Inveraray Castle
Well, the research trip to Scotland turned into more of a sightseeing trip. There were a lot of sights to see. Most of them were historic. I now have a whole raft of new photos with which to illustrate my blog although I'm not sure many of my ancestors got to spend their time in any of the castles I toured, not even as humble servants in the kitchen.
I spent a lot of time in museums too. Museums tend to reflect the experiences of a wider swath of the public, perhaps giving insight into how family members lived in the past. I've started going through the photos I took. There are so many more of those since photo taking went digital. I also picked up a number of books on Scottish history which may shed some light on my families' story. I have particular hopes of a book called The Poor Had No Lawyers. It's about land ownership in Scotland and may give some insight on how and why my ancestors, particularly the Islay ones, were forced off the land. In the case of my Gilchrist ancestors they appear to have been moved off traditional farm land to make way for the development of the town of Port Ellen. I was able to trace how my Hunter relatives in Glenegedale were forced off in later years, first by the RAF, then by the development of the Islay airport. That information came through the valuation roles maybe there is something to show how the land was taken away from the earlier Gilchrist renters to create the town.
Photos and books are not the only things I brought back. I did spend a bit of time doing some actual research. I'm not sure I turned up anything of value. I'll have to give my notes a closer look.
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