Photograph of the 1768 Turnbull Map
Printed photograph of the original Turnbull Map of Tiree, 1768 held in the archives of Inveraray Castle. Photographed during a visit by Glenda Franklin in 2013. Digital copy stored on An Iodhlann computer.
Copied pages from the 1779 Census of Tiree
Printed photographs of a selection of pages from the original 1779 census of Tiree held in the archives at Inveraray Castle, listing the inhabitants of Salum, Caoles and Ruaig. Photographed during a visit by Glenda Franklin in 2013. Digital copies stored on An Iodhlann computer.
Copied pages from the 1792 census of Tiree
Printed photographs of a selection of pages from the original 1792 census of Tiree people held in the archives of Inveraray Castle, including total numbers of inhabitants for each township and lists of inhabitants’ names for Caoles, Salum, Kirkapol and Ruaig. “Total inhabitants [in Tiree] 1881; increase 583” since 1779 census. Subsection “Caoles-Ardeas” photographed during a visit to Inveraray by Glenda Franklin in 2013 (probably contains duplicates). Digital copies stored on An Iodhlann computer.
Photograph of a page from an 1821 bible of a descendant of Charles and Mary McPhaden, Ruaig.
Colour photograph of a page from a bible belonging to Murdock McPhaden, Canada, dated 1821. Murdock was a descendant of Charles McPhaden and Mary McLean of Ruaig, who emmigrated to Brock Township, Ontario, Canada, in 1821. “Murdock was a Tinsmith and he and his wife Ann McLean and family lived in Sunderland, Ontario. Murdock`s son Charles McPhaden and family lived in Toronto. Charles had two daughters but they did not have any children, thus the Bible remained in the McPhaden home where the daughter Ella lived. Ella married Hugh Robert Samuels and after she died, Hugh married again and the Bible was stored in the attic of the McPhaden home. When Hugh`s wife died in 2008, the Bible was found and a note was posted on Ancestry.com by Candice (niece of Hugh`s last wife) that she was in possession of Murdock`s Bible and would like to return it to family. I [Glenda Franklin] contacted her, telling her I knew of family descendants of Murdock`s BROTHER Archibald and she sent Dr. Mike McPhaden the Bible.” (see photo 2013.143.2 ; T108)
Photograph of Mike and Meg McPhaden, Seattle, holding their Tiree ancestor`s bible dated 1821.
Colour photograph of Dr Mike McPhaden, Seattle, and his daughter Meg, holding the bible of Murdock McPhaden (1820-1903), who emmigrated to Brock Township, Canada, with his parents Charles and Mary McPhaden, Ruaig in 1821. “Murdock McPhaden was the BROTHER of Dr. Mike`s great great grandfather Archibald McPhaden. Archibald and Murdock were sons of Charles McPhaden and Mary McLean of Ruaig, Tiree. The family immigrated to Brock Township, Ontario County, Ontario, Canada Sept 1821 (written in Bible) where Murdock was a Tinsmith and he and his wife Ann McLean and family lived in Sunderland, Ontario. Murdock`s son Charles McPhaden and family lived in Toronto. Charles had two daughters but they did not have any children, thus the Bible remained in the McPhaden home where the daughter Ella lived. Ella married Hugh Robert Samuels and after she died, Hugh married again and the Bible was stored in the attic of the McPhaden home. When Hugh`s wife died in 2008, the Bible was found and a note was posted on Ancestry.com by Candice (niece of Hugh`s last wife) that she was in possession of Murdock`s Bible and would like to return it to family. I [Glenda Franklin] contacted her, telling her I knew of family descendants of Murdock`s BROTHER Archibald and she sent Dr. Mike McPhaden the Bible.” See also photo 2013.143.1 ; T107.
Photograph of the stonemason`s benchmark on Kirkapol Church
Colour photograph of the stonemason`s benchmark etched into a foundation stone of Kirkapol Church. Although eroded and difficult to see, the upward-pointing arrow is in the centre of the photograph. The benchmark is exactly where the Ordnance Survey map of 1878 puts it.
Information about the provenance of the Kirkapol Church bell
Emailed information about the provenance of the Kirkapol Church bell, from Gordon Scott. “I`ve been in touch with an expert on church bells. He is stymied about who could have cast our bell. Interestingly, He feels it is of a design which predates the opening of the Kirkapol Church. It is very possible this bell came from an older church, probably cast sometime in the late 18th – early 19th century.”
Article about the Coll post office by Robert Sturgeon in 1988
Article about the house `Tigh-na-Mara` in Arinagour, Coll, which was the post office in the late 1800s. Robert Sturgeon came to Coll from Dalbeattie in 1889 to run the post office. He went on to create the fish-buying and processing unit, and the house became a guest house.
Click here to view 2013.138.2
Photograph of ruined jetties in Fisgary Bay, Coll, in 2012.
Colour photograph of the ruins of two jetties in Fisgary Bay, Coll, taken in 2012, with an inset map showing their location. “The jetties were built to aid the loading of peat onto Tiree boats. Fisgary Bay is the nearest sheltered bay to the moss, although it is tidal as the photo shows. The two jetties are at the head of the bay, as close as possible it seems for the transport of the peat. Betty MacDougall (deceased Coll historian) wrote many years ago: “As the road rises to Aondairigh, a splendid view opens up seaward. As we proceed towards Loch Ronard, the village peat banks are on both sides of the road, few of them worked nowadays. There is no peat on Tiree, so at one time the men from that island used to come to Coll to cut their fuel and an area of moorland to the left of the road is still called the Tireemen`s Moss.””
Additional information provided by James Hill, Coll, May 2016: “Fiskary farm near the piers that were for the ponies carrying the peat to unload into the vessels was a subsistence farm and some associated structures on top of the hill were undoubtedly for storing peat and sheltering the peat cutters. The other ports were at Coalas en Eilean and Arinthluic close by that received peat from Tiree Mans Moss. The origin of the name of Fiskary Bay was part Norse and Gaelic. “Fisk” is fish in Norse, and “Kary” (“Caraigh”) is from the Gaelic meaning a wall in the sea i.e., “a Fish trap” that still exists but has been broken down to allow vessels to enter and leave the bay. It was Irish Gaelic that was spoken here. Fiskary Bay was also a Mesolithic fishing camp site that is dated to 9300 years BP but was probably earlier.”
Phtograph of the remains of the yacht Oceana at Crossapol Beach in 2012
Colour close-up photograph of the remains of the hull of the yacht Oceana at the east end of Crossapol Beach. The yacht ran aground in 1949 amid mysterious circumstances, and broke up.
