Movers and Shakers

Vulture from Oban

Seabird Counts on Colonsay

During the first two weeks of June a complete count of the seabirds at Pigs Paradise, and all those from Kilchattan to Uragaig was undertaken as part of the national survey of Seabirds (Seabird 2000) being organised by the JNCC. This involved cliff-top counts, getting out on the rocks below the cliffs at low tide and a final check using a boat for the most "invisible" parts. Different counting methods were applied for different species in line with survey instructions. The preliminary totals for Colonsay and Oronsay for the main seabirds are

The details for terns and gulls throughout the islands are still being collated and counts of other seabirds eg Black Guillemots and Petrels (which are not known conclusively to breed on the island) are not yet complete. All the results will be written up and submitted for publication.

A comparison of the counts made this year with those made in the 1980s by John and Pamela Clarke show that while Guillemots have almost doubled in number, Razorbills, Kittiwake and Fulmars have increased at a lower rate and Shag number remained static. Allowing for the fact that some of the birds are at sea while the counts are being made it is safe to say that there are over 50,000 seabirds using Colonsay at present.

Other birds which were found during June were over 20 calling Corncrakes on Colonsay and Oronsay, young Long-eared Owls calling at dusk near the Mill, and small numbers of Little terns at Ardskenish. On the rarity front an unidentified female bunting, currently thought to be a female Black or Red-headed Bunting was seen near the golfcourse on the evening of 8 June. It was not there the following morning. David Jardine

Construction News:

Andrew MacGregor's "kit" arrived on 7 July, and Hugh and Jenny McNeill's house is now wind and watertight. It looks as though their house will have wrested the title of "sunniest house" from Gortin (and it looks likely to have the least cobwebs as well). "Cill a' Rubha" should be completed by 12 July, and the £1.05m water treatment contract should be finished later this month. Ben Odhran might take a little longer - the house has been given a 4" thick blanket of polystyrene, secured in place by 3,500 stainless steel bolts and covered with expanded metal to give a key to the final roughcast. As a result, the house is now too big for its roof, so the eaves will have to be extended and reslated; the chimneys will need new copings, new rhones and chutes will run to re-positioned drains … Meantime, CalMac have had Harper Engineering on site recently and various improvements have been made at the pier. The emphasis was on safety related matters, including new railings on the dolphins. Best news of all is that Jenni and Angus MacFadyen and their new neighbours Kirsty and Donald MacAllister are at last comfortably ensconced in their own new homes, at Uragaig Bheag - everyone is delighted for them and wishes them every happiness.

Nooks and Crannies

Muileann Dubh is a "Black" mill, also known as a "clack" mill. It consisted of a circular chamber built in the bed of a stream, which held a paddlewheel mounted in a transverse (rather than vertical) manner. The wheel could be lowered into the water as required, and its axle passed through a millstone on top of the chamber. As it revolved it turned a lighter stone which bore upon the millstone itself. The surviving example at Colonsay is a protected monument. To see it, go to the Strand and follow the shoreline to the east until you reach the first burn; go up the burn until it climbs upward from the links. The chamber is easily identified and, further upstream, the arrangements to regulate the water flow can be identified.

Nature Notes

In early July, the bounties of nature are almost overwhelming and defy general comment. Suffice to mention Fragrant and Lesser Butterfly orchids, Bog Pimpernel, a profusion of Honeysuckle and carpets of Bog Asphodel. St. John's Wort is doing well everywhere as is Meadow Sweet. Hogweed may be less attractive, but there is plenty of it, and there are some splendid examples of Burdock in the field opposite the Crossan. The Corncrake are a bit quieter now that the youngsters need to be protected, but the Chough have become a bit more obvious; a family of five were doing aerobatics over the hotel this week. At Kiloran Bay a build up of sand has blocked the mouth of Abhainn a' Mhuilinn, creating a large pool; although some energetic visitors dug a great canal to drain it, the sand bar returned very quickly.

Snippets

Jackie Stewart was here on the "Hebridean Princess"; Julian and Anne Cook are over from Red Bay in their RIB; the Fire Brigade had to extinguish a fire at the coup which threatened to run out of control; island children were disappointed by the late delivery of Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire; the weather has been outstanding; a great Ceilidh on 6 July, with much praise for Seamus and family.

What's On in Colonsay

July 11th: Important meeting in Hall at 8 pm with visiting IaaO dignitaries.
July 13th, 7.30pm : Yoga evening at the hall. Bring a rug.
July 13th, 7.00pm: Football match at Golf Course. Competitors and spectators welcome.
An exhibition of work by Colonsay and Oransay artists is open before the arrival of each ferry, and is mounted in the Pier Waiting Room.
The Colonsay and Oronsay Heritage Trust is running a series of exhibitions in the Old Waiting Room, times as advertised (usually around boat time; going by past experience, these are absolutely first class and the schedule is as follows:
15th July: Colonsay Fun Run in aid of Medical Equipment Fund.
16th - 22nd July Eilidh Brown Paintings and Collage
24th July - 3rd August Lucy McNeill Paintings
6th August - 1st September Veronica Togneri Weaving and Patchwork
3rd - 10th September Time & Place Heritage and Environment Exhibition
11th - 22nd September Kilchattan Primary School
Colonsay House Gardens are open to the public every Wednesday, and the woodland gardens are open every day.Light lunches are available on Wednesdays, with an emphasis on organic ingredients. Please note that fresh vegetables are available for sale.
There are regular BBQ's at the hotel - see notices for details.
Quiz night - every Wednesday at the hotel.
Religious Services each Sunday are at 11.00 in Church of Scotland and 12.00 in the Baptist Church. All are welcome.

The Magazine Section

The earliest pioneer emigrants from Colonsay

Please note: owing to pressures of the real world, the following article is a mere draft of what should have been written. It will be updated in a future edition, with additional information on the most relevant emigrants. It is believed that this is the first attempt to identify Colonsay's early emigrants and that the subject may therefore be of interest even in this unpolished state. Please do not hesitate to submit information and corrections.

In previous articles there has been reference to emigration from Colonsay between 1791 and 1806; a sailing list has been published for the "Spencer" of 1806 and it is hoped to give information on other 19th century sailings in future issues. Information on the 18th century emigration is sparse, in line with the report of Thomas Pennant, based on a visit in 1772: Colonsay and Oransay was the property of a McNeill laird "who has never raised his rents, has preserved the love of his people, and lost but a single family by migration." In the Statistical Account of 1794 we are told that: "A few emigrated from Colonsay to America, summer 1792; but in summer 1791, a considerable proportion of the inhabitants crossed the Atlantic."

In other words, one need not expect to be able to trace very much emigration prior to 1772, and political considerations made it impossible for the decade from 1775; but from 1791 we might hope to be able to trace significant numbers.

The earliest emigrant as yet recorded directly from Colonsay was not strictly speaking a Cobhasach at all. At Inveraray Court, 24 December 1718, "John Mitchell, late gardner in Collonsay" was charged with various offences. "In the moneth of May [1717] yow being the servant with Malcolm McNeill of Collonsay did notwithstanding of the trust reposed in yow steall from him ane waterside board for dressing of leather which he thereafter took away from yow." As a result "The lord justice deput … adjudges and ordains the said John Mitchell to be transported to His Majesties plantations in America conform to the late Act of Parliament and his whole moveables to be escheat for His Majestie and the justice generalls use …"

As yet, we do not know whether or not the sentence was actually executed nor what became of the prisoner. Other early "Colonsay" emigrants did not leave so directly from Colonsay and additional information will be required before their exact status can be established. Candidates might be said to include the following:

1673: Patrick Magee (Macafee), who sailed to Maryland aboard the "Bachelor" from Bristol. He was born c. 1650, had a brother Edmund and was a Catholic. (Note that Colonsay was entirely Catholic until at least 1647 and that it probably so remained until the 1680's).

1685: John McHaffie, who had been living at Gargerie, Kilcowan, Wigtownshire and was banished as a Covenanter.

1690: John McAfee jr. from Armagh sailed to Tadgee (somehere near New York?). He had married Mary Rodgers the same year, in Edinburgh, and is thought to have been a very staunch Presbyterian. He was born 1673, died 1739.

1739: James McAfee sailed from Belfast to Newcastle, Delaware; in 1735 he had married Jane McMichael (1707-1785). He was born in Armagh and his son, also James McAfee, was killed in an Indian raid.

At this point, emigration was beginning to become a serious reality directly from Argyll; in 1739 the "Thistle" sailed to from Gigha to North Carolina, carrying a well organised and coherent band of 350 pioneers who formed what became known as "the Argyll Colony". It is important to note that the enterprise was very much a McNeill affair, and that virtually every person on board was related in some way to the then laird of Colonsay. It is not certain that any specific Colbhasachs were aboard that specific sailing, but the link with North Carolina established it as their favoured destination for half a century. A very possible Colonsay participant was Daniel (Donald) McDuffie and his wife Sarah McNeill who, in a document of 1763, conveyed "unto my son Archd. McDuffie … one half the increase of a certain negro woman slave named Judith". This document has been used by Dr. Frederick Heber Kent to demonstrate that Daniel was the progenitor of "The MacDuffies of the Colonial Carolinas" in his book of that title.

Returning to the rollcall of possible early Colonsay emigrants:

1739: Archibald McNeill, said to have been tacksman of Garvard, sailed to Princess Ann County, Virginia. He had been born in 1719 and his wife was called Elizabeth. He died in 1741 and at present may be regarded as Colonsay's original pioneer. Could his be the "single family" mentioned by Pennant? Probably not, since the then laird, Malcolm, died in 1742 and Pennant seems to refer to the reigning laird of 1772 (Donald, who died in 1773). Nonetheless, he is of great interest in his own right.

A tacksman was the prime tenant of a farm, who was something of a gentleman and whose income came from the labour and rental of his dependants to whom he sublet the land on the runrig system. At this juncture, the emigrant movement was a voluntary one and was primed by the tacksmen whose social and economic position was diminished by the evolution of more modern methods of land holding. Thus Archibald McNeill, very probably a brother or close connection of the laird, is exactly the sort of person one would expect to encounter as an early emigrant; and his early departure might explain the absence of an 18th c. farmhouse in Garvard. When Archibald left, his home had perhaps been the small building close to Cnoc Eibriginn (coincidentally now known as Taigh Gillespic Ruaidh, "Red-haired Archibald's House", but referring to a later resident). Although the tack will have been set once again, to a new tacksman, it will have been with diminished status and there will have been no rush to create "modern" farm buildings.

Curiously enough, physical evidence of Archibald's existence may still exist, although unfortunately I have been unable to find my original notes. As I recall, some fifteen years ago a regular visitor to Colonsay purchased an old fiddle in a junk shop. It was in poor shape and he had it disassembled and rebuilt; during the process, a paper was found within the soundbox, glued to the inside of the case and identifying the owner. I seem to remember that it was an Archibald McNeill and that he was an officer of some sort in a regiment of "Fencibles" in Virginia. If any reader can correct my memory or supply more information, I will be most grateful. The original details are amongst my papers but have not come to light in a recent trawl.

c. 1740: Neill McNeill went to Cape Fear, North Carolina via Ireland. His son Hector served as a Revolutionary War Officer… he is of course another candidate for the story of the fiddle. Confusingly one Hector "Fiddler" McNeill who was born 1756 and became a lieutenant in the North Carolina troops is listed in "Carolina Scots" (p. 337) as the son of a William McNeill and Jane Campbell. Jane's second husband was our own Neill McNeill, who second son by his first wife was also called Hector.

c. 1759: John Fee (1730 - 1813), to Massachussets and thence to Altoona, Pennsylvania. His wife was Sara Stewart (1759 - 1845).

c. 1769: Neil Munn emigrated from Colonsay; with his wife they had eight children, the eldest being Sarah Munn who married Hector Munn; their eldest daughter was another Sarah Munn. Exact destination is not to hand. This is almost certainly the family to which Pennant refers when he mentions that Colonsay had " lost but a single family by migration" prior to 1772.

1770: Alexander McFie to Cherry Valley, New York State

1770: John McNeill was perhaps the first Colonsay migrant to go to Canada. Heading for St. John's ("Prince Edward Island") his ship, "Annabella" was wrecked at Bedeque.

c. 1770?: Daniel McDuffee (born 1752) was a "religious exile" to Tioga Point, Pennsylvania. He was son of Henry McDuffee, possibly travelled via Antrim.

1775 or before: "Murdoch Currie. Native of Colonsay, Scotland died in 1775 Aged 60 years." This inscription is linked with one Angus Currie of Colonsay, who emigrated in 1791 (see below). In fact, Murdoch could easily have emigrated as early as 1739, with Archibald McNeill of Garvard, and could have been a tacksman himself.

1781: Archibald McLucas and Mary McInnis went to Cape Fear, North Carolina via Mull and may have been Colonsay emigrants. (A strange date for such a journey, due to the War of Independence.)

c. 1790: Duncan and Cattrine McDuffie and their son Murdoch (b. 1783) went to Cape Fear, North Carolina aboard the "Mary Ann".

1791: Angus Currie went to North Carolina. Born in Colonsay 17 September 1770, he died 10 June 1845 at Mill Prong. In "Carolina Scots" by Douglas F. Kelly and Caroline Switzer Kelly reference is made to "the Currie family of Upper Robeson and present Hoke counties." The authors cite the family historian, Rev. W.A.McLeod jr. as mentioning in the 1930's that "the widowed mother of Angus Currie, who emigrated with her son to North Carolina from the Isle of Colonsay in 1791, and lived for many years afterwards, taught her grandchildren (all of whom were born in North Carolina) to speak Gaelic."

Readers will be aware of an important "eviction" of Colonsay inhabitants in 1791, on board the "General Washington" which transported them directly to Wilmington, North Carolina. As yet, only Angus Currie and his mother have been traced to this period, but "Neill McNeill b. 1771 at Ardlussa, Isle of Jura, Scotland … (son of Hector McNeill and Margaret Darroch) landed in Wilmington N.C., 1792)." ("Carolina Scots" p.166). Ardlussa was a subsidiary part of the Colonsay property at the time and there is good reason to believe that Darrochs will have been amongst the families forced to emigrate at the time. It is possible that other members of Margaret Darroch's family were on board the same ship.

Angus Currie from Colonsay married Flora Currie, who had emigrated in 1775 at one year old, with her parents Archibald Currie and his wife "from Kintyre". They "settled about three miles northeast of the present Antioch Presbyterian Church between Red Springs and Raeford … He became a founding elder of Antioch Church in 1833 and is buried with his wife in the old McEachern cemetery, six miles south of Raeford." ("Carolina Scots" p. 291).

Through the kindness of the late George Roussos a framed memorial to Angus and his family exists in Colonsay and it includes the following inscriptions taken from the McEachern cemetery:

"In memory of Angus Currie, born in the island of Colonsay, Scotland, 17 September 1770, came to America in 1791 and died 10 June 1845. In memory of Flora, consort of Angus Currie, born in the Island of Cantyre 20 May 1774, came to America in 1775 and (died) 19 September 1834. He was long a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church. Well done thou good and faithful servants: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

"Murdoch Currie. Native of Colonsay, Scotland died in 1775 Aged 60 years."

If the transcription is correct, it appears that Murdoch Currie must have emigrated in or before 1775, hence he is also listed above under that date.

1798: Duncan MacCannell and his wife, Catherine MacPhee sailed to Pictou aboard the "Hector". The "Hector" had sailed the route for many years and Donald MacKay has published an excellent account of her voyage to Pictou in 1773 "Scotland Farewell - The People of the Hector" (distributed in Britain by House of Lochar). A replica of the "Hector" has been built in recent years and is exhibited in Pictou.

The above summary is not exhaustive but might be useful as a starting point; some of the "candidates" are doubtful starters, but the Munns, the Curries and the MacCannells seem to be reliable enough. It would be good to have more information about Archibald McNeill of Garvard. Readers are invited to contribute additional information and the author will return to this period in due course.

Colonsay Bi-lingual Service, 2nd July 2000

Rev Alasdair Gray of Lochgilphead was in Colonsay recently and led a bi-lingual service which was very well received. For those who were unable to be present, the outline is reproduced here. It is understood that Rev. Gray hopes to visit Colonsay again in 2001 and it may be that he can be persuaded to conduct a bi-lingual service again at that time.

Some Gaelic origins of worship, praise and prayer.

Building a House on Colonsay: Chapter 3

Four weeks on from the first report and progress is being made.

Editor's note: unhappily our correspondent pressed the wrong button and forwarded a letter of instruction to his bank. One rather wonders what the bank is going to do with an account of "Building a House on Colonsay, Part Three", but in the absence of a proper report it can be confirmed that the house timber-frame kit arrived safely on an articulated lorry on Friday's ferry and has been unloaded. It is in course of being transported to the site and in the next issue of "The Corncrake" there will probably be a picture of it in a wind and watertight condition. Our picture shows the site ready for construction to begin.

As everyone knows, (cf. 22nd Psalm") "The Earth belongs unto the Lord, and all that it contains; except the Western Isles - for they are all MacBrayne's." The wag who coined these lines would be sad to know that there is now a serious threat to the coherency of the services provided by Caledonian MacBrayne Limited, and that the business may be broken up. Before it goes, gaze upon its website, marvel at the intricacy of the network of services. All jokes aside, the end may well be nigh. Explore www.calmac.co.uk before it is too late.

Regulars

Readers Write Hi,Just a comment from regular visitors to Colonsay. Noticed that there have been a few changes in Colonsay this year, but these haven't altered the feel of the place. It is still a magical island where you do feel welcome when you come on holiday. (Maybe that's because my wife and I won the quiz!) The Corncrake is great, as it keeps us in touch of events as well as providing historical details. This year managed to find Tobar Chaluim-Chille after a scramble about. Using the GPS the exact site of the well is NR 40484 98622. Now that the security deviation has been removed from GPS, accuracy is amazing. Perhaps it would be good to build up exact GPS map reference numbers for all the various sites of interest, or maybe it is better left as it is so that people do have to look around to find the sites. I do have a list of all the aircraft wrecks in Scotland. Most of them are war time. There is one listed on Colonsay at map reference NR 342 918, and is shown as a Sea Otter. The site is the skerries off Ardskenish and the only details shown are "Pieces on rocks" There is no date of the crash. Wonder if any of the residents have any knowledge of the crash and can provide more details. Yours sincerely, Sheila and Eric Davis I like the GPS idea, but found my own instrument was set up for Latitude and Longitude rather than OS grid references. It is handier in a boat, but I wonder if there is a conventional mode for use in a publication such as this? The pieces of the Twin otter are now in the coup, and well buried; they lay around for long enough and eventually a friendly helicopter pilot lifted them up. But there was an incident in which the undercarriage of an airplane damaged the roof of Ardskenish, years ago. Perhaps someone can remember the details? The Editor Dear Editor, I found the Corncrake on the internet and was interested in the article on the Kilchattan crofts. The Neil Campbell who is given as the tenant of Homefield in 1900 was my great grandfather. The last Campbell to live there was his son, my grandfather Malcolm Campbell.who was born in Kilchattan in 1859 and I imagine on that croft. My mother went to look after him at Homefield when he was living there as a widower during the Second World War. He died in 1948 on the mainland at my uncle's home in Bowling. Malcolm Campbell had five sons of whom four were alive at that time. Neil and Peter Campbell in Australia and Donald and Angus Campbell, my father, in Scotland. I had some happy holidays in Homefield as a child in the early fifties but as no-one in the family was going to live on Colonsay the brothers decided to give the croft and house to a member of the Martin family who had been a childhood friend of Peter. This would have been in the late fifties or early sixties. The Archibald Campbell who you note as the tenant of the neighbouring holding was my father's Uncle Archie. Mrs Hector McNeill, the tenant of Seaview , was my great grandmother Mary McNeill who had been a Blue. Her daughter Catherine married Malcolm Campbell in 1894. She was cook in Colonsay house and he was working as the gamekeeper. Mary McNeill had five daughters, one of whom went to Canada, and one son, Alec, who didn't marry and lived at Seaview. Flora McNeill, the one sister who didn't marry and who you also mention as a tenant, was the last surviving member of her family and was still alive when I was a small child. She was at one time a cook to a dowager duchess of Argyll who had been a McNeill of Colonsay. I have some old photographs of these people, in some cases including the houses. I don't know if they would be of any interest to you. With best wishes, Catriona McNeill Courtier I am most grateful for the offer of the photographs and for the information in this letter. I have passed it around locally to one or two people and it has revived a lot of memories and some good stories. Yesterday I had the chance to mention it to Dugie McGilvray, who was able to identify Catriona at once; many people remember the brothers, and Duncan "Sandy" McAllister mentions that his brother Hugh bumped into both Neil and Peter in Australia. I understand that "Calum" Campbell lived at what is now 1, Hall Cottage, then later moved to a small cottage at Seaview (where Alec "Mhairi Blue" Campbell lived), and subsequently to Achadh Cruaidh. I have a couple of Campbell and Martin photographs in my own collection and reproduce on here, showing (left to right) Dougal MacConnel, Angus Campbell and Archie Campbell at Homefield, inspecting what has been described as a "German Mine". The Editor. I apologise for this slightly late issue, and shortage of illustrations. There have been a lot of requests for "back numbers" and I am happy to say that the archive facility is almost ready. We are having to rebuild issues 1 - 3 and would be glad to know if anybody happened to keep a copy! As always, readers are invited to submit suggestions and material for publication. Contact the Editor - byrne@colonsay.org.uk Editorial Policy Corncrake is published to keep all our friends in touch with life on the island. Contributions are invited and welcomed. Fortnightly editions will carry details of coming events, special offers etc. Please send letters and proposals for specific articles to the Editor Brief genealogical and related queries are also welcome from Colbhasachs overseas, as are obituaries and family traditions relating to Colonsay emigrants. This publication will hopefully develop to reflect the interests of the readership so please feel free to make your contribution. The magazine section needs articles on flora, fauna, geology, fishing, crofting etc.