Thank you Fraser, Lilian, Campbell, Douglas, E J L Mallaig, and Don, for your most helpful information. Obreachan/Abriachan is near the shore of Loch Ness, opposite Dores. Best Wishes, John

Have checked the big dictionary and the word first appears in English in 1580 - of unknown origin but possibly French - droguet. Drugget started off meaning coarse cloth and garments made from it, espec petticoats, but 'now' (dictionary 1983) means a coarse woollen cloth used for floor coverings. News to me - and I read a lot of home improvement mags! The word might have gone straight from French into Gaelic but I suspect is a loan from English. Judy ---------- >From: "espencer" <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Subject: [SCT-INV] Statistical Account of Barray - 1840 >Date: 08, Fri Aug, 2003, 10:53 pm > > Gaelic - "drogaid" , n. f. drugget; cloth of wool and linen; anything > spoiled by being mixed.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Macintosh Jack Patience Reid Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/TeC.2ACE/1121 Message Board Post: My male Macintosh ancestors were "fishermen on the North Sea". They lived in Avoch, Ross & Cromarty, but when the census was taken they were aboard the "Viking" and the "Margaret Reid". Is there any way I can find out if these were big clipper ships or local fishing vessels. Granny Maggie, I think like many Highlanders, had a way of ...exaggerating. <kind grin> and told great stories of them going far away and being gone for a year at a time.

Hi Judy This gets more interesting all the time. With Google, I could find Drogaid and Drugget but the way it was on the Statistic Account (Drogget) does not show on any site. I am adding a small dictionary page to this account when sending to this 90 year old Aunt. I'll have her quite baffled. Thank You Lorraine Ottawa, Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: "J A Olsen" <[email protected]> To: "espencer" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: 08 August, 2003 19:11 Subject: Drugget - was Re: [SCT-INV] Statistical Account of Barray - 1840 > Have checked the big dictionary and the word first appears in English in > 1580 - of unknown origin but possibly French - droguet. > > Drugget started off meaning coarse cloth and garments made from it, espec > petticoats, but 'now' (dictionary 1983) means a coarse woollen cloth used > for floor coverings. News to me - and I read a lot of home improvement mags! > > The word might have gone straight from French into Gaelic but I suspect is a > loan from English. > > > > Judy > > > > > ---------- > >From: "espencer" <[email protected]> > >To: [email protected] > >Subject: [SCT-INV] Statistical Account of Barray - 1840 > >Date: 08, Fri Aug, 2003, 10:53 pm > > > > > Gaelic - "drogaid" , n. f. drugget; cloth of wool and linen; anything > > spoiled by being mixed.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: McFee Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/TeC.2ACE/1120 Message Board Post: Looking for information on Katherine McFee born in South Uist, Scotland, died 1922 in her 81st year . Thanks, Maureen Garner Elliott Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

Hello I thought I would share with you information concerning the words "Drogget and Machir" from the Barray Statistical Account. I believe that when writing the 1840 Account, Rev. Alexander Nicolson wrote it in English and tried to translate these words over from Gaelic. Below is a paragraph from a story I found on the web and also the definitions from a Gaelic Dictionary. If I had had the right spelling, I may have found this when I went onto google. We live and learn. For anyone who would like to know more about the cearban, which is gaelic for sail-fish or basking shark, this URL is very interesting but you may have to cut & paste it in. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/classroom/sharktemplates/Ba skingprintout.shtml Once again, I sure appreciated everyones assistance with these word. Lorraine Ottawa, Canada An old man told me a story of how he collected wool. During the lambing season, when ewes are heavy in lamb, wool becomes loose on their lower parts, and when they come in contact with bushes, thorns or heather, there is a tuft of wool left behind. He collected every bit of wool and placed it on the inside of his jacket. At the end of the lambing season the wool he collected in this way was washed, carded and spun. The yarn was then taken to a weaver and there would be sufficient material to justify a visit to a tailor Out of this length of cloth he would have sufficient for a suit for himself and a skirt (in those days called the Gaelic name "Drogaid") for his wife. This was a good achievement from the collection of bits of wool from heather and peat banks. Gaelic - "drogaid" , n. f. drugget; cloth of wool and linen; anything spoiled by being mixed. Gaelic -"machair" n. f. machir; a plain, level or low land, an extensive beach; links.

John, Your Obreachan could be Abriachan which is approx 6 - 7 miles from Inverness on the A82 (near Urquhart Castle) It is a very small community overlooking Loch Ness & is halfway between Inverness & Drumnadrochit. Incidentally the Dores you mention is on the opposite side of Loch Ness from Abriachan. Regards. Don. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jean & John Johnston <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 10:09 PM Subject: [SCT-INV] Obreachan in Invernessshire > Dear Listers, > Elizabeth on this List, in helping me look for my McIntosh/McDonald > ancestors, has sent me the following marriage entry from the OPRs: > "16 Dec 1833 Inverness Alexander McIntosh farm servant, Dores and Elizabeth > McDonald, Obreachan in this parish married by the Rev. D. Fraser, Dores." > > Does anyone know the whereabouts of Obreachan? > > If I am on the right track, I think this Alexander McIntosh was born at Croy > and Elizabeth McDonald was born at Urquhart, Invernessshire (according to > 1841, 1851 and 1851 censuses). > > Thanks, > John Johnston > New Zealand > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

Dear Listers, I have recently been told there is an old cemetery on a hilltop at Balmaccara,where a lot of old McLennan and McKenzie graves are situated,Is this true ? and is there a printout of them--like the wonderful records done by Alastair and Margaret Beattie.''pre 1855 gravestone inscriptions in Wester Ross''A lot of my McLennan and McKenzie graves I cannot find---.I would be very grateful of any information. Maureen.Orewa New Zealand.

Dear Listers, Elizabeth on this List, in helping me look for my McIntosh/McDonald ancestors, has sent me the following marriage entry from the OPRs: "16 Dec 1833 Inverness Alexander McIntosh farm servant, Dores and Elizabeth McDonald, Obreachan in this parish married by the Rev. D. Fraser, Dores." Does anyone know the whereabouts of Obreachan? If I am on the right track, I think this Alexander McIntosh was born at Croy and Elizabeth McDonald was born at Urquhart, Invernessshire (according to 1841, 1851 and 1851 censuses). Thanks, John Johnston New Zealand

Hello Lorraine, Cearban is the Gaelic word for what is most commonly known as the "basking shark". It is also referred to as the "sun-fish" or "sail-fish". They are a common sight in the the waters of the west coast of Scotland and the Irish Sea. To see why they were easily harpooned, please visit: http://www.wallerkautsky.com/sharkology/species.html Regards, Iain Rogers, Hong Kong, China ----- Original Message ----- From: espencer <[email protected]> > > There are a few words from the Statistical Account of 1840 > for Barray / Barra that I cannot locate the meaning of. > Have tried google but these may just be words that were used > locally back then. They are not in my rather new Dictionary. > I have capitalized the words I would like to understand better. > Any ideas appreciated. Thank You > Lorraine Ottawa, Canada > > 1. - the women wear clothes made by themselves, and, at times, > south country DROGGETS or prints. > > > 2. - distinguished into arable, MACHIR or sandy ground, hill-pasture, > moss or meadow > > > 3. - The people of Barray were in former years very successful in > harpooning CEARBANS / CSARBENS or sail-fish, from which they > extracted a good deal of oil. > This one was not very clear for the spelling.

Hello Once again, you folks have come through and I want to "Thank" Iain, Douglas, Judy, Ranald & Allan for all their explanations of the words Droggets / Machir and Cearban. The word Machair is spelled Machir in the Statistical Account but like other words has evolved over time. I am typing this up for a 90 year old Aunt who just loves any family stories I can find. We will now both appreciate your help to understand all this better. Lorraine Ottawa, Canada

Try googling using the word "Bondager". These south country women workers wore a distinctive uniform. the word 'drogget' or 'drugget' rings a bell - I think it may be something to do with the coarse striped cloth used for skirts. This would be woven stripes, hence the distinction drawn between this and the printed cloth. It would be interesting if these conventions had been borrowed by workers so far to the north. Machair/machar is a gaelic word for 'plain' but in the western isles specifically refers to the flat fertile meadows between the rocky bits and the sea. This land was formed from shell sand with a layer of turf on top and was fertile and easy to cultivate. Judy ---------- >From: "espencer" <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Subject: [SCT-INV] Unusual Words from the Statistical Accounts >Date: 07, Thu Aug, 2003, 5:19 am > > the women wear clothes made by themselves, and, at times, > south country DROGGETS or prints

--=======62B85B0A======= Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-3C534B7E; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit At 22:26 06/08/03 -0600, espencer wrote: >There are a few words from the Statistical Account of 1840 >for Barray / Barra that I cannot locate the meaning of. Cearban is one of the many local names for the basking shark (sailfish being another although I understand sailfish is an Argyll usage) Machair is coastal grassland unique(?) to the Hebrides and the west of Ireland lying at the water's edge with all sorts of interesting flowers such as orchids and habitat for corncrakes, dunlins and other threatened marine bird species Drogget is a petticoat (I think) - used in my experience as a gentle term of abuse similar to "He's just a big girl's blouse' Regards Douglas The Highland Clearances http://www.theclearances.org --=======62B85B0A======= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-avg=cert; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-3C534B7E Content-Disposition: inline --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.489 / Virus Database: 288 - Release Date: 10/06/03 --=======62B85B0A=======--

Hello Once again, I need your help. There are a few words from the Statistical Account of 1840 for Barray / Barra that I cannot locate the meaning of. Have tried google but these may just be words that were used locally back then. They are not in my rather new Dictionary. I have capitalized the words I would like to understand better. Any ideas appreciated. Thank You Lorraine Ottawa, Canada 1. - the women wear clothes made by themselves, and, at times, south country DROGGETS or prints. 2. - distinguished into arable, MACHIR or sandy ground, hill-pasture, moss or meadow 3. - The people of Barray were in former years very successful in harpooning CEARBANS / CSARBENS or sail-fish, from which they extracted a good deal of oil. This one was not very clear for the spelling.

Wilmer Fawcett wrote: > Has anyone heard of ships sailing from Scotland to Canada (PEI) in 1840/41 called Hermione or Heroine and Washington? Any info appreciated There is a very wonderful site full of Canadian (et al) passenger and ship information at: http://www.theshipslist.com/ You may also find more information at http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/tocanp03.shtml

Has anyone heard of ships sailing from Scotland to Canada (PEI) in 1840/41 called Hermione or Heroine and Washington? Any info appreciated

Hello everyone I am trying to find out when my ancestor CATHERINE MACINTOSH died. I know she was buried at LOCHEND cemetery (just below Inverness, which I think is in Inverness parish). The inscription read: In memory of Catherine McIntosh wife of James McGillivray, Invss (Inverness) But there is no date. I do know she died between 1839 and 1860. Probably closer to 1839 when her last child James McGillivray was born. Not really sure whether the name would have been registered as CATHERINE MACINTOSH or CATHERINE MCGILLIVRAY (her married name). Any ideas about finding her in any burial register would be much appreciated. Also wondering whether being buried at LOCHEND meant she was probably living at that village (was there a village there?) or were people from Inverness town also buried at that cemetery. Regards Jeffrey Mercer Australia

Has anyone been to the graveyard on Scalpay off the Isle of Skye? Has anyone any plans to go there? I understand the island is in private ownership and is not very happy about visitors wanting to visit the graveyard, they should have thought about this before they purchased it? Don McArthur (UK)

Hi Doug Thank you for the info of the Statistical Accounts and to others that replied to me. Sure glad Sir John Sinclair pushed for these to be done as they do make for interesting reading now. One of them in Barray/Barra has a part from the 1500's and how our english spelling has evolved since then. Checked out Sir John's picture on your sight also so I knew who he was. Much appreciated. Lorraine Ottawa, Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: "Douglas MacKenzie" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: 04 August, 2003 7:27 Subject: [SCT-INV] Re: Statistical Accounts/Ships from Portree > --=======508A10F2======= > Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-48440F1; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > > At 05:11 04/08/03 -0600, Lorraine wrote: > > >as of January 1840. Would anyone know how often these > >Accounts were prepared in each area. Would there likely > >have been others > > Poor old Sir John Sinclair. He wrote to each parish minister > of the Church of Scotland between 1790 and 1797 with 160 > questions (no photocopies, no email !) and, no doubt, > chivvied them along to respond and you thought it might be > a more regular occurrence :) There are just the two, the > "Old" and the "New". See more on Sir John Sinclair of > Ulbster at > http://theclearances.org/clearances/articles.php?articleid=36 > > At 12:16:07 03/08/03 Jan Robison wrote: > >any information on any other ships that left there (Portree) besides > >the ones in 1803 > > The original point of departure may well have been Portree but the > transatlantic crossing may have been Glasgow, Greenock, > Campbeltown etc. Again, check out the Clearances site for > info on such emigrations. > > Regards > Douglas > > The Highland Clearances > http://www.theclearances.org > > --=======508A10F2======= > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-avg=cert; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-48440F1 > Content-Disposition: inline > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.489 / Virus Database: 288 - Release Date: 10/06/03 > > --=======508A10F2=======-- > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >

--=======508A10F2======= Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-48440F1; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit At 05:11 04/08/03 -0600, Lorraine wrote: >as of January 1840. Would anyone know how often these >Accounts were prepared in each area. Would there likely >have been others Poor old Sir John Sinclair. He wrote to each parish minister of the Church of Scotland between 1790 and 1797 with 160 questions (no photocopies, no email !) and, no doubt, chivvied them along to respond and you thought it might be a more regular occurrence :) There are just the two, the "Old" and the "New". See more on Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster at http://theclearances.org/clearances/articles.php?articleid=36 At 12:16:07 03/08/03 Jan Robison wrote: >any information on any other ships that left there (Portree) besides >the ones in 1803 The original point of departure may well have been Portree but the transatlantic crossing may have been Glasgow, Greenock, Campbeltown etc. Again, check out the Clearances site for info on such emigrations. Regards Douglas The Highland Clearances http://www.theclearances.org --=======508A10F2======= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-avg=cert; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-48440F1 Content-Disposition: inline --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.489 / Virus Database: 288 - Release Date: 10/06/03 --=======508A10F2=======--