The work listed below falls into three main categories:
1) Private. I will consider sharing the information if you have a direct interest in my own family.
2) Freely available. Please only use it for private, non-profit research.
3) Available for purchase. PayPal only.
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Inevitably new facts and old errors have since been discovered, but it now forms the basis for further research.
You can see the skeleton of the work here.
So that the privacy of living individuals is respected, I have not made it available for download.
Please contact me if you would like to see those sections which are relevant to your own family.
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The Bynames, Genetics & Lore of Lewis
Nicolson Institute
Annual
- Her brother, Donald Roddy Macleod , was on the editorial committee (see page 3).
- He was also the author of 'An Elegy', a tribute to his brother Norman, who drowned when the HMS Rawalpindi was sunk in 1939.
Baptismal Records
1845-1855
Kinloss and Glasgow
If you would like to purchase any or all of the booklets below please see details here.
of 11 Melbost. She has preserved his writings over the decades. I am indebted to her for permitting me to make
this information generally available.
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Published: August 2018 Format: A4
Comments from reviewers:
Gazette entitled “MacLeods of Garrabost”. This was part of his long-running “Families of Lewis” series, with the
family in question being one of the few MacLeod families who had found some way to remain in favour with the
Mackenzies during the 17th century. This paper is an attempt to synthesise Matheson’s research with more recently
discovered material, which includes a previously unknown generation, as well as a probable link to the Scots Brigade
in Holland.
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Published: July 2020 Format: A5
Comments from reviewers:
"... a scholarly book... " Clan MacLeod Magazine, No. 131, October 2020
"The MacLeods of Garrabost Revisited ... contains the ample fruits of research in the ‘Jesuits in Britain’
archives, and in this reviewer’s personal opinion, the light thus shed on this almost unknown Catholic family
represents the book’s most important contribution to Highland history."
Journal of the Society of West Highland and Island Historical Research, Series 5, No. 1, March 2021.
Ronald Black, retired Senior Lecturer in Celtic at the University of Edinburgh, and a director of SWH&IHR)
which is, in turn, an abbreviated form of the name Thorketill (signifying ‘Thor’s kettle’, or ‘Thor’s cauldron’). The
Lewis branch of Clan MacLeod has long been known as Siol Torcaill, and many men from the chiefly line were given
the name before the family was dispersed in the early 17th century. In 1597 Torcall Dubh had been betrayed by the
Brieve of Lewis; one tradition records the means by which he was tempted on board ship:
“There’s a bit of gold in the ship, Britheamh”, said the Barvas man.
I’ll send word to Torquil Dubh and the noblemen of Point that it [the boat]
is full of it [gold], and that I would like them to come to claim their right.”
This tradition is not the only one to mention Point and the surrounding area in the context of the chiefly family:
“Torquil Oighre was a handsome man – Torcall Oighre of the ruddy cheeks.
This was the first of the Lewis MacLeod. His heir is Torquil MacLeod in Melbost.”
This folk memory was recounted by Aonghas Macaulay, tenant in Knock, in the summer of 1868. His assertion that
a legitimate descendant of the MacLeods of Lewis could be found in Melbost some 250 years after the Mackenzies
took control of Lewis is remarkable. The fact that this ‘heir’ bore the name Torquil is also worthy of note, as even then
it was not a common name within Lewis.
This publication considers every documented individual named Torquil from the 18th and 19th centuries (and some
from the early 20th century) from the area east of Stornoway. Each family using the name is contemplated, as are any
possible links between families.
Published: July 2020 Format: A4
Comments from reviewers:
"Received the books yesterday and very interesting indeed. Well done for such a superb product."
Purchaser: KM
"... including many colour illustrations, photographs, maps, charts and genealogies... "
"Interesting stories are told of Lewis families and individuals including the Crichtons of Swordale, MacLeods of Knock
and Sheshader and John MacLeod of Goathill."
"These books are recommended for those interested in the MacLeods of Lewis or indeed Lewis.."
Clan MacLeod Magazine, No. 131, October 2020
"I was also happy to see complete historical documents transcribed in the Appendices ..."
"... I was very impressed with the book, and though mostly related to MacLeod families there are references to other
families and the book should be of interest to anyone with family connections to Lewis."
Highland FHS Journal, Volume 39 Issue 1, November 2020
"...a work of considerable scholarship."
Journal of the Society of West Highland and Island Historical Research, Series 5, No. 1, March 2021.
Ronald Black, retired Senior Lecturer in Celtic at the University of Edinburgh, and a director of SWH&IHR)