Gairloch in North-West Ross-Shire: Its Records, Traditions, Inhabitants, and Natural History, with a Guide to Gairloch and Loch Maree, and a Map and IllustrationsDixon, John H. (John Henry)
History
Gairloch in North-West Ross-Shire: Its Records, Traditions, Inhabitants, and Natural History, with a Guide to Gairloch and Loch Maree, and a Map and Illustrations
Dixon, John H. (John Henry)
Gairloch (Scotland) -- Guidebooks; Gairloch (Scotland) -- History; Ross and Cromarty (Scotland) -- History
"The last case of which I heard came from a parish in the east of Ross,
and was less happy in its issue. It was that of a young woman, who is
now in one of our asylums. This happened about three years ago.
"Another case was reported in the _Inverness Courier_ of 4th November
1852, and is quoted at length by Dr Reeves, in his paper on Saint
Maelrubha, already referred to (see Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. iii., p.
288).
"'Every superstition,' says Archbishop Whately, 'in order to be rightly
understood, should be read backward.' In this manner I have endeavoured
to treat that which is attached to the little-known Inch Maree. We have
seen it as it exists to-day, with its ceremonies of cruelty, barbarism,
and ignorance; we have seen it, differing little from its present form,
a century ago; we have seen it in 1656 and 1678, associated with an
abominable and heathenish sacrifice; we have connected it with the
saintly founder of the monastery of Applecross; and we have adduced some
reasons for believing that its real paternity goes back to strictly
pagan times."
In several notes to his paper Dr Mitchell, besides stating his
authorities, points out that St Ruffus and St Maelrubha appear to have
been regarded as identical, and that Inch Maree itself was in 1678
spoken of as the "Island of St Ruffus." Also, that an old man in the
district told him that the name of the island was originally
Eilean-Mo-Righ (the island of my king), or Eilean-a-Mhor-Righ (the
island of the great king), and that this king was long ago worshipped as
a god in the district. Dr Mitchell also mentions that, some fifteen or
twenty years before, a farmer from Letterewe is said to have brought a
mad dog to the well on the island. It drank of the waters, and was
cured; but the desecrating act is said to have driven virtue for a time
from the well. I have a detailed account of this last incident from
James Mackenzie of Kirkton, which differs from Dr Mitchell's
information. James Mackenzie says he well remembers that it was about
1830 that John Macmillan, who was the first shepherd the late Mr Bankes
had at Letterewe, and who was the son of Donald Macmillan who had been
shepherd at Letterewe when Macintyre was manager there, had a sheep-dog
that went mad. John took the dog to Isle Maree, and put him headlong in
the well; the dog died next day, and John Macmillan died a week after
that!
Dr Mitchell, in a foot-note referring to the account of the sacrifice of
a bull in 1164 witnessed by St Aelred of Rievaux at Cuthbrichtis Kirche,
remarks that, "it is interesting to find that the clerks of the church,
the Scolofthes, who must have been the best informed and most learned,
opposed the ceremony, and attempted to throw it into ridicule by
proposing to bait the bull, probably an indication that opinion was then
beginning to change."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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