Finding the Black Book of Glenoe

HELLO, LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF. MY NAME IS MARK MCINTIRE. I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE CLAN MACINTYRE SOCIETY AND A SCOTTISH HIGHLAND PIPER. FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER I HAVE BEEN FASCINATED WITH MY CLAN MACINTYRE HISTORY. CLAN MACINTYRE ORIGINS OF SCOTLAND ORIGINATE FROM THE 12 CENTURY, UNDER OUR FIRST CLAN CHIEF MAURICE MCNIELL. HE POSSESSED LANDS AT GLENOE ON THE SHORES OF LOCH ETIVE IN ARGYLL SCOTLAND. THERE ARE NUMEROUS GRAVE SITES IN THAT SPECIFIC AREA TO SUPPORT THE FACT THAT THIS WAS CLAN MACINTYRE LAND ARDCHATTAN PRIORY AND MUCKAIRN PARISH ARE JUST SOME OF THE MANY BURIAL SITES.

LIKE MANY CLANS MUCH OF OUR HISTORY HAS BEEN LOST TO TIME. MUCH OF OUR HISTORY COMES FROM THROUGH ORAL STORIES AND THERE ARE SOME DOCUMENTS AS WELL AS MENTION OF OUR CLAN IN OTHER CLAN'S BLACK BOOKS. THE ANCIENT BLACK BOOK OF TAYMOUTH HELD BY CLAN CAMPBELL MENTIONS OUR CLAN NUMEROUS TIMES. THERE ARE BUT FEW heirlooms OF OUR CLAN THAT STILL EXIST STILL, THERE IS THE CHIEF'S SIGNET RING,THE GREAT SEAL AND THE QUAFFING CUP. THE ONE THAT HAS EVADED THE DESCENDANTS OF CLAN MACNTYRE AND WOULD BE LIKE THE ROSETTA STONE TO OUR CLAN IS THE BLACK BOOK OF GLENOE. IT WAS THE RECORDED HISTORY OF OUR CLAN KEPT BY THE SUCCESSIVE CHIEFS OF CLAN MACINTYRE. IT WOULD BE A BOOK OF GREAT ANTIQUITY. WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE RECORD WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRST KEPT BUT MY GUESS IS IT WOULD BE SOMETIME IN 14 CENTURY WE KNOW THAT THE BOOK STILL EXISTED IN 1808. IT'S MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE BOOK WRITTEN BY L.D. MACINTYRE CLAN MACINTYRE A JOURNEY INTO THE PAST. IT IS SAID IN HIS BOOK THAT DONALD THE FOURTH CHIEF OF GLENOE UPON EMIGRATING TO AMERICA IN1783 LEFT THE BLACK BOOK OF GLENOE TO HIS BROTHER DUNCAN A RETIRED CAPTAIN OF A HIGHLAND REGIMENT. IN 1806 HE LEFT FOR LONDON WITH HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER TAKING WITH HIM THE BLACK BOOK. CAPT. DUNCAN MACINTYRE DIED IN LONDON IN 1808. HIS WIFE ANN, DAUGHTER OF CAMPBELL OF DUNEAVES, REMARRIED A MAJOR STEPHENSON AND MOVED TO EDINBURGH WITH HER DAUGHTER JANE R. WHO DIED UNMARRIED AT THAT point ALL TRACE HAS BEEN LOST.

NOW THE FIRST THING THAT RUNS THROUGH MY MIND IS DOES THE BOOK STILL EXIST. IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE FOR IT TO STILL EXIST IN MY FAMILY WE POSSES BOOKS THAT ARE OVER 500 YEARS OLD SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT HAS BEEN KEPT BY ONE OR MORE FAMILIES THROUGH OUT THE PAST TWO CENTURIES . IT HAS NO MONETARY VALUE TO THE ONES THAT MAY STILL POSSES AND THE HISTORICALLY IS MEANINGLESS TO THEM. BUT THE HISTORICAL VALUE THE CLAN MACINTYRE IS PRICELESS.

IT'S HARD TO GIVE AN DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK SINCE NOBODY HAS SEEN IT IN TWO HUNDRED YEARS BUT IT IS MY GUESS THAT IT WOULD BE THAT IT IS STILL IN SCOTLAND AND A RATHER LARGE AND LEATHER BOUND PROBABLY WRITTEN MOSTLY IN GAELIC. NOW I DON'T THINK WRITTEN ON THE FRONT OF THE BOOK IN BIG GOLD LETTERS THE BLACK BOOK OF GLENOE. I WOULD BELIEVE THAT IT IS COMPLETELY UNTITLED, YOU WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS UNTIL YOU OPENED UP AND READ A FEW PAGES IF YOU CAN READ GAELIC. THE PERSON OR FAMILY THAT MAY STILL POSSES IT MAY NOT KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE OR ANY IDEA WHERE IT CAME FROM TO THEM IT'S JUST AN OLD BOOK THAT HAS BEEN IN THERE FAMILY FOR A LONG TIME AND SITS ON A SHELF IN THERE LIBRARY.

I AM POSTING THIS BLOG IN HOPES TO SPARK SOME INTEREST IN FINDING THE BLACK BOOK. OR MAYBE IT WILL SERVE AS AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE ONE THAT MAY POSSES IT.OR TO ANY BODY THAT HAS INFORMATION ON IT OR IT'S WERE ABOUTS.

Finding The Black Book of Glenoe