Wee Drams

   Contents:

 Freddy Gillies    Dean Gilchrist   Donald C McWhannel   Jill Muir   Robert Duckworth

Christina Klarenbeek (nee Murphy)     Noel & Andrea Hallett     Graham Black

and  Janet Morrison

Index


An interesting e-mail

Dear Ian

As you might have guessed it was myself that brought up the fact that the whole of the magazine was being put on to the Web site. No one else on the committee is on or aware of the Internet. I was concerned at the number of people who openly said to me that they were not going to buy the magazine as they always download it. recently I spent a whole day with someone in our Library, giving a lot of
time and was cross when he mentioned that he never buys the magazines - he had been quoting etc from it previously.  I was not asking anything for my time etc, just wanted to help him and help our Society. If I had realised earlier I would have asked for a donation. The money raised etc goes towards adverts, hire of speakers, donations towards the local Town Library to purchase microfilm, the CSA (Archaelogy of Scotland); saving of monuments etc e.g Saddell Abbey and Tarbert Castle and
on material, and stands to promote natural History in the area. Perhaps you could mention this on your web site. However it has now been left to Angus to see what he wants as he is the Editor.

So there you have it. Absolutely fair comment. Any offers of cash donations - foreign currency cheques cost too much - in any currency, should be made to the Secretary, Mrs Elizabeth Marrison, FSA Scot. at elizabeth.marrison@virgin.net and that good lady will give you a relevant snailmail address.


 Some replies to the subject of the Society's funding - no names, no pack drill:

............Has the Society thought that it may be better simply to publish the whole thing on the web, with no hard copies???  It seems to me that that would remove the chief problem for this society:  the printing, and selling, etc., the last of which is only capable of cover the cost of the printing.  Everything else is mostly volunteer. 

What do you think?  And what do the others think?  I mean, the Web means the writing reaches a lot more people.  I don't know what your readership numbers are,  but I would bet they are growing,  and they are most probably way over what the hard copy of the magazine is............

 

..........I understand from Ian Forshaw that many people in the Kintyre Historical Society are concerned that people have access to the work you publish on the Web, rather than paying for a subscription to your magazine.

However,  I wonder how much it costs to maintain a subscription list, and print the magazine, and etc.  Mine own experience with these things is that the money gained from subscriptions barely cover the costs of the production and mailing costs.  Shipping and handling is usually volunteer too.

I subscribe to the Mid Argyll Society,  "Kist" - and have to depend on the vagaries of the Canadian Postal system.  And also, I have to remember to renew the subscription, and then go to the bank for the proper money order.   Also, since the whole thing is volunteer, no one reminds me to do this.  

I also bought subscriptions to the Scottish Genealogist, a quarterly,  and the Glasgow and West Scotland Family History Society Newsletter.  In both cases,  I have not renewed them, because I didn't  receive notice to pay more $$  and etc. 

Also,  I don't know what the readership is of the Website, as compared with that of your subscription list,  but I would not be surprised if it were much larger.  This is not surprising, as the articles, and set up are very very good.

If I were writing articles, I would want to be on the web.   And I am learning a great deal about the Kintyre Peninsula from the articles I have read.

As to income for your society,  I keep wondering why local hotels do not advertise on the Site.  Or the local Whiskey Distiller;  or the Ferry that plies its way from Campbeltown to Ireland??  What about that Glenbarr place  -  you have enough info on the MacAlisters in your archives (never mind "habit and Repute"!!) -  a perfect place to put up a little advert....

In other words,  the energy spend in maintaining a small magazine could be redirected to building up a really great website!!!

I hope you don't feel insulted by this suggestion.  The Kintyre Hist site is such fun! and it would be such a pity to see it lose a connection with the Society

I just went over to the list of books  and note 3 of them I will purchase.  This is also a great service, and idea:  to list book available.  How about that person who runs the bookshop doing that sort of thing  -  reviewing books, and even selling them to people like me???..........

 

...........I understand the point of view of those who fear that the magazine's paid  circulation will suffer if it is available online, at no cost.  While I never  would have considered paying for a hard-copy subscription, I would be willing  to pay something to support its work.  Convenient methods of making online  payments are evolving rapidly -- here in the United States, for example, we  have PayPal, which allows payments to be e-mailed to recipients who can  either request that a cheque be issued, or keep the funds in their own online  account, for eventual transfer elsewhere.  

I also am concerned about finding the next generation of historians.  Does  Campbeltown have a school (perhaps the grammar school students are too young,  I am thinking of what we Americans call "high school," for students 14-18  years old) that would assist in sponsoring a contest for the best
contribution to Campbeltown historical research?  If a £50 first prize would  encourage participation, I would hope that we readers could provide the purse  (and maybe contribute second and third place money, too).  Here in the United  States, winning such an award would be meaningful on university applications,  as well.  What should we call it, the Forshaw Prize?............

I replied:

Thank you for your kind and interesting e-mail. I suppose that all of us who live in the big wide world have to remember that we are talking here about a small town publication. The Society are not geared up for the 'net. The Subs and Distributions Secretary does not own a computer, and the editor -
although he does have an e-mail address - seldom uses it but prefers instead to write longhand, and send via snailmail.

I am fortunate in that there are so many folks, such as yourself, out there who are interested enough to come up with suggestions and ideas. I too was thinking along the lines of voluntary contributions - in any currency. Your idea of a 'contest' is fascinating. I went to school with the present
headmaster of the Campbeltown Grammar School. I would put up the £50 myself if necessary! Let me get all the suggestions and ideas together and, when I have collated them, I'll do a mass e-mail out to everyone who has ever contacted me re the Mag, and post said e-mail in the next online issue for
those who read regularly, but have never needed to get in touch.

I do this for the love of it, and I'm a wee bit wary of asking folks to part with their cash, but I agree that the Society has a point and, if we want to keep an online Mag, we'll have to do something. Any more suggestions will be more than welcome. One thing though, let's not be so crass as to call it the Forshaw prize (but thanks for suggesting it). Maybe something relevant to the Society or the Magazine or the subject? We'll see...........

..............Thanks for the note.  Perhaps you could consider doing what other magazines do on the web:  list the entire contents of the recent editions, with only one or two available for downloading.  Also,  emphasize where we could order those books.  And harass some of your members into reviewing books, and selling them through your site.  The trouble with little magazines is that it is so difficult/time consuming to maintain the mailing lists.  Selling collections of articles is also a possibility. 

I hope to understand the arcana of websites by the end of the summer.  I think there is a market,  given the huge interest in genealogy, and the gigantic diaspora of Scots  -  to bring money into places like Campbeltown.  Local advertisers;  local museums/tours.  One of the thing the net does is it makes people famous.  Really!  A guided tour by you and/or Angus Martin could be quite the thing...  These are just ideas.. 

It is very true that the web will be a much better entity when you can charge/and easily pay/ for items you download. 

I might add that I bought a whole bunch of back issues of your Mag while I was in Campbeltown.  I still haven't gone through them all, but they are FASCINATING. 

I have just finished a booklet on Knapdale, for two branches of our family, who are arriving and having a party here,  21st July.  I start with the genealogy stuff.  But I include a lot of info on how they lived, and issues they faced, the big things that were going on.  I have just started to scratch the surface, though. Thanks gracious for the sake of the plot, there was a fairly dramatic eviction/clearance pulled off by the Malcolms of Poltalloch!  Have you thought that you and your bunch of locals could take, say a request from someone descended from a particular family,  who left Campbeltown in the 1850's, say,  and do a little outline on the names of the Famous Locals of the time,  what Campbeltown was like,  something of why they left??  Specific to the area??  A Map of where the farm was that they came from?  They would have to do the work of defining the where and when of their "roots", and the locals could fill in the interesting background....Using the census of the time,  you could say who their neighbours were...  With a nice photo of 19th Century Campbeltown,  etc.  and advertising through the website,  I think  this could be a saleable item...and something you do not see at all.

It would not have to be heavy duty, as most people do not want to delve really deeply into history.  But I think they would be interested in the personal details of town/farm/village life, specific to their ancestors.

Anyway,  how is Ian MacDonald?  And his wife??  I hope they are feeling much better after the awfulness of last winter.

Ian Forshaw tells me he is sending me photos of Campbeltown.  I am stymied right now about Lucy Campbell, and am afraid I will have to go over there to work any more, if I can, that is.. 

What is your local Library/Museum like??  Is it active?  Has it any archival collections?

What about that last remaining Scotch producer of Campbeltown?  Could they put an advert in the Website??  Or at least a short essay on how you make whiskey??

Anyway,  thanks again for the note.  I just wish more of your group would GET ON THE WEB!!!........

 .............Have you considered including a permanent item on your web site that invites readers to subscribe to Kintyre Magazine?

I know that I could sign-up by e-mailing Elizabeth Morrison, but I'd like to know how much the hard copies cost  -- and the benefits of subscription -- before I contacted her.

If the Society's "advertisement" did a good job of marketing the publication, I believe that more people would buy hard copies ... and the Society would feel better about some of their articles appearing on your web site............

 I'm sure that there's more to come on this! - Ian

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From: Freddy (Froonkie) Gillies    freddy@gillies53.freeserve.co.uk

Ian

Thanks for your last response. I would be grateful, indeed, if you were to be so kind as to give my latest offering  (In Campbeltown Once More - an evocative book of  growing up in the town in the 1950's and 60's) a wee bit of space on your site.

Freddy

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From: Dean Gilchrist      deanotow@att.net

Ian,
What a nice job you've done with the first part of Bob's book. The color and balance look wonderful on my Mom's computer. We are away for a few weeks to Cleveland Ohio and North Carolina but I will continue to pick up mail at my regular E-mail address. 
The only suggestion I have for next time is to change the posting permission to Bob and Peggy's daughters, Erin Feliciano and Lynley Force. (Any questions your readers may have could be directed to me) Thanks very much for your very effective presentation.


Dean

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From: Donald C McWhannel     D.MCWHANNELL@mail1.tay.ac.uk

 Dear Ian , perhaps you are able to assist me ; I am having problems locating a copy of "Kintyre Rentals" so that I can check the spelling of the names of the persons holding in 1636 (i) the 1 merkland of "Auchnassaul" and (ii) the 4 merklands of the "Mule". I have been advised (from America!) that these persons were "Mcilleconils" . There were comments published in S.W.H.I.H.R. "Notes & Queries" involving the late Mr. A.I.B. Stewart and myself concerning "Ballemacgillechonell" vs. "Ballemacgillechonellie" and the surname "Macgillechonell" as found in the justiciary records and among those killed at Dunaverty vs. "Macgillechonellie" and the possible origin/derivation/meaning of this surname as it occurs in Kintyre compared to Lorn. I would be most interested to know the exact spellings in the records you appear to hold at the Kintyre Antiquarian Society Library .
Hoping to hear from you . Yours sincerely,  Dr. Donald C. McWhannell. 
(p.s. I have sent a similar message to Elizabeth Marrison as I was unsure as to whom it was most appropriate to contact )


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From:  Jill Muir   muir@clara.co.uk 

Hello Kintyre Magazine,
I have a link on our home page to your website. I trust that you do not mind this, and ask you, albeit belatedly for your permission.

My husband is a member of the society. We both enjoy the magazine and it calls up wonderful memories of our, far too few holidays, in Campbeltown.

Thank you for your time,

Jill Muir
Oxfordshire
try our website at:
www.muir.clara.net/homepage/index.html

I sent back to Jill:

Hello Jill,

Thank you for your welcome e-mail. You are, of course, very welcome to link to the Magazine site. I'll post your e-mail in the September Wee Drams page, and you'll become known to Mag readers worldwide.

I had a wee surf through your website. Very impressive indeed.

All the best to you and yours,

Ian

Jill came back:

Hello Ian,
As my husband is the link, to Kintyre and the magazine, perhaps it would be better if you could note an applicable email address. I am happy for you to put the original email on the Wee Drams page but could you make the mailing address:
muir@clara.co.uk please?

Many thanks,
Jill Muir
Oxfordshire

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From:  Robert Duckworth    RDuck106@aol.com

I have been reading through of THE KINTYRE ANTIQUARIAN magazine and have  really enjoyed the web edition.  I am a little confused on how to send money  for a subscription from the U.S.  If you could let me know if a U.S. Postal  Money Order will work and the amount I need to send. Your efforts would be  greatly appreciated.

I believe my ancestors emigrated from Kintyre Scotland and this magazine has  really generated my interest.  My mother's grandfather purchased a home in  Thomasville GA at the turn of the century.  The State of Georgia has restored  the home and made it a National Historic Site. The home is listed as the  Lapham-Patterson House, Tomasville GA. The State of Georgia also paid for our  family history research.  Records in North Carolina and Georgia have Daniel  Patterson & Mary McMillan married in Kintrye Scotland in 1755 and emigrating  to NC sometime before the Revolution.  One of the Wee Drams in the magazine  has  Malcolm McMillan, Sr. was born in 1716 at The Mull of Kintyre, married
Catherine McArthur in Kildalton. I found this Dram at  (
http://www.ndirect.co.uk/~iforshaw/Mag32/wee.html.)   I believe Malcom  McMillan and Catherine McArthur are the parents of Mary McMillan form my  lineage  I have emailed the creator of this Dram but not received a reply yet.

Again your help in how I can subscribe is greatly appreciated.

Robert Duckworth
The Woodlands, TX 

I replied to Robert:

Hello Robert,

Thank you for your most interesting e-mail. You may not know that I transcribe, edit and post the online Magazine from Farcet, England. Your query about subscription would be better directed to Liz Marrison of the Society. Her e-mail address is
elizabeth.marrison@virgin.net , and I am sure that she would be only too delighted to hear from you.

I'm pleased that a part of the Magazine has helped you in your genealogical enquiries, and I hope that you get a reply from Glen Holbrook.

Unless you advise me differently, I'll post your e-mail on the September Wee Drams page. You never know who you might hear from.

Take good care of yourself and yours, and do e-mail Liz.

Ian

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From: Christina Klarenbeek (nee Murphy)    cklarenbeek@home.com

Dear Mr Forshaw

I am trying to find information about the passengers that were on board the ship Annabella that left from Campbeltown in 1770. I have found little information about the passengers except the last name of some of the families which I located at www.islandregister.com  The passengers that concern me the most are the Murphy family who I believe came from Kilpatrick on the Island of Arran which would have made Campbeltown a convenient port of departure. Would you happen to know if you have any information on these passengers? Any help or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou for your time

Christina Klarenbeek (nee Murphy)

My reply to Christina:

Hello Christina,

And thank you for your interesting e-mail. As I am only the editor and producer of the online Magazine, I do not have the resources of the Society, as such. I have, however, three pieces of info for you:

1.    If you direct your browser to the Mag site, go to Issue 11, page 9, you will find a list of intending passengers on one voyage of the Annabella.

2.    Read the attachment which is a poem about the Annabella. (Find this in online Issue 14, page 8)

3.    Contact Liz Marrison of the Society at elizabeth.marrison@virgin.net for further info.

With your permission, I will post your e-mail in the next online edition of the Mag, on the Wee Drams page. You never know who might reply.

Please take good care of yourself and yours and, if you have a question, always ask. I might not be able to furnish an answer, but it's always good to hear from readers.

Ca' canny,

Ian

Back from Christina:

Thank you for all of your help.  The information you gave me has sparked a few more research possiblities and fanned the flames of my interest in this puzzle.  It is with enthusiasm that I give you my permission to post my first e-mail to you. As you said, you just never know and I do like the idea of possibilities.

Thankyou again,

Christina Klarenbeek

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From:  Noel & Andrea Hallett   andreanoel@dragon.net.au

Hi,

I found it by mistake, I have been roaming in and out of this site for months. I don’t know how I missed it. I’m glad I finally got here, what a great site.

 I am wondering if anyone would know about the Inn’s at Carradale. My 4x great grandfather John Shaw ( was an Inn Keeper) and his wife Annabella Campbell had their 12 children at this Inn. All the children being variously born at places with fascinating names i.e.… Change House, Dupin, (as it was spelt on the register) and good old Saddell. I have no idea where the Inn was situated, or even what happened to John, Annabella and 10 of their 12 children. Two sons Walter and John went to Ayr. Walter as far as I know was the only one to marry and have children a 10 year search for the others has turned up nothing, I live in hope. Annabella was the daughter of Donald Campbell of Campbeltown, Argyle.

Keep up the great work on an excellent site, I will be back often.

Regards

Andrea

Melbourne Australia

I e-mailed back to Andrea:

Hello Andrea,

 Thank you for your interesting e-mail, and for saying such nice things about the Magazine.

 Although I am personally unable to answer all of your queries, I am sure that there are folk out there who can. To that end, I will post your e-mail on the Wee Drams page in the September online edition of the Magazine, and we'll see if you get any replies.

 Also, it might be worth e-mailing the letters page of the Campbeltown Courier, and including your e-mail address. Their address is: editor@obantimes.co.uk  (now courier@obantimes.co.uk - Ian)

 Good luck in your searches. Take good care of yourself and yours and always ca' canny.

 Ian

And, from Andrea:

Hi Ian,

Thank you for this little gem of information.  It’s a shame there are not more sites like yours.

Regards

Andrea

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From:  Graham Black   hivolt@africaonline.co.zw

How are you Ian? Hope well. I contimue to drop by every now and again to see what's going on and pleased to see that the netmag continues in fine style.

Just a short note to say that my address has changed and as my name is in the surname list whould hate to disappoint anyone wanting to contact me. Now hivolt@africaonline.co.zw although with uncertain service it should maybe more accurately be called africaoffline!

We're having a lot of excitement here these days as you'll maybe have noticed in the media. It's a wee bit alarming in fact and we all wonder where it's going to end. But, it makes life interesting if nothing else.

Keep well

Best regards

Graham Black

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And, finally, more from my good friend  Janet...........morrison@dialpoint.net

Hey Ian,

We survived the Morrison reunion, but I don't think I have the energy to give you a proper report tonight.  I don't recall the last time I was this tired.

I was looking around in the Advanced Book Exchange web site just now and stumbled upon a little book that sounded interesting.  Perhaps you would be interested in it for yourself. .....e-mail Creaking Shelves Books in Fort William at
cr@lochaber.almac.co.uk and ask if the book "Glasgow Archaeological Journal Vol 6  1979" is still available.  It is listed for 3 pounds sterling or approximately $4.50 US.  The bookstore does not accept credit cards. .......Creaking Shelves accepts payment by British Pounds check/cheque.  The address is:

Creaking Shelves Books
Arkaig Cottage
Achintore Road
Fort William, Inverness-shire
Scotland  PH33 6RN

but you'll need to confirm that it is still available.  I thought the booklet would be interesting and might give us some ideas for our next trip to Kintyre.  Everyone at the reunion was asking when we plan to go back and our answer as always is, "As soon as we save enough money." I hope I shall live so long!  The way I feel tonight, I'm not very optimistic..............

Me to Janet:  Sounds like y'all had a great time at the reunion! Don't put yourself under any pressure to write about it. Good things always come to those who wait.

........I found a couple of things I was interested in at a bookstore in Fayetteville, Georgia, so I'm awaiting a reply from them as well.  It seems that every time I find something I want on the Advanced Book Exchange, I usually find several books at the same time........

...........Oh -- we took some copies of The Campbeltown Courier to the reunion for people to see.......

.............And something you may put in wee drams:  More than 130 descendants of William and Janet Hall Morrison gathered from 13 US states for a family reunion last weekend at Rocky River Presbyterian Church near Concord, North Carolina, USA.  Much history was shared and all left with a deeper knowledge and appreciation of their Kintyre heritage.  One of our local cousins made a beautiful flower arrangement and we had it in the church on Sunday with the following note in the bulletin:  "The flowers are placed in the sanctuary today to the glory of God and in memory of William and Janet Hall Morrison of Campbeltown, Scotland by their descendants who have gathered here this weekend."  It brought a proud tear to my eye as I sat in church seeing the flowers and thinking of William and Janet, whose three sons came to North Carolina sometime between 1750 and 1764.............

............Y'all have a good time at y'all's 4th of July celebration at y'all's USAF base, y'all hear?  Gumbo?  There must be a big Louisiana contigent at Alconbury!  The usual 4th of July fare around here is hamburgers and hotdogs.  We are considering going over to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for the Charlotte Pops Orchestra's outdoor concert of patriotic music followed by fireworks on Monday night............

............Marie and I enjoyed the Pops concert last night and the fireworks were really, really good!  Thanks again for the card!.............

I spent Tuesday at the local history room at the public library in Concord.  I read about 40 years of microfilmed records from Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church (it's in Cabarrus County, too). I found the record of when my grandmother Morrison joined the church when she was about 10 years old.

A young woman (well, she's four years younger than I, which makes her a young woman!) wants to do a dramatic portrayal of a person in our church's history next year as part of our 250th anniversary
celebration.  Marie suggested that she "do" her great-great-great-grandmother, who just happened to be a Morrison.  In my spare time this week, I wrote a 20-page play for her.  She came today and we discussed ideas. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing.

Marie and I are going to the mountains for a few days next week.  We'll leave on Monday morning and return on Friday.  We'll be visiting long-time friends at Montreat, NC on Monday and spending some time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park later in the week.  I'll need to wash and vacuum my car and get it ready for the trip.............

..............The wedding last Saturday was very nice.  The weather cooperated.  It was warm but not very, very hot.  It's always a little tricky to plan something like that in July.  The reception was very nice.  It was a sit down dinner.  And no, Marie and I did not eat too much.  On the other hand, we didn't let any food go to waste either.  (Some probably did go to waist, though!  Har har!)  Having a full meal at a wedding reception is more of a northern US custom and Roman Catholic custom than is
typical in our community.   The bride was from here and the groom was from Philadelphia.  You mentioned that Campbeltown has some interesting funeral customs.  I can't wait to hear about them!....................

............Marie and I had a really good five days in the mountains.  We spent Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning at the Presbyterian archives in Montreat, NC.  They have some records from our church from 1870-1901 that we don't even have at the church.  From there we drove to Kodak,
Tennessee.  We thoroughly enjoyed the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Wednesday and Thursday.  We hiked to a waterfall we'd never seen before and also to the top of Clingman's Dome on the Tennessee/North Carolina border.  It's a one-half mile (I think) hike from the parking
lot to the summit.  There is an asphalt trail, but it is a steady climb with an increase in elevation of more than 300 feet.  The air is thinner, of course, at more than 6,000 feet, making it a challenging hike. We did that on Thursday and our legs were already sore from the nearly 3-mile roundtrip hike the day before to Laurel Falls.  The drive home from Cherokee was nice yesterday.  US-64 is a very scenic highway from Franklin to Brevard, NC through Nantahala National Forest.  We took
a couple of little side trips off 64 to see three waterfalls.  We got back to Charlotte just in time (barely!) to pick up Inky at the vet's. It was a nice trip...............

...........Marie bought the Wings Greatest CD, so we can now listen to "Mull of Kintyre" any time we want to -- even though you've ruined it for me by calling it "Mulligan's Tyre!"  I still crack up every time I think of your making that remark about the 1993 sheep photo I sent you and my thinking the name of the place was Mulligan's Tyre!  ............

This is a bit I really liked!!! O' how embarrassing this must be!  Har Har - Ian

..........Did I mention that we hiked a wee bit on the famous Appalachian Trail at Newfound Gap?  We didn't go far.  We just wanted to be able to say we'd done it! I know -- we're pitiful.............

..............I've been trying to do some filing of genealogy and local history papers this week.  Putting order in this chaos is quite a challenge.  I'll be so organized, I won't be able to find a thing!

I've also been working on the play I'm writing for the church's 250th anniversary. (I believe the accepted word now for that is semiquincentennial!)  It is 32 pages double-spaced now and I think it is pretty much finished except for the editing.  Hopefully, we'll have a video of it...............

............I am working on that John Morison of Baraskomill will again, but making little progress.  I had put it away to rest for awhile.  "The other Iain" is sending me a wee paper about deciphering old Scottish handwriting and has inspired me to get back to work on the will.  It apparently includes some tips on deciphering Secretary's Hand, which was a type of business shorthand used up until perhaps 1800.  That should help me........

Until the next time,

Janet.

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Return to Page One

Wee Drams

Page  2:    A History of the Gilchrists - continued

Page  3:    In Campbeltown Again.

Page  4:    The Lowland Church of Campbeltown from its Foundation ................ - Part Three

Page  5:    Heather MacFarlane's Page

Page  6:    A Scottish Quiz

Page  7:    EMPTY

Page  8:    By Hill and Shore - Part Two

The A.I.B. Stewart Page - EMPTY