Chapter XVIII: The Historic Ironworks of Loch Maree

The present series of Scottish ironworks commenced on Loch
Maree--The licence to Archibald Primrose for making iron
ratified in 1612--Spread of the iron industry in the
eighteenth century--Iron furnaces in Glengarry--Abernethy
furnaces of the York Buildings Company--The Bonawe
furnace--The Argyle Furnace Company--The Lorn Company--The
Carron ironworks--The Wilsonton works--Furnace at
Goatfield--Pennant's notice of the furnace near Poolewe--The
Fife Adventurers and the Lews--The Rev. Farquhar Macrae,
vicar of Gairloch--The Letterewe furnace established in 1607
by Sir George Hay--Previous history of Sir George--His
residence at Letterewe--His ironworks--The timber
consumed--The goods produced--The improvements he
effected--Act prohibiting the making of iron with
wood--Monopoly of iron manufacture granted to Sir
George--Ratified by Parliament--Proclamation restraining the
export of iron ore--Licence to Sir George to sell iron in
royal burghs--Sir George's probable acquaintance with John
Roy Mackenzie, laird of Gairloch--Sir George's friendship
with the Rev. Farquhar Macrae--The minister's stone--Sir
George leaves Letterewe--His distinguished
after-career--Created first Earl of Kinnoull--Continuance of
the ironworks--Tombstone of John Hay--His probable
relationship to Sir George--Discontinuance of the
ironworks--The artisans employed--Whence they came--The
Kemps--The Cladh nan Sasunnach--Condition of the ironworkers
in the then state of the Highlands--The Big Englishman 75

CHAPTER XIX.--THE IRON ORES USED IN GAIRLOCH.

References to local iron ore--Local bog iron used at ancient
bloomeries--Ferruginous rocks and shales--Traditional
quarries--Richness of bog iron--Places where it is still
found in Gairloch--Bog iron originally used by Sir George
Hay--He afterwards imported red hematite and clayband
ironstone--Mr Marr's description of these ores--They were
landed at Poolewe--Remains of them there--Mr Macadam's
analyses--Mixture with local ore--Classification of the ores 86

CHAPTER XX.--REMAINS OF IRONWORKS IN THE PARISH OF GAIRLOCH.

Mr Macadam's description of two classes of slag--List of six
localities of ironworks--Glen
Dochartie--Fasagh--Analyses--Lochan Cul na
Cathrach--Furnace, Letterewe--Talladale--Garavaig, on
Slatadale farm--Red Smiddy, near Poolewe--Iron articles
found--The borings at Cuil an Scardain--Chronological order
of the ironworks--Other supposed furnaces--Notices of
ironworks or mines in old Dutch map, and in "Present State
of Great Britain and Ireland"--Conclusion 90

CHAPTER XXI.--ANTIQUITIES.

Want of interesting remains of ancient buildings--Supposed
Druidical remains in Tollie wood--Druidical enclosure on
Isle Maree--The Island of Justice--Pictish round
houses--Vitrified fort--Ancient duns, strongholds, or
crannogs--Remains of churches--Gairloch church--Culinellan
church--Turf-built church in Tollie Bay--Church at Tollie
Croft, or Cruive End--Chapel of Inverewe--Chapel of Sand of
Udrigil--Old burial-grounds--Remains of other old
buildings--Remains on Isle Maree--On Eilean Ruaridh Beag--On
Eilean Suainne--The Tigh Dige--The Sabhal-Geal--The Temple
house--Old houses--Ancient weapons and implements--The Feill
Iudha--Caves 97

PART II.--INHABITANTS OF GAIRLOCH.

CHAPTER I.--ANCESTRY AND NAMES.

Highlanders different to Scotch--Gairloch people originally
Celtic--Admixture of blood--Mackenzies
predominant--Surnames little used--Mode of constructing
Gaelic names--Examples--Bynames--Curious names of girls 109

CHAPTER II.--WARFARE AND WEAPONS.

Gairloch a bone of contention--Broadsword and targe--Bows
and arrows--Battle-axe--Dirk--Guns--Clan fights no
more--Seaforth Highlanders--A Gairloch company--The
press-gang--Donald M'Lean returns "from hell"--Volunteer
corps--Story of Finlay Fraser and his guns 112

CHAPTER III.--POLITY AND CUSTOMS.

Improvement after the "Forty-five"--Increase of
schools--Report on educational position of the people by
Rev. James Russell--Education under the School
Boards--Relief of the poor--Beggars almost
unknown--Tramps--Tinkers--Old man seeking America--Her
Majesty's note about him--Old marriage customs--Funeral
customs--Whisky at funerals--Heaps of stones at
halting-places--New Year's day, old style--Administration of
justice at the Island of Justice--Mode of procedure--The
Cnoc a Chroich, or Gallows Hill--Some old Gairloch men
acquainted with folk-lore 114

CHAPTER IV.--RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES.

No records of Episcopal times--Sunday services--Baptism--The
Lord's supper dispensed in the Leabaidh na Ba Bàine--Dr
Mackenzie's account of churchgoing and the
communions--Johnnie at church for the first time--Five days'
services--Large crowd; few communicants--Preparation for
Gairloch communion--The scene in the Leabaidh--Aunt
Sally--Characteristics of Free Church services and religion 117

CHAPTER V.--CHARACTER AND CHARACTERISTICS.

Criticism invidious--Gairloch people have a good
character--Fidelity, courtesy, and hospitality--Sir G. S.
Mackenzie's opinion--Sir Francis Mackenzie's tribute to his
Gairloch people--Attachment to home--Caution and keenness
in money matters--Anecdote--Captain Burt's charge of want of
cleanliness not generally applicable
now--Morality--Indolence--Always behind time--Clinging to
old ways--Old Highland _esprit_ dying out--Annual
competition recommended 121

CHAPTER VI.--LANGUAGE AND DRESS.

Gaelic called Irish--Gairloch dialect--Not dying
out--Knowledge of English increasing--Old people still
unable to speak English--Gaelic phrases in English--Gaelic
literature in Gairloch--Should Gaelic be
discouraged?--Ancient dress in Gairloch--Belted plaid or
truis--Separate form of the kilt--Antiquity of the
kilt--Highland dress proscribed--Subterfuges--Discouraged
homespun fabrics--Kilt common in Gairloch in early part of
nineteenth century--Sir Francis Mackenzie on the kilt--Now
fallen into disuse--Present dress of men--Gairloch
hose--Dress of women--The mutch--Maiden's headdress--Dr
Mackenzie on maiden's hair and on mutches 125

CHAPTER VII.--WAYS AND MEANS.

Sources of livelihood--Industry of women--Dwellings--Byres
adjoining--No chimneys--Gradual improvement--Gardens
rare--Fevers and consumption--Food--Absence of
pigs--Whisky--Illicit distillation--Fuel--Torasgian--Cabar
lar--Peat creel--Carts--Sledges before roads were made 132

CHAPTER VIII.--AGRICULTURE AND STOCK.

Little agriculture in ancient days--Black cattle--Blood
taken from living cattle--The bowmen--Hill shielings
miserable places--Introduction of sheep farming--Sheep
farms forested--Sheep deteriorate pasture--Ancient breed of
sheep--Present farms--Run-rig--Crofts established in
Gairloch--Crofters' crops--The cas-chrom--Sir G. S.
Mackenzie on imperfect agriculture--On indolence--The
Highland husbandman--His negligence--Sir Francis Mackenzie
on imperfect cultivation--On manures--On the cas-chrom--On
lack of industry--On absence of gardens--Introduction of the
potato 136

CHAPTER IX.--FISHERIES.

Gairloch fishermen and fish--Herring fisheries--Lobsters and
crabs--Oysters--Gairloch cod fishery--Under Sir Alexander
Mackenzie, 1721 to 1766--In 1792--Sir G. S. Mackenzie's
account of it under Sir Hector--Lines and hooks formerly
home-made--First foreign hooks in 1823--Cod fishery in 1884
and 1885--Salmon fishery--Bag-nets--Diminution in stock of
salmon 143

CHAPTER X.--POSTS AND ROADMAKING.

Post-runners to Gairloch--Dr Mackenzie's account--Donald
Charles--Roderick M'Lennan--William Cross--M'Leay--Iain Mor
am Post--General Wade's road--Bridges in Gairloch--Road from
Gairloch to Poolewe--The Dowager Lady Mackenzie's account of
road-making--Destitution Committee contribute to
road-making--Road to Fionn loch 147

CHAPTER XI.--SUPERSTITIONS OF ISLE MAREE.

Isle Maree conspicuous--The wishing-tree--Her Majesty's
offering--St Maelrubha permitted sacrifices of
bulls--Continued to 1678--Latterly associated with cure of
insanity--Treatment of lunatics--Still continued--Dr
Mitchell's description--Circular enclosure supposed to be
Druidical--Graves of the prince and princess--The
well--Description of the wishing-tree--Trees of Isle
Maree--Probability of the legend of Isle Maree--Name of
island derived from St Maelrubha--St Maelrubha worshipped 150

CHAPTER XII.--SUPERSTITIONS OF ISLE MAREE--_continued._

Druidical sacrifices engrafted on Christianity--Resort to
Isle Maree for cure of lunacy probably ancient--Parallel
superstitions--Bull sacrifice at Kirkcudbright--Sacrifices
of bulls not confined to the saint's day--Descriptions of
proceedings for cure of lunatics--MacCulloch's
description--No form of words--Recent cases--St Maelrubha
and St Ruffus identical--Mad dog dipped in the well--Sad
consequences--Quotations as to Pagan practices engrafted on
Christianity 153

CHAPTER XIII.--SUPERSTITIONS GENERALLY.

Highlanders' surroundings suggest superstition--Gradual
diminution of it--Older superstitions--Loch Maree water
cure--The Fox Point--Coins found--The Cathair mor and
Sitheanan Dubha--Gairloch fairy tale--The Shiant Isles'
fairy--Eilean Suainne--Fairies seen on Isle Ewe in
1883--Lights and music of fairies noticed at Mellon
Charles--William M'Lean gets a bagpipe chanter from the
fairies--The Gille Dubh of Loch a Druing--Superstitious
fancies--The Loch of the Beast--Evidence of the appearance
of the beast--Proceedings for its suppression--Rorie and the
mermaid 158

CHAPTER XIV.--WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC.

Rudha Chailleach--Witchcraft and magic still believed
in--Jessie the cripple, a witch--Depriving milk of its
fruit--Kenlochewe case in presbytery records--Kenneth
Mackenzie, the maighstair sgoil, punishes the witch at
Strath--His cows recover--Recent cases--The
sian--Description of it--Duncan M'Rae--His song--Entrusted
with a keg of gold for Prince Charlie--Hides the keg in the
Fedan Mor--Renders it invisible by the sian--The wife of the
Cibear Mor sees the keg--The cave at Meallan a Ghamhna--The
cave and weapons concealed by the sian--Seen by several
women recently--Another similar case on Loch Maree--Alastair
Mor an t' Sealgair--Runs the blockade by means of the
sian--His variations of the sian--Other examples of
Alastair's and his father's powers--The wind made favourable
by magic 163

CHAPTER XV.--VISIONS AND SECOND-SIGHT.

Distinction between visions and second-sight--Old Alastair's
vision of Hector Roy and his bodyguard--A young man sees a
ghost--Two men see a woman in a house--Spectre seen before a
shoot--Two kinds of second-sight--Jessie the cripple--Ducked
as a witch--Her vision of a shepherd, his dog and sheep,
fulfilled--The smith's son sees a crowd on Poolewe
bridge--His vision fulfilled--The great storm on Loch
Ewe--Great sight at Mellon Udrigil--Fleet of ships and boats
filled with red coats--Visions of soldiers in red uniforms
near Inveran--These visions compared with similar sights
elsewhere 169

CHAPTER XVI.--BARDS AND PIPERS.

Ancient bards an illustrious class--Ossian's poems--Office
of bard or seannachie--Bards of recent
date--Ceilidh--Antiquity of bagpipes--Office of piper in old
days--In the present day--Love of pipe music in
Gairloch--Some old Gairloch bards--Ruaridh Breac--The
English bard--Duncan M'Rae--Roderick Campbell, piper and
fiddler--The Piobaire Ban--List of living Gairloch pipers 173

CHAPTER XVII.--HEREDITARY PIPERS OF THE GAIRLOCH FAMILY.

The Mackays--Rorie Mackay, piper to John Roy
Mackenzie--Alastair Breac, and his son and grandson--His
brother Donald--John Mackay, the blind piper--Taught by the
M'Crimmons--Piper to the two first baronets of Gairloch--His
compositions--Anecdotes of his life with the M'Crimmons--His
songs and poems--Angus Mackay--Piper to Sir Alexander, third
baronet--Moladh Mairi--John Mackay, piper to Sir
Hector--Emigrates to America--A splendid piper--His
offspring 177

CHAPTER XVIII.--WILLIAM MACKENZIE AND MALCOLM MACLEAN.

William Mackenzie a catechist--His song to Balone's
sister--His song lampooning a wedding party--His consequent
dismissal--Malcolm Maclean a notorious bacchanalian--His
beautiful daughter--His wife's resignation illustrated by an
anecdote--Translation by Professor Blackie of his song to
his daughter 180

CHAPTER XIX.--WILLIAM ROSS, THE GAIRLOCH BARD.

William Ross, a grandson of the "Blind piper"--His
youth--His travels--Appointed schoolmaster of Gairloch--Dies
young--Monument over his grave--Estimate of his poetry 183

CHAPTER XX.--ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, BARD TO SIR HECTOR.

Alastair Buidhe's ancestry and youth--Appointed
ground-officer and bard to Sir Hector--Instructed to remove
the roof from a defaulting tenant's house--His prudent
artifice approved by Sir Hector--Dr Mackenzie's
recollections of Alastair as bard--His bad health, and
death--His character--His friendship with William Ross--His
descendants--His poetry highly appreciated 185

CHAPTER XXI.--ALEXANDER GRANT, THE GREAT BARD OF SLAGGAN.

Sandy Grant's ancestry--His enormous stature and
strength--His appearance, portrait, and poetry--Reputed to
have second-sight--Anecdote--Sandy Grant discovers cheeses
stolen in Loch Carron--His descendants 187

CHAPTER XXII.--JOHN MACKENZIE OF THE "BEAUTIES."

John's ancestry and youth--His mechanical skill--An accident
disables him--Collects Gaelic poems--Devotes himself to
literary work--List of books he translated--Known as a poet
and piper--Anecdote of his humour--Buys a ship and her
cargo--Gives up the bargain--Monument to his memory 189

CHAPTER XXIII.--LIVING GAIRLOCH BARDS.

Alexander Mackenzie, of Oban--Duncan Mackenzie, the
Kenlochewe bard--Short memoir--His poetry--His epithalamium
on the marriage of Sir Kenneth Mackenzie--Translation of it
by Professor Blackie--Alexander Cameron, the Tournaig
bard--His song in praise of Tournaig--English translation by
Mr W. C. Good--Alexander Bain--His elegy on the late Dr
Kennedy--English translation 192

CHAPTER XXIV.--THE POOLEWE ARTIST.

Paucity of art in Gairloch--Finlay Mackinnon--His
characteristics--His yearning for art as a young
boy--Assisted by Mr Davis, R.A., and others--His watercolour
sketches 200