Rangag

[Christina Baldwin]

Hello
I have cut and paste from my previous message - my subject line was not getting any response.
I am wanting any relevant information on Rangag and specifically the information below.
John McLeod died in Rangag 16 May 1869. His wife Christina McLeod nee Sutherland died in Rangag 8 Jul 1872. At the time of their deaths they were both staying with their daughter Elizabeth McLeod and her husand William Williamson. William Williamson is shown in the 1871 census as a farmer with 100 acres in Rangag. Please can anyone tell me where the McLeods would likely to have been buried.
I think that John and Christina resided in Rumsdale during his working life as the records show John as being a shepherd at Rumsdale.
Is there anyway the property at Rangag is able to be located. I have an old hand written note suggesting that a relative from New Zealand visited Rangag and located the remains of a longhouse the Williamson family had lived in. Is this likely to be correct?
Thank you
Christina
New Zealand

[trinkie]

Hallo Christina,

I must say that both place names you have given are new to me, they must have been tiny hamlets.
However it appears they are near Thurso end of the county. The nearest cemetery would have been Halkirk or Spittal.
Halkirk is the larger village here.
Loch Rangag is on the Causeymire.... a bleak stretch of countryside, from Latheron to Halkirk - roughly - I will be corrected if I'm wrong !

Are there any connections with the parish of Latheron ?
If so it might be helpful if you look at the graven-images page - our good friend Fred has photographed each grave in both cemeteries at Latheron - old and new.
The correct address is given at the top of the genealogy page. You might find something to do with your family there.
Happy hunting
Regards
Trinkie.

[Tighsonas4]

Rangag
As Far As I Know Rangag Would Come Under The Parish Of Latheron
The Post Office In Latheron Was Also The Registeras For Many Years. Dont Know What Happened When This Po Closures Came??
Lorna Gunn Used To Be Most Helpful To Many As Far As Family Trees Were Concerned The Records Held There Went Back For Yonks There Is Also A Orger On Here
Take Up Odd Quines Bits And Pieces You Can Find It From Her Profile
There Many Old Cemetries There. Worth A Look
Sorry I Cant Go Further And Trinkie Has Given You Another Option
Happy Hunting Tony

[Rosemary Skea]

Hello
I have cut and paste from my previous message - my subject line was not getting any response.
I am wanting any relevant information on Rangag and specifically the information below.
John McLeod died in Rangag 16 May 1869. His wife Christina McLeod nee Sutherland died in Rangag 8 Jul 1872. At the time of their deaths they were both staying with their daughter Elizabeth McLeod and her husand William Williamson. William Williamson is shown in the 1871 census as a farmer with 100 acres in Rangag. Please can anyone tell me where the McLeods would likely to have been buried.
I think that John and Christina resided in Rumsdale during his working life as the records show John as being a shepherd at Rumsdale.
Is there anyway the property at Rangag is able to be located. I have an old hand written note suggesting that a relative from New Zealand visited Rangag and located the remains of a longhouse the Williamson family had lived in. Is this likely to be correct?
Thank you
Christina
New Zealand

I looked in Vol 4 of the Caithness MI and found several burials of people from Rangag in the Old Latheron cemetery and also 2 in Halkirk but none were your family. Google Rangag and you can find several maps of Loch Rangag, Hill of Rangag and there are a few houses marked along the roadside. You would probably need local knowledge to locate the ruins of older settlements.

Rosemary,

Queensland

[scottishrootsbarb]

Based on the death certificate for Christina McLeod, Rangag is in the Forse Estate in the parish of Latheron and census information says Rumsdale is in the parish of Halkirk
If that provides any assistance to locating a burial site near Rangag, I'm not sure. I couldn't find any that seemd to connect at Latheron new or old

from Sunny Canada

[Rosemary Skea]

Based on the death certificate for Christina McLeod, Rangag is in the Forse Estate in the parish of Latheron and census information says Rumsdale is in the parish of Halkirk
If that provides any assistance to locating a burial site near Rangag, I'm not sure. I couldn't find any that seemd to connect at Latheron new or old

from Sunny Canada

Rumsdale in Halkirk is a long way from Rangag. According to the MI book, there was a Rumsdale at Dunbeath.

Rosemary

[Christina Baldwin]

Thanks for replies. The Rumsdale referred to is near the head of the Thurso River. The reason I mentioned it is I was not sure if there may have been a burial custom (as there is in New Zealand) to return a body for burial to a place of significance for burial (in other words "take it home"). If that is unlikely I suppose the burial place for John McLeod and Christina Sutherland is likely to be a place of convenience near to where their son-in-law William Williamson of Rangag could arrange.
Thanks Tony for the Odd Quines link. I did find another gravestone of interest in the Halkirk cemetery - John Ross and Janet Sutheralnd whose daughter Janet Sutherland Ross married Alexander McLeod (son of the above) who emigrated to NZ and are my ggrandparents.
Christina

[spittalhill]

Dalnawillan Burial Ground - John McLeod, shepherd 44yrs, Rumsdale, d Rangag 5.5.1872 aged 74, wife Christina Sutherland 27.6.1874, daughter Cath 9.1839 17; this stone placed by surviving family now far from scenes of youth but their thoughts often meet at the graves of their beloved parents. From Caithness MI, Volume 3.

[Christina Baldwin]

Thank so much for that data spittalhill. It seems my hunch that they may have been taken 'home' for burial was correct. I have now located Dalnawillan on Google Earth and found pictures taken from the burial ground.
Best regards Christina

[spittalhill]

There were still McLeods shepherding in the Dalnawillan area in the first half of the 20th century, and children of that name attending Backlass School. Are you aware there has been discussion of your McLeods on Rootschat.

[Christina Baldwin]

Thanks Spittalhill, Yes I have found the Rootschat discussion and am networking with the NZ woman.
Re Backlass - your info is interesting. I have a census 1851 for William MCLEOD, Elizabeth MCLEOD, Farquhar MCLEOD in Backlass. They are all off-spring of John & Christina McLeod but the two men emigrated to NZ (as did all their McLeod brothers) Elizabeth married William Williamson and eventually moved to Rangag. John McLeod had a sister Christian McLeod who married Hugh MacKay. But your information does open the possibility that John McLeod had a brother I am not aware of who was in the Backlass area. I am not sure how I will work through that.
Regards Christina
New Zealand

[Christina Baldwin]

Well I am wrong already. There was another McLeod brother who stayed in Scotland. Donald. I have him on a 1851 census. Wife Alexandrina. Daughter Christina MCLEOD. They are in Reay. I think he may have died in 1859.What became of the wife and daughter I dont yet know. I suppose it is possible they went to Backlass but I will need to find sources to establish that.
Christina

[grandma]

Hello
I have cut and paste from my previous message - my subject line was not getting any response.
I am wanting any relevant information on Rangag and specifically the information below.
John McLeod died in Rangag 16 May 1869. His wife Christina McLeod nee Sutherland died in Rangag 8 Jul 1872. At the time of their deaths they were both staying with their daughter Elizabeth McLeod and her husand William Williamson. William Williamson is shown in the 1871 census as a farmer with 100 acres in Rangag. Please can anyone tell me where the McLeods would likely to have been buried.
I think that John and Christina resided in Rumsdale during his working life as the records show John as being a shepherd at Rumsdale.
Is there anyway the property at Rangag is able to be located. I have an old hand written note suggesting that a relative from New Zealand visited Rangag and located the remains of a longhouse the Williamson family had lived in. Is this likely to be correct?
Thank you
Christina
New Zealand

Hi Christina
Rangag is a farm/area half-way along the Causewaymire just north of Achavanich. There are a few old houses which all came under the name of Rangag and my brother has now got the croft beside the bigger farm. Across the road from him is an old house where a Willie Williamson used to live. I know I've heard my dad mention him as dad was born and raised in that area. I'll ask him what he knows and get back to you.
Most people in the area are buried either in Latheron cemetery or Halkirk cemetery but there is a small cemetery at Ballachly which is just over the hill from Rangag and your relations could be buried there??

Grandma

[Christina Baldwin]

Thank you Grandma. Very helpful. I need to do a bit more research but my understanding at this stage is that William Williamson and Elizabeth Mcleod had a son named William Williamson who in the 1901 census was aged 34 and a crofter at Rangag. I dont know if this generation had a son named William Williamson but it sounds as though the croft you have identified could be of great interest to me. You will see from the above that I now have information re the burial place of Elizabeth's parents John & Christina but Elizabeth may be buried in the place you are suggesting. I will send you a private message in case its OK for me to follow this up with you and arrange for me to locate the croft referred to when I visit. Thanks Christina.