Sparks and Flashes

[bill]

SPARKS AND FLASHES
With fond memories of the column of that name in the old "Campbeltown Courier."
by Efric Wotherspoon


In prehistoric times the sea level was near Millknowe. Raised beaches were discovered when the site of the Calton housing scheme was being excavated.



There are a number of Bronze Age sites around Campbeltown Loch. Our forebears ate great quantities of limpets. A huge mound of limpet shells was found at a site in Kilkerran.



The Vikings dominated Kintyre for 400 years. Many Norse place-names still exist, e.g. Skipness - Ship Point, and Smerby - Butter Farm.



The first monks at Saddell were of the Cistercian order. The Abbey was colonised from Mellifont in Dublin. The monks have been mentioned in the old sagas, sometimes referred to as "The White Monks", as they wore habits of natural homespun wool. Saddell may be a corruption of "Sand Dale".



The original name of Campbeltown was Kilkerran - the Church of Kiaran, whose cell was St. Kiaran's Cave on the shore near Kildalloig. The town's name was changed in the 18th century.



The Main Street consisted of small thatched houses. Most people had a cow and at least one pig. The Town Herd collected the cows each morning and took them to the common grazing ground at Gallowhill, for a fee of fourpence per year. The Herd's Horn can be seen in the Museum. The pigs were a nuisance and there is a mention of their roaming into gardens, in an old Minute of the Town Council.



The Town Clock was considered a great extravagance as it cost £50, the reason being that it's hands were of copper, and not the more usual wooden ones. The striking bell, now silent, alas, was cast in Bristol, a famous place for bell casting.



The Wide Close ran from Main Street to Union Street, a narrow alley, in which were many dwelling houses. A story is told of someone who had a pig on an upper floor, and when asked why it was kept there, the answer was, "I canna get it doon!"



The Town Well in Main Street was the only public well in Campbeltown. Some years ago, when Main Street roadway was being resurfaced, the original circular well was found to be covered only by a few planks of wood. Older natives of the town will remember the old iron drinking pump which stood in front of the Cross, with it's heavy iron cup.



Fishing boats were, at one time, drawn up at Shore Street. When the foundations of the present Woolworth building were being excavated, a flight of three shallow steps, about 10 feet long, was seen on the left hand side of Shore Street, leading to what was, obviously, the shore.



Campbeltown ships were employed in whaling. The blubber was boiled and stored in casks at Trench Point.
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Extracts from The Kintyre Magazine

[westport321]

thanks bill enjoyed that

[spangles]

enjoyed that

The Kintyre Magazine is on sale for £1.50 4 times a year. You could take out a subscription that would help pay for the costs of printing it.!!

S

[Tosh]

enjoyed that

The Kintyre Magazine is on sale for £1.50 4 times a year. You could take out a subscription that would help pay for the costs of printing it.!!

S

it's a shame it can't be ordered online, payment is by cheque only.
There used to be a great online version but unfortunately that stopped some time back though I think the archive is still available at
http://www.kintyremag.co.uk/

[spangles]

I'll ask Francis the next time I see her about online payment. I think I heard them saying it was just bits and pieces that were left online. Not sure. I never used it.

I prefer to buy it. Makes sure of it's survival

S

[Tosh]

I'd be happy to buy it, not very good at getting organised with cheques though
The online version had the advantage of being very easily searched.

[Malky]

Can't remember where this came from but thought it might interest some.

"Campbeltown possesses a head post office, with money order, savings' bank, insurance, and telegraph departments, offices of the Royal, Commercial, and Clydesdale banks, a savings' bank (1827), 17 insurance agencies, 5 chief hotels and inns, gas and water works, and 2 Saturday papers, the Independent Argyllshire Herald (1855), and the Conservative Campbeltown Courier (1873).

Friday is market-day; and horse fairs are held on the first Thursday of February, the second last Wednesday of May, the second Thursday of August, and the third Thursday of November. The harbour, with a depth of from 3 to 15 fathoms at low water, possesses three piers; and a lighthouse on Davarr island, built at a cost of £4916 in 1854, shows every half minute a white revolving light, visible at a distance of 15 nautical miles.

On 31 Dec. 1880, 45 vessels of 2830 tons were registered as belonging to the port, 4 of 517 tons being steamers, against a total tonnage of 2251 in 1835,1488 in 1843, 1724 in 1861,2355 in 1873, and 3046 in 1878. "

Malky

[EMDEE]

Does anybody have a contact for subscribing to the Kintyre mag?

[Tosh]

Does anybody have a contact for subscribing to the Kintyre mag?

from their website:
Hard Copy
Subscriptions and Distribution:

Mrs Frances Hood,
Craiglussa,
Peninver,
Campbeltown,
Argyll,
PA28 6QP,
SCOTLAND

[spangles]

The next meeting of the Antiquarians March 19 is to be about the restoration of Machrimore Mill.

Wasn't there some photo's on here showing the progress of the restoration works and the grand job they have done of it.

Found the link with photo's by 4th Gen. http://www.kintyreforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2819

S

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Bill, that was really an interesting post!

Not sure why the the well with the heavy iron cup intrigued me.. was that at the original location of the cross or the present location?

[EMDEE]

The well was at the original location of the cross in Main Street.

[general jack o'niell]

i'm puzzled by the depths of the harbour, 3 to 15 fathom? surely a mistook, the depth of the loch at its deepest inside the line of the light to mccrinians point is only 9.3 fathoms, deepest part of the harbour is or was only 4.4 fathoms, the new quay might be a bit deeper than that now after the recent work. i do remember as a boy the steps halfway between the quays at low tide you needed a ladder to get down off the big bottom step as the drop was at least six feet, but 15 fathoms? thats ninety foot deep, i know theres been a lotof silting up of the inner part of the loch but 15 fathom. a fathom is 6feet for any landlubbers out there.

[Bitter End]

fur fathoms read feet?

[spangles]

fur fathoms read feet?

?????

http://www.boatsafe.com/tools/meter.htm

S