Off the Coast of Scotland, A Sense of Home
Lord of the Isles, until Trump developer arrives
My paternal ancestors migrated to North Carolina from the Isle of Jura, Scotland before the establishment of a whiskey distillery in the early 1800s. But when I entered the island’s only pub in the Hebrides west of Scotland, across the street from a now world-famous whiskey maker, and mentioned my last name, I was greeted with a chant of “welcome home,” a warm handshake from the bartender and other patrons.
I felt like I was entering the crowded bar scene in “Star Wars.” All sorts of strangely familiar and friendly faces turned in my direction. I asked the bartender if he knew a distant cousin. “He moved to Sweden,” he said. “But go see the hotel receptionist. She’s a cousin of yours.”
At the Jura Hotel, I introduced myself to Sheena Keith, the receptionist. “I’m a Buie, I think,” she said. “Let me check with my mother.” She speed-dialed her mother, who confirmed that her great-grandmother was a Buie. Sheena, in middle age, had recently returned to Jura from city life on the Scottish mainland to take care of her mother.
“Not many of the original families are left on Jura,” she said. She’s one of the friendly residents featured in the video below for Jura Whiskey, which I can find at my local ABC store in North Carolina.
In a modern world of giant multinational corporations, global culture, and inauthentic non-places, Jura — a scenic, untamed island known for its soaring mountains, whisky, wildlife, and swirling whirlpools — has an enviable sense of place.
A place where your surname is remembered even if your ancestors left 280 years ago and your last known relative lived there decades ago.
Another distant relative from Jura, Neil Lindsay, boasted that Buies have lived on the island since the Neolithic period (New Stone Age, around 4000 BC), when people began to use tools and create pottery. But of course, there’s no way to prove that, no written record.
Jura remains an intensely beautiful, remote island that time has forgotten. For now. But “civilization” beckons, in the form of a huge golf course by an Aussie billionaire investor. The golf course is “a playground for the super-wealthy,” Paul O’Connor wrote in 2023. Maybe before we know it, a Donald Trump hotel, casinos, condominiums, McDonald’s, other fast food joints, a shopping mall, highways, and more non-places. A 2011 documentary, “You’ve Been Trumped,” documented the struggles of locals with developer Trump for a luxury golf course in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The Magical Isle of Jura, Scotland, With 6000 Deer and Less Than 200 People
“For as long as time itself, the Isle of Jura has been steeped in myth, legend, and superstition, an inner Hebridean wonder where the final resting place of the Knights Templar can be found amid stories of one-eyed Campbells, inconsolable witches, and the miraculous skull of Glen Garisdale. A place where George Orwell claimed inspiration, and the mighty corryvreckan (whirlpool) almost claimed Orwell (author of 1984 and Animal Farm). With one road, one pub, and one warm and welcoming community. Even the paps of Jura, the island’s three magnificent peaks break through the clouds to greet you. But above all, a place where a unique island malt has been fashioned from pure still water and generations of quiet perfections. There is no whiskey and no island quite like Jura.” — Anonymous quote carved on all four sides of the Jura Distillery as you enter the lobby.
Explanations:
Knights Templar. Guardians of the Holy Grail, their final resting place on Jura. 1. 2. What is the Holy Grail?
One-eyed Campbells and inconsolable witches. In 1661, the Clan Campbell came to Jura when Duncan Campbell was commissioned to take control of the island. Gradually, they did so, charging the crofters (farmers) so much rent for the land that it was impossible to make a decent living. Many families were forced to leave the island for America and other venues. But an old woman, an inconsolable witch cursed the Campbells for their greed, and prophesied that “the last of the Campbells will be one-eyed — he will leave the island and all that he will take with him will be carried to the ship in a cart drawn by a white horse.” This prediction came true in 1938 when Charles Campbell, who had only one eye, sold the last part of the Campbell estate together with the house and all its contents. “The few possessions he took with him were taken to the boat in a cart drawn by a white horse,” according to “The Isle of Jura: Images of the Past,” by Gordon Wright and Norman Tait.
Miraculous Skull of Glen Garisdale. In 1647, the Maclaines of Loch Buie argued with the Campbells of Craignish. Blood was spilled, and the skull of one of the murdered Maclaines “lingered above ground, either in a cave or on a rock on the shore, for over 320 years” on Jura. It was last photographed in 1972, but according to local lore, is sure to return.
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Touring Scotland’s Islands, With Rick Steves
Rick Steves Europe: “We’ll begin on the tranquil Isle of Iona, where Christianity first reached the shores of Scotland. Then we’ll visit another of the Inner Hebrides, road-tripping across the Isle of Skye, where we’ll explore Iron Age forts, peat fields, a venerable distillery, thatched crofter huts, and the dramatic Trotternish Peninsula. Finally, we’ll sail to Orkney — more Nordic than Celtic — with its stony remnants of a thriving Iron Age civilization and evocative reminders of the 20th-century wartime harbor at Scapa Flow.”
More videos on Scotland from Rick Steves‘ website.
16 Rick Steves videos on Scotland, posted on Youtube.com.
Story of Clan McDonald, ‘Lord of the Isles’
In this nine-minute excerpt from a series on the most famous Scottish clans, Paul focuses on the MacDonalds, who for almost 400 years dominated the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In the late 1400s, “this mighty clan was ripped apart by a bitter family feud. The struggle between father and son had disastrous consequences from which the MacDonalds never recovered.”
“In the Fifteenth Century, much of the Scottish western islands called the Inner Hebrides were controlled by the Clan Donald. The supreme ruler was the Lord of the Isles. So powerful was the clan that the King of Scotland could not exercise authority in their lands….
“The inhabitants of Jura during the lordship of the McDonalds lived by agriculture and fishing. The land they cultivated and on which their simple stone homes stood was granted to them by McDonald of Islay in return for their service as stewards of hunting or foresters…
“Occasionally, Lord McDonald would boat over from Islay to hunt the red deer which flourished on the moors and the slopes of the Paps. This mutual relationship worked well for both parties and the people of Jura felt secure and contented…
“The Lords of the Isles eventually fell into the disfavor of the Scottish monarchs mainly because of their quest for additional lands and their alarming growth in power. In 1493, the lordship was dissolved by the King, and the branches of the McDonalds were declared independent. As another result, the McLeans acquired North Jura above Tarbert. The McDonalds, nevertheless, held on to the more populated South Jura which was administered by McDonald of Islay. Still, King James, IV aided by the Campbells of Argyll, united to exploit the waning McDonalds and attempted to control Jura from the mainland. The McDonalds’ power over their constituents lessened and the individual branches exerted themselves more independently in their various localities.”
This led to feuds — and savage battles — among the clans and septs for land. In 1607, the Earl of Argyll was granted a charter to land in the Hebrides, displacing the McDonalds and their septs. The earl sent the Clan Campbell to govern the isles, and they were granted vast acreages.
More BBC documentaries on Scottish clans
‘Our Simple Life on a Tiny Scottish Island’
“Long sandy beaches, an abandoned village & lots of cows” is how Alexandra Reuter describes “life on a tiny Scottish Island in the Outer Hebrides. Last Autumn we spent an entire month living and working on Vatersay, a tiny island of 90 people a 5-hour boat journey from the Scottish mainland. Vatersay is connected to a slightly bigger island called Barra, both are known for their beautiful long sandy beaches, clear turquoise water, and an otherwise rugged windswept landscape.”
The comments below this video on Youtube — more than 1500 of them — are also interesting.
Isle of Muck? Yes, I Had Ancestors From There
Could there really be a Scottish isle named Muck? Perhaps the Scottish Tourist Board should consider changing its name.
It “is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Today, much of the island is used for grazing. Residents use wool to make rugs and clothing.[6] There are several ancient monuments and some facilities for visitors. The few residents are served by a single school, Muck Primary School & Nursery.[7] The island is owned by the MacEwen family,” according to Wikipedia.
I learned of it when I traced my paternal ancestor, Angus Campbell, who was born there in 1724; Edward Campbell, who was born there in 1770, and his wife, Margaret (Peggy) MacLean, born there in 1791. Their son Duncan Campbell was born in Argyllshire, Scotland in 1782, and died in Santa Rose, FL in 1839. Duncan’s daughters Jennette Campbell and Mary Campbell were born on a farm in Hamer or Dillon, in Marion County, SC. A year after the birth of his daughters, Duncan married Margaret (Peggy) McEachern (1780-1859). They had a passel of 12 children, one of whom married my great-great-grandfather Archibald Smith Buie (1819-1895).
If Duncan died in Florida and Peggy stayed in SC, did that mean they were estranged or divorced?
It’s interesting how the Scots continued to marry within the Scottish clans even after they migrated to America.
