Ardgour Summary

Ardgour

 

Principal Sources

 

RMS I (520) & RW Munro ALI p 10

RMS III (1536) 1535-6, (2806) 1542

RMS IV (285) 1548-9

ER XIII p 219 1509

 

ALI (104) 1474-5

 

AS I (588-9) 1674

AS II (355-6, 358) 1630, (439-441) 1632, (985-6) 1659, (1207) 1665, (1412-13) 1668

Inverness Retours (15) 1603, (30) 1615, (37) 1618, (48) 1629

HP I p 323 ff 1631

Argyll Valuation Roll 1751

 

RHP 747/1 Plan of Inverscadale 1858

RHP 5491 Plan of Inverscadale 1858

 

Acts of the Lords of Council in Civil Causes Vol 1 (1478-95) pp 346-7

JG Gibson, Back o’ the Hill, Edinburgh, 2008

 

 

The lands of ‘Kinnel Bathyn’, ‘Kynbaldin’, ‘Kynbaldein’ or ‘Kenalbadon’ are mentioned in APS I p 91, RMS I App II Index A No 56, Index B No 51 and Rot. Scot. I pp 463-4. Our first reference to the value of Ardgour occurs in RMS I (520) concerning a grant of the two ouncelands of ‘Ardegoware’ made between 1346 and 1373. Over the next three centuries we have several references to the 22 merklands of Ardgour (or Drumgowour). The estate is given in detail in RMS III (1536) but this listing does not include the lands of Blaich which were held separately. Since we have valuations in both pennylands and merklands it is clear that the conversion rate was 1 ounceland to 10 merklands or 1d to ½m. The 22 merkland estate was equivalent to 44d plus the 3m (or 6d) of Blaich making a total of 25m (50d) or 2½ ouncelands in the area we associate with Ardgour. Macfarlane’s Geographical Collections II p 165 (based on Pont’s work in the 1580s & 1590s) states “The whole Barronie of Ardgoure is twentie fyve merkland.” (This is repeated on p 520).

 

In most documents the Ardgour farms tend to be given in pairs which together make up 1m. Sometimes these are just neighbouring units and we can prove or assume that they were each worth ½m or 1d. In other cases it looks as if we have a farm with a sheiling site. Although we can be certain of the overall value of Ardgour and the worth of most of its farms there are several for which we have no documentary proof.

 

There is a slight discrepancy between the valuation of Ardgour as two ouncelands in the fourteenth century and my total of 25m which would be equivalent to 2½ ouncelands. Part of the reason for this might be that the lands of Cregag (and possibly Callop) were originally viewed as within Lochiel (qv). JG Gibson looks at how the transfer may have taken place in ‘Back o’ the Hill’ chapter 8.

 

There seem to have been two religious sites – one at Cill Mhaodain, north of Corran, the other a little to the south at Cladh a’ Mhuilinn.

 

For a comparison between the valuations of lands in Ardgour and Strath Oykell (Easter Ross) see under Kincardine parish.