little boy, and when he was conducted by the little boy in order to go to Dochfour’s house, as the boy made him believe, as he pass’d the bridge that was upon the road, two or three ruffians, mask’d, jump’d upon him, bruised him, and beat him till within an inch of his life, and afterwards cutt off both his ears — a barbarity without example in this country, or in any country round it. I referr to your own serious and mature consideration, whither or not this insolent action does not strick at you and your character, as well as at your authority and jurisdiction. I am very certain that it is a manifest insult upon my person, both as to my office as Shirref and as to my commission as Captain of an Independent Company, that now takes care of this district, and has one of my posts in Urquhart. I do assure you that if it was not for the singular love and regard I have for your person and for your family, being resolved to be for ever addicted and attached to both, and that I would not meddle with anything that is within your country, regality and jurisdiction, without acquainting yourself first, I would have [568] seized both the gentlemen and common fellows that I had information against, and very strong presumptions that they were the contrivers and the actors of that barbarous crime against your poor tennent, against whom they had no reason of complaint but his marrying a country girl that had some money, and that she preferr’d him to one of their relations to whom they designed to marry her — a fine pretext for murder and barbarity. Those gentlemen came within an half-mile of my house the next day after this villainy was committed, in order to pay me a visit as they said. I sent them a message not to come to my house, and to tell them that if it was not for the particular regard I had for you, and that they were then in my own country, I would send them all prisoners to the Tolbooth of Inverness to undergo the law. It is not worth my while or yours to trouble you with an account of their misbehaviour that night. They went all drunk to your cousin Belladrum’s house about 12 o’clock at night, and Belladrum being sick in bed, they insulted him and his lady and family, and gave unseeming names to this country and people, and of all mankind they should be the last to say unmannerly things of it, for they always met with a great deall of good hospitality and kindness in it, for they were still as welcome to every house in this country as they were at home in their own houses, which none of them can deny.

After all that 1 have said to you, my dear nephew, I humbly beg that you may let me know precisely what you are resolved to do to chastise the insolent persons that commited this horrid crime in defyance of the law, and in downright contempt of your authority and mine, for if by bad advice (for I must call it so whatever art or person it comes from) you neglect to punish the persons guilty of this horrid crime, you will not be angry at me to put all the laws in execution as far as I am able, both as shirref and as Captain of the Independent Company, against those wicked, insolent madmen that have insulted you as well as me. I have received this day a very strong letter from the Laird of Glengerry, desiring justice of me as shirref of the county, for the horrid usage that his namesake met with. He thinks he has got bad returns for his lenity to Glenmoristone’s family, and I wish from my heart my poor cousin Allan may not suffer in revenge of this last action. I will write to Glengerry that I have acquainted you of the affair, and that I am very sure you will punish that horrid crime with all the rigour that the laws can allow, which I wish to God you may do upon many accounts.

I had a letter this day from your father, and by all the publick and private accounts that I have from London and [569] Edinburgh, the poor remains of the liberty of Scotland are at the agony, for since Ewadward the First’s days, who ruin’d our country by falshood and oppression, there was never such an affront done to Scotland as calling up the Judges of our Supream Court to appear at the English Bar for their misdemaunours; and the taking away by the arbitrary power of the House of Peers the essential priviledge of our metropolis, is giving us the finishing stroke. What the consequences will be, he is wiser than I that can tell; but he sits abun the lift that guides the gully.

I beg to know what time you think to be at Edinburgh; and believe that I am, whither in peace or war, and whither in a storm or in a calm, either in Church or State, with unalterable zeal and attachment, my dear nephew, your most affectionate uncle and most faithfull slave,

LOVAT.

[The “lugging” of the man (Archibald Macdonald) who married the heiress gave rise to a quarrel and duel between the Chamberlain and Baillie, younger of Dochfour, an amusing account of which was sent by Lovat to Ludovick on 15th December, 1737. (Chiefs of Grant II., 360).]

APPENDIX U.: THE URQUHART SETTLEMENT IN NOVA SCOTIA.

IN the Olden Times the population of Urquhart and Glenmoriston was effectually kept down by war, and spoliation, and famine. When these came to an end after Culloden, the population rapidly increased, See p. 441, 8upra.and a congestion arose from which some of the more enterprising spirits sought relief by joining the army, or settling in other countries. The Urquhart men began to go abroad immediately after The Forty-Five, and from then till now they have been noted wanderers and colonists. “I have,” said the late Mr Charles Grant of Hazel Brae, to the Author, “in my day travelled much. I have visited many remote parts of Asia and Africa, but I have never been in a place where I did not meet another Glen-Urquhart man. It is said that when the North Pole is discovered, a Scotsman will be found sitting on it. I verily believe that that Scotsman will be from Glen-Urquhart!” At present Urquhart men are scattered over North and South [570] America, India, China, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand; and in Nova Scotia there has existed for more than a century a community which consists almost exclusively of natives of the Glen or their descendants — the Urquhart Settlement in the County of Pictou.

The man who first led the way from Glen-Urquhart to Nova Scotia was Patrick Mackay, brother of Alexander Mackay of Achmonie. Patrick, who served for a time in the army, and was tenant of Polmaily, was of an enterprising disposition, Mr William Lorimer in his Report on Urquhart in 1763, says in reference to Patrick: "A brother of Auchmony’s, formerly in the Army, has begun liming, and should be encouraged. His mind has been enlarged by going abroad.”and about the year 1770 he crossed the Atlantic with a few other Urquhart men, and settled in Pictou. He was there in 1 778, when his wife, Elizabeth Fraser, was in Scotland. He himself subsequently returned to Scotland, where he died. His companions remained in the country, and were joined in 1784 by other Urquhart people, who settled on the East River of Pictou, which is known in Gaelic as An Abhainn Mhor — the Great River. Among those new-corners were Finlay Macmillan, Peter Grant, Donald Cameron, Samuel Cameron, and John Macdonald, better known as Iain Mac Iain Bhain, and his sons Duncan, Hugh, and James. James’s grand son, the Hon. James Macdonald, is now Chief-Justice of Nova Scotia.

Between 1801 and 1803 the community was greatly increased by the arrival of further batches from the mother Glen, among whom were John Macmillan (grandfather of Dr Macmillan, now of Pictou), William Macmillan, James Urquhart, Alexander Macdonald, Donald Macdonald, Robert Mackintosh, Duncan Macdonald, Archibald Campbell, James Chisholm, John Grant, Angus Macfie, and John and Donald Macdonald, who settled at Kerrowgair, called after the old Kerrowgair in Glen-Urquhart. In 1818, and subsequent years, again, new settlers arrived from our Parish including Alexander Ross, William Rose, William Macdonald, Gilbert Macdonald, Archibald Fraser, Roderick Macdougall, Donald Munro, William Macmillan, Alexander Chisholm, Roderick Mac dougall, whose grandson, John Macdougall, has for years been member of Parliament for the county of Pictou; Donald Campbell and John Munro, who settled in a valley called Urquhart, through which the Moose River flows; and John Macdougail, son of John Macdougall (Iain Mac Dhughaffl), author of “Braigh Rusgaich” (see pp. 415 and 532). John Macdougall emigrated in 1828, and settled at Blue Mountain, where he died, greatly lamented, in 1873. On his tombstone are inscribed the Gaelic words: "Air [571] chuimhne gu bràth bithidh am firean.” His son, Roderick Macdougall, J.P., now resides at Blue Mountain. Among the more recent recruits to the Urquhart Settlement were William Urquhart (who returned to Glen-Urquhart, and acquired the Lewistown Brewery), James Urquhart, Alexander Urquhart, Duncan Macmillan, William Macmillan, and Donald Macdonald, brother of William Somerled Macdonald (see p. 412). The Settlement now contains about seventy flourishing families, of Urquhart descent, who all still speak Gaelic, and worship in that language in the churches of Blue Mountain (A’ Bheinne Ghorm) and Springville (Bail’ an Fhuarain). To the Rev. D. B. Blair, for many years minister of Blue Mountain, and the Rev. A. Maclean Sinclair, lately minister of Springville, and now of Belfast, Prince Edward Island, the Author is indebted for much of the information contained in this notice.

Appendix S-U