I’m a big fan of old images and postcards and one of the best resources comes from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). It’s a mouth full, I know, but there is lots to be found as well. The site has several collections and the one I’m most fascinated of is the Canmore Database. The best explanation for the contents of the Canmore Database can be found on the website itself: “Canmore is a window to Scotland’s places, Canmore features photographs, maps, drawings and expert information on more than 280,000 places of interest, from abandoned settlements to the local high street, and ancient monuments to historic houses.” And since August 2009 the public is invited to add images and text to the database. To give you an example of what there is to find I have included a wonderful print showing Craighouse in the year 1817. There is a lot more from Jura to be found making it an excellent resource for historical information and a great resource to browse on that rainy Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!
I am delighted to have at my fingertips such a lovely visual insight into my grandfather’s homeland. He was Neil Shaw; b. 1860 at Rhuanthallen, son of John Shaw (shepherd) and Annie MacIsaac (the Jura miller’s daughter). He moved to Glasgow where he met and married Catherine MacKenzie of the Isle of Lewis. They had three children: Margaret, John (my father) and Anna. Anna, having lived in three denturies, died at 102 years old in Tallahassee FL. Neil died in 1955 in Old Greenwich CT USA. During the 1950s we were acquainted in the US with Donald Darroch, a descendant of Jura. Later, on a trip to Scotland, I met with him and his wife in London. They were living in Essex at the time.