Hi Shona !
Thanks to this thread I discovered something which just might interest you. I have a genealogy friend who has helped me enormously with my tree and by pure coincidence it turned out that her husband is my 4th cousin once removed upwards. (sharing the same 3xGr Granddad John McArthur b1767 Tiree: John’s son Neil lived at Fleming’s Land, High Street, Campbeltown)
I’d been surprised that she’d not developed the McArthur line throughout 2012; until at least I looked yesterday while researching a reply for you. Believe it or not but it’s turned out that I too am linked to the McLean’s…, lol ! Although I don’t have much work to do as she’s researched back to about 1100 !
Without generalizing, if her nationality was from “across the water” I would have laughed it off as being a little too imaginative…, but as a Scottish professional, her tree must be taken very seriously. Perhaps you might be able to latch onto it ! When I get my head around it I’ll send it on to you.
Anyway, now that it looks as if you’ll be looking northwards to Col and Tyree, the following notes might interest you. (hinged on research for John McArthur; b1767)
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Neil McArthur and Tiree:
Born in Helipol; Christened on the 9th of August 1795; died 2nd of August 1872.
Father..., John McArthur born in Sandaig Tiree about 1773 and married Janet McFarlane, born in Helipol 1772. Their marriage took place in Crossapoll. (his residence) Both parents were more than likely crofters somewhere in the Helipol region. (note..., for those who do not know the island; a few hours walk north, south, east or west will get you to the coast)
During the 20-odd years of his life in Tyree, Neil’s existence was certainly not an easy one. Being the eldest child he would certainly have joined his father in farming the little land they had and with health prevailing, both would have spent months away from home. As for the remainder of the year, they would have probably tried to join off-shore fishing teams organized from the mainland.
At the time with Tiree being owned by the Duke of Argyll (a bit of a rogue) and with the bottom falling out of the kelp market, livelihoods became scarce and the islander’s situation was desperate. Also, as the island is flat and rocky with a shallow earth surface incapable of holding down substantial tree roots, (too windy) there were no trees to build boats…, as such, family fishing was limited to lobster, crab and cast-line. About 1816, the population suddenly rocketed to about 4.000 due to all the young men returning to their fathers’ crofts after fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. (population today, ±700) This resulted in many of the islanders falling destitute and starving. As a result, the “Merchants of Glasgow” ‘leant’ on His Grace and thereafter, his tenants were allowed free access to the forests at Loch Sunart on Argylls’ estates in order to cut timber to build fishing boats. (skiffs as they were known) Also, as the peat bogs on Tiree were exhausted, the Tirisdeachs (pronounced cheer-us-choochs’) were permitted to go to Coll and Mull in the summer months to cut peat for winter fuel. As for many of the larger crofts in Tyree, they were sub-divided in the 1820's to provide strips of land, large enough for small families to subsist. Later, the population was decimated between 1836 and 49 following the worst of the famine years…, and many left for Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
The census in 1841 was the only census to be conducted in the month of June, as such, much of the population were not at home. It was common practice for the head of the family to be accompanied by the older children to go off for a few weeks during the summer to cut and dry the peat, before ferrying it all back in skiffs. Peat cutting would certainly have been considered as their “summer holidays,” even if they did have to work. In the 1841 census for Coll and Mull, there are often families with a remarkable variety of surnames and more inhabitants than usual, not to mention the fact that the enumerator probably missed a lot of the population as many of them would have been sleeping in the outhouses, barns and henhouses. All the other censii before and after 1841 were done during the months of late March and April.
Note: Janet is not recorded in the 1841 census perhaps for this reason, nonetheless, on her “summer holidays” she would have been about 70 years old…, old for those times. John probably died shortly after his last child Alexander b1814, making Janet a 42 year-old widow with some very young children…, and despite Neil being the oldest son and in line to inherit his father's croft, he obviously thought there was more of a chance of a better life on the mainland, in order to help support his mother and siblings. Of course…, that’s just supposition.
With Neil being married in Glasgow in 1819 at the age of 24, and having needed at least a few years to settle down and adapt his trade to a new public, means he probably left Tyree about 1817. Following his departure, it’s his brother John who would have ran the croft before eventually taking it over and getting married in 1831. Note..., to get a ‘flavour’ of the Glasgow region in those times:- In 1817 the newspaper “The Scotsman” was launched / Robert Burns d1796 would still be the talk-of-the-town / bodies disappearing thanks to Burke and Hare / the Strathnaver Clearances / Robert Peel’s Catholic Emancipation Bill / the writings of Sir Walter Scott / etc.
Like my father (with our family living for some time in South Uist) many families on the Western Islands owned a cast-iron shoe stake. As such, it’s more than likely that Neil owned one and having probably watched or perhaps even participated with shoe repairs in Tyree, this would have given him a trade when arriving in Glasgow. As such..., this was to be become a life-time’s occupation.
Once again and using a little guess work, he certainly wouldn’t have had the money to open a shop in Glasgow, but nonetheless, he could very well have found work in a shoe-shop as a cobbler..., and this would have given him access to a wide variety of customers..., including perhaps the Mitchell family.
John Mitchell and Margaret Muir with their daughter Catherine born in Glasgow on the 17th of June 1796..., with Catherine to become Neil’s wife.
Personally, the puzzle is not why Neil left Tyree, as that’s more than evident..., the question is more, why did he move to Campbeltown ? In the meantime, there’s every reason to believe that the Tyree McArthur family had many relatives in “the Wee Toon.”
Anyway, following Neil and Catherine’s move to Campbeltown, they settled down in Flemings Land, on the High Street. Captain John Fleming RN 1772-1849 was an officer alongside Admiral Nelson, and..., “on his return to Campbeltown, Fleming entered the Town Council in 1817 and began to buy and build properties in the Longrow, Bolgam Street, Back Street, St. John’s Street and in the town’s Main Street where his name is commemorated on the gable at The Royal Bank of Scotland where the words “Flemings Land” is imposed above the entry." Neil, without a shadow of a doubt would have found himself with a shop on the ground floor of Flemings Land. (“land” as Emdee once mentioned is the old Scottish dialect word for a building) He’d also have had naval boots and shoes to repair giving him access to a prestigious market.
With an accumulated wealth..., he eventually built a house on the Askomil Walk on the other side of the loch and of course, as a souvenir, he named the house “Tiree.” The house remained in the hands of his descendants until the late 1980’s when it was sold and transformed into apartments.
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t205 ... 19cd-1.jpg----------------------------------
PS I’ll send the census when I receive your e-mail.