Timothy Pont Text Isle of Lismore circa late 1500's

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

Hi Niall, You have probably seen this before, but I found it to be quite facinating to read.According to the National Library of Scotland website Timothy Pont was a map maker whose maps were used to make the first atlas of Scotland. In addition he kept notes and this text was apparently written by Pont probably in the late 1500's regarding the Isle of Lismore: "Lismoir is ane Iland of eight myles in lenth, and scarce one myle of breadth, most fertill in cornis, and fishes taken in the nearest sea, heir wes the seat and dwelling of the old Bishops of Argyll, who from thir had thair denomination of Lismorenis epicopus, being neerhand equidistant from the limits for Cantyre, Argyl, Cowell and Lorne wer upon the southhand and Morvern Swynord, Ardnamurquhan and Mudeor and Ilands of Inchegald

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

The ancient bishops of Kilmolaug on the Isle of Lismore mentioned by Timothy Pont in the late 1500's as being from the Clan Vic GilleMichael are from an old family on the Island that years later apparently changed their name to Carmichael. Carmichael's like the Maconleas became Septs of the Stewarts of Appin and in 1746 like the Maclea's or Maconlea's particpated in the Battle of Culloden in Stewart of Appin regiment commanded by Jacobite Charles Stewart of Ardshield. Other families known to have served in the Appin regiment were Camerons, Hendersons, Macarthurs, Maccananichs, Maccolls, Maccombichs, Maccorcadills, Macdonalds, Macilduies, Macinishes, Macintyres, Mackenzies, Maclauchlans, Maclarens, Macrankens, Macuchkaders and of course Stewarts.

[Bachuil]

Dear Donald, As you may know, my father was one the editors of the Muster Roll of Prince Charles Edwatd Stuart's Army.

[Rob Livingston1]

I did a little searching last night for DNA testing by Carmichaels and Blacks, since they are closely associated with the Isle of Lismore.

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

Dear Niall, Yes I can see where early on it was assumed that

[Bachuil]

Dear Donald, I have a learned cousin, Angus Stewart QC, who contributed quite a few names to the list of the Appin Regiment. He was President of the Stewart Society last year. We have obviously discussed all this many times and I seem to recall that his take on this was that the Stewart Chiefs were friendly with the Livingstones and Carmichaels, and kept them close recognising that many in the area would accept their authority more readily than the Stewarts. I think one incident that demonstrates this relationship is in 1519 when Duncan Stewart of Appin and Sorley MacColl, his Gille-cas-fluich, were murdered by the Macleans whilst guests at Duart and their bodies left hanging from the battlements. On hearing the news the Baron of Bachull, who was a great friend of Appin, set out immediately, with his two red-haired daughters, for Duart and managed to recover Appin

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

That is precisely the connection from the 1500's I was thinking about. They joined forces with the Stewarts of Appin and some other smaller clans in 1745. Then in 1756 or 1757 once again we have the MacLeas or Maconleas demonstrating their friendship and respect for the Appin Stewarts by risking their own personal safety to give the bones of James Stewart of Duror a decent burial. If the legend holds true one of these Livingstones ended up at Ulva the other remained at Morvern. Interestingly Grant is emphatic that Dr. Livingstone stated that his great-grandfather died at Culloden in 1746. Presumingly the DOctor had a reliable family source for this information, but something is not quite right if you do a generation by generation model of the Dr. Livingstone's ancestors. Grant goes on to dispute that Doctor's Livingstone's grandfather Neil was a son of a Baron of Bachuil. But is Grant correct in his assertion that Dr. Livingstone stated that it was his great grandfather that died at Culloden? It just doesn't tie in with the notion that an ancestor of Dr. Livingstone's born in early 1700's in all probability his great-grandfather infact survived the war and went on his adventures which led him to eventually to ULva in the 1750's. I would be interested in hearing what you have to say about this. It is interesting that the Baron Moncrieffe states if I understand correctly that the son of the Macdonleavy or Macleay that fell at Culloden was the great grandfather of Dr. Livingstone. I presume I am understanding this correctly and there is a descrepancy with Grant and Moncrieffe that I need you to check with Dr. Livingstone's statements about his ancestor at Culloden.Word for word then Moncrieffe says: "One of these Macdonleavy's or Macleays fell with the Stewarts of Appin fighting for the Jacobite cause at Culloden in 1746. His son farmed on the Isle of Ulva on the other side of Mull from Lismore and was the greatgrandfather of the famous missionary, Stanley's Dr. Livingstone, I presume." Niall can you help with this one? It makes more sense I agree with Moncrieffe that Dr. Livingstone's great-great grandfather was killed at Culloden and to follow this idea his son Neil a brother of your ancestor Duncan Livingstone b. 1713 settled at Ulva perhaps in the 1750's. Age wise this makes sense as the Neil who after some adventure made his Ulva.This by all logic then was the great grandfather of Dr. Livingstone. So the great grandfather born in the early 1700's who went to Ulva was not killed at Culloden but his unknown father, Dr. Livingstone's great grandfather was. My common sense tells me that unless the story is wrong about Dr. Livingstone's great-grandfather going to Ulva in the 1750's then it is truly the Great-great grandfather that died at Culloden as Moncrieffe states. Your family tree acknowledges this Neil to be a brother of your ancestor Duncan Maconlea born 1713. He had a son named Neil born what about 1745 who have been Dr. Livingstone's grandfather and who married Mary Morrison. Presumingly then Grant some how got the Dr. Livingstone account wrong It would be most interesting to locate what Dr.Livingstone actually said about which of his ancestors died at Culloden. Some of the nineteenth century biographies may have also quoted the Doctor on this. He evidently had some interest in his family heritage. regards Donald

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

Hi Niall, If as Moncrieff asserts that the Neil of Ulva born in the early 1700's was the great-grandfather of Dr. Livingstone and the father of this Neil Livingstone his great-great grandfather was killed at Culloden then this presents a problem if one holds the oppinion that the great-great grandfather of Dr. Livingstone was Dugall Maconlea who died before a good decade before the Battle of Culloden. While Alexander Carmichael was in the 1909 Celtic Review of the oppinion that the Neil Livingstone that escaped to Ulva was the son of "the old Baron", he does not go into further detail as to Dr. Livingstone descent from the Baron's of Bachiul. Grant in his 1925 book obviously used Carmichael as a source, but disagrees with him regarding Dr. Livingstone's family connection to the Baron's of Bachuil. Locating Dr. Livingstone's notes on his family origins might shed some light on clearing up some of the area's of disagreement among these authors.

[Bachuil]

Donald, We had a discussion about this awhile ago - see http://www.clanmclea.co.uk/forum/show-message.asp?ID=45 and related. I am afraid that there is a dearth of factual information.

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

Niall, I think alot of people would be interested learning more about the history of the family in the 1800's and 1900's. I must confess not to knowing much about the your family from this time period much to my regret. From what I have seen the Baron' story alone would make for an excellent biography. I have this habit in my own family to ignore researching the more recent past, but am making amends to that. I have recently rescued a treasure trove of old family photos that might otherwise had ended up in the garbage. Also a few years ago I conducted an interview with my father and he gave me essentially the history of his family throughout the twentieth century including every minute detail.