The Mactavish Banshee

[rhona]

This is for Migovie if he's still speaking to me ---------I only intended to throw my
miss-chief hat in the ring to give the hierarchy a reality check and lighten things up a bit for the new year ---not wreck the debate!--------
So PLEASE come back and give us your news --it's just not the same without you!--
I'll even post the story of the Mactavish banshee to cheer you up, as I reckon it concerned one of your ancestors? No doubt you have it already but I eventually managed to get hold of "A country called Stratherrick"and scanned some of the best bits-----before I returned it to Inverness!
Also found references to old placenames and hamlets in Strath if anyone else is interested,
lots of love and humble apologies for any unintentional offence caused-----
Rhona ;)

[cathy]

Hey Rhona!

I have tried my hardest to get a hold a that book by Alan Lawson, it is supposed to have lots of great information. But there is not a copy to be had anywhere!Please tell us the legends, we are all waiting!
Cathy

[migovie]

hi rhona great to hear from you...im just back from 2 months holiday and frantically catching up on work..ive collected more legends, aritifacts and stories from family members and am hoping to organise these as time permits.
Feel free to post family stories and legends and please dont get caught up in this crap of "producing documents " etc.....this is a family forum NOT a court of law
say what you feel....ask what you want...
I wont stop until the mactavish website provide a 'balanced" view of the life and succes of simon mactavish.
Unfortunately when i visited the mactavish website to obtain info on simon mactavish of gartbeg i came away with the mactavish clans stated opinion that he was
1. not related to lachlan at all ( even tho descended from the same father as lachlan )???
2...was a liar
3..bribed lord lyon
4...obtained his titles thru pedigree manipulation
etc etc.....
i believed this until reading letters from lachlan to simon in which i saw NO evidence of simon being anything but polite .humble and courtious...and more importanlty i respected lachlan mactavish obvious respect for simon also and simons family....
I agree that simon was "power hungry" and wealthy and must have been a ruthless businessman altho i see no evidence yet of any nastiness in any of his corrsepondence. Simon must have been powerhungry and greedy because without those traits he would have been a failure in business..these traits do not make him a mactavish to be remembered as he is at present.
There are many documents yet to be published but my only concern at this stage is to get the memory of simon mactavish cleared.
He is of the same chiefly bloodline as lachaln , and simon was the last survivng direct bloodline male of the head family of garthbeg
If he assumed the role of chief doesnt really matter today either EXCEPT his memory and proud family will be remembered in a good light instead of bad.
I have letters that show simon believes the mactavish are descended from clan campbell.
I have letters that say lachlan has documents ( charters)going back to 1500 that prove his descent from Argylle.
Yes my dad told me legends of the banshee and he still feared it up to his death recently. There is legend in my family of great land and buildings lost at auction as the heir could not be found.
There is legend of a campbell descent and this doesn not stem from the 1793 arms grant. what everyone has negleted to realise is that lachlans arms grant was made upon information supplied by lachlan ....and this information was a direct father to son legend held by lachlan of the mactavish clan descent from campbell...and this legend went back 500 years from lachlnas arms grant...lachlan supplied this legend going back 500 years....lyons office accepted it and arms were issued.
All i have been saying from the start is "respect" your ancestors beliefs. Clan mactavish may have found some documents that go against all lachlan believed and all info that had been passed father to son for 500 years.
I tend to believe a chiefly line would ensure ALL info and legend and story was correct......without exception...so for a clan to discount the 500 year beliefs of its own chiefly family and accept 1 or 2 documents written by people with no attachment to the family is of great concern to me.
This probably will only truely be settled when lachlan is met face to face in the next life......he may well hold out his hand and say "thank you for pissing on my family beliefs"...or not.
anyway i dont wish to clog up the family forum as we need info and legends to come from family members and to preserve these.
I am privately been given much info but family seem a little scared to exhibit their stories and legends for fear of retribution ( as weve seen )
but i say have no fear. freedom of speach is the "american way"...and at the end of the day we are all family so noone should have fear of their opinion or families beliefs...and my family have very strong legend and belief. so i will stand by my fathers stories and beliefs till i die. i have NO reason to question him or his memory
Keep smilin and have a beauty new year
Ill get back in touch when work settles a bit.

[rhona]

'So very sorry to hear your Dad has passed over- --------rest assured he's found his well-deserved peace with loved ones in a beautiful highland place, free from pain or suffering.
The banshee story may be a wee bit inappropriate at the moment under the circumstances,-----please forgive my foot-n-mouth syndrome---( that's the story of my life!) but if you're still interested in seeing the Alan Lawson version,Ive posted it off to Cathy-with more to follow about Flora McTavish a one-time local heroine of Stratherrick and some old farm names ,tho' I reckon it's all stuff you've heard before,
take good care and keep the faith
luv Rhona.