Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

MAR
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few fir-trees. Ealan-Rory-mlior was planted with
firs about twenty-five years ago ; and Ealan-Maree
is beautifully wooded with every variety of timber.
Thousands of the herring-gull breed on Ealan-Rory-
mlior; the grey goose breeds annually among the
islands of this loeh, and, it is believed, only there in
Scotland. Roe T deer haunt amidst the islands, and
may be seen on their margins, or swimming from one
to another. The lake is supposed at one time to
have had a much lower level than it has at pre-
sent, and it is thought that this has been occasioned
by the accumulation of sand and gravel at the lower
end, by which the water was dammed in. Indeed
there is some reason to think, that Loch-Maree
and Loch-Ewe, an arm of the sea into which the
river Ewe flows, originally formed one lake, under
the name of Loch-Ewe, as the village at the head-
of Loch-Maree is named Cean-Loch-Evve, or 'the
Head of Loch-Ewe.' The heightening of the sum-
mit level of this lake is also confirmed, by the ex-
istence of huge stepping-stones, between the islands,
which can be seen in dry seasons beneath the water.
"It was," says Dr. M'Culloch, "with some diffi-
culty that we explored our way through the laby-
rinth of islands in the centre of this lake : as they
are little raised above the water, and covered with
scattered firs, and thickets of birch, alder, and holly,
while they are separated by narrow and tortuous
channels. The features of the whole are so nearly
alike, that no part can be distinguished from another."
Loch-Maree affords admirable sport to the lovers of
angling, being well-supplied with a great variety of
fish, among which are salmon, eels, char, and trout of
every species ; among the latter, the gizzard-trout, a
rare species, is to be found. At the lower end of Loch-
Maree are the remains of iron-smelting furnaces,
erected and conducted, many centuries ago, by some
gentlemen from Fifeshire, who migrated here for the
purpose, and whose descendants, as well as those of
the workmen they brought hither, are still distin-
guishable by their names, as Kemp, Cross, Turner,
and others. There is no beauty in the grounds im-
mediately at the head of the lake, as they there
spread out into a marshy and level plain ; but the
burying-ground on the margin of the water, with the
rude stones which cover the graves, and the umbra-
■ geous trees which overshadow it, are worthy of a
visit. Seen however from the head of Glen-Dochart,
which has its lower termination at the head of Loch-
Maree, the effect was to us as surprising and en-
chanting as it was unexpected. The lake sparkled
bright in the evening sun ,- the lofty mountains were,
at their summits, tinged with his golden rays, while
in the hollows, and nearer their base, they were
wreathed in mist and light clouds. The effect of
this was to increase to a prodigious degree their ap-
parent height, — to make every hollow on their
rugged sides seem a deep and inaccessible glen, —
and to enlarge to an almost immeasurable extent the
lake and the hills which rose at its extreme distance.
It was altogether a scene of enchantment never to
be forgotten. The white peaked summits of the
File mountain sparkled, like the spires and turrets
of an emerald palace, the work of some Eastern ma-
gician, or of the genii of Arabian romance ; forming
a splendid contrast to the dark and rugged Sleugach
on the opposite side of the lake.
Loch-Maree has derived its present name, since its
separation from Loch-Ewe, from Ealan-Maree, which
tradition affirms was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
In ancient times it was the residence of a recluse or
hermit, the odour of whose sanctity is still preserved
among the simple inhabitants of the surrounding dis-
tricts. It contains a burying-ground : the spot has
been chosen on an island — as we so often see in the
Highlands — to prevent depredations from the wolves
of ancient days. On this island there is a sacred
well, in which, as in the pool of St. Fillans, lunatics
were dipped, while the usual oblations were left on
its margin, or on the branches of an adjoining holly tree.
— There are various traditions with regard to Loch-
Maree and its islands, one of which regarding Ealan-
Maree may here be mentioned. Here, it is said, is
the place of burial of a Norwegian prince, and a
daughter of a king of Ireland, whose fates are thus
related. They were to be married, and the cere-
mony was to be performed in Ealan-Maree, by a holy
man who resided on it. The prince arrived at the
time agreed on, but his bride had not yet reached
the island. Learning shortly afterwards that a ship
had arrived at Pol-Ewe, he sent messengers to
make inquiries, desiring them as they returned up
the lake to hoist a white flag if they were the bearers
of good news, but a black one if their news should
prove the contrary. On reaching Pol-Ewe they
found the princess had arrived, and they set out with
her to conduct her to their master. In sailing up
the lake, however, by way of putting their master's
love to the test, the messengers hoisted the black
flag at their mast head. The prince, on seeing this,
either died of grief or put a period to his existence.
On her arrival the princess also died of grief. The
lovers were buried close beside each other, and two
large stones still mark the site of their graves. The
stones have both had figures and characters carved
upon them ; but these are now quite obliterated and
defaced Ealan-Rory-mhor was anciently inhabited
by John Roy, the grandson of Hector Roy, who was
the first of the present family of MaeKenzie of
Gairloch. He occupied it as a place of security for
his family, from the attacks of the M'Leods, who
having been driven from the possession of the sur-
rounding lands by Hector Roy, frequently afterwards
endeavoured to regain their ancient domains. This
island was afterwards inhabited by Alexander, or
Allister, the son of John Roy, who is still talked of
in tradition as a man of great valour and wisdom.—
The M'Leods had anciently a castle on Loch-Tolly,
a small lake near Loch-Maree. In this castle, a sis-
ter of Hector Roy, who was married to aM'Leod, with
two of her sons, were savagely murdered by their
younger brother, who took possession of the lands.
Hector Roy obtained letters of fire and sword against
the murderer, and his adherents ; drove them from
the lands, took possession of them himself; and the
shores of Loch-Maree and Gairloch have ever since
been the property of his descendants.
MARK (The). See The North Esk.
MARKINCH, a parish in Fifeshire, about 7 miles
in length from north to south, and in breadth, from
east to west, from 5 to 2 miles. Superficial area
about 7,000 acres. Its form is very irregular, being
deeply indented in several places by neighbouring
parishes. It is bounded by the parish of Wemyss
on the south; by Kennoway on the east; by the
parishes of Kettle and Falkland on the north ; and
by those of Leslie, Kinglassie, and Dysart, on the
west. A small detached portion of the parish, se-
parated from the rest by the parish of Wemyss, lies
at the mouth of the river Leven, on the shore of the
frith of Forth. It is separated from the parish of
Scoonie by the Leven. The surface is generally
undulating, presenting alternately hill and valley,
which run from east to west. The rivers Leven and
Orr r which flow through it, add much to the beauty
of the scenery, besides the benefit which they confer
on the manufactures of the district. In 1815, the
annual value of real property assessed in the parish,
was £14,226 sterling; the valued rent is £10,171
13s. 4d. Scots. Population, in 1801, 3,130; in 1831,