When we look across land on West Ardnamurchan which has obviously been inhabited for many, many years, we see the remains, or the modern, altered versions, of structures which once housed hundreds of people. Thus we see the physical evidence of their lives, but we have often lost the knowledge of the people themselves.
Far more people lived in this area than do now: the present permanent population west of the Laga burn is about 250. The Diary has been told that West Ardnamurchan once had a population of over 2,000; and that the area around Swordle alone once housed as many as a thousand.Those that have gone, many having moved south or abroad, still leave a sort of ghostly 'presence' here, but the best evidence of them is in the collections of photographs which occasionally come to light when an old album is found.
These two pictures come from an album still in the village. We don't know who any of the people are. It's even difficult to recognise some of the places, even though, as in the second picture, the old croft house is clearly visible.For some time we've been collecting these pictures through a site on Flickr, set up by Iain MacDonald, called West Ardnamurchan Vintage Photographs. One of its purposes is to provide a way of remembering these lost people. It's here.
Mary MacGillivray will be able to identify some of the people in the first old photograph. The person on the left is her mother, Mrs Carmichael, and perhaps two of the others are Mary's sisters.
ReplyDeleteThe house in the second old photograph looks like Craigard.
That is a great project! I hope people who see these pictures may know something about who the mystery people are in these photographs.
ReplyDeleteport beg
ReplyDeleteHere are a few local population statistics that might perhaps be of interest. I have looked them up from secondary sources; they all need double-checking against the original documents. There are also many more censuses - 1851 to 1911 - that could be consulted. These are online but it takes time to read and copy them. I'll try to get around to this - unless other people have already done it?
ReplyDelete1. FROM 'The Anantomie of the Parish and Barony of Ardnamurchan
and Swinard', compiled by Sir Alexander Murray of Stanhope, 1727
source: R Dodgshon, The Age of the Clans, Birlinn/Historic Scotland 2002, page 60.
Lists villages all round W Ardnamurchan. Here are just the places near Swordle:
Swordle Chorrach = 24 (6 households, 9 men, 9 women, 6 children)
Swordle Mor = 24 (5 households, 10 m, 6w, 8ch)
Swordle Cheul = 37 (9 households 14m, 12w, 11ch)
total = 85
Kilmory = 28 (8 households)
Branault= 31 (6 households)
Achateny = 55 (10 households)
Grand total = 199 (Ockle is not mentioned in this document)
2. From 1841 Census
source: http://www.freecen.co.uk
(The first reliable government census, and shortly before the major potato famine of 1846.)
As a generalisation, it is often said that Highland population reached a peak in the 1830s (ref= http://www.scran.ac.uk/scotland/pdf/SP2_7migration.pdf)
Swordle Chorach = 57 (9 households)
Swordle Vane* = 25 (9 households) *(??)
Swordle Cheul = 61 (12 households)
Ockle = 55 (13 households)
Elegidle = 15 (3 households) (where Carter Ruck's house is)
Branault = 61 + 1 (12 + 1 households)
Kilmory = 85 (19 households )
Achateny = 48 + 11(8 + 3 households)
Grand total = 419
plus possibly also 12 (2 households)if the hamlet of 'Branich' included
3. 1881 Census (LDS transcripts)
source: National Archives of Scotland www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
Just a quick sample reveals:
Swordle = 44 (10 households)
Ockle = 37 (7 households)
4) From data quoted in the first two Statistical Accounts
(ref: http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/link/1834-45/StAS.2.7.1.M.Argyle.Contents_and_Misc%0AArgyle/Ardnamurchan/7/148/)
Totals of population for whole of Ardnamurchan and Sunart, including Strontian:
1723 = 1335 individuals /278 households/families
1795 = 2552 individuals /470 "
1834-1835 = 1990 individuals /375 "