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  1. #1
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    Any information about MacDonalds inNorth Morar?

    I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge about a village called Brinacory on the north side of Loch Morar?

    I’ve managed to track my ancestor Daniel Gillis (son of a Hugh Gillis and a Mary Macdonald, also of Brinacory) to that place but it no longer seems to exist.

    My understanding is that the Gillises of south Morar belonged to clanranald but we aren’t sure of the north gillises as the land appears to have possibly been MacDonnell of glengarry territory.

    Hugh apparently moved to Prince Edward Island while his son Daniel moved to the North Carolina.

    I wonder if some of my Macdonald kinsmen might be able to shed some light on this.
    Descendant of the Gillises and MacDonalds of North Morar.

  2. #2
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    You'd be better asking this question on the Clan Donald FB site, lots of knowledgeable people on there.

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  4. #3
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    Nothing to do with ancestry but.
    This view shows the remains of Easter Brinacory.

    https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/...2!4d-5.6965413

    This view Shows the remains of Brinacory (Wester?) and apparently 1 building still in use
    https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/...2!4d-5.6965413

    This Map http://maps.nls.uk/view/91549120 on the national library of Scotland site appears to show, that the building that are ruins in the first view were still intact up till around 1960. Also there appears to be no change in the number of buildings from the 1870s till the 1960s
    Last edited by The Q; 8th February 18 at 01:45 AM.
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"
    Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

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  6. #4
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    You'll also find the settlements in Roy's Map (1750) but you'll need to zoom in.

  7. #5
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    One major defining factor to understand your MacDonald roots, and how to proceed with research is this, are you Roman Catholic? Was you MacDonald ancestor Roman Catholic? That specific area many of the MacDonald's Clanranald left Morar and Loch Morar after the first Jacobite uprising settling in the Knoydart (Knoidart) area, which was even more isolated, and remains that way today.

    I know this from my own family research, my ancestor left Lock Morar (Samuel MacDonald and married Joanna Huet of Knoidart, around 1670). You are correct with the MacDonnell and MacDonald (Clanranald) relationship, as many intermarried in the 16th and 17th centuries, so many MacDonald's move south to Glengarry or Glencoe area, while others intermarried with MacDonald's of Sleat. The best sources you can find is through the Roman Catholic Churches, Baptism and Marriage certificates. Since both are sacraments they needed to record names of parents and the people the sacraments were administered too. I hope this helps a little..... I have so much more to do with my family research, as they left Scotland in 1689, ended up in Nova Scotia, and are definitely Clanranald.

    I think this is what you might be looking for:

    https://westernisles.wordpress.com/uist


    Here is something that I think will help you:

    History of MacDonald in Morar
    http://www.electricscotland.com/webc...acdhughail.htm

    http://www.lochmorar.org.uk/wp-conte...Loch-Morar.pdf

    Using Roy's Map, here is location of Knoydart...

    http://maps.nls.uk/geo/roy/#zoom=15&...=roy-highlands
    Last edited by CollinMacD; 8th February 18 at 07:53 AM.
    Allan Collin MacDonald III
    Grandfather - Clan Donald, MacDonald (Clanranald) /MacBride, Antigonish, NS, 1791
    Grandmother - Clan Chisholm of Strathglass, West River, Antigonish, 1803
    Scottish Roots: Knoidart, Inverness, Scotland, then to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.

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  9. #6
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    Interesting the dotted lings on Roys map are probably cultivated land, and that looking at the photos you can see the lines in the land still there after 270 years-ish, though we don't know when they were last cultivated.

    Also interesting the change in spelling and designation from Brunnochy Mhor to Easter Brinacory and Brunnochy Beg to Wester Brinacory. I suspect corrupted Gaelic, maybe something to do with a ravine but I know nothing of Gaelic really..

    Either way looking at the maps they were tiny villages
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"
    Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill

  10. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Q View Post
    Interesting the dotted lings on Roys map are probably cultivated land, and that looking at the photos you can see the lines in the land still there after 270 years-ish, though we don't know when they were last cultivated.

    Also interesting the change in spelling and designation from Brunnochy Mhor to Easter Brinacory and Brunnochy Beg to Wester Brinacory. I suspect corrupted Gaelic, maybe something to do with a ravine but I know nothing of Gaelic really..

    Either way looking at the maps they were tiny villages
    Yes the modern satellite images also show where the land was altered and there are some things that look like stone walls and some trails/paths that seem to follow the altered topography.
    Descendant of the Gillises and MacDonalds of North Morar.

  11. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by figheadair View Post
    You'd be better asking this question on the Clan Donald FB site, lots of knowledgeable people on there.
    I've gotten some feedback there. Nothing specific yet but I've made a couple contacts.
    Descendant of the Gillises and MacDonalds of North Morar.

  12. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by CollinMacD View Post
    One major defining factor to understand your MacDonald roots, and how to proceed with research is this, are you Roman Catholic? Was you MacDonald ancestor Roman Catholic? That specific area many of the MacDonald's Clanranald left Morar and Loch Morar after the first Jacobite uprising settling in the Knoydart (Knoidart) area, which was even more isolated, and remains that way today.

    I know this from my own family research, my ancestor left Lock Morar (Samuel MacDonald and married Joanna Huet of Knoidart, around 1670). You are correct with the MacDonnell and MacDonald (Clanranald) relationship, as many intermarried in the 16th and 17th centuries, so many MacDonald's move south to Glengarry or Glencoe area, while others intermarried with MacDonald's of Sleat. The best sources you can find is through the Roman Catholic Churches, Baptism and Marriage certificates. Since both are sacraments they needed to record names of parents and the people the sacraments were administered too. I hope this helps a little..... I have so much more to do with my family research, as they left Scotland in 1689, ended up in Nova Scotia, and are definitely Clanranald.

    I think this is what you might be looking for:

    https://westernisles.wordpress.com/uist


    Here is something that I think will help you:

    History of MacDonald in Morar
    http://www.electricscotland.com/webc...acdhughail.htm

    http://www.lochmorar.org.uk/wp-conte...Loch-Morar.pdf

    Using Roy's Map, here is location of Knoydart...

    http://maps.nls.uk/geo/roy/#zoom=15&...=roy-highlands
    While none of my family on my father's side is Catholic today (too much time in the deep South I imagine, mostly Baptist these days and I'm a Piskie but that comes from my mother's side) the recorded religion of Daniel Gillis was Catholic.

    I know there is a Catholic church closer to Moraig (OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL AID AND ST. CUMIN'S, MORAR). If Brinacory was abandoned relatively recently would their records have been transferred there?

    I will shoot them an email and see what they might have. I know Daniel Gillis was born around 1765 or 1770. He arrived in North Carolina in 1788. So a baptism record is likely all they might have if anything.

    Thank you for the links.
    Last edited by FossilHunter; 9th February 18 at 01:36 AM.
    Descendant of the Gillises and MacDonalds of North Morar.

  13. #10
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    According to the website here:

    MORAR

    By Alasdair Roberts:

    Having established a residence in Morar, and conscious of his tenants moving westward, Simon Lord Lovat decided that the time had come to provide ‘a more suitable place of worship than the former inconvenient and unsightly chapel at Bracara.’

    ...
    This may indicate that the church in Daniel's time might have been in Bracara. Since it was built to replace the Bracara location as the primary church of the locals, I think it's possible records may have been moved there. I will see what they say in reply to my email.
    Descendant of the Gillises and MacDonalds of North Morar.

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