Lochalsh – Summary Table

Lochalsh

Please see ‘de Insulis’ table for full details of the Cameron, Glengarry and Kildun estates. I have only extracted the key data for the table below. We have a number of farms whose locations are unknown. Macgill gives some place-names on pp 318-19 & 341. Gordon(ES) = Gordon/Blaeu Extima Scotiae.

Name	Value	Date	Grid Ref	Map Sources	Other forms, comments etc
Lochalsh	10 davachs	1670			RS38/4/13r 1670; RS38/4/15r 1670; RS38/4/15v 1670.
Achnandarach	2m or ½ davach	1492 1548	NG 8031		Combined with Lundie. Cameron estate. RSS VI (1549) 1572.
(Loch) Lundie			NG 8031
Fernaig Fernaigmore	2m or ½ davach	1492 1548	NG 8433	Gordon(ES)	Gordon(ES) refers to Barnesag. The notes (probably from Pont) in Macfarlane’s Geographical Collections II p 542 refer to Barnesaeg & Barnseg. Cameron estate. RSS VI (1549) 1572.
Fernaigbeg	2m or ½ davach	1492 1548	NG 8433		Combined with Finneman & Acheache. See below. In 1548 this half-davach was divided into two quarter-davachs which passed to Culcabock and Freuchie respectively. See also RSS VI (1549) 1572.
Finneman					See under Fernaigbeg.
Acheache or Auchecroy					The earlier documents spell this Acheache (or similar), the later documents Auchecroy (or similar). I assume they are the same.
Killochir	2m or ½ davach	1492 1548			Combined with Achmore.
Achmore Achbeg			NG 8533 NG 8533		Strangely Achmore features in the documentary record but not Achbeg.
Achechoynleith	2m or ½ davach	1492 1548			Combined with Braeintra.
Braeintra			NG 8632
Culchnok	2m or ½ davach	1492 1548			Culchnok & Achenacloich & Blargarwe & Acheas in 1492. Cuthok, Auchna(c)loch & Blairgarrok in 1548. Acheas (or similar seems to be lost from 1548. See below.
Achenacloich				Gordon(ES)	See below under Culchnok.
Blaregarwe
Acheas
Avernish	2m or ½ davach	1492 1548	NG 8426		Combined with Auchtertyre. From 1548 Avarrynnis, Othirtirie & Achich (or similar).
Auchtertyre			NG 8327/8427		Wochterory in 1492.
Ardnarff	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8835/8935	Thomson(1826)	Combined with Inchenarne. ¼ davach Glengarry + ¼ davach Kildun = ½ davach total
Inchenarne					Inchnairne appears in Highland Papers II pp 324-7, Rental of Seaforth Estates c. 1726.
Sallachy	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 9130	Pont(4) Gordon(ES)	¼ davach Glengarry + ¼ davach Kildun = ½ davach total. See below.
Conchra	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8827	Gordon(ES)	¼ davach Glengarry + ¼ davach Kildun = ½ davach total.
Ardelve	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8726	Pont(4) Gordon(ES)	¼ davach Glengarry + ¼ davach Kildun = ½ davach total. ½ davach in GD1/400/2/3 Section B, Protocol Book of William Cuming No 32 pp 42-3 1574.
Ardache	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8727		Combined with Auchtatorlyne (or similar). ¼ davach Glengarry + ¼ davach Kildun = ½ davach total. ½ davach in GD1/400/2/3 Section B, Protocol Book of William Cuming No 32 pp 42-3 1574.
Auchtatorlyne					Achtatoralan appears in Highland Papers II pp 324-7, Rental of Seaforth Estates c. 1726.
Nostie	⅛ davach (⅛ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8527		⅛ davach Glengarry + ⅛ davach Kildun = ¼ davach total.
Reraig	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8127	Roy(FC)	¼ davach Glengarry + ¼ davach Kildun = ½ davach total.
Balmacara	½ davach (½ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8027/8028	Gordon(ES)	There is some difficulty with this. The total for the farm was probably 1 davach. See below.
Achnahinich	½ davach (½ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8031	OS Exp. 428	½ davach Glengarry + ½ davach Kildun = 1 davach total.
Craig	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 8233		Combined with Erbusaig. ¼ davach Glengarry + ¼ davach Kildun = ½ davach total. See below.
Erbusaig			NG 7629	?Gordon(ES)	Gordon(ES) refers to Der(h)isaig. See below.
Diurinis	¼ davach (¼ davach)	1548 1554	NG 7831
Clachan or     Kirktoun	1m or (¼ davach)	1573	NG 8327/8227	OS 6″ CXXIII     Pont(4) Gordon(ES)	OS 6″ Sheet CXXIII of 1875 marks 2 Grave Yards. See below under Kirkton.     Kilchoen in Gordon(ES).
Hairthill		1587			Church lands – RMS V (1427) 1587 & (2072) 1591-2. Reddendo was 20s (1½m) old rent in 1587 which might suggest ⅜ davach. See below.
Total (davachs)	10 davachs 40 merks				If we take Balmacara as 2 davachs then the total is 11 davachs.

 

 

Fernaigbeg

In 1583 Litill Farnaig, Blair, Rairf & Finvanny make up a 2m unit (RSS VIII (1484)). This is anomalous and since ‘Blair and Rairf’ is probably a corruption of Blaregarwe I am inclined to discount it.

 

Culchnok

According to the Gordon/Blaeu map of Extima Scotiae ‘Achnaeloich’ lay on the west bank of a burn which was East of Kilchoen (Kirkton) but West of Ardelu (Ardelve). Achna Clouch appears in Highland Papers II pp 324-7, Rental of Seaforth Estates c. 1726.

 

Sallachy

Highland Papers II pp 324-7 gives a rental of the Seaforth Estates c. 1726 where, under Lochalsh, there is reference to ‘a penny of Salchy’. (We could expect 10d in a ½ davach).

 

Balmacara

There is some ambiguity about this. RMS IV (204) 1548 refers to ½ Ballimac(c)roy extending to a davach. OPS II, II, 396 refers to a ½ davach of Ballimchroy. Kildun’s sale to Brahan in RMS IV (969) 1554 does not give a value but can only have been half Balmacara. The only other document which gives a valuation is RMS VI (1879) 1607 which gives Glengarry’s share as ‘half of Balmacarra extending to a davach’ – i.e the same as in RMS IV (204) 1548. The editors of OPS often used the Register of the Privy Seal as a source and this may be where the difference stems from. (RSS III (2761-2) give no detail in the printed version). If we accept the RMS version then the parish total is 11 davachs (44m) rather than 10 (40m). Given that we have several other pieces of evidence that Lochalsh totalled 40m or 10 davachs, (see text summary), the OPS version seems more likely.

 

Craig

Originally ½ a davach combined with Erbusaig. The latter was granted to Munro of Foulis by GD176/50 & GD93/57 1546. I have no proof that they were each a quarterland but it seems likely.

 

Erbusaig

We find ‘the half-lands of Arbsek’ in Monro of Fowlis’s lands in GD93/59 1547-8. This may be the Arbisak referred to in PNRC p 92 (cf. p 188). Highland Papers II pp 324-7 gives a rental of the Seaforth Estates c. 1726 where it is stated that Erbesaig was formerly the piper’s land and therefore paid no customs or rent.

 

Clachan/Kirktoun

1m Clachan Loc(h)alse (and 2m Ardglenelge) in NAS E14/2 f 16v 1573 which is from the bishop of the Isles to Angus Makallister of Glengarry.

(See also GD1/400/2/3 Section B, Protocol Book of William Cuming No 32 pp 43-4 1574).

RSS VII (554) 1576 gives 2m Ardglenelge and 1m Clathane Lochalse likwise. Book of Dunvegan I p 5 gives a 1587 charter from James VI to Macdonell of Glengarry of the lands of Ard Glenelg, commonly called ‘Sandagal’ (Sandaig) & ‘Dalthair’ (Galtair) plus Kirktoun of Lochelshe – formerly held by him of the Bishop of the Isles. In fact these 3 properties (2 in Glenelg and 1 in Lochalsh) were probably all ex Iona Abbey and given away by the Bishop of the Isles in his role as Commendator of the Abbey. In the Rental of the Bishopric of the Isles (1561) printed in CRA p 2 is the following:

The Abbatis landis possest be M’Cloid of Heries.

Item, the Ards of Glenelge.

Lochalsh is not mentioned but it seems likely it was also an Iona possession. See RCAHMS Argyll Vol IV p 146 (map) & p 147 No 11. On the basis of the pennyland evidence in Glenelg and the fact that 1m was a ¼ davach in Lochalsh I think all three properties were quarterlands.

Kirkton – an Clachan Aillseach in PNRC p 189. It is ‘Kilchoen’ in the Gordon/Blaeu map of Extima Scotiae. This is for Kilchoan or the church of Comgan as in Kilchoan, Knoydart, and Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan. Lochalsh was one of the ‘common kirks’ of Ross – RSS V Pt 2 (3173) 1566-7, RSS VI (658) 1569.

 

Hairthill

Hairthill is referred to as ecclesiastical land within the barony of Lochalsh in RMS V (1427) 1587 & (2072) 1591-2. (It had formerly belonged to either the vicarage of Lochalsh or the bishopric of Ross). Hairthill is either an intrusive Scots name (which is puzzling in an overwhelmingly Gaelic toponymic environment) or it is a translation of a Gaelic place-name. I do not know where it was but wonder if it might be an old name for (or a corruption of) what is now Ard Hill (NG 8226) to the SW of Kirkton. According to OS 6″ 1st Series Ross-shire (Mainland) Sheet CXXIII this was the location of both manse and glebe in 1875. There is also a site called Hartfield in Applecross.