Discoveries in the Cemetery

Before we left Fort William, we made one last stop at Kilmallie Old Cemetery and Church. We had driven by a couple of times and not been sure if the pathway that seemed to lead up to the church was a pathway or a laneway. Turns out you can drive up there - Google did, so we did too.

John McIntyre the minister at Kilmonivaig was the son of a minister and also had at least two brothers who were ministers and sons as well. John had given character witness statements for most of Lauren's Cameron family and his brother Duncan who emigrated to Australia in 1836. His father Duncan McIntyre was the minister at Kilmallie from 1816 til ? He died in 1830, so maybe then ? Anyways, since there was a large headstone erected by the parishioners at Kilmonivaig for John McIntyre, also for his son John Walker McIntyre (also a minister there) and for Thomas Ross an earlier minister related through the Cameron's, I felt sure there must be something at Kilmaillie. And there was.

It is a little difficult to read

"Rev Duncan MacIntyre ~ Lochaber Camusnaherie Minister of the Parish of Kilmalie (sic) born 22 June 1757 died 12 Aug 1830. Also of his spouse Jean the daughter of his ~ James MacIntyre of Glenoe himself being a ~ from that family. She died 26th July 1855 aged 78 years"

Turns out James was the head of the clan - so more great connections.

There are some other headstones to note which we found in our exploring, two with New Zealand connections, some early Cameron ones buried in the ruin of the old church and one for an engineer who had worked on the construction of the Caledonian Canal.

Pretty awesome cemetery finds we thought. Then it was time to leave the highlands and begin our journey southward - in the pouring rain.

We missed Kilchurn Castle after specifically driving that way to see it. Annoying. But we did make a detour en route to Edinburgh to the Falkirk Wheel. A pretty amazing piece of engineering to manoeuvre boats on canals. We didnt stay long as the heavens opened and we were (again) totally unprepared - one umbrella, 2 puffer jackets - and got pretty much drowned.