Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis
Isle of Barra and Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides Islands
Barra Airport
Catherine's Parents
Catherine arrived from Scotland when she was 15 years old, according to
census records, which means her parents most likely emmigrated as well.
Catherine's parents may have first settled in the Maritimes
before migrating to Canada West (Ontario).
This death record shows the names and birthplaces of Catherine's parents:
On Catherine's son's death record her
maiden name is spelled McNeil:
Catherine's father was John MacNeill.
John was born in Scotland in 1801.
He emigrated from Scotland
in 1852, at 50 years old.
Catherine's mother was Anna MacLean.
Anna was born in Scotland in 1803.
She emigrated from Scotland
with her husband John
when she was 48.
They may have first settled in the Maritime Provinces
before migrating to Upper Canada (Ontario).
before migrating to Upper Canada (Ontario).
Catherine MacNeill
The thistle is the national flower of Scotland; seen here engraved
on the headstone of Catharine MacNeill and Andrew Ross
at Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit.
The inscription reads "Not my will but thine be done".
Catherine MacNeill was born in Scotland on August 15th, 1836.
She emigrated from Scotland at the age of 16.
She married Andrew Ross at the age of 18.
They had 9 children in Ontario, Canada.
They resided in Middlesex Co. in 1861
and in Oxford Co. in 1871.
They immigrated to the USA by 1880,
living in Saginaw, Michigan.
By 1900, they had located in Detroit.
Catherine MacNeill Ross died in 1901, aged 64.
Her descendants:
Catherine MacNeil
Margret Ross
Francis Earl Wall
Carol M. Wall
Click here for more on Margret Ross.
Click here for more about Catherine MacNeill.
Church of Scotland
The symbol of the Church of Scotland is a burning bush:
The Free Church of Scotland, was formed in 1844 in Canada West (Ontario) and the Maritime provinces.
It was the predominant form of Presbyterian Christianity in mid-nineteenth century Canada, and
was consolidated by the secessionist sentiment of evangelicals known as The Awakening.
Records indicate Catharine's family did not join this breakaway movement.
Moderates and gentry remained in the established church, the Church of Scotland.
Catharine MacNeill Ross lived in Zorra, Oxford, Canada West,
and attended the Church of Scotland in 1861.
 |
The same 1861 census lists Catherine's father John MacNeil 60 miles east in
Bradford, Simcoe County. He also attended the Church of Scotland.
The established Church of Scotland held traditional views
dating back to the Scottish reformation of 1560.
Catharine's in-laws belonged to the Free Church, so her husband Andrew Ross
may have adopted the church of his wife's family.
Kisimul Castle
This historical postcard is part of a series of Scottish clans
by Raphael Tuck Co. of London, dated 1906, depicting
each clan's tartan, emblem, plant badge,
and clan seat.
The scene of the clan seat is Chisamul Castle (pronounced Kisimul)
in Castle Bay on Barra Island in the Outer Hebrides.
This is what it looks like today:
The official website for visitors to Kisimul Castle is found here:
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyplan.htm?PropID=PL_189&PropName=Kisimul%20Castle
Electric Scotland on Clan MacNeill
 |
| Castlebay, Isle of Barra, and Kisimul Castle |
Clan Badge
Depicted in the historical illustration is the clan badge, or plant badge, the dryas.
Originally, the actual plant was pinned on to identify one's clan.
The dryas is an evergreen dwarf shrub native to alpine and arctic regions.
Clan Shield
The Clan MacNeill coat of arms belongs to the current chief of the clan:
Upper left quarter is the Lion Rampart,
mimicking the Royal Standard of the King of Scotland.
Upper right quarter is a castle in the water,
symbolizing Kisimul Castle.
Lower left quarter is a 3-masted ship,
representing the seafaring nature of the clan
or the migration from Ulster, Ireland to Barra.
Lower right quarter is the Red Hand of Ulster,
surrounded by nine shackles representing
Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Highlander
This R. R. McIan (1803 - 1856) painting portrays
a Scot in MacNeill ancient hunting tartan
on a Shetland pony.
Clan Chieftan
The MacLeay portraits of Scotsmen were commissioned by Queen Victoria.
This one depicts Neil MacLeod and Murdoch MacNeill (right)
in the newly designed MacNeill of Colonsay tartan
and a badger sporran. In the background
is the Isle of Skye.
Mythology
The Inner and Outer Hebrides contain many islands, isolated and mostly uninhabited. People in this part of Scotland have always relied on the sea to sustain them, and the sea is the source of many legends.
Hebridean mythology is catagorized into these types of entities: Water Spirits, Merpeople,
Water Monsters, Werewolves, Will.o'-the-wisp, and Faeries.
The Blue Men of the Minch are water spirits known as "storm kelpies" which occupy many lochs:
Gaelic Lexicon
In 2001, the Outer Hebrides still contained the highest percentage of
Gaelic speaking people in Scotland. The seat of Clan MacNeill at the
southern tip of the archipelago falls in the 60 to 70 percent range.
English Gaelic Pronunciation Meaning
| plaid | plaid | plajer (not 'played') | blanket |
| tartan | breacan | brechkan | speckled, striped or multi-coloured |
| kilt | feileadh beag | fay-la beck | little wrap |
| belted plaid | feileadh more | fay-la more | big wrap |
| belted plaid | Beacan an fheileadh | brechkan an yay-lee | striped wrap |
| brogue | brog(an) | broag (as in toad) | shoes |
| sgian dubh | sgian dubh | skian du | hidden/secret knife |
| belt | crois | creesh | cross (literally) |
| coat | cota | coacht - a | coat/jacket |
| hose | osain | osh-ain | socks, stockings |
| garters | gartain | gar-stain | garters |
| kilt pin | dealg | jalck | pin |
| red | dearg | jer-ug | any true red |
| red | ruadh | roo-ug | rust, ginger, orange |
| blue | gorm | gorum | blue |
| green | uaine | oo-ine-ya | green (sometimes grey) |
| black | dubh | du | black (also hidden or secret) |
| white | geal | gyal | white |
| yellow | buidhe | boo-ya | yellow |
| brown | donn | dawn | brown |
| gold | or | or | gold |
| silver | airgead | air-a-gut | silver (also money) |
| light | liath | lee-ah | light (followed by the colour) Also grey |
| Gaelic | Gaodhlig | galeeg | the Gaelic language |
| Scotland | Alba | al-a-pa | Scotland |
| Scottish | Albannach | al-ap-an-ach | Scottish |
| Highlands | A'Ghaidhealtachd | a gyl-tachk | The Highlands |
| Lowlands | A'Ghalltachd | a gall-tachk | The Lowlands |
| England | Sasainn | sas-ain | the country |
| English | sasannach | sas-an-ach | sassenach, the nationality |
| English | beurla | bear-la | the English language |
Clan History
Origins
The name is
derived from Niall, a descendant of an Irish prince who married into the royal
house of Dalriada. He was said to be descended from
"Niall of the Nine Hostages" a king of Tara in Ireland who ruled
around 400. They were originally confined to the islands of the Hebrides,
mainly Barra, Gigha and Colonsay and a small enclave in Argyll at
Taynish.
MacNeil of
Barra
The first Niall
came to Barra around 1049 and is considered to be the first chief of the clan.
Neil MacNeil was the fifth chief and was described as a prince at the Council
of the Isles held in 1252. He was still chief after the Battle of Largs in 1263
which ended the domination of the Western Isles by the Vikings from Norway.
Neil's son, Neil Og Macneil, is believed to have fought for Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn in 1314 and was given
land in northern Kintyre.
Gilleonan, the 9th
chief, was was given a charter of Barra and Boisdale in 1427 from the Lord of
the Isles. In the 16th century, the 12th chief (also named Gilleonan) attended
a meeting with King James V at Portree, along with a number of
other island lords. He was promptly imprisoned for many years, despite being
promised a safe conduct by the king. He was not released until 1542 when the
Regent Moray tried to use the chiefs in the isles to inhibit the power of the
Campbells in Argyll.
In the 16th
century, the MacNeils augmented their income with a bit of piracy and were
sometimes referred to as the "last of the Vikings". The 15th chief
was denounced so many times that he was labelled a "hereditary
outlaw". On one occasion the chief was tricked into appearing before King James VI for attacking the English ships of
Queen Elizabeth. When asked why he had done so, he replied that he thought he
was doing the King a favour by annoying the woman who had beheaded the
monarch's mother (Mary Queen of Scots). Eventually, the king issued letters
requiring loyal subjects to "extirpate and root out" both the chief
and members of the clan. In 1610, the chief's nephews attacked the seat of the
clan chief at Kiessimul Castle, captured their uncle and put him in chains. The
chief's son became head of the clan and fought for King Charles II at the Battle of Worcester. The next
chief, Roderick Dhu, was received at court in London and granted a royal
charter for all the lands of Barra. The clan remained loyal to the crown -
including the "Old Pretender" when the Jacobite Uprising of 1715 took
place.
The MacNeil
stronghold on Barra was Kisimul Castle. There may have been a building there as
early as the 11th century but the present structure probably dates from the
13th century but the dates are uncertain. The castle was beseiged several time
in the various clan wars. But when the 21st clan chief became bankrupt in 1848,
it was sold along with Barra to the Gordons of Cluny who later sold it to the
Cathcarts. The line of the hereditary chief passed to a cousin who had
emigrated to North America earlier in the 19th century. In a romantic
turnaround, a later clan chief, Robert Lister MacNeil, came back from America
to Barra in 1937 and purchased the castle and subsequently devoted his life to
restoring it. His son, Ian Roderick MacNeil (the 46th of the Clan MacNeil if
you start with Niall of the Nine Hostages) is a distinguished lawyer and has
continued that task. Recently the National Trust has taken over the restoration
work on a long-term lease (for a Pound a year and a bottle of whisky!)
MacNeill of
Colonsay
The members of the
clan who lived on the island of Colonsay usually spelt the name MacNeill. They
had come to Colonsay from Taynish (on the Argyll mainland) and the island of
Gigha. Torquil MacNeill of Taynish was granted the islands of Gigha and Danna
and on the mainland in 1440 by Alexander, Lord of the Isles. Torquil became
keeper of Sween Castle in 1449 but the castle passed to the MacMillans through
marriage to a female heiress when the male line failed.
Torquil MacNeill
had a large number of children who formed many minor branches, creating a
complicated genealogy (which the MacNeill children were said to be required to
recite backwards every Sunday!). Gigha was sold to the Campbells in 1554 but
was later repurchased by the end of the 16th century.
MacNeills had been
established on Colonsay from early times and in 1700 Donald MacNeil of Crear
acquired the island from the Earl of Argyll, in exchange for his own estates.
But when the kelp industry collapsed in the second half of the 19th century,
the island was sold to pay off debts. The chieftainship passed to a MacNeill in
New Zealand.
MacNeills in
Galloway
A separate family
of MacNeills was founded by a Gilbert MacNeill and was granted lands in the
Rhinns of Galloway by Robert the Bruce. Another Galloway family, the
MacNeillys, are unrelated - their name is derived from "mac an
fhilidh" meaning son of the poet.
The MacNeil clan
motto is "Buaidh no bas" which means "Conquer or die".
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