Strachur and Strathlachlan
Principal Sources
RMS 1 App 2 Index A (654), Index B (25)
RMS III (2306) 1540-1, (2343) 1541
RMS IV (467) 1550, (1478, 1479) 1563, (2194) 1573-4
RMS V (1320) 1587, (1540) 1588, (2005) 1591-2, (2070) 1591-2
RMS VI (703) 1598, (1065) 1600, (1218) 1601
RMS VII (1129) 1614, (1743) 1617
RSS III (1809) 1546
RSS VI (1627) 1572
GD 112/1/61 1546
GD 112/1/357 & GD 112/1/890 1598
Robertson’s Index p 26 No 25
Argyll Retours (5) 1599, (25) 1621, (28) 1627, (74) 1663, (92) 1687
AS I (19, 50) 1618, (68) 1619, (94, 98, 102) 1620, (160) 1621, (264) 1643, (284) 1646, (309, 310) 1649, (333) 1651, (455, 457) 1660, (510, 538, 540, 541) 1674, (610) 1675
AS II (33, 36) 1618, (82) 1619, (108) 1621, (178) 1624, (228) 1627, (272) 1629, (330, 332) 1630, (374, 377, 383, 396) 1631, (513, 525, 529, 536) 1634, (581) 1637, (620-1) 1638, (670) 1641, (699) 1642, (812) 1653, (817, 835) 1654, (940) 1657, (1071) 1662, (1091-1093, 1114-5) 1663, (1144) 1664, (1230, 1241) 1665, (1417) 1668
ILP (130) 1536, (191) 1552-3, (206) 1557, (269) 1569, (361) 1597-8
HP IV pp 11-55
RHP 85460
Strathlachlan was a 10d estate. We know from Robertson’s Index and RMS I Appendix 2 that this was granted to Gillespi MacLachlan in the first quarter of the fourteenth century. We also know from Argyll Retours (28) of 1627 and AS II (940) of 1657 that it was worth 40m. We can be certain then of a 1d to 4m conversion ratio. Finally the units within Strathlachlan add up neatly to 40m.
Strachur is a little more complicated. We have references to the 40m of Strachur in RSS III (1809) of 1546, RMS IV (1479) of 1563 and HP IV pp 38-9 of 1590-1. However we also have references to 32m, 51½m and 80m. I suspect that Strachur proper was, like Strathlachlan, originally a 10d or 40m unit but became regarded as the name for a larger 80m or 1 ounceland unit.
J Smith gave 117m for Strachur and Stralachlan in his General View of the Agriculture of the County of Argyll, 1798. On the basis of the 1751 listing of the parish I find 147m 5s (or 147⅜m) of which 40m or 10d is Strathlachlan. A further 6m need to be deducted for the farms at the NE end of Loch Eck (Cunleache, Craigbrack and Eilean a’ Chocaire) which were transferred from Kilmun after 1650. (For some reason Stuck, which was also supposed to be transferred, remained with Kilmun and Dunoon parish). Strachur then becomes 101m 5s. Given that in Strathlachlan the exchange rate was clearly 1d to 4m it seems likely this also applied in neighbouring Strachur – in which case Strathlachlan was ½oz and Strachur about 1¼ozs.
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