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Canadian Livingstone wrote:
I have from time to time speculated on a Ballachulish origin of Dr. Livingstone's family prior to his grandfather Neil Livingston ending up in Lettermore, Mull in the 1770's and subsequently the Isle of Ulva. I have sometimes wondered if Dr. Livingstone's great grandfather who died at Culloden was named John Livingston and was a John Livingston of Ballachulish Estate a Jacobite who served in the Appin Regiment. Unfortunately Dr. Livingstone makes no mention of his grandfather or the family having any other roots than that of Mull/Ulva. I am however not certain that is where Dr. Livingstone's ancestors actually originated and there are a couple of alternative notions to be sure.
Just caught up on this discussion and must buy myself the KW Grant book - didn't know it existed. But for this discussion, I'm not sure whether I've mentioned before the book "Tall Tales from an Island" by P A Macnab about tales collected on Mull. It states that around 1756, supposedly three Livingstone brothers (Neil, Donald and John) hatched a plan to remove the bones of "James of the Glen" who was hanged in 1752, and who was still on the gibbet, and give him a christian burial. Evidently John waylaid the guardsman and Neil and Donald removed the gibbet and the bones, carried it down to a boat and took it the body to Eilean-na-h'Iubhraca and buried it, then left the district - and settled on Ulva. John supposedly stayed in Ballachulish and was my (and Ginger's) ancestor, but, as per usual we have no proof. Is there any evidence of Neil and/or Donald on Ulva before 1756?
Aren't these tales fascinating - if only we knew what was truth, and what isn't.
There is some interesting folklore and stories out there regarding Donald Livingstone of Morvern and Dr. Livingstone's ancestors. The K.W Grant book was published in 1925 by an Oban newspaper I think and has been out of print for years. I was amazed that I was able to finally find a copy and understand they are very scarce. If I see that one is available out there I will let you know. A used copy of R. J. Campbells book "Livingstone" publishe d in 1929 is alot easier to find and covers alot about Livingstone's family origins and is my view one of most accurate book on Dr. Livingstone and his family origins out there. Baron Livingstone a few years ago mentioned this book to me. You can probably get a copy of it used on line. One of the best books ever written on Dr. Livingstone.
In terms of connecting the various Livingston families both past and present to the famous Donald Livingstone of Morvern and Dr. Livingstone's family our best hope is probably the Maclea Livingstone Genealogy Dna Project. Andrew is making great progress in indentifying and sorting out Livingstone and Livingston participants and within a few years I am hoping we can get a known and 100% proven descendant of Donald Livingstone of Morvern in the DNA project so that we can compare them with the other participants.
Canadian Livingstone wrote:
Very difficult to find but Orbiting Books in Hereford,England has a used copy of the K.W. Grant book and can be ordered through Abebooks.com
Thanks Donald. I thought I had found 2 copies of it yesterday, so hadn't bothered ordering it, but on checking your post, and then looking back at what I'd found, it was the same book but quoted at the US price and the UK price. I found it a third time at the NZ price, but on going over current exchange rates, I treated myself for my birthday with a copy (bought at the UK price).
Also bought myself a copy of the Campbell book Livingstone, so now I'll have a lot of reading to do when they arrive.
Well, I thought I'd bought a copy of it - but it turns out that it was no longer in the shop, so they've canceled my order. Will have to keep an eye open for it in the future.
I hate when that happens with internet orders! Better luck next time--and if anyone spots any other clan-relevant books or items out there, share the news in the Forum (if you don't want it for yourself!).
Kyle=
Kyle S. MacLea Clan Society Life Member; DNA Project Co-Admin New Hampshire, USA kyle-dot-maclea-at-gmail-dot-com
It is a very rare book I understand. I was indeed lucky to find a copy a year or so ago. I treasure it among my collection of rare and old books. The oldest book I have was published in 1752 and is an account of the Rebellion of 1745 from a pro government perspective and has an old print of the Duke of Cumberland in it and a very old type face, style and feel to it which is kinda neat. Antique books are definitely a thing of beauty in any living room bookcase.
I think as you mentioned there is another copy available from another book store but it is over 100 dollars U.S. Books which discuss our highland clan livingstones in any length are few and far between but there is a chapter on Clan Livingstone and the Bachuil Livingstones included in "The Highland Clans" by Sir Iain Moncreiffe published in 1967. There was last time I looked lots of copies of this book available used on-line from various book dealers around the world through Abes Books.
Regretably most authors of books on Scottish clans in the past have either overlooked us or reduced highland Clan Livingstone to the status of an insignificant sept of the Stewarts of Appin mentioned only in a paragraph or two. Unfortunately there is probably much misunderstanding, misinformation and general lack of knowledge out there regarding our clan. I suspect few people likely realize that highland Clan Livingstone is one of the oldest Clans in Western Argyll. Our Baron Niall Livingstone has kindly reproduced his articles on the origins and history of highland Maclea Livingstones and the Chiefly Bachuil Livingstone family in a booklet which is available for sale at the Clan Shop via the Clan Maclea Livingstone Society website. Very detailed and informative.
We are indebted to Alexander Carmichael a 19th century and early 20th century Scottish folklore researcher writer for pioneering the first comprehensive study of highland Clan Livingstone. Some of his articles written in the early 1900's for the Celtic Review regarding our clan are included on the Clan's website.
Rather than Mull/Isle of Ulva or Ballachulish Livingstones, Carmichael believed the origin of Dr. David Livingstone's ancestors on the Island of Lismore and Dr. Livingstone's great grandfather to have been Malcolm Livingston a son of an 18th century Baron of Bachuil residing at Bachuil,Lismore. This was a commonly held view however new information recently come to light suggests this may not be the case. Also Carmichaels notion that Dr. Livingstone's grandfather was Donald Livingston of the Argyll fencibles was challenged by the research of Reverend Maclean Sinclair and later R.J. Campbell who relyed on info provided by Dr. Livingstone's John that their grandparents were in fact Neil Livingston and Mary Morrison of the Isle of Ulva and later Blantyre Scotland.
Regarding the McNab book, those tales of Ballachulish Livingstones which you mention including that related to the fate of the remains of James Stewart of the Glen were earlier included in K.W. Grant's "Myth Tradition and Story from Western Argyll" which you are interested in acquiring. As you say three Livingstons are tied into that story of the unfortunate and by most informed accounts wrongly accused and hung James of the Glen. Interesting story. Difficult to determine of course if the account of the Livingston participation in retreiving the bones is entirely historically accurate. The basic details of the case as they came to be known and the information from the subsequent trial and hanging of James of the Glen are well documented from contemporary documents. The story about the bones appears to have some where along the line entered into the rhelm of folklore and legend and I find it difficult to establish what is precisely true, although i have no doubt they left the bones hanging for some time,to both intimidate and anger local jacobites. And it would be only natural that a group of local jacobites, perhaps from our own clan would boldly challenge the Campbell authority in the area and see to it that the remains of James of the Glen received a proper burial.
This same James Stewart interestingly was the brother of Charles Stewart of Ardsheil who led the Appin Regiment at Culloden. He subsequently went into hiding and eventually fled to France. His brother James of the Glen is said to have received the horse from famous Donald Livingstone of Morvern which he used to make his escape from the Culloden battlefield with the Appin Regiment banner. It is not not really known for certain if Donald Livingstone ever located Charles Stewart of Ardsheil his regimental commander in hiding to give him the banner before he fled to France. It is presumed that was his original objective. We do know however know one way or another the appin banner which Donald rescued ended up eventually ended in with the family of Stewart of Ballachulish which it remained with until the early 1900's. There is the possibility that Donald was unable to locate Charles Stewart of Ardsheil who was almost certainly in hiding by the time Donald arrived back in Western Argyll.( Donald himself was hiding in Morvern hills and in caves apparently at the time trying to evade the local Argyll militia under the Campbells and British soldiers looking hi and low for jacobites in Western Argyll.) Perhaps he then turned to Stewart of Ballachulish who perhaps had also been of some rank and importance in the Appin Regiment or at least a supporter of the rebellion. Anyways for what ever reason the banner that Donald Livingstone returned with to Western Argyllshire from Culoden battlefield ended up in the hands of the Ballachulish Livingstones.
Was Donald Livingstone from Ballachulish? A late 19th century account in the Celtic Monthly based upon interesting first hand information from Donald's elderly nieces and other relatives of Morvern origin suggests Donald Livingstones ancestors had lived at Morvern since around 1600 or at least that was belief of Donald's kin in the 1800's. Prior to that the author was told that Donald's ancestors lived not a Ballachulish or Morvern but at Benderloch. As many of the Benderloch Macleas were wiped out by their Campbell enemies in the late 1500's in battle perhaps it is conceivable that a Benderloch Maclea/Livingstone family found refuge in Morvern in the late 1500's. Interestingly, Scottish Folklore researcher, Alexander Carmichael in his 1909 article on Donald Livingstone in the Celtic Monthly also was of the oppinion that the origins of Donald's Livingstone's prior to Morvern was Achnacree, Benderloch. He does not however suggest a date when they left Benderloch for Morvern.
There does not seem to be early Episcopalian church records from the Duror area. I know you located quite a bit connected to Ballachulish and the church at Ballachulish. I have no information however of 18th century records for a church in the Duror area. There was no Episcopalian church in the Duror until 1848 that I am aware of. It would seem that Episcopalians living in Duror in reasonable proximity to Ballachulish attended the church there or so it would seem. What are your thoughts on this. We have Malcolm Livingstone whose ancestors resided in the Duror area and I wondering if you had come across any info on early Duror area Episcopalians?
Sorry Donald, I can't recall Duror being mentioned in the church records that I went through, but all of the ones that mentioned Livingston(e) were typed up and are the ones on the clan website. I must find my original writing up of them, and get everything together for the next visit to Scotland - 2013, but not sure what part yet. I'll have a chat to the vicar there and see what he knows and also see what Livingstone relations I can still find in the area - most of them no longer with the Livingstone name.
Am pleased to say that today Abebooks found a copy of Grant's book for me, so I have paid an huge sum of money and it is hopefully on its way to me. I look forward to seeing what it says.
