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1. BELLEVILLE is, in its
English form, of French origin, and means “beautiful town.” The old name in
documents and in maps was Raitts, and in the 1776 Roads Map this name is
placed exactly where Belleville would now be written. Gaelic people call it
Bail’-a’-Bhile, “the town of the brae-top,” an exact description of the
situation. Mrs Grant of Laggan (in 1796) says that Bellavill “is the true
Highland name of the place, not Belleville; and it has been maintained by
old people that the place was called Bail’-a’-Bhile before ‘Ossian’
Macpherson ever bought it or lived there.” Belleville is now the seat of Mr
Brewster Macpherson, a grandson of Sir David Brewster, and a great-grandson
of James Macpherson, the translator of Ossian’s poems.
2. Dalnavert (Gaelic, Dail-a’-bheirt, signifying the field of the loom). —
Dalnavert was long possessed by the Shaws of Dalnavert, subsequently by
Captain Alexander Clark, and afterwards by his eldest son, James Clark,
sometime a lieutenant in the 42d Highlanders, who died in 1837. Dalnavert
and South Kinrara, portions of Mackintosh’s property in Badenoch, at one
time called “the Davochs of the Head,” formed, it is said, part of the
compensation given for the head of William, fifteenth laird of Mackintosh,
who, by the order of the Earl of Huntly, was beheaded in the year 1556, when
paying a friendly visit to Huntly Castle. In an article on the Highland
Clans, contributed by Sir Walter Scott to the ‘ Quarterly Review’ for
January 1816, there is the following reference to this transaction :—
“William Mackintosh, a leader, if not the chief of that ancient clan, upon
some quarrel with the Gordons, burnt the castle of Auchindown, belonging to
this powerful family, and was, in the feud which followed, reduced to such
extremities by the persevering vengeance of the Earl of Huntly, that he was
at length compelled to surrender himself at discretion. He came to the
castle of Strathboggie, choosing his time when the Earl was absent, and
yielded himself up to the Countess. She informed him that Huntly had sworn
never to forgive him the offence he had committed, until he should see his
head upon the block. The humbled chief kneeled down, and laid his head upon
the kitchen-dresser, where the oxen were cut up for the baron’s feast. No
sooner had he made this humiliation, than the cook who stood behind him with
the cleaver uplifted, at a sign from the inexorable Countess, severed
Mackintosh’s head from his body at a stroke.”
3. Dalraddy (Gaelic, Dail-radaidh, the dark or sallow dell).—Dal-raddy was
long possessed by a branch of the Macphersons which subsequently became
merged in the family of the Macphersons of Invereshie, now represented by
Sir George Macpherson-Grant, Bart. Connected with Dalraddy is the well-known
Badenoch conundrum :—
“Bha cailleach ann Dailradaidh ’S dh’ith i adag’s i marbh.”
(There was a wife in Dalraddy who ate a haddock being dead.)
4. Delfoor (Gaelic, Dail-fur. Dail, meaning dale; but the derivation of the
terminal fur is very doubtful. Some suppose it to be from the Old Gaelic
miir, signifying fruitful).—At Delfoor, which is situated about a mile from
the church of Alvie, there are the remains of a nearly perfect Druidical
cairn enclosed by large stones closely set on end, in a circle 55 feet in
diameter. Within this circle is another, 25 feet in diameter, with stones of
a smaller size, and at a distance of 25 feet west from the cairn stands an
obelisk, 8 feet 6 inches high, 5 feet broad at bottom and 15 inches thick,
diminishing gradually in breadth from bottom to top, where it is only 6
inches. As there is no sculpture upon this stone, it has not been included
in the volume of the Spalding Club. Such is the veneration still paid to
these relics of antiquity, that although they stand in the middle of an
arable field, no attempt has been made to remove them.
“Those circles of erect stones, sometime called Druid’s circles, and known
all over Scotland by the vulgar name of standing-stones, seemed to have
retained their original use as places of meeting for the solemnities of
justice in the north country longer than elsewhere. We find the king’s
justiciar, with a great array of counsellors and attendants, holding a
solemn court for the trial of a case at the standing-stones of Rane in 1349.
A similar instance occurs in the present volume, where in 1380 Alexander
Stewart, Lord of Badenoch, in the most formal manner cites the holders of
certain lands in Badenoch to appear and produce their titles to their lands
at the standand stanys of the Rathe of Kyngucy. Amongst others the Bishop of
Moray appeared upon this citation, not, however, to prove his title to the
lands of Badenoch, but to protest against the jurisdiction and whole
proceedings of the Earl, whom he refused to acknowledge as his over-lord.
The approach of the Bishop to the court, the formal protest, the disregard
with which he was treated, and the whole proceedings of the court, are
described much more graphically than was the wont of Notaries Public.”
5. Dunachton (Gaelic, Dun-Neachdainn, the hill-fort of Nechtan).— “Who he
was we do not know. The name appears first in history in connection with the
Wolf of Badenoch. St Drostan’s Chapel, below Dunachton House, is the cepella
de Nachtan of 1380. We have Dwn-achtan in 1381, and Dunachtane in 1603. The
barony of Dunachton of old belonged to a family called MacNiven, which ended
in the fifteenth century in two heiresses, one of whom, Isobel, married
William Mackintosh, cousin of the Chief, and afterwards himself Chief of the
Clan Mackintosh. Isobel died shortly after marriage childless. Tradition
says she was drowned in Loch Insh three weeks after her marriage by wicked
kinsfolk.”2 According to Shaw in his ‘ History of the Province of Moray,’
the barony of Dunachton came into the possession of the Laird of Mackintosh
about the year 1500. Here Mackintosh had a castle, which was burned in the
year 1689, and was never rebuilt.
6. Kincraig (Gaelic, Cinn-a-chraige, the end of the rock).—The
mansion-house, farm, and lands of Kincraig were long held in wadset or long
lease by Mackintosh of Balnespic, an ancient branch of the Chiefs family.
7. Lochandhu, the black loch, is a little loch situated on the meadow of
Belleville between the road and the Spey, which Sir Thomas Dick Lauder has
celebrated in his novel of that name :—
“It is a pond nearly of an oval form, made by the Spey, before any
embankment protected the adjacent meadows from its inundations. Lochandhu
was surrounded by a thick belt of natural birch, which concealed it from
view, till the late Mr Macpherson of Belleville rooted out the trees, and
converted the ground about it into arable land. The dark grove furnished a
place of rendezvous for Borlum and his crew, whence they sallied forth on
their nocturnal excursions; and here he is said to have murdered a servant
of his own because he refused to go along with him to rob the house of a
weaver in Killihuntly, who was known to possess a good deal of money. The
house of Lochandhu is thus described: ‘It seemed to consist of a plain and
very low centre, hardly high enough for one storey, but appearing, from its
double row of small windows, to be divided into two. On each side was a
lower wing, running out to the front at right angles, dedicated to a variety
of useful purposes.’ This Borlum, whose name was Macintosh, and who derived
the former appellation from a property near Inverness, was a man of
education and insinuating politeness. Though possessed of the manners of a
gentleman, he was yet leagued with a gang of desperadoes. His last exploit,
which obliged him to flee the country, was an attempt to rob Sir Hector
Munro of Novar after his return from India in 1770. Three of his
accomplices, one of them being his natural brother, were hanged at
Inverness. Borlum is said to have gone to America, and served under
Washington; and, in obedience to that yearning for home which is so strongly
felt by every mountaineer, to have encountered the perils that attended a
‘flying visit’ to his native land.”
8. Lynwilg (Gaelic, Loinn-a-bhuilg, the field of the wallet or bulge).—
Lynwilg was the birthplace of Lieutenant Alexander Gordon and Lieutenant
George Gordon, both of the g2d Regiment, who saw much service in the
Peninsular war, where the latter received several wounds. Lieutenant
Alexander was for several years tenant of the farm of Lynwilg, where he died
in 1856. Lieutenant George was married to a daughter of William Mitchell,
sometime tenant of the farm of Gordonhall on the Invereshie estate, by whom
he left a family, some of whom were officers in the army.
9. Pitchurn (Gaelic, Bail - chaorruinn, the town of the rowan).— Pitchurn
was the seat for a long time of a family of Macphersons, and the birthplace
of Captain Donald and Captain Charles Macpherson of that family, both
meritorious officers.
10. Pittourie or Ballourie (Gaelic, Bail-odharaidh, the dun or grey town). —
Pittourie was long possessed by an old family of the Macphersons. Here lived
an iEneas Macpherson, familiarly known as “Aonghas Ballourie,” who had a
companion of the name of John Grant, known as “Iain Bad-an-dossain.”
Macpherson joined the Black Watch when only well up in his teens. On this
account he became known among his comrades as “An Giullan”—i.e., The Youth.
In the course of a few years, Macpherson acquired the championship of his
regiment, and was generally acknowledged as the first man in all feats of
manly and pugilistic exercises. Grant was likewise an able-bodied man, and
of a fierce and unbending disposition; but on all occasions he was ready to
yield the palm to Macpherson, although he would be inclined to do the same
to few others. Grant having obtained his discharge from the regiment,
returned to his native strath, where he settled, and became the landlord of
an inn, while his friend Macpherson still remained to fight the battles of
his country. The latter was a meritorious soldier, and in course of time
rose to the rank of a commissioned officer. Several years had elapsed, and
Macpherson having obtained a furlough, visited the Highlands, and formed the
resolution of making an early and unexpected call upon his old friend and
companion-in-arms. He travelled on foot, and arrived at the door of Bad-an-dossain’s
house in the dusk of the evening. Mine host of the inn was at the moment
enjoying a quiet tumbler in the company of a few boon companions, and
relating to them some adventures of his military life, when the conversation
was interrupted by a stentorian voice bawling out, “Am beil mac an uilc Iain
Bad-an-dossain steach?”—i.e., “Is the son of the mischief, John Bad-an-dossain,
within? ” The spirited old veteran was by no means the man to let such an
insulting address pass without attempt at retaliation, and in a boiling rage
sprang towards the door for the purpose of inflicting personal chastisement
upon the offender. In the darkness Grant had no opportunity of knowing the
appearance of his man; but coming in contact with him upon the threshold,
he, with the spirit of a true Highlander, at once attacked him. Macpherson
made no apology or explanation, and for a while an arduous struggle took
place. The stranger good-humouredly acted upon the defensive principle, and
when he had gained his opportunity, by a dexterous and scientific movement
of the body, he whirled Bad-an-dossain to a considerable distance, and
landed him in a filthy cesspool that lay in front of the house. Grant was
naturally a good deal disconcerted at the position matters had thus assumed,
and while in the act of rising and shaking himself, exclaimed, “ Co an D
b’urrainn sud dheanamh mar eil Giullan na Reisimeid duibh air tighinn
dhachaidh”—i.e., “Who the d-- could have done it unless the Youth of the
Black Watch has come home?” Macpherson explained that he had judged rightly;
that he had come home, and begged to apologise for his conduct. A cordial
recognition took place, and they were instantly the best friends in the
world. They enjoyed each other’s company for a few days, and “fought their
battles o’er again.”
11. Raitts (Gaelic, Rat, signifying a stone circle. The term Rat— in the
older form Roth—was applied to places set apart for Druidical rites, or for
the purposes of religious worship. Hence glebe lands are to this day termed,
in Gaelic, Rath mhinisteir—i.e., the minister’s land or portion). —With the
old Castle of Raitts, which stood on or near the site of the present
mansion-house of Belleville, the following incident is said to have been
associated :—
“In a great battle between the Comyn and Macintosh, the former was defeated,
and, being either unable or unwilling to renew the war, he proposed a peace,
which was accepted. To celebrate it, the Comyns invited the Macintoshes to a
feast in his castle—the design of these hospitable and honourable personages
being to seat a guest alternately among themselves as a distinguished mark
of friendship, and, at a concerted signal, to murder them, each stabbing his
neighbour! The signal was the introduction of a bull’s head; but their
purpose having been revealed by a Comyn, the tables were turned on their
hosts, and thus all the Comyns were killed. Such were the horrible deeds of
other days, perpetrated under the guise of friendship and hospitality!”
12. South Kinrara (Gaelic, Ceann-an-rath reidh, the end of the smooth or
even field).—Kinrara was the favourite Highland residence of the famous Jane
Duchess of Gordon. South Kinrara was the birthplace of Lieutenant-Colonel
Lewis Carmichael, a distinguished soldier, of whom the following obituary
sketch is given in the ‘Inverness Courier’ of 21st August 1844:—
“We have the painful task of recording in our obituary this week the
premature death of our gallant countryman, Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis
Carmichael, which took place at Forres on the 8th instant. A braver soldier,
or a man of a more gentle, affectionate, and modest yet independent nature,
never existed. Colonel Carmichael commenced his military career as an ensign
in the 59th Regiment in 1809, whilst he was yet a mere boy. His first
campaign was in the Peninsular War, when, towards its close, he was four
times wounded, and on one of these occasions very severely. He was engaged
in the battle of Vittoria, at the siege and capture of St Sebastian, the
battles of the Nive and Nivelle, and at the crossing of the Bidassoa. After
the escape of Napoleon from Elba, the Colonel was with his regiment at
Waterloo, and was next engaged at the storming of Cambray. Shortly after the
peace, he joined his regiment in India, where he served in the Mahratta war
of 1817 and 1818, and in the commotions of Ceylon in the following year. In
1826 he particularly distinguished himself at the siege of Bhurtpore, being
then aide-de-camp to Sir Jasper Nicol. On some of these occasions his
conduct and bravery were made the subject of special mention in general
orders. In Canada also, during the late disturbances, his services merited
and received similar acknowledgments. He was in the command of the regular
and militia forces when Beauharnais was given up by the insurgents; and,
afterwards commanding at Coteau-du-Luc, he was as efficient in keeping the
quiet of the provinces as he had been before in quelling the insurrection.
He obtained his majority by purchase after leaving India in 1829; his
unattached lieutenant-colonelcy was his reward for his services in Canada.
At St Sebastian he was the only officer out of thirteen who accompanied the
advance that entered the town; and at Bhurtpore he did signal service, at
the greatest personal risk, by examining a part of the interior defences
three days previous to the assault. Some of the trophies taken at Bhurtpore
were handsomely presented to him by the Indian Government. On the occasion
of the shipwreck of a portion of his regiment, on board the Lord Melville
transport, near Kinsale, in the year 1815, he displayed admirable courage
and coolness, and the influence he possessed over his men was mainly
instrumental in conducing to their preservation. In Canada the Glengarry
Highlanders looked up to him as a brother, while they obeyed him as a chief.
The cairn raised by them in honour of Lord Seaton was planned at the
suggestion of Colonel Carmichael, and his own assistance in rearing this
singular structure was not wanting. He was greatly attached to all relating
to the Gael, and cherished their language, their customs, and the
remembrance of all connected with the north, in whatever part of the world
his destiny led him. The duties of private life he discharged in the most
exemplary manner; he was a devoted and affectionate relation, an attached
and constant friend, and a highly agreeable and intelligent companion. His
constitutional firmness and intrepidity were united to the mildest
disposition and most unassuming demeanour. The respect in which he was held
was strikingly evinced on the occasion of his lamented death, which was felt
by all who knew him as a personal calamity; while his funeral was numerously
attended both in Forres and Strathspey. At the former of these places nearly
all the respectable inhabitants followed his remains; and many of the
neighbouring proprietors (among whom were the Earl of Moray, Sir W. G. G.
Cumming, Bart., &c.) joined in the same mournful tribute to departed worth.
He now sleeps in his ‘narrow bed,’ amongst his native hills, in the
churchyard of Cromdale. Peace to his ashes, honour to his memory!” |
