BY THE SAME AUTHOR ANCIENT CATHOLIC HOMES OF SCOTLAND WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE HON. MRS MAXWELL SCOTT OF ABBOTSFORD Forty Illustrations. Handsomely bound in cloth^ extra gilt. Price 4.r. net (postage "In this very interesting and pleasant book, Father Blundell deals in an attractive way with the history of some of the old Scottish Houses which were centres of Roman Catholicism during the 300 years between and 1550 1850." Banffshire Journal. 11 Father Blundell has carried out a difficult task with judgment and painstaking research." Perthshire Advertiser. " A work of singular interest, religious, artistic and historical." Tablet. "The writing of this book has obviously been a labour of love to Father Blundell, and it was well worth doing. He has brought the facts regarding these old houses and the scenes enacted within their walls into a handy volume, which is made additionally attractive by numerous and excellent illustrations. " Tribune. "A good test of the excellence of a book is the regret with which we lay it down, and a desire for more of the same kind and quality. Ancient Catholic Homes of Scotland well stands this test." Dublin Review. CONTENTS CARLAVEROCK BEAUFORT LETTERFOURIE TRAQUAIR TERREGLES KIRKCONNELL GLENFINNAN FETTERNEAR BY DOM. ODO BLUNDELL, O.S.B., F.S.A.ScoT. CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS With Thirty-three Illustrations. Price $s. 6d. net (postage CONTENTS Strathbogie. Marquis of Huntly defends the Old Faith Catholic Dukes of Gordon Chapels at Robieston, Gibston, Huntly, Mortlach Meeting-place of Vicars Apostolic Shenval Altitude in feet of Highland Chapels Succession of Priests. Glenlivet I. and II. Battle of Glenlivet History of Scalan, 1713-1777; Details and Plan of Building; Bishop Hay s Affection for it Chapels at Minmore.Tombae Abbe Macpherson, Agent at Rome, Agent for British Government Chapelton. Strathavon. Great Fidelity to the Old Faith Succession of Priests Chapel at Tomintoul. Glengairn. The Highland Home Customs Music in Church Schools and Scholars Rev. Lachlan Mackintosh and other Priests Corgarff Chapel John Michie. Braemar I. and II. Jacobite Memories Sheriffmuir Cattle-lifting Castle of Braemar Continual Succession of Priests from Reformation onwards Present Church. Badenoch. St MicheaPs St Kenneth s Coil-an-Tuin Stron-an-Duin Kingussie Macdonalds of Gellovy, Aberarder, Tullochrom, Garvamore, Sherrabeg. Lochaber I. and II. The Clan Donald and Clan Cameron Chiefs of Keppoch Jacobite Sympathies The Great Montrose Inverlochy Iain Lorn Battle of Mulroy Risings of 1715 and 1745 Maighstir Iain Mor and later Priests Achnacarry Papers. Strathglass. MS. of Rev. Angus Mackenzie Maighstir u Iain Growth of Popery "Piety of Catholic Highlanders Bishops John and Aeneas Chisholm Chapels at Fasnakyle, Eskadale, Marydale, Beauly Evictions Fraser Highlanders. THE CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND THE CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS BY DOM. ODO BLUNDELL, O.S.B., F.S.A.(SCOT.) Author oj " The Catholic Highlands of Scotland (Central Highlands}" " Ancient Catholic Homes ofScotland " SANDS & CO. 37 GEORGE STREET, EDINBURGH 15 KING STREET, COVENT GARDEN 1917 AUTHOR S PREFACE " SOON after publishing the first volume of The Catholic Highlands of Scotland/ I was able to spend two months in Rome, where the archives of Propaganda were most courteously placed at my disposal. As the time was limited, I confined myself entirely to copying such letters as related to the Highland District. These copies lay untouched, until the present war, and my appointment as Catholic chaplain with the Fleet, gave me an un expected opportunity of putting them in order. They then afforded me great interest and helped to pass the long winter evenings. But the circumstances were not altogether favourable for writing, since there were no books of reference at hand by which to check my own statements or those of the writers of the letters. This must be my apology if any inaccuracies have crept in. Once again I must thank those who most kindly read through and corrected each chapter, as also those who assisted me with the illustrations. F. 0. B. H.M.S. Agincourt, l&th July 1916. CONTENTS _. PAGE BARRA j SOUTH UIST ..... 26 KNOYDART 62 MORAR .... gg ARISAIG jjy MOYDART .... 134 GLENGARRY .... 160 THE LESSER ISLES AND OTHER DISTRICTS THE LESSER ISLES .... 192 GLENMORISTON ... 202 GLENCOE .... 203 STRATHERRICK ... 204 NOTES T .... 306 INDEX .... 208 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Invergarry Castle ..... Frontispiece To face page Castlebay. The Catholic Church and ancient Castle of the MacNeils .23 Sandray Crofters 27 Chapels at Ardkenneth, Bornish, Daliburgh and Eriskay .48 Former Chapel at Sandaig, Knoydart ... 82 Church of St Cumin, Loch Morar . -. .115 St Mary s, Arisaig, with Ruins of pre-Reformation Church . 129 Samalaman Lodge, showing the old seminary . .141 - Samalaman College, with later additions . 152 Lismore College and Chapel (now part of Kilcheran Lodge) .156 in . Fort Augustus 1746 . .190 THE CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND BARRA MENTION of Barra and its adjacent islands occurs in the correspondence of Father Francis White and his companions with their Superior, St Vincent of Paul. Father Dermit Dugan had been sent, along with Father Francis White, to the Hebrides in 1651, and laboured there with great zeal, but unfortunately his strength failed him, and he died in 1657, as he was about to visit the Isle of Pabba. The following is one of his letters, which I give almost in extenso : " LETTER of Father DERMIT DUGAN, priest of the Congre gation of the Mission, Missionary Apostolic in the Hebrides, and in the Highlands of Scotland, to the Very Rev. F. VINCENT OF PAUL, Superior General of the said Congregation of the Mission. "MosT REV. AND DEAR FATHER, If your Reverence has not yet received any news of me, I may say that this has not arisen from want of diligence on my part. God knows how much fatigue and solicitude the delay has cost me, and the enquiry after this first opportunity, which I trust will indeed prove a safe one. The Hebrides A 1 2 CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND being very far from the mainland, and not having intercourse with the other districts, the opportunities of sending letters to distant places are very rare. To arrange some means of correspondence I have been forced, however unwillingly, to desist from the pressing duties just begun by me, for the salvation of these poor Islanders, and to return again to Scotland on foot with great fatigue in order to establish, as I have done, a correspondence with your Reverence. " Having by God s help somewhat recovered [he had fallen ill on arrival at Glengarry] I left my companion Mr Francis White in the Highlands of Scotland, whilst I went, conformably to my orders, to the Hebrides, where God has deigned to make use of me, a most unworthy instrument, to work the effects of His great mercy, having prepared for me the hearts of all these people, who welcomed me as an angel from Heaven, especially the Laird of Clanranald, Lord of the Isle of Uist, to whom His Divine Majesty gave the grace of conversion along with his wife, his son, their family and all the gentry, their vassals. "MacNeil, Lord of the Isle of Barra, having heard of me, sent a gentleman to beg me to do his island the same service as I had done to the Laird of Clanranald. The Lord of the Isle of Capaga (sic), who is a nobleman of importance, together with seven or eight of the chief gentry of those parts, made me similar requests, whom I shall with God s help, satisfy as soon as possible. "I was also occupied with the inhabitants of the Islands of Eigg, Islay and Canna, in which 800 or 900 persons have been converted. These were so little instructed BARRA 3 in the Christian religion that there were scarce 15 of them who knew any of the mysteries of our holy Faith. I hope that others will soon follow the example of these first converts. The chief desire of these people is to acquire the knowledge of the elements of our holy Faith, and that with so great ardour, that when I am teaching Christian doctrine the noblemen and married ladies often beg me that I would question them in public to the end that as they said their minds might be more impressed with what they heard. " I found amongst them persons of 70, 80, 100 and even 120 years of age, who had never received Holy these I and after a Baptism ; instructed, baptized, short time they passed to a better life. At this moment, no doubt they are praying God for those who have procured them so much good. " The greater part of the inhabitants were living in concubinage, but we have remedied this by joining in matrimony those who were willing, and separating the others. I have found some of the inhabitants of Uist, who called themselves Catholics, and had some knowledge of the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. This was due to their having been to Confession and Communion formerly to some Fathers of the Order of St Francis who came here from Ireland, but these people were so little instructed that they did not know how to make the sign of the Cross. " is scarce in these nevertheless Money very parts ; everything is very dear here, and what increases my is that I need two men one assists me on poverty ; my journeys and in passing from one island to the other, 4 CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND and when I travel by land lie helps me to carry the vestments for Mass and my few other effects, I myself having quite sufficient difficulty in walking on foot over bad roads as much as 14 or 15 miles before saying Mass.