Braehour & Dalnaglatan

[iainL]

I'm researching some specific settlements/farms in Halkirk parish for my family history and need some help. Does anyone know:

a. Is Braehour the same place as Braeholme? In his “History of Manitoba” Donald Gunn states that he lived in the Strath of Braeholme, but Mark Rugg Gunn’s “History of the Clan Gunn” states that Donald Gunn was from Braehour.


b. Is Dalnaglatan the same place as Dalnaclettan/Dalnaclaitan? Alexander Sage’s Parish Life refers to Marcus Gunn’s estate of Dirlot comprising “Dirlot, Dalmore, Dalnaclaitan, Toremisdale, and Cattaich”. These farms all appear to be located within a radius of 2 km of each other, except for “Dalnaclaitan”, which is about 10km from Dirlot if I assume that this is an archaic spelling of Dalnaglatan.

For reference, I’m using Thomson's 1832 map and a current 1:25,000 OS map to help identify these locations.

[Angela]

I can't really answer your question Iain, but as I recall from much more recent times -staying there with my granny in the 1950s/60s - the Braehour farm was near Halkirk and at that time was owned/run by Jim Miller, who was married to my Mum's cousin.

Of course I may have remembered this wrongly, or there may be other farms with Braehour in the name. :confused

[spittalhill]

Hi Iain,
Have you got dates for Donald Gunn or his parents, and have you checked the 1841 census and the MIs for Dorrery, Dirlot, Achreny and Dalnawillan. There were a number of Gunns at Braehour in 1841, and one of the burials at Dirlot is of Alex Gunn, tenant of Dalnagleton.
I am familiar with both Braehour and Dalnagleton but only know of them in the modern spelling. I rather think that these are the locations you are after.

[Andrew Bruce]

Is possible the property you are looking for is Dalnachar. I had a relative,Walter Bruce who married one of the daughters of the Gunn Clan Chief of Cattaig. They lived at Dalnachar (200 yards on the other side of the burn from Tacher), This is within line of sight and shouting distance of all the other properties. Dalnachar has several different spellings. Today the foundations and field boundaries can still be seen.
I would be interested in any Gunn information you have that relates to Bruces. My first record is about 1690 with Elizabeth Bruce (of Stanstill Bower) and Marcus Gunn at Cattaig. Family history has Walter Bruce living at Cattaig in about 1745. His children lived in other Gunn properties.
Walters brother William was taken prisoner at Culloden and deported to the American colonies. Walter hid out with the Gunns (of which I am sure he was related via Elizabeth). I suspect he was therefore second cousins with his Gunn wife.

[iainL]

Angela, thank you so much - I am amazed by how quickly you (and the other respondents) have got back to me! I think you are right that this is the Braehour that I am talking about. I have found my gg grandfather and his siblings born between 1812 & 1828 in Olgnibeg, Braehour and then back at Olgnibeg again and was puzzled until I saw on a modern map that the farms are next door to each other. I cannot find a Braeholme, but have discovered that Braehour Farmhouse is now available as a holiday let, so will check with the current owners on alternative names.

[iainL]

Hi Spittalhill,

I was hoping to hear from you as I have noted from other threads your knowledge of local place names! I think you're right that Braehour & Dalnagleton are the locations, but I wanted to ensure that I don’t make any incorrect interpretations of alternative spellings.

I am trying to identify the parents of my ggg grandfather, Angus Gunn, who was living at Olgnibeg/Braehour at least between 1809 & 1828. Only four possible baptisms appear in the OPR as Angus is a comparatively uncommon Christian name among the Gunns (only 2% of all male Gunn baptisms up to 1854 were named Angus). The locations for the four were: Dalnacletan, Dalnaha, Forsie and Achscorclet. Frustratingly and against all probabilities the first three all seem to have a connection to Braehour/Olgnibeg. So, I have been working my way through the Gunn entries in the Halkirk OPR to build up a picture of the families living in each of these locations and Braehour/Olgnibeg, to find further evidence to confirm/eliminate each of the possible candidates.

Re. Donald Gunn: he was born in 1797 and emigrated to Canada in 1813. His father William, seems to have been the grandson of Alexander Gunn in Dalnaglatan, and, if William was from Braehour, it is further evidence of a Gunn family moving from Dalnaglatan to Braehour at some point in the 1790’s .

[iainL]

Thanks Andrew, that’s very helpful - I have been trying to find Dalnacher as there was an Angus Gunn in Tachar, who witnessed Janet Henderson in Dalnacher’s ’s baptism in 1810. Is this the same location shown as Dallucharan in Thomson’s 1832 atlas?

Re. Bruce: I haven’t come across anyone of this name so far in my hunt, but then I am only back to 1809 at the moment (the absence of Halkirk records pre-1772 may make this my limit). Interestingly, my great grandfather had an elder brother named Marcus, but I don’t know if he was named after a family member of a previous generation (the name possibly came from his grandmother’s side – she was Jane/Jean Gunn, probably born between 1783-1791 although I have had no luck yet in researching her).

[spittalhill]

Hi Iain
I have been looking again at the MIs for Dirlot Cemetery. Alex Gunn tenant of Dalnaglaton died 29/6/1765 and is buried there with his sons George, John and Aeneas.
There is also Robert Gunn farmer of Achscoriclate(next to Dalnagleton). Stone erected by his son William. Could that be the grandson of Alex of Dalnagleton.
The Aeneas Gunn caught my eye as it is also an unusual Gunn name, and the name appears in the 1841 and 1851 census at Braehour suggesting descendants of the Dalnagleton Gunns.
My own interest in the Gunns is my gggrandmother, Ann Gunn (1813-1875) born in Kildonan but moved to Ishnamoult (not far from Dalnagleton) who married George Sutherland of Cattack in 1837. I have her parents as Robert Gunn and Mary Gunn. If any of these have come up in your researches I would be pleased to know.

[iainL]

Hello again,

The Aeneas Gunn at Braehour in the Census is the grandson of George Gunn in Dalnaha – in the 1841 census you can see George in the same household aged 85. He is living with his youngest son John (b. Olgnibeg 1803). George’s other children were Alexander (b. 1788 Dalnaha), Angus (b 1790 Dalnaha) and Marjory (b 1798 in Achlibster). So, George seems to leave Dalnaha at the same time as some of the Gunns leave Dalnaglatan and they all move downstream and settle in Braehour/Olgnibeg. Old George’s death is reported in the JOG Journal in October 1842 where he is described as a tacksman in Braehour aged 85. I suspect that George is a grandson of the Alexander Gunn buried at Dirlot.

I hadn’t spotted Robert Gunn in Ashscoriclate – the OPR doesn’t show a location for his children’s baptismal records, so your info that helps fill a gap in my data!

Your ggg-gparents are presumably the Robert & Mary at Backlass in 1821-27. The only other reference I have seen so far to Ishnamoult are the children born to Hugh Gunn and Henrietta Macgregor there in 1815-1819. I’m still going through the OPR, so I will let you know if any others crop up.

[AlastairJack]

Hugh Gunn and Henrietta McGregor are on my family tree. I have a large amount of information relating to Gunns at Braehour / Tormsdale etc and people going to Canada and Australia...

I have a John Gunn (Dalnaha, then Braehour...) 1722-1810. More interestingly he has a son Alexander Gunn b.1788 Danaha then Banniskirk...

The Alexander Gunn (Dalnaglaton) I have with sons John, Angus (note Aeneas / Angus) and George. Agree death 1765.

There is a William grandson of Dalnaglaton.

The Angus Gunn, son of Dalnagalaton Gunn has son John I have noted as a Braehour Gunn.

Overall Iain if your Angus (I even have a note saying Aeneas? d after 1765) Gunn b 1725- is the son of Alexander Gunn (Dalnaglaton) 1688-1765 and Jean Macleod b 1700 I think we should talk not least as we share a common relative. That Angus had 5 siblings; Margaret, Christian, Jean, John (Braehour) Gunn and George Gunn.

best wishes to all

[iainL]

Alastair, apologies I have not been on the site for months and have only just picked up your message. Your information sounds really interesting.

At the moment I don’t know if I do have a connection to Dalnaglaton. I’ve got back to Angus Gunn, who married Jean/Jane Gunn in Olgnibeg in 1809 and had children in Olgnibeg/Braehour from 1812-1828 (Janet, Elizabeth, Marjory, Angus). Angus is an uncommon name among the Gunns and OPR gives only 5 Angus Gunn possibilities:


born 1786 in Dalnaglaton to Donald Gunn & Elizabeth Mackay (siblings Alexander & Janet)
born 1790 in Dalnaha to George Gunn & Margaret Gunn (siblings Alexander, Marjory & John).
born 1776 in Achscoriclate to Alexander Gunn & Barbara Gunn
born 1791 in Forsie to William Gunn & Margaret Gunn
born 1785 in Reay parish to Alexander Gunn & Catherine Campbell

The first two seem the most probable given that some of the Dalnaglaton Gunns moved to Braehour and that George Gunn in Dalnaha also moved to Braehour,

Intriguingly, there is another Angus Gunn in Olgnibeg in 1809: his son, Alexander, by his wife Elizabeth Mowatt was baptized in March 1809.

Of course, there is always the possibility that there are some missing OPR entries, but it seems improbable that there would be a third Angus Gunn of a similar age cropping up at the same time in such a small location.


I would be very interested to know any information on Braehour & Dalnaglaton Gunns to fill in the gaps on how they are connected.