c/o Don MacAskill, Treasurer
8 Huckleberry Lane Hampton, NH 03842-1516 USA
CLANN NA ASKETILL
Descendants of Asketil
The MacAskill Sept Society
Adherents to the Chiefs of MacLeod of Harris
and Great Swordsmen in Defense of that Clan
Spring 2009
Volume VI, Number 1
© 2009 MacAskill Sept Society
The MacAskill Sept Society
Adherents to the Chiefs of MacLeod of Harris
and Great Swordsmen in Defense of that Clan
INSIDE
on page
Wearing it very well
Scottish
Lacrosse
superstar
John
MacAskill and
his lovely
“housewife”
escort Alex
McCord model
tartan fashion
at the Annual
Dressed to
Kilt event in
New York
City, April 09.
MacAskill Sept Society
Gathering 2009 announcement . 3
Excerpts from the “Memories of
George E. McCaskill”................ 4
Talisker, 1798-1847 ................ 8
Wesley Margaret Heron
McCaskill Reunion May 17th ... 13
Dunvegan Castle events in the
Year of Homecoming ............. 14
Other Clan MacLeod News ...... 15
Nova Scotia destinations for
MacAskills ............................ 16
Join us in South Carolina!
Check inside for a preview of the
MacAskill Sept Society 2009
Gathering, to be based in the
Holiday Inn in Camden, South
Carolina.
The worst bunch of bagpipe
jokes ever collected ............... 17
MacAskill Sept Society
membership form
....................... inside back cover
Page 20
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 1
The MacAskill Sept Society
The MacAskill Sept Society
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton, NH 03842 USA
An ancient sept of MacLeod of Harris
On the web at http://www.macaskillseptsociety.org
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION OR RENEWAL FORM
Please print or type
OFFICERS AND CONTACTS
President
Lloyd MacAskill
1149 Veranda Court
Leland, NC 28451-7790 USA
[email protected]
Vice-President, USA
Betty MacAskill Shea
Post Office Box 1975
Exeter, NH 03833 USA
+1 (603) 772-2569
[email protected]
Vice-President, Canada
Treasurer
(and acting membership secretary)
Secretary
[open]
Donald W. MacAskill
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton, NH 03842 USA
+1 (603) 926-4608
[email protected]
Rachel McCaskill Miles
4535 Log Cabin Road
Rembert, SC 27127 USA
[email protected]
Gathering 2009 Coordinator
Newsletter editor and webmistress
Contributions to this newsletter, including
family announcements and photos, your
letters, and suggestions for future articles
are welcome and should be sent to Dorna.
Betty Joe McCaskill Jackson
1713 Woodside Drive
Camden, SC 29020 USA
+1 (803) 432-9358
[email protected]
Dorna Caskie
268 Washington Street
Groveland, MA 01834 USA
[email protected]
+1 (978) 373-7826
COPY DEADLINE FOR SUMMER ISSUE: June 15, 2009
Page 2
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Member
name:
Address:
Town or
city:
State or
Province:
Country:
Postal
code:
Phone:
E-mail:
Signature:
Date
Annual dues are $25.00 (in US funds) and
should be paid annually on July 1st.
Your dues cover the costs of this newsletter and preparation for our
Gatherings. Please send your membership form and a check or money
order to:
The MacAskill Sept Society
c/o Don MacAskill
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton NH 03842-1516
OPTIONAL:
If your name is not
“MacAskill” (any spelling),
what is your connection
to the name “MacAskill”?
May we contact you for the names of any others who might be
interested in joining the MacAskill Sept Society? YES NO
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 19
dead snake in the road and dead bagpiper in the road?
A. Skid marks in front of the snake.
MacAskill Sept Society Gathering 2009 announcement
In 2009 you are warmly welcomed to the
Holiday Inn Express in Camden, South
Carolina for the annual gathering of friends,
family, and supporters of the Sept MacAskill.
Q. What’s the difference between a dead bagpiper in the road
and a dead country singer in the road?
A. The country singer may have been on the way to a recording
session.
Q. What’s the range of a bagpipe?
A. 20 yards if you have a good arm.
Q. Why are bagpipers fingers like
lightning?
A. They rarely strike the same spot
twice.
If you took all the
bagpipers in the
world and laid
them end to end
with their arms
folded under them
— it would be a
good idea.
We have reserved a block of rooms for the
nights of Friday October 2 and Saturday
October 3 at $99.00 per night. Reservations
can be made through the hotel by calling
(803) 424-2565.
Camden is a 45 minute drive from the
Columbia, SC Metropolitan airport. The
airport is serviced by a number of major
airlines. Further information available at
http://www.columbiaairport.com.
Q. How can you tell if a bagpipe is out of tune?
A. Someone is blowing into it.
Q. What do you call ten bagpipes at the bottom of the ocean?
A. A good start.
Q. Why do bagpipers walk when they play?
A. To get away from the sound.
Our program will feature a wine and cheese
reception on Friday night, our Annual General
Meeting on Saturday morning, a tour of
historic Camden on Saturday afternoon, and a
Sept dinner on Saturday night, including
traditional Scottish entertainment.
Q. What’s the definition of “optimism”
A. A bagpiper with a beeper.
Two girls are walking along the road when they hear. "Psst!
Down here!" They both look down and see a frog sitting beside the
road. The frog says to them, "Hey, if you kiss me I'll turn into a
world famous bagpiper and make you both rich and famous!" The
two girls look at each other, then one of them reaches down and
grabs the frog, and stuffs it in her pocket.
The other girl says, "What did you do that for?"
The first replies, "I'm not stupid. I know a talking frog is worth
heaps more than a famous bagpiper any day.”
Page 18
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
The Bethesda Presbyterian Church in
downtown Camden is very excited to be
hosting the “Kirking of the Tartan” service on
Sunday morning.
Bring yourself, your family stories, items for
the silent auction, and be ready to enjoy a
relaxing weekend in an historic and beautiful
part of the southern United States.
???
If you have any further questions, please
contact Betty Joe McCaskill (information is on
the inside cover of this newsletter.)
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 3
Excerpts from the “Memories of George E. McCaskill”
Anne McCaskill Libis has generously shared with us part of her
grandfather’s autobiography, which is available as a 32-page
booklet on the Sept’s website, at
http://www.macaskillseptsociety.org/publications.
The selections from the booklet that is included below vividly
recalls some of the people in George’s life and the values with
which they lived. Lessons learned gracefully from another
difficult economic time.
A brief introduction to our family tree
The date of my birth was November 4,
1884, and the place, a small community known
as Bayou Wallace settlement about five or six
miles southeast of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana.
My mother’s maiden name was Sally Lula
Howard, and she was born July 8, 1861, at or
near Mansfield, Louisiana, the parish (or
county) seat of DeSoto Parish, and she died
April 13, 1891 at Pelican in the same parish.
My father, Samuel Ellis McCaskill, was born July
3, 1860, near the Strong River and about six
miles from that was then Westville, the county seat, now
Mendenhall, Mississippi. He died October 7, 1929, at
Homestead, Florida, Mother and father were married December
27, 1883. They were then poor indeed, having nothing, and
neither had much education. She had attended Mansfield
Female College at Mansfield, Louisiana, where her mother,
Virginia Davis had graduated. Virginia Davis later married J. E.
Howard. My mother was the only child of that marriage and
also had attended that same college, but I do not think she
graduated there. That college for young women was one of
many then existing throughout the south, and evidently was not
any more than the equivalent of what is now a junior high
school. That college was housed in either a two or three story
brick building, still in some sort of use when I saw it in 1939.
. . . . .
Page 4
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
The worst bunch of bagpipe jokes ever collected
Q. What’s the difference between a
bagpipe and an onion?
A. No one cries when you cut up a
bagpipe.
Q. What’s the difference between a
bagpipe and a trampoline?
A. You take off your shoes when you
jump on a trampoline.
Q. How can you tell a bagpiper with perfect pitch?
A. He can throw a set into the middle of a pond and not hit any
of the ducks.
Q. How is playing a bagpipe like throwing a javelin blindfolded?
A. You don’t have to be very good to get people’s attention.
Q. What’s the difference between a lawn mower and a bagpipe?
A. You can tune the lawn mower.
Q. If you were lost in the woods, who would you trust for
directions: an in-tune bagpipe player, an
Did you hear the
out-of-tune bagpipe player, or Santa
one about the
Claus?
bagpiper who
A. The out-of-tune bagpipe player.
parked his car with
The other two indicate you have been
the windows open,
hallucinating.
forgetting that he
had left his bagpipes
in the back seat?
He rushed back as
soon as he realized
it, but it was too late
-- someone had
already put another
set of bagpipes in
the car!
Q. How do you make a chain saw
sound like a bagpipe?
A. Add vibrato.
Q. What’s the definition of a
gentleman?
A. Someone who knows how to play
the bagpipe and doesn’t.
Q. What’s the difference between a
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 17
The MacAskill Sept Society
Reconnect with your Scottish heritage –
even explore your “inner Giant”! As a member of the MacAskill Sept Society you have the opportunity
to bond with kin and to share our research. Our dues are held at a
level to cover actual costs of communication, and low enough to fit
into nearly anyone's ability to participate.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEES ARE DUE YEARLY ON JULY 1.
If you do not respond to the renewal reminder when you receive it,
we regret that we will have to drop you from the mailing list.
To join or renew your membership, please use the
Membership Application at the end of this newsletter.
PLEASE SEND YOUR $25.00 (in US FUNDS)
CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:
The MacAskill Sept Society
c/o Don MacAskill, Treasurer
8 Huckleberry Lane
Hampton NH 03842-1516 USA
If you know others who would be interested in receiving this
newsletter and joining the society, please e-mail me and I will gladly
contact them about membership. Prospective members will receive
one free copy of our newsletter.
Thank you
Don MacAskill, Treasurer, [email protected]
Nova Scotia destinations for MacAskills
If you are on holiday in “the great white north”, don’t forget
that there are many historical sites to visit, and quite of few of
them are filled with MacAskill family lore. These include the
Giant MacAskill Museum (Halifax), the North Highland Museum
(Dingwall), and the MacAskill Museum (Cape Breton).
Nova Scotia’s Official office of tourism is “always open” at
http://www.novascotia.com/.
Page 16
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Lucretia Davis, my mother's only aunt… took a position as a
teacher at Bayou Wallace and later married Preston L. Barron
there. The mother of Virginia and Lucretia Davis was Margaret
Davis, nee Galaspy. My mother’s mother died of child birth or
shortly thereafter, and my mother was put in the care of her
grandmother, Margaret Davis.
Margaret Davis, after the death of her husband, went to live
with her daughter Lucretia Barron and took mother. They raised
her at Bayou Wallace settlement, so it was there that my
mother and father met and were married December 27, 1883.
To them there was born:
•
•
•
•
George Elliott McCaskill on November 4, 1884;
James Marshall McCaskill on July 25, 1886, died Feb. 16,
1958;
Zeffie Ola McCaskill on February 9, 1888; and
Virginia Ethel McCaskill on March 16, 1890, died September
17, 1890.
J. E. Howard, my mother’s father, went to San Diego,
California, while my mother was quite young. He stayed and
later remarried there, and had two daughters and a son by that
marriage.
Memories of my grandfather, Samuel F. McCaskill
My grandfather, Samuel F. McCaskill died September 23,
1899. Of him and my Grandma, Lurenia McCaskill (whom he
called “Wrennie”), I must say something.
He was tall and slender, smoked a little stone pipe only when
he was sitting in his particular chair at its particular place on his
porch, or by the fireplace when it got cold. He rarely was
profane, talked very little to anybody, never visited neighbors
unless they were very sick or in distress, and then he and others
would harvest their crop or do whatever else was needed. He
kept a quart of whiskey in his little trunk and unless needed for
medicine it was never touched except one drink for himself and
any son who happened to be visiting on Christmas day. He had
several horses but he never rode or worked any except a white
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 5
one called “Old Tom”. Nobody else was ever permitted to touch
Old Tom, although one son, then single, lived with them.
circumstances which may lead to cancellation of the event,
MacLeod Estate will refund all ticket money paid.
He never went to church or any where else, except to town
about five miles away about once in three months. If he
laughed it was little and low in tone, but his face was always
pleasant. On Sunday he got out a horse named Mandy and put
Grandma’s side saddle on her so Grandma could go to church.
He had his blacksmith shop and shoe lasts where he repaired
shoes and everything metallic.
The Homecoming Lecture in association with the Clan MacLeod.
He was glad to have his children and grandchildren visit, but
all were greeted with few words. Then he sat and listened long
and laughed. My Grandma was much the same way and with so
little she could put together some very good eats. They had four
sons and four daughters, all most loyal to them. They were both
kind to everybody, but without emotional show. After my
mother’s death I lived with them about a year and I shall never
forget their kindness to me and to every animal on their place horses, cows, hogs, chickens, geese, cats and dogs.
He had a small metal covered trunk which sat in a corner in
which all his little personal things (including that quart of
whiskey) were kept. On a nail over it a silver watch and chain
hung, but were never used. Everybody, including me, knew
that those things were never to be touched, and they weren’t.
That was just understood and everybody respected it.
His last illness came shortly after he was 67 years of age. I
presume that I was his favorite grandchild, and he had often
seen me stand and gaze at that watch and his little trunk.
Several of his children were there when he died. He probably
sent for them and for me. He had one of them get that watch
and chain and call me to his bedside. He handed it to me and
gave me the trunk also then. He had been raised to a sitting
position. Then he was laid back and died in a few minutes.
Remembering the values learned in a farmer’s life
[My grandparents] were self sufficient except for such
necessities as salt, some flour and sugar, some cloth, powder
and shot, some leather and shoe tacks and some kerosene.
Page 6
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Award-winning journalist, broadcaster and
author, Professor James Hunter's lecture will
focus on the themes of emigration, the
diaspora and Homecoming at Dunvegan Castle
on 11th July at 7:00PM. The lecture will be
followed by drinks and canapés in the castle's
dining room. Chief Hugh MacLeod of MacLeod
and other members of the Associated Clan
MacLeod Societies will be attending this event.
Professor James
Hunter, noted
author of
“Scottish Exodus”
Blas Festival 2009/ Clan MacLeod – A Musical Celebration
The Blas Festival (http://www.blas-festival.com) celebrates
the culture of the Scottish Highlands through music and
language. Devised by The Highland Council in partnership with
Fèisean nan Gàidheal and the Promoters Arts Network, Blas now
enters its fifth year and is continuing to grow.
The festival this year will include a week of fabulous musical
events in the Skye area, including “Clan MacLeod - A Musical
Celebration” on Saturday 5th September 2009 in Dunvegan
Castle 7:30PM. (See http://www.blas-festival.com/skyelochalsh.html for a list of performing artists and information on
how to book tickets.)
Other Clan MacLeod News
The April 2009 issue of Clan MacLeod Magazine includes a
preliminary schedule for the Clan MacLeod Parliament 2010/
World Gathering, which will take place in Dunvegan, Isle of
Skye, from 24-31 July. Parliament will be preceded by both the
traditional North Room Group service project week and a short
tour of MacLeod lands, both to take place in Assynt. Clan
MacLeod Magazine is available to members of the Clan MacLeod
Society. For further information, see http://www.clanmacleod.org.
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 15
Dunvegan Castle events in the Year of Homecoming
If you are lucky enough to be able to travel to Scotland this year,
you will have many special events from which to choose. 2009 is
the Year of Homecoming (http://www.homecomingscotland.com)
and this theme unites activities in the arts, athletics, dining,
tourism, and many other cultural experiences of Scotland. Chief
Hugh MacLeod of MacLeod has announced several events based
at Dunvegan Castle.
For ticket or further information on the events below, please call
01470 521206 or send an email to [email protected].
Burns Night Supper at Dunvegan Castle
The Year of Homecoming was kicked off by a fabulous Burns Night
dinner on 24 January. The meal was followed by an evening of
entertainment in the castle, featuring piping by Euan Macrimmon
(winner of the Silver Chanter in 2006), a poetry reading by Scott
Martin (winner of The Poem For Scotland Prize), and a recital by
Darren MacLean.
Talisker Whisky Evenings at Dunvegan Castle
To celebrate Homecoming
Scotland's Whisky Month, Dunvegan
Castle is hosting Talisker whisky
tastings on Saturday 9, 16, 23 and
30 of May 2009, at 7:00PM. Enjoy a
selection of Skye's most famous
Malts served with canapes to
compliment their rich flavour in the
elegant surroundings of the Castle's
dining room.
The evening will start with an introductory talk followed by
the tastings. Each whisky is carefully matched with canapés.
The full menu, including the extraordinary pairings with whisky,
can be viewed at http://www.dunvegancastle.com. The evening
will also include exclusive guided tours of the Castle by Ms
Maureen Byers, Castle Curator.
What Grandpa (and his shoe lasts and blacksmith shop) and
Grandma (with her sewing, carding and knitting) couldn’t
produce was given little thought. The country people were
honest and if any suffered serious illness or some of their
premises were burned, the whole countryside went in force to
their aid. The dogs protected everything from any possible
trespass and from varmints which might molest the chickens,
geese or pigs. Those dogs were alert and unafraid of any thing,
and vicious if need be.
There were two neighbors, each about three quarters of a
mile away, and everybody else was no nearer than from two to
three miles away. It was all so solidly peaceful and tranquil, the
whole air so pleasing, the real comfort in warmth in winter and
in what we had to eat and wear (though our wearing apparel
was scant, and our ignorance of or absence of desire for more,
all with quiet unemotional love and consideration so obviously
sincere, that I longed afterwards to return and see that old
place and my beautiful imaginary picture of it. However, my
immediate family left for Florida in 1907 for keeps and I did in
June, 1908.
But after 38 years from my farming experience there with
Grandma, I went back to see and try to satisfy my longing. The
land was then owned by others. The old log house and all the
other buildings I have mentioned had long since burned and all
the trees there were destroyed by the fire. The “goose hole”
down in the pasture was the only thing left just as when I was
there. The sparkling spring I had fondly remembered was still
there but a concrete wall had been built around it. That
destroyed its natural beauty. The water did not seem as clear
and cool and sparkling. My beautiful scene of contentment was
destroyed. I sometimes wish I had not gone back.
More of George’s heartfelt memories of his grandparents’ home,
his early work with the railways, and his experiences as a
student are included in the pamphlet on the Sept’s website, at
http://www.macaskillseptsociety.org/publications.
Ticket Price: £30 per person. Tickets must be purchased in
advance, not available on the night. In the event of unforeseen
Page 14
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 7
Talisker, 1798-1847
This article is another one that we are pleased to be able to
reprint from the Clan MacLeod Magazine. The original article
concerned itself with the House of Talisker, home to one of the
great cadet families of the Clan MacLeod. It was originally
published in “Clan MacLeod Magazine”, volume 8/No. 49, 1979.
This excerpt begins at the point where the MacAskills came
onto the scene in Talisker. While this is not a very flattering or
heroic portrayal of our MacAskill ancestors, it is always
important to understand even the most unfortunate parts of our
history – if only so that we may not repeat it ourselves.
Hugh MacAskill is the same Hugh MacAskill (Eoghainn Mor, or
“Big Hugh”) named in Alasdair MacLean’s article, “The
MacAskills of Rubh’ an Dùnain”, a Clan MacLeod Magazine
article also reprinted by the MacAskill Sept Society, in our 2008
newsletters volume V, numbers 3 and 4 (Fall and Winter).
“The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold”
In 1825 the tack of Talisker was taken by Hugh MacAskill.
Born at Fort William in 1799, where his father was a doctor,
Hugh appears to have been the second cousin of Catherine
MacLean who had married Donald MacLeod of Talisker. Though
the traditional MacAskill genealogy is inaccurate, Hugh’s
grandfather, minister of Kilmallie in Argyllshire and then of the
Small Isles, married as his second wife, in 1760, Mary MacLean,
who was said to be the sister of the young chief of Coll who was
drowned on his way to Eigg, and for whom she wrote a poem.
Though Mary does not appear in the MacLean genealogy she
might have been the sister of Hugh MacLean 14th of Coll, who
died in 1786, and aunt of Donald younger of Coll, who
befriended Johnson and Boswell, and was drowned at Ulva in
1774.
Rev. Malcolm’s and Mary’s eldest son was called Hugh, as
was their eldest grandson, which suggests a close connection
with the Coll family. Mary’s mother might, therefore, have been
Marion, daughter of Sir Norman MacLeod of Berneray, and
Mary’s brother Hugh was married to Janet, sister of Col. John
Page 8
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
him, he named the new fort he had built in Alberta — Calgary.
In 1849 Talisker House was rented by Ewen and Donald
Cameron. Thirty-three
years later John MacAskill
of Femlea was to testify
that “what the Assyrians
left undone the
Babylonians finished. I
want to speak about the
living. I will begin with
Mr. Cameron, Talisker, as
Old Church at Eynort, by John Allen
he succeeded MacAskill.”
Sources
The MacLeods of Talisker, "Genealogy", Section II pp1 1-22
and Bruce MacLeod, Sydney, with reference to the Dunvegan
Papers and contemporary newspapers and letters; the British
Army List 1794-1808. The MacLeans of Coll in "Clan Gillean.
Report of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the condition of the
Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and a Islands of Scotland",
(The Napier Commission), Parliamentary Papers 1884,
Vols.XXXII - XXXVI. The MacAskills, in "Clan Macleod
Magazine", 1951 and The Old Songs of Skye, Ethel Bassin. The
Old and New Statistical Accounts for the parish of Bracadale.
Financial details from the "Book of Dunvegan", Canon Roderick
MacLeod. For further reading on the early 19th century see Dr.
Grant’s "The MacLeods", and James Hunter’s "The Making of the
Crofting Community".
Wesley Margaret Heron McCaskill Reunion May 17th
This note from Betty Joe McCaskill: the Wesley Margaret
Heron McCaskill reunion will take place at the Cassatt Baptist
Church in Cassatt, SC on May 17th. For further information,
please see inside front cover for Betty Joe's contact details.
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
Page 13
MacCaskill, Esq., and is a neat modern building and appears to
considerable advantage from the sea.” The account adds that
“the Cheviot breed of sheep were, some years ago, introduced
by Mr. Cameron, one of Mr. MacCaskill’s tenants, and they are
thriving beyond all expectation.” One of the other land owners
in the parish was Hugh’s cousin Hugh MacLean 16th of Coll.
In 1846 Donald and Colina MacAskill moved from Rubh' an
Dùnain, ancestral home of their family for more than 600 years,
and took the tack of Drynoch, which had been vacated by
Captain Martin MacLeod of the Drynoch family. Captain Martin
emigrated to Canada where he settled and called his farm
Drynoch. One of his sons was James Farquharson MacLeod who
founded the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Fort MacLeod.
Hugh and Jessie MacAskill, with Margaret Tolme and her
young children, unmarried sisters and servants, moved from
Talisker to Rubh' an Dùnain, and with Donald at Drynoch, the
MacAskills possessed almost all the parish of Bracadale, about
140,000 acres. Donald died suddenly at Drynoch in November
1847. His wife Colina, with her family of Kenneth, Hugh,
Donald, John, Christina and Jane emigrated to New Zealand,
where Donald and Colina’s brothers, both called Allan had set
up business.
In 1849, with crofters destitute after the ravages of three
years of the potato famine, Hugh MacAskill gave up the tack of
Talisker to Ewen Cameron of Beolary in Glenelg and his son
Donald. Hugh concentrated more on his property in Mull and
Rubh' an Dùnain, and as the years passed farmed less and less
land, while the neighbouring farm of Glenbrittle was enlarged.
In 1857 Jessie died and two years later the rent for Rubh' an
Dùnain had been reduced from £1,250 to £330. In March 1863
“Hugh MacAskill of Momish in Mull and tacksman successively of
Talisker and Rubh' an Dùnain” died at Rubh' an Dùnain, and was
buried in the MacAskill corner of the grave yard at Eynort. He
was the last of his family to hold the ancestral lands of his clan.
Calgary Castle was sold to John Munro MacKenzie. One of his
daughters so captivated James Farquharson MacLeod, when he
visited Calgary from Canada, that though she refused to marry
Page 12
The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
MacLeod, 4th of Talisker.
Hugh’s grandfather, Rev. Malcolm, had died at Eigg in 1787.
His father had taken a tack of Kildonan in Eigg and become
doctor for the Small Isles in 1804, where Hugh was brought up
with his nine brothers and sisters. While returning from Arisaig,
on the mainland, with the minister Rev. Donald Fraser and a
boat-load of cattle, on approaching Eigg a storm blew up, the
cattle grew restive and capsized the boat. All those on board
were drowned except a travelling tailor who grabbed the tail of a
cow and was pulled ashore. Hugh was not yet eighteen years
old, and his youngest sister fourteen months.
Hugh moved with his mother
and family to Borline, a
tacksman’s house in Minginish in
Skye on the shore opposite Eigg.
He was probably assisted by his
second cousin Kenneth MacAskill
of Rubh' an Dùnain. Kenneth’s
rent for his tack had been raised
to £700 in 1811, almost 10% of
the total rental on all the
MacLeod Estates. He had been
the first to start clearing the
inhabitants off his lands, as early
as 1813. He made Glenbrittle a
desert. He cleared Sataran,
Glenbrittle, Merkedale, Trien,
Craicinish, Brunol, Borline and
Brae-eynort — about 75 families
or 400 people. Alexander
MacAskill, whose family had been
removed from fertile Glenbrittle
to the barren island of Soay
stated that Kenneth MacAskill, or
‘Old Ruadha’ as he was called,
sent the people to Charlestown,
South Carolina, “where they were
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Page 9
sold for slaves. He left them poor enough and robbed the
clothes off their backs.”
With his cousin clearing Minginish, and his grandfather who
was factor to MacLean of Ardgour, clearing Ardgour, Hugh
MacAskill came to Talisker prepared to carry on the work started
by Dr. Lauchian MacLean.
According to Murdo MacKay, Hugh was “a year or two in
possession when he commenced the, clearances” at Talisker.
He removed 15 or 16 families from Ardfreck and Heille and 16
families from Fernlea. The crofters paid their rents not to the
Chief but to Hugh who, when he cleared the land which had
been improved and made arable by generations of crofters,
merely added it to his own grazings. John MacAskill of Femlea
confirmed that “when Hugh MacAskill succeeded the doctor he
got Talisker and the places that were cleared by Dr. MacLean,
and he was barely settled when he commenced the same
operations himself.”
He eventually removed 30 familes from Fernlea. He also
cleared completely Fiskavaig, Ardhoil and Carbost. John
MacAskill, testified in 1883, that Hugh “cleared Carbosteg for
himself for the purpose of erecting a distillery at Carbost.”
The distillery was built in 1830 and was run by Hugh’s
brother Kenneth. The backbreaking labour of cutting peats for
the furnaces and carrying the grain and barrels was carried out
by a "lucky" few who had been removed to tiny plots near the
distillery and then forced by the smallness of the ground they
held to work for a pittance.
A leading part in the social life of Skye
In the elegance of Talisker House, with its fine trees and
garden, Hugh and his family lived a comfortable life. Hugh
married Jessie, a daughter of Lauchian MacKinnon of Corrie,
near Broadford, whose family and house had been immortalised
by Johnson and Boswell in 1773. According to John Mackenzie,
writing in 1927, “Hugh MacAskill and his wife took a leading part
in the social life of Skye and their hospitality was enjoyed by a
large circle of literary and other friends from all parts of the
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The MacAskill Sept Society Newsletter Volume VI, Number 1
kingdom." Of Hugh’s family,
Kenneth was the Bank agent
in Portree and ran the
Distillery. Malcolm died aged
23 at Talisker having just
become a minister. John
became a doctor and
emigrated to Canada. Allan
emigrated to New Zealand
where he set up in business
with a cousin.
Talisker House today can be
leased as a holiday home,
through www.historic-uk.com
Only two of Hugh’s five
sisters married. One of the
spinsters was Janet Hobart, who had been named after her ill
fated cousin Janet MacLean who had married George Hobart.
Hugh’s second youngest sister Margaret married in 1826, John
Tolme, tacksman of Uiginish, opposite Dunvegan Castle.
Margaret had nine children, of whom Frances, called Fanny, was
the eighth, born in 1840. Four years later John Tolme died
suddenly, and Margaret with her younger children went to live
at Talisker with her brother. Frances Tolme, who returned to
Dunvegan in 1916 and died in 1926, became an outstanding
collector of Gaelic traditional songs, and 105 of them appeared
as the 16th issue of the Journal of the Folk Song Society in
1911.
Hugh’s youngest sister Colina, who had been only a little
over a year old when her father died, married about 1836 her
second cousin Donald MacAskill of Rubh' an Dùnain, where she
went to live. Donald’s mother died in 1838 aged 60 and ‘Old
Rudha’ three years later aged 83 and both were buried at
Eynort.
Some years previously Hugh’s uncle Allan MacAskill, having
made his fortune in India, purchased the Castle of Calgary in
Mull from the Marquis of Northampton. Allan died in 1840 and
left his estates in Mornish in Mull to Hugh. Most of Mornish had
already been cleared for sheep by the Marquis of Northampton.
In 1843 Calgary Castle was described as “the seat of Hugh
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