Ardnamurchan Camerons
Ardnamurchan Peninsula From Space (image from Wikicommons)
The Ardnamurchan (Àird nam Murchan) Peninsula lies west of the heart of Lochaber and stretches about 70 miles into the Hebridean Sea. Its tip is the most westerly point on the UK mainland and was historically the dividing line between the northern and southern Hebrides (Groome, 1882).
Some of the most detailed and earliest information we have on Camerons living on Ardnamurchan is summarized by wonderful compilations of Garbh Criochan a’ Deas–the Lost Place Names of the Southern Rough Bounds. This work by Jim Kirby and others summarizes everything known about place names on much of the peninsula but also includes very specific information on the inhabitants in the 1680-1750 time range.
In one of the hamlets on Ardnamurchan profiled by Kirby, Camasane (Camas Eidheann) near Strontian, there were Camerons living there as early as 1748 when Alexander Cameron shows up as a tenant.
The Clan Cameron DNA Project may now have a DNA pattern of these Camerons, thanks to Ewen Cameron who has shared his family tree and DNA pattern with us. He can trace his ancestors back to Donald Cameron (abt 1770-aft 1808) married to Elizabeth Cameron who lived in Camasane. Ewen’s DNA pattern can be searched at www.ysearch.org using the user id E764Q. The pattern falls squarely into the Ft. William/ Lochaber group.
Another Cameron in the Clan DNA Project hails from Ardnamurchan as well–kit 168176. The Australian branch of Clan Cameron also has a number of genealogies of Camerons from the Ardnamurchan peninsula whose descendants emigrated to Australia and New Zealand. Click HERE to explore those histories by place name.
This is a F.Y.I. as I’ve not had a chance yet to conduct any research to link the Livingstones to the Camerons.
My ancester, Hance BOGGS, is a descendant of a CAMERON line, according to a reliabe thumbnail sketch. He was born in the Lowlands of Scotland 1738 and removed to N. Ireland where he died in 1837 at Rathfriland, County Down. I’m playing on memory here when I say that DNA reports on the BOGGS line reflect that ‘BOGGS’ was an adopted name by the LIVINGSTONE line, who changed the name for safety, having fled Scotland when Coventers were persecuted. The sketch I refer to states:
Hance BOGGS cama to Rathfriland, County Down, Ireland from the Lowland area of Scotland about mid-1700′s, probably for religious reasons. He was a Coventer, a sub sect of the Presbyterians. Hance was the sernior elder and pillar of the Covenanter Church in Rathfrilnad in Down County, Ireland. He is said to have lived in ‘full comfortable circumstances and would have been called a Laird’ in Scotland. He was man of large frame and p atriarchal manner and still preserved the broadsword of his CAMERONIAN ancestors.’
Perhaps this will be helpful to someone currently researching.
Thank you
Carol Brees