Charles Macdonald of Ord

Genealogy

The Clan Donald. By the Rev. Angus Macdonald, Minister of Killearnan, and the Rev. Archibald Macdonald, Minister of Kiltarlity. Vol. III (The Northern Counties Publishing Company Ltd., Inverness, 1904), 666 pp. See pp. 239-48 for an account of the Maceachen-Macdonalds

Charles MacDonald Ord [610] (Margaret MacAllister 3, Anne Macdonald Kingsburgh 2, Alexander Old Kingsburgh 1) was born in 1778 and died in 1867, aged 89.

General Notes: With Glengarry Fencibles

Charles married Anne McLeod Gesto [609] [MRIN: 212], daughter of Captain Neil McLeod XV Gesto [602] and
Flora MacKinnon of Corry [603], on 15 Feb 1828 in Aird, Sleat, Scotland. Anne was born on 23 Dec 1797 in Gesto House, Bracadale, Invernesshire, Scotland and died on 13 Jul 1866 in Ord House, Aird of Sleat, Invernesshire, Scotland, aged 68.

Children from this marriage were:

i. Flora MacDonald [1837] was born in 1829 and died in 1873, aged 44. Flora married Alexander Smith [1838] [MRIN: 629]. Alexander was born in 1829 and died in 1867, aged 38.

ii. Isabella MacDonald [1839] was born in 1831 and died in 1902, aged 71. Isabella married John Robertson Greshornish [1840] [MRIN: 630]. John was born in 1864 and died in 1945, aged 81.

GEDCOM Note

<p>Ord</p><p><p>Ord An Uird </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Originally a farmhouse and steading, with several cottars’ and farm workers’ houses, Ord was the home of the Macdonald family described in the book A Summer in Skye by the poet Alexander Smith and published in 1867. Smith had married Flora, the daughter of Charles Macdonald, who had become tacksman of Ord at the very end of the 18th century.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>The house became a hotel in 1947 run by the Nicolson family, who had taken over the lease of the farm in 1926. People came from far and wide for the celebrated afternoon teas served here. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Construction of new houses began in the 1960s, with the building of An Acarsaid. Its gardens are now regularly open to the public under Scotland’s Garden Scheme. In the late 1970s a complex of holiday chalets was built. These were sold off individually in the 1990s.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>A quartzite quarry was opened in 1946 for the extraction of silica. A short railway joined the quarry to the road where lorries were loaded with the quarried material. The high cost of transport away from Skye meant that the quarry was uneconomic and it closed within a few years.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>A few miles further on is a turn-off to the left to the villages of Ord, Tokavaig and Tarskavaig, on the west coast of the peninsula, from where, on a clear day,there are views across to the Cuillins. Near Tokavaig is the ruin of Dunsgaith Castle, home of the MacDonalds of Sleat until the 17th century. Tarskavaig is a typical crofting township. In the early 19th century the MacDonalds wanted the more fertile glens inland for their sheep farms and so evicted the people to coastal townships like Tarskavaig. Just beyond the turn-off to Ord are the remains of Knock Castle, yet another MacDonald stronghold. </p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Just before the ferry pier at Armadale is Armadale Castle which was built in 1815 as the main residence of the MacDonalds of Sleat. Most of the castle is now a roofless ruin but the servants' quarters contain an excellent exhibition and accompanying video explaining the history of the Lordship of the Isles. The Clan Donald Lords of the Isles took over from their Norse predecessors in ruling the Hebrides until their power was broken in 1493. The former stables at the entrance comprise offices, a restaurant and bookshop, while the estate manager's house has been converted to accommodate an extensive library and archives. The castle is surrounded by 40 acres of handsome gardens and woodland, and there are ranger-led walks along nature trails with fine views across to the mainland. Info - Apr to end-Oct daily 0930-1730. Tel. 844305, 844275, officeS5@

GEDCOM Source

3 15 OCT 2015 Added via an Instant Discovery™