Stewarts of Balquhidder

[charmian]

Hello Belinda and Ryk,
Laggan ïn its entirety consisted - indeed consists - of Arnandamh, Stronyre and Laggan. And no, the settlement of Stronyre is not Strathyre but lies between Keip and Laggan, on the other side of the cental core of Laggan away from Arnandamh. As I said you can see the remains of the stones and the outline of the houses. Arnandamh was or is much more than just the hill behind. It stretched right down to the flat lands of Loch Lubnaig. Arnandamh with its castle was even more ancient than Stronyre. Unfortunately I have no idea of the extent of Laggan, but by the time James was in Laggan, Laggan covered the whole property.
It is very unlikely that they split up the farm - in Scotland, as your know, there was a sort of unwritten allodial law to pass the land in its entirety to the next generation otherwise it would become too small to farm profitably.
Of course you can look up John Stewart in the records and see if there is anything more about him there, (it should be in the Comrie records by then?) a daughter and so forth. But the term heiress in those times seems a bit grand!! More English than Scottish, but makes a better story. Younger sons were usually sent off to be soldiers if they didn't stay to work on the farm.
I looked up Rob Roy's Wife and she was called Mary or Marie, daughter of MacGregor of Comar, a remote and wild property under the east flank of Ben Lomond. She was a far out cousin of Rob Roy. Rob Roy's mother was Margaret Campbell. But to confuse things, Sir Walter Scott called RR's wife Helen.
Charmian of Laggan

[charmian]

Look at Belinda's post of 9th October - consensus. Here is a Duncan McParlan 26 abt 1835 - servant b. Balquhidder Perthshire, servant (farm).
And Ryk's post of 2nd September:
---- Agnes Stewart in the parish of Port - must mean PORT OF MENTEITH. Isn't that your stamping ground, Belinda?
I leave it to you two experts to study this
Charmian of Laggan

[Ryk]

Charmian
It appears that I might have confused Rob Roy's wife and mother. Oops.

Yes, you are correct that Agnes' marriage record indicates that she was from Port of Menteith. That is another element of this whole thing that gives me cause to doubt the reliability of the MacFarlane account.

And with only that little bit of information I think it will be virtually impossible to identify her father's birth and trace anything further back unless the Terrance has more information than Andrew forwarded to us.
_________________
Ryk Brown
Descendant of the Stewarts of Dalveich (Ardvorlich)
Sliochd Iain Dubh Mhor

[charmian]

Ryk,
The only unlikely hope left is that Duncan McParlan, farm servant in Laggan 26 about 1835 had a father, Duncan McParlan who married an Agnes Stewart from Port of Menteith. And that is really pushing the bounds of possibility! But the dates might just fit as Duncan the younger's age is only approximate. If he was 24 the dates would fit as DP senior's son.
McParlan was the one employed at Laggan, and Agnes was from Port of Menteith.
Charmian of Laggan