Muckairn

Muckairn

Kilvaree

In OS 6″ 1st series Sheet XCIX (1871) Kilvarie is a district name applied on the east side of the Lusragan burn (c. NM 9031) and not, as on today’s Explorer map, to the west side. This is important since the Lusragan was the parish boundary and so implies that Kilvarie was a name that originally only applied within Muckairn. There is also a farm, Kilvaree, which is marked further to the east at NM 9231 both in 1871 and today. This is by the Black Lochs in which is found Eilean an t-Sagairt (the Priest’s Isle) in 1871 and also on Explorer 376. Kilvaree must be an old ecclesiastical site which included the ground between the Black Lochs (to the east) and the Lusragan burn (to the west). The writer of the entry in the NSA claimed it as a dedication to the Virgin Mary. The early spellings suggest the dedication was actually to St Maolrubha.

Watson (CPNS p 266) writes:

Ballindeoir in Muckairn, Argyll, is close to the site of the old church of Kilvarie; the relic here was called the Arwachyll, i.e. arbhachall, ‘great bachall’, ‘great staff,’ apparently supposed to be the crozier of St Maol-Rubha of Applecross.

I am just a little doubtful about this association since Kilvaree and Balindore are on opposite sides of the parish and there are other church sites closer to Balindore.

Lailt

Lailt is marked at NM 925327 on OS 6″ 1st series Sheet LXXXVII (1871). On the same map it is also marked further west at NM 909327. This is similar to the situation with Kilvaree. What may have happened in both cases was that the original farm-site was eastwards beside the Black Lochs. As the road between Connel and Oban became a major highway from the eighteenth century so the west end of each farm became more important. Any buildings here would also be named after the farm on whose ground they stood – which is why such names appear twice.

Achnacloich

It is difficult to be sure that the various markland assessments refer to the same Achnacloich. Its pennyland valuation is consistently 5d which should be equivalent to 2½m in Muckairn parish. However it is 3m in 1630, 4m in 1648 and 5m in 1751. Genealogist 34 p 70 No 33 of 1687 suggests it was £5 (7½m).

There was also an Achnanclach at NM 782186 on the island of Seil. RRS V (27) 1313 refers to Auchinaclosh (OPS II, I p 106 reads Auchinacloch) along with other properties in Kilbrandan, Kilninver and Kilmore & Kilbride. It is possible that one or more of these merkland valuations refers to a different Achnacloich which has now dropped from view. Islands included in RMS V (1228) 1584.