The Society has published two books which are described below:
1. Gravestones and
Memorials
The
Strachur and District Local History Society was formed in 2007. It
launched its first publication, "Gravestones and Memorials", in 2010 which proved to be
of particular interest to members of the Clan Maclachlan Society but also
relevant to anyone whose family roots are in Strachur and the district. Families from Australia, New Zealand and U.S.A have all found it helpful in their genealogical research. The second (revised) edition is now in print and offered for sale.
The Strathlachlan section starts off with an historical background written by
Vice Chairman Donald MacLauchlan. It begins with the battle of Culloden's impact
on the Clan; the 17th Chief was killed there. It gives a potted history of the
old Kilmorie church and its replacement, which was erected at the end of the
18th century. The successful consolidation plan for Kilmorie which was carried
out by the Lachlan Trust is mentioned. There is a photo of the entrance and the
new gates.
The core of the book, as the title implies, is a listing of the MI (monumental
inscriptions) for both Strathlachlan and Strachur graveyards. To assist in
locating individual graves the old section of the former is divided into octants
plus Kilmorie Chapel. The latter contains the memorial tablets of the Clan
Chiefs starting with George who died in 1877.
Unfortunately it has not been possible to list all the MI. With the passage of
time, some of the inscriptions have deteriorated to the extent that they are not
all legible. For example, on stone #20 in the SW octant (Duncan McLachlan and
family), some key words and dates appear to have crumbled in the third
millennium. Another problem is that the graveyard is surrounded by a ring of
trees, many of which are over 200 years old. A few have already fallen and other
trees have dropped major limbs. This has resulted in several gravestones being
broken and others knocked down, some face up and others face down. If any clan
member can assist the society by providing some of the missing information, we
would be most grateful. If the descendants of the ancestors whose gravestones
have fallen wish to have them re-erected, we can put them in touch with local
monumental masons who can provide this service.
The book also records war memorials in the area. Of particular interest to Clan
Maclachlan members are the flags flown by the battleship HMS Royal Oak at the
battle of Jutland in 1916 and at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet in
1918. The Captain of the Royal Oak at that time was Crawford Maclachlan, the
present Chief's Grand-uncle. The flags were mounted on the west wall of
Strathlachlan church but have now been returned to the custody of the Maclachlan family.. The war memorial in Strachur Bay bears the names of two
men from the district who died in the Boer War, one from the castle (Capt Donald Maclachlan), and one from a croft in the strath (Pte Neil Crawford) related to a
member of the society who still lives locally.
Miscellaneous memorials include the ones to Sir Harry Lauder's son and the
family of the Macleans of Strachur. Sir Fitzroy Maclean is widely thought to
have been the model for Ian Fleming's hero, James Bond.
For easy
reference the names of all the individuals mentioned in the book are listed in
the index.
If you would like to order a copy of the book to be sent to
you by mail please follow the link on the left.
2. A History of Strachur and District
In 2014, Shauna Rodger, a fond niece, wrote the following words about her aunt,
Isabella Cameron Douglas:
Isabella Cameron was born in 1909 and died in 1983. She lived the best part of her life in Newton and worked locally as a clerkess/book keeper until retirement. Her ambition was to be a journalist. She wrote articles for the Dunoon Observer and had various short stories published by several women’s magazines.
Bella seized the opportunity to write this book and it is to her credit that she managed to assemble so much information and detail through written and oral communications.
Some of the folk lore and stories have been passed down
for generations and Bella recorded them in good faith.
As to their credibility, readers are invited to judge for themselves.
The Society has re-created this book originally published in the nineteen-sixties.
Some of the original images have been replaced with modern scans of the old
photos resulting in improved quality. The pagination has been altered slightly
to allow a modern (A5) format to be used instead of the Imperial dimensions of
the original.
If you would like to order a copy of the book to be sent to you by mail please follow the link on the left.