Islay: call to place

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MV Finlaggan at Kennacraig

Back in May, we took the ferry from Kennacraig in Kintyre to Port Askaig on beautiful Islay (pronounced Eye-la) where we spent a wonderful week tramping all over the island. We last visited on our epic Hebridean tour of 1989, parts of which we replicated last summer, so we were well overdue a visit, especially as we had only been there for a couple of days the first time and felt we hadn’t done it justice. Since then, of course, a certain amount of Islay whisky had been consumed and it was not impossible that a distillery – or two, or more – would appear on our itinerary.

John and Janet Sinclair, John and Meg

In addition to the scenery and whisky, another attraction of Islay was the pull of family lore. One of my great-grandfathers, my mother’s maternal grandfather John Joss Sinclair, was born there in 1866. John was destined to be a Church Minister, as decided by his father. However, he declared that he had no intention of going around the countryside with his collar on back to front, and at 16 years old he ran away from the island to mainland Scotland.

Over the next few years John was employed in farms around the West of Scotland and became a noted ploughman. Eventually, he arrived at Kilmacolm to work on The Green Farm where he fell in love with the farmer’s daughter, Janet Carson. John and Janet’s first child, and only son, John, was born in 1886, sometime before their marriage. By 1901 seven daughters had been added to the family, so Janet’s life must have been a hard slog.

John Sinclair ploughing, 1908

John and Janet worked on farms in Coatbridge, Cumbernauld and Amochrie, and John was eventually in charge of a Clydesdale stallion. In his fifties, he gave up farm work and returned to Kilmacolm. They moved into the Bridgend Toll House, which came with his new job in charge of the road-menders. The Toll figures largely in Mum’s many happy memories of her childhood. Here she is in the late 1920s as a baby and toddler, “Wee Chrissie”, with her grandparents. For reference, Janet must be about the same age as I am now. How times have changed!

Mum and her Granny
Mum and her Grandaddy

John never went back to see his parents, only returning to Islay in later life with one of his grandchildren (not my mum) to see his sister Katie MacAffer. He and Janet are both buried in Kilmacolm – compare the gravestone below as it was after my great-grandmother died in 1949, and as it is today. (Thanks to my cousin, Tracy Rice, for the current photo.)

Janet Carson’s grave
Grave of John Joss Sinclair and Janet Carson

When we visited Islay in 1989 I either didn’t know about this family history or wasn’t especially interested, I can’t remember. However, in the last few years I’ve worked with Mum to blog about her memories – you can read her post John and Janet for a fuller version of what I’ve written here – and now I’m much more aware. I’m not about to start researching our family tree (far too much like hard work) but I love collecting the stories Mum is passing down and decided on our recent visit to Islay to look out for any references to Sinclairs or MacAffers.

So we went to Islay looking for whisky, walking and family history. The next few posts will tell you how we got on. This post, I’m linking to Cathy at ~wander.essence~ who has a monthly Call to Place strand in which she invites you to write about what enticed you to choose a recently visited or future destination. Head over there for her fabulous traveller’s tales!

Family history, People, Scotland, UK , ,

95 Comments »

  2. Pingback: Kilmacolm: a family history – The Glasgow Gallivanter
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  4. How wonderful that you are helping your Mom record family history. Although my Mom recounted many family stories to me, none of it was written down, and now that she’s gone, I find that the family history is fading from my mind.

    Jude

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  6. Looking at old photos really highlights how we age differently to past generations. Sixty is the new forty and all that.
    The photos are lovely — they both look like kindly people.

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  7. I’m so sorry i am late to read this but I love family lore and history. I love the old pictures too and I can see the resemblance between your great grandfather and you

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  9. Islay sounds wonderful, and the family connection must make it all the more special. I love your family photos, which put me in mind of some of the photos I have of my own family: it was a shock finding out recently that I am older than most of the people in them, who I was convinced were decades older than me.

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  10. Hi Anabel, Interesting about the family history from Islay (thanks for pronunciation – I had it wrong:) Hard work meant something different in those times. Truly, hard work. Unfortunately, many stories can be lost. It is great you are trying to collect some from your Mum:) I look forward to reading more:)

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  11. Whisky, walking and family history. I love it. Reading this from Australia and dreaming of a Scottish island holiday. My husband was born in Falkirk but his family history is not something we know yet – he was adopted as a baby. I loved this story of yours.

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  13. You had me with scenery and whiskey but hooked me with the family lore. We tend to think of our elders (and their elders) as being all prim, proper and by the book. But when you hear the stories of their youth, its all running away, out of wedlock births (and in m grandmother’s case a lot of forbidden lipstick and youthful drinking involved) before they settled down into their ‘prim and proper’ routines. Very hard to believe Janet was the same age as you are now in that picture – she looks well over 100 ;-). And speaking of age, amazing how quickly those gravestones have weathered.

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  14. One one research project I was doing in the early 2000s I was hoping to use Islay as a case study because of their pioneering approach to sustainable energy. Is the wave-energy generator still going well?
    And I have run out of Islay, Oban, Tobermory and and another malt. Disaster looms!

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  15. I must admit, I can’t see/read the word “Islay” without immediately adding “malt” to it, thing of the Laphroaig I used to like a lot. Wonderfully peaty!

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  17. I’m with you…I don’t really care about tracing long-lost relatives, but love hearing family stories about them. It makes them seem so much more real! It’s sad that John wasn’t able to reconcile with his parents, but it does sound as if he had a good life and choose his own path. Thanks for sharing this story!

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  18. Having ancestors from the Islay is certainly a good reason to visit, not that anyone really needs an insensitive. My mum has been to Islay , it’s on my list! I think with buying a caravan in the North Lakes, we might use it to split up a journey to Scotland, though maybe the borders or Dumfries & Galloway first. X

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  20. One day I will visit the Scottish islands ( if I last that long!)
    Interesting to read of the family connection to Islay. It adds a different element and focus to the visit. Last year I visited Thessaloniki, a place I’d never had thought of going, due to a family connection. As well as being interesting (and moving) for that reason I loved the city too.

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  21. Fabulously lovely post. How great to discover some family history and also see the beautiful island of Islay. Always fancied a trip out there.

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  22. Lovely lovely post, and somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. Must get ourselves organised, although we were all planned for this summer until MrB’s sister fell seriously ill and so life has become very topsy turvey again this year. Anyhow we will do it one day. In the meanwhile if you ever want any genealogy done, just say . . it is something I enjoy doing, and Scottish history is easier than English thanks to the Scot’s brilliant organisation of historical records 🙂

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    • It’s well worth a visit, Becky, really beautiful. I’m sorry to hear about your sister-in-law, I don’t know how you juggle everything. I’m just about keeping up with looking at blue squares, but we’ve been away and commenting has been rare. Even though i’m not participating I see blue squares everywhere and can’t help composing them! It struck me a few days ago that I should have tweeted one every day, which would have been easy and sort of joining in, but I didn’t want to start in the middle of the month. Maybe next time!

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  23. Funnily enough, although I’ve visited Islay I’ve never been inside a distillery there, or anywhere else. The North Atlantic cliffs on the island were the main draw. Always liked Kilmacolm as a special place and landscape although farming anywhere in those days must have been tough.

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    • We only spent one day in distilleries, honest! The rest we spent walking. It’s a fabulous island. Kilmacolm is very changed since my mum’s childhood. Her grandparents’ home and her own home are long gone, though these days they would probably be upgraded into very desirable cottages.

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  24. What a fascinating connection, Anabel! John certainly chose a harder life for himself than wearing his collar backwards. Lovely bit of family history and superb photos. 🙂 🙂

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  26. I have always thought about my family history but we have always had a sort of disjointed family. Dad died when I was at school and I spent my life being raised by four females. For example I have only three cousins, I know where one is, another is somewhere in Glasgow and one is just missing. Don’t even know if she is still alive, although I would like to think so. I tried to find her but failed – it was all too hard. I am in contact with the one here in Australia and I’ll probably leave it at that. So glad you know what you do of your family, and like the idea of touring Islay with you over the next few posts.

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  27. As an avid family historian, I enjoyed learning about your ancestors and their lives. I have visited several places because of family history connections – both mine and my husband’s – and find it does add a layer of engagement to a place, wondering what it would have looked like in their time and what else was going on in the community. I look forward to reading your posts about Islay.

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  28. Goodness, Janet would have been a busy lady. Isn’t it interesting to think how things have changed. My memories of both my grandmothers would have started from when they would have been about the age I am now. I can’t remember either of them ever wearing long pants, they never worked outside the home and they both just always seemed like old ladies.

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  29. Thank you for sharing your family story and photos. My grandfather has always been one for sharing family history through his stories, although some of them I take with a very large pinch of salt!

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  30. It must be so lovely to revisit places where your roots came from. I bet John and Janet could’ve told some stories with all those children!

    I have to admit, when I saw the picture for this post, I got a bit excited. Good old CalMac ferries. 😉

    Cait @ Of Needles and Noodles

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  31. Hi Anabel – how interesting to read about your family connections with Islay – but I’m glad to read you’re collecting your mother’s stories before they are lost … and especially if she’s happy to tell them – a great boon.

    Also re the unravelling towards a family tree really involves people doesn’t it … my father’s brother, a civil engineer, sorted out his father’s and mother’s family – woodworkers and toymakers in East London … 8 in one line, 9 in the other! I’m very glad to have them! Also fortunately had books written up about various facets of both families … but no children – really only for my need …

    So pleased for you … it sounds like a wonderful trip and a good deed your cousin, Tracy, is doing … cheers Hilary

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  33. Anabel, I love that story. I, too, have become much more interested in my family history. I am waiting on DNA test results, in fact. So glad to hear you enjoyed your time on Islay. 🙂

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  34. Hi. In the late 1960s, Donovan recorded a beautiful song called Isle Of Islay. I don’t know how to copy and paste links with my phone, so unfortunately I can’t include the link here. Enjoy the week. Be seeing you.

    Neil

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  36. Your family connection with Islay is very interesting. I now look forward to hearing more about the whisky and walking. Bit of trivia .. Queen Victoria had a dog called Islay and there is a sculpture of it in Sydney.

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  37. I’m catching up, slowly. Islay is a place I’ve always wanted to visit, never sure why, perhaps it’s just the name or the chance to sample the particular blend of uisge beatha (hope I’ve got the spelling right) that is made there.

    I often wish that I’d spent more time listening to my mother’s stories but I was too impatient and by the time I was interested in history I was married and living far away and visits home didn’t seem to lend themselves to this. Always I came away thinking, next time I’ll write these stories down, but she died before I got around to it. Now I pester my brothers for their memories of what our town looked like before modernisation.

    As always, your photos are brilliant.

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    • There is something magical about Islay which I hope my next few posts will show – and it’s not just the Angel’s Share in the air! I’m lucky now to have a collection of family stories in my mum’s blog. I’m so glad we thought to do that.

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  38. It’s very different to travel to a place that has a personal family connection. How interesting it must be to hear the stories and then make the connections to the physical place!

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  39. I always love your family lore posts, Anabel. What a great call to visit Islay: family lore, walking, scenery, and whiskey all rolled up together. I love this line: “However, he declared that he had no intention of going around the countryside with his collar on back to front…” He obviously had figured out that the way he wanted to live his life was not aligned with his parents’ vision. Good for him for lighting out toward his own destiny.

    I often think it would be interesting to do some genealogy research, but like you, I think the task would be too much work, and too daunting! I’ll link this to my call to place post this Thursday. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

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  40. Some interesting family history there. I like how John said he didn’t want to wear his collar back to front – that was how I thought of church ministers when I was a child 🙂

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