This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: jkwilliams186 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.ayr.general/6250.2.1.1.2.1.1.1.1.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi Fionnuala and friends, Just grabbed a chance to try and locate Daltnagan which turns out have been Daltangan near Barrhill. It looks as though there was only a sheep ree (a stone fank or pen to enclose sheep) there by the time the OS people came to map the area in the 1850s. It is possible this is the remains of a former cottage on the hillside. See: http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/170549/details/daltangan burn/ A railway viaduct was built over the Daltangan burn (hill stream) in the mid 1870s. See: http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/282121/details/daltangan viaduct/ I had a look at the Statistical Account for the Parish of Colmonell dating from the 1790s. The minister describes a pattern of decreasing population in the previous 30 to 40 years due to changes in land holdings, agricultural practices and the increased availability of employment in towns. In particular he refers to a "dismission of herds and cottagers" (p65). Cottagers had a house and a yard and a small piece of land; apparently in Colmonell in the 1770s there was hardly a farm tenant who did not have a cottager on their farm. Old Statistical Account (1790s) for Colmonell http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1791-99/Ayrshire/Colmonell/ So it is possible Daltangan may have been a fairly small subsistence holding on a farm, rather than a farm in itself. I would suggest it provided a marginal living and it may have ceased to be a farm dwelling when better opportunities became available. And for your second question, I have no plans at present to publish my family research online. Happy hunting, Kay Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board. <br>