Monday, September 22, 2014

Daughter Of Cameron Of Clunes


From Rootsweb:


[A story of] the first Bishop of Upper Canada, the Reverend Alexander (Maigstir Alastair) Macdonell, popularly known among his own folk as "Easbuig Mhor," the Big Bishop.
   
Alastair Mhor was a direct descendant of the Chief of Glengarry, Donald Macdonell; his father, Angus MacAileen Macdonell, was a well-known Scottish bard. He married the daughter Of Cameron of Clunes, whose youngest daughter, Margaret, was the mother of Colonel Duncan Cameron, C.B., 79th Foot Cameron Highlanders. Another daughter was the ancestress of Colonel Fraser.

The Macdonells were Roman Catholics, but the Camerons were Protestants. Angus MacAileen Macdonell had been twice married, his first wife being a daughter of Grant of Glen moriston, and her son, to whom the Bishop was much attached, became a Colonel in the army.  

Neither side would yield (on burying Mrs. MacDonell, nee Cameron), so her body, in its coffin was set, for a time, in the blowing heather at the side of the trail, while, in the accustomed way, men with swords were chosen to settle the argument. It was a test of skill, not of enmity since the clans were friendly, so the duellists fought with f1ats of their swords to guard against casualties. When the Macdonells won, they lifted the coffin to their shoulders and the Camerons quietly fell in line behind.

Upon one occasion, when Maigstir Alastair returned to Scotland, he met on Princess Street in Edinburgh, Sir Allan Cameron of Erracht, a boy with whom he had played in his youth and a cousin on his Mother's side of the family.  Sir Alan recognized him and, clapping him on the shoulder, almost shouted in his delight at seeing him, "And is it yourself, Alastair Mhor? I thought the devil had you long ago!"  Immediately, Alastair got back at him with, "Och, no, Alan of Erracht; he has no room for me, what with Hell being already filled with my mother's relations."



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