Knives

[REALMACTAVISH]

YOU'LL MIND THAT I SPENT LOTS OF TIME IN LOCHGILPHEAD ARCHIVES RECENTLY(SOON TO RETURN) AND TOOK MANY COPIES AND NOTES. I'VE JUST FOUND ONE AT BOTTOM OF PILE THAT IS CONFUSING - SO DEFERRED IT-
ITS A QUOTE OR STATEMENT BELONGING TO SIMON MACTAVISH OF DUNARDRY. HE TOLD A LOCAL BUSINESS MAN; I SUGGEST A LOCAL MASONIC LODGE(LOCHNELL STREET) PERSON; MR FINDLAY
" IS IT ANY BETTER TO BE STABBED BY A JEWELLED KNFE THAN A RUSTY BLADE...."
I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MIGOVIE- AND ANYONE ELSES. I CAN SAY THAT FINDLAY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A GOOD FRIEND ;SO HE WASNT REFERRING TO HIM. WHAT COULD HE BE REFERRING TO?????
WHAT THIS DOES TELL US HOWEVER IS THAT SIMON WAS CERTAINLY INVOLVED IN THE DUNARDRY LOCALE AND I SUGGEST MASONIC LODGE ON LOCHNELL STREET (WHICH HAS THE DATE 1790 ABOVE DOOR)

[migovie]

oh yes....and isnt it also wonderfully enlightening to see letters and docs betwen simon mactavish and other notable persons of argylle in which simon mactavish is reffered to as 'simon mactavish of dunardry"
ill send you a copy of letter from lachlan mactavish,s son dugald (sherrif dugald) ...in which the sherrif details the financial transaction between simon and the estate of dunardry, and the passage of his 'right " to inherit dunardry ...this right was passed to simon mactavish upon his purchase of dunardry.
this letter also details lachlans debt of lachlans "promise" to malcolm that lachlan would pay malcom for dunardry. Poor lachlan was dying with the knowledge that his debt to malcolm would be inherited by dugald (lachlans heir)...
poor dugald was only a boy when lachlan died and lachlan WAS BROKE......no question about that...i have letters that prove his debts .
BUT these are small in comparison to the debts owed by his son "sherif dugald."..
the sherif was a FAILURE ...as a man, as a lawyer. and as a father...his poor son william sent home almost every cent he earned to keep kilchrist afloat...sherrifs wife letetia had discreetly borrowed money from her OWN father to stop sherrif dugald being taken to court and bankrupted ( a terrible moral dilemna for a wife in those times when it was accepted the husband was to secure her and her families future )
poor sherrif dugald was so broke the he and letetai were living "apart" in his final days...she had moved back to hill street and william writes saying he wishes such "family feuds would cease"
when poor william inherited kilchrist he writes again saying he wishes to sell but as the property is in such bad state he fears it is "unsellable"
and he offers to reimburse money owed by his dad (sherif dugald) for over 15 years...and william also states he wishes to reimburse the money borrowed to bury his father...as sherif dugald had died without funds to even bury himslef...such a sad state ...

ALL THESE FACTS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE TO EDWARD DUGALD MACTAVISH AND PATRICK THOMPSON AND PAT ADAMS....BUT THEY INSTEAD CHOOSE TO STATE" SHERRIF DUAGLD WAS A SUCCESFFUL AND WEALTHY LAWYER IN CAMBLETOWN WHO WAS FAR TO BUSY BEING A SUCCESFULL LAWYER TO BOTHER RE APPROACHING LYONS TO REGISTER ARMS???"

>>>>>>THE ONLY REASON SHERRIF DUGLAD DIDNT REGISTER NOR HIS SON WILLIAM WAS THAT SHERRIF DUAGLD WAS FULLY AWARE THAT SIMON MACTAVISH HAD BEEN GIVEN THE ARMS OF DUNARDRY. SIMON DIDNT BOTHER TO REGISTER WITH LYONS EITHER....AND THATS WHERE ALL THE CONFUSION LAYS TODAY>>>>>

THE MANY MANY DOCS THAT SHOW SIMON MCTAVISH AS BEING TITLED "OF DUNARDRY" END ALL THAT...
SIMON MACTAVISH BEING TITLED AS "THE MARQUESS " AND "THE SIGNOIR" HEH HEH....MEAN THE SAME

[cathy]

Great research Migovie!
The MacTavish Saga would make a great movie! It is a great cast of charactors. Let's see you have the wealthiest man in the North American continent, born in Scotland, who purchases land in his homeland. The land of a chief. The Chief's family is broke, nearly destitute, and the heir of the Chief, signs away his right to the families COA as well as title to the land. It is only later that they realized what they have signed away, and curse the house of Garthbeg. As well as Dugald's curse on Garthbeg, Simon was also said to have been cursed by an Indian woman in America. Simon's ghost is said to haunt Montreal today! Simon's children all die young.

A great story!

Cathy

[migovie]

movie.???
well actually i have some very sound contacts in that industry ...i think youve hit a wonderfull idea...
the simon mactavish story of rags to riches....of fame and fortune ...of fight and famine....of succes and failure....adversity and conquest....of his entire family of children all dying tragically before 25 years of age.
The new found lineage that actually ties simon mactavish directly to the dunardry chief of 1300s.. the fact that chiefs only other son was killed and simons bloodline is THE ONLY true bloodline left from that chief...and the latest facts that simons garthbeg family show direct lineal descent back to the thamhais mhor buried 1100 that the presnet dunardry have NO ATTACHMENT at all....the thamhais mhor grave of 1100 shows that the mactavish DO NOT stem from "taus corr" at all...the stem from "thamhais" ( tavish) and hiow many manes of tavish or tavis or thamhais appear in the dunardry family line????....wow look how many are in the garthbeg family line....( shows garthbeg never forgot their roots eh)
anyway...i WILL suggest a movie idea to my friends ....BUT ...i think we not begin UNTIL the final chapter of the garthbeg is completed.....LONG LIVE SIMON MACTAVISH MEMORY.......

>>>>>'''''SIMON MACTAVISH OF DUNARDRY" ALSO KNOWN AS "THE MARQUISS"

[Truth Seeker]

OK - so if all these documents say "of Dunardry".......does that help with efforts at Lyon office?
Does being addressed "of Dunardry" by people in Argyll constitute PROOF?

I think I'm getting bogged down in this... :unsure:

T.S.

[migovie]

YES...the fact simon mactavish has written docs that title him "of dunardry" shows he was socially accpeted as being titled that ...which is THE title of mactavish chief.. Some may ask " perhaps he was describing his place of abode //"
BUT NO , as we know for fact simon never actually lived at dunardry after purchasing it and neither did his sons, so the "of dunardry" usage is a title and THE SAME title as granted and awarded to lachlan ...

INTERESTING FACT re sherrif dugald...
THE SHERRIF NEVER TITLED HIMSLEF "OF DUNARDRY" AT ANY STAGE IN HIS LIFE.
HE SIGNED LETTERS A "DUGALD MACTAVISH " AND OTHERS WHO WROTE TO HIM DID THE SAME...

THE ONLY TITLE IVE FOUND ATTACHED TO SHERRIF DUGALD SHOWING ANY IMPORTANCE IS A VERY INTERESTING TITLE ..>>>>>>>

SHERRIF DUGALD IS NAMED SIMPLY AS....

............."THE LAIRD OF KILCHRIST">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

another very interesting fact is the sherrifs urgent letter to simons son william . William is on his deatrh bed and the sherrif writes frantically asking to be given a chance at purchasing dunardry "for the SAME amount that simon mactavish PAID HIM for it .??"
BUT interesting to note that at no stage in this demand or plea does the sherrif say "as chief of clan mactavish i wish to repurchase dunardry.....or even "as chief of mactavish i demand it be sold to me"

sherrif never mentions these facts AT ALL......and this is a very desperate situation that would show IF the sherrif felt he was a chief...he WOULD have "played "that card to make demands over simon mactavish family ....BUT he doesnt ...