Fàilte! (Welcome!)

Fàilte! (Welcome!)
This blog is the result of my ongoing research into the people, places and events that have shaped the Western Isles of Scotland and, in particular, the 'Siamese-twins' of Harris and Lewis.
My interest stems from the fact that my Grandfather was a Stornowegian and, until about four years ago, that was the sum total of my knowledge, both of him and of the land of his birth.
I cannot guarantee the accuracy of everything that I have written (not least because parts are, perhaps, pioneering) but I have done my best to check for any errors.
My family mainly lived along the shore of the Sound of Harris, from An-t-Ob and Srannda to Roghadal, but one family 'moved' to Direcleit in the Baighs...

©Copyright 2011 Peter Kerr All rights reserved

Sunday, 19 September 2010

Relatives of the 'Ayatollah'

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that I am a fan of Finlay J Macdonald's trilogy 'Crowdie & Cream'. One of the pivotal, although already deseased, characters is that of the Minister, 'Ayatollah' Kerr.
I have already described John Kerr's family but here present a chart showing him and his relatives all descended from the two sons of his grandparents, John Kerr and Marion Macleod.
It is worth noting that by the time the 'Ayatollah' and his 'French' wife arrived back on his birth-isle, his uncle's family had established themselves in England and one doesn't get any impression from the books that the widowed Adele was aware of any descendants of her sisters-in-law who were living around her and who, in every likelihood, she was teaching in the school at Scarista alongside the schoolboy Finlay...
Note: Other references to Finlay J Macdonald can easily be found from the tags to the right, and the search feature should enable you to discover background pieces on Borve and the two brothers, should you so wish.
I should also point out that, although I cannot prove it, my firm belief is that all the Kerr folk of Harris were related, possibly descended from a few 'incomers' imported at the time of Captain Macleod's 'improvements', perhaps the last time that such 'improvements' were being undertaken with an understanding of, and in co-operation with, the indigenous inhabitants for another two centuries...

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