w ! m THE CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS I OF SCOTLAND BY DOM. ODO BLUNDELL, O.S.B., F.S.A.SCOT. VOL. I. THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS SANDS & CO. 21 HANOVER STREET, EDINBURGH 15 KING STREET, LONDON 1909 AUTHOR S PREFACE THE kindly welcome offered by the public two " years ago to Ancient Catholic Homes of Scotland," and the request of many friends that the series be continued, have led to the issue of the present volume. The wording and spelling of the original documents have been retained as far as possible, even at the risk of apparent inaccuracy. It is with great pleasure that the Author expresses his indebtedness to the many kind friends who have assisted him with the illustra tions, the correction of the different chapters, and the revision of the proofs. FORT AUGUSTUS, May 1909. CONTENTS PAGE STRATHBOGIE . 1 GLENLIVET I. 23 GLENLIVET II 44 STRATHAVON . 55 GLENGAIRN 69 BEAEMAR I .88 BRAEMAR II 102 BADENOCH . .122 LOCHABER I. 145 LOCHABER II. ... 178 STRATHGLASS . .191 INDEX 221 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS THE DEE AT ARDEARG, BRAEMAR . Frontispiece. From a Photograph by the Author. Tojace page STRATHBOGIE CASTLE 4 /. Thomson, Esq., Fort Augustus. MORTLACH (Meeting-place of the Vicars-Apostolic and Administrators) 13 Dom. Lawrence Mann, O.S.B., Fort Augustus. SHENVAL 15 From the Photograph by the Rev. Gfeorge Shaw, Duftown. THE COLLEGE OF SCALAN, 1717-1799 25 From a Photograph by tht Author. PLAN OP SCALAN 39 TOMBAE, GLENLIVET 43 Author. TOMINTOUL FROM THE SOUTH 55 From the Photograph of Messrs Wilson, Aberdeen. THE STRATH, STRATHAVON 65 By permission of Messrs MacMahon, Inverness and Aberdeen. INTERIOR OF A HIGHLAND COTTAGE FIFTY YEARS AGO . 71 By permission of Ex- Provost Ross, LL.D., Inverness. xi xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS To face page THE MILL OF THE LAGGAN, GLENGAIRN, IN 1868 . 74 By the late Sin Percival Radcli/e, Bart. SAINT MARY S, CANDACRAIG, GLENGAIRN .... 86 By Rodolphe Christen, Esq. INVERCAULD HOUSE. THE HIGHLAND GAMES . .91 From, the print in the possession of Very Rev. Canon Paul, Braemar. MAR LODGE IN 1775 100 From the Print in the possession of Chas. M Hardy, Esq., Helensburgh. HOLY WELL OF SAINT MARY, INVEREY . .102 Author. FATHER FARQUIIARSON S HOUSE AND CHAPEL, ARDEARG 116 /. Thomson, Esq., Fort Augustus. SAINT ANDREW S, BRAEMAR 120 Author. SAINT MICHAEL S, LAGGAN 127 James Faed, Esq., Coul, Laggan. THE PASS OF CORRYARRICK IN MAY 130 Author. LOCH LAGGAN 140 From the Photo by W. Inglis Clark, Esq., D.Sc., Pres. Scottish Mountaineering Club. KEPPOCH S CANDLESTICKS 150 By permission of Mr Alex. Gardner, Publisher, Paisley. CEMETERY AND ANCIENT CHAPEL OF KILLECHYRILLE . 160 J. Thomson, Esq., Fort Augustus. LOCH EIL IN APRIL 170 the Photo W. D.Sc. Pres. Scottish From by Inglis Clark, Esq., t Mountaineering Club. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xiii To face page BISHOP RANALD MACDONALD 185 From the Original Portrait in the possttsion of Mrs Chisholm, The Elms, Inverness. SAINT MARGARET S, MULROY, LOCHABER . .190 Author. CLACHAN COMAR, STRATHGLASS 194 Author. THROUGH GLEN CANNICH 201 the Misses Chisholm Chisholm Erehless By permission of of t Castle. FASNAKYLE FALLS AND BRIDGE . .204 By permission of the Misses Chisholm of Chisholm, Erehless Castle. SAINT MARY S, ESKADALE INTERIOR 209 Author. CEMETERY OF SAINT MARY, ESKADALE . .210 Author. GLEN AFFARIC 215 By Permission of the Misses Chisholm of Chisholm, Erehless Castle. MAP OF SCOTLAND, SHOWING THE DISTRICTS DEALT WITH. Design of Cover, Castleton of Braemar. Dom. LAWRENCE MANN, O.S.B., FORT AUGUSTUS. The Chapters were revised as follows : Strathbogie The MARQUIS OF HONTLY. Glenlivet Colonel G. SMITH GRANT. Strathavon Rev. PETER FORBES. Glengairn JOHN MACPHERSON, Esq. Braemar CHAS. M HARDY, Esq. Badenoch Colonel A. W. M DONALD, D.S.O. Lochaber Miss JOSEPHINE MACDONELL. Strathglass The late THEODORE CHISHOLM, Esq. THE CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND STRATHBOGIE THE Abb4 Macpherson, than whom no one was more conversant with the history of the Catholic Church in Scotland since the Eeformation, asserted that "the preservation of the ancient Faith was due, under God, to the House of Gordon." And indeed this fact stands out very prominently in the history of the seventeenth and of the first half of the eighteenth centuries, and receives confirmation from the fact that whether we follow the titles of the former Dukes of Gordon, or the line of their possessions, we shall always find that the Catholics were there protected, and that fair remains of the old Faith still exist. Amongst the titles of the first Dukes of Gordon were Earl of Enzie, Baron Gordon of Badenoch, Lochaber, Strathavon, and Glenlivet, whilst the possessions extended from Gordon Castle on the north-east coast to Fort William on the west and this extent of ; throughout large territory there were Catholic settlements, whilst the districts of VOL. I, A 2 CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND Enzie and Glenlivet were the very centre of Catholic life and the nurseries of its priesthood. Besides being the earliest seat of the Gordons in 1 the north, Strathbogie, or Huntly Castle, as it was later called, was long their chief residence, and one historian of the district claims with considerable truth that "the whole of the North of Scotland was for centuries ruled from this the of parish." At change religion, the Earl of Huntly became at once the head of the Catholic party. He commanded them at the battle of Glenlivet, in which the victory was chiefly due to his exertions but James was so ; King enraged at this resistance of his authority, that he himself marched against the Earl, who was forced to flee to France. His proud Castle of Strathbogie was burnt and dismantled, and the beautiful tapestry and costly hangings the like of which existed nowhere else in Scotland were carried to Edinburgh. After three years exile the Earl of Huntly returned to Strath bogie, was received into favour by King James, who created him the first Marquis of Scotland. The Castle of Strathbogie was rebuilt with even greater splendour than before, and within its walls was a chapel which the Catholics of the district long attended. In 1607 George Gladstones, one of the ministers of St Andrews, was sent by the General Assembly to Strathbogie Castle. He was ordered to remain there fifteen months to instruct the Marquis and his family in religion. But at the next Assembly he stated that 1 Although this district is not now recognised as belonging to the Highlands, properly so called, yet the mountainous nature of a large part of it, and its close connection with the other Catholic Highlands, make it fitting that it should be included with them. STRATHBOGIE S he had gone to Strathbogie, "but had only remained that the told there three days." He reported Marquis him that he did not attend the preaching of the Word, rank of such as were partly in respect of the mean within the parish, and partly because his predecessors had a chapel within their own castle, which he had a mind to prosecute now, seeing he was rebuilding his house of Strathbogie. In 1606 he had been accused of giving encourage ment to the Roman Catholics, and thereby creating a great defection from the reformed doctrine. Shortly after, sentence of excommunication was pronounced against him; but in 1616 he promised the General Assembly of the Kirk that he would continue in the profession of the truth, i.e., Protestantism, and would make his children educated in the same. The sincerity of this renunciation was, however, doubted even at the time. The later years of the Marquis s life were embittered by the feud which sprang up between his family and the of the Gordons Crichtons Frendraught ; believing that the Marquis s son had been purposely burnt to death at the Castle of Frendraught, in consequence of which they burnt and plundered the lands and cattle of the Crichtons. The old Marquis was summoned before the Council as abetting these outrages, and was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle in December 1635. Of his journey to the south the late Rev. Mr Macdonald writes: "Like a loyal subject and with the courage for good or evil that had marked his career, he set out for Edinburgh to put himself in ward. Here the old man found that the Crichton influence had been 4 CATHOLIC HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND too much for him. Had this taken place in his younger days, the hero of Balrinnes and the Spanish bonds the man who dared the Kings of Scotland to their face, and held a sway in this old castle (of Strath- bogie) second only to that of the Kings of Scotland, would perhaps have braved false Charles Stuart to his face, as he had braved his father. But the old Marquis was done. He simply wished to get home to die home to Strathbogie Castle home to the noble house he had built, and which he has left us as a memorial behind him." His last moments are thus described by Spalding: "The Marquis, finding himself become weaker and weaker, desired to be at home, and upon a day in June was carried from his lodging in the Canongate, in a wand bed within his chariot (his lady still with him), to Dundee, and is lodged in Kobert Murray s house in the town. But now his hour is come further he ; not his sickness increases more and more might go ; ; he declares his mind to his lady and such friends as he had then recommends his soul to and ; God, upon the 13th of June departed this life a Koman Catholic, being about the age of three-score and fourteen years, to the great grief of his friends and lady, who had lived with him many years, both in prosperity and adversity." Father Blackball adds that he was attended at his most edifying death by Father William Christie.