Culloden

[cathy]

May 17th, 1746 - just 30 days after Culloden, John McTavish of Garthbeg and his McTavish brothers and cousins, surrendered to the British. There was a general pardon granted on June 15, 1747...

?that all King?s subjects in Great Britain should be pardoned of every treasonable offence against the State committed by them before the 15th of June in that year, with certain exceptions specially named, among whom we find the Master of Lovat; James Fraser of Foyers; Simon Fraser of Achnacloich; John Fraser (MacGillespie); Hugh Fraser, son of Alexander Fraser of Leadclune; John Dubh Fraser of Little-Garth; John Fraser of Bruiach, late steward to Lord Simon; and Thomas Fraser of Gortuleg [Mackenzie, op. cit., p. 488]. John Dubh Fraser of Little-Garth is John Mactavish of Garthbeg"

[cathy]

Here is a picture of the battlefield's line-up...... The Frasers are number 24, right at the front of the battle............


Cathy


http://garthbeg.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=1

[REALMACTAVISH]

Doesnt It Make Your Heart Swell With Pride?one Thing I Learned In Army Life-although Not From Experience - Is The Immense Strength Ofcharacter Needed To Surrender. Youre Actually Saying'here I Am, Do With Me As You Wish'.
My Own Ancestor Tavish Mactavish Was Actually Wounded At Drummossie Moor And Was Much Ashamed That He Hid In A Hollow Of Ground Before Being Taken. I Believe He Redeemed Himself Some Little Time Later.
In My Life I Have Associated With Many Campbells, I Sat Next To Andy Campbell At School/anne Campbell Was A Long Time Girlfriend, Ive Spent Days With Alisdair Of Airds And Eaten At Inveraray With The Late Duke.....but Ive Never Forgiven Them, They Fought For The English And Had They Outed As True Scots How Different The Outcome?
the Campbells Are Only Slightly Worse Than The People Who Were Not At Culloden But Claim To Have Been.

[cathy]

Yes, it does make me proud. When I visited Garthbeg, I closed my eyes and just imagined the panic in the area those first days after the battle. Did you know there is a bullet hole in the old Church ruins that are now the Fraser enclosure at the Boleskine Graveyard. The English shot at a group of mourners shortly after the battle when some children taunted them. And the Fraser MacTavish families were not pardoned until the Fraser Highlanders were organized. John McTavish was an officier in the famous warrier group.

Cathy

[migovie]

What a battle . Men were men , boys were young men with a heart of steel and backbone of iron , They had reason and belief to fight and die for their family , it was 'family legend" and the heroics of their forefathers handed down to these boys as legend . Stories told every night by the fire . Stories told father to son, generation to generation of a clan that stemmed from such a great warrior named "thamhais mhor" .

Some of you may ask "why did the garthbeg mactavish adopt the fraser name directly after the battle of culloden?"
A good question.
Simple answer.
The reasons are

1....garthbeg fought by feudal demand for lord lovatt chief of fraser. They had to . they had purchased the lands of garthbeg and migovie by "feu contract " documented back as far as 1600 and further .They had to fight for the chief of these lands and feudal lord ...lovatt. The garthbeg mactavish were without doubt a "seperate clan" and mathews states they lived as a clan "EQUAL " in organisation as that of dunardry > and that they lived as a clan within a clan> PROVEN by the garthbeg signature on the "bond of confederation" signed in 1721. The fraser chief was attempting to restore order and control amongst the clans that lived in stratherick. The mactavish of garthbeg signed this as "clan tavish"...proving without question they were indeed a seperate clan with seperate identity and a seperate chief who signed this doc as 'HEAD OF CLAN TAVISH" 1721...
john garthbeg signed on behalf of "CLAN TAVISH ...."...he signed as the HEAD of clan tavish....
now where would that position the broken dunardry mactavish clan ?
A group of dunardry clansmen left dunardry in 1715 and settled in stratherrick and would have been without doubt under direct control and leadership of john mactavish of garthbeg in 1721.
So docs prove that john mact of garthbeg in 1721 was considered "chief" of stratherick mactavish...and MUST have also then been chief of the group of dunardry mactavish now living in his clan
The ONLY other option was that john mact of garthbeg signed as head of clan mactavish fraudulently in 1721 and he had no right to sign on behalf of "clan tavish" and all those dunardry men now living under his control made no objection and all was fine????????

2...the other reason john garthbeg and other mactavish were hunted down under the name fraser post culloden was that they fought for the fraser chief.the fraser clan held a pos of avoidance of capture due to large numbers and the fraser name gave a chance of avoiding capture due to confusion.

PLEASE read the "bond of confederation" signed 1721...
make your own judgement