Tales Of The Wayfarers Tavern

Beyond The Door

When Alexander Flora Chisholm inherited a centuries-old Inn, the Wayfarers Tavern, on the edge of a beautiful Loch in the Scottish Highlands, she had no idea what being its custodian would entail. The Tavern changes her life from the dreary drudge of 1990s London to the turbulent times of 18th century Scotland, leading up to the Jacobite rising of 1745, and beyond. Follow her epic adventures alongside a whole cartload of newly acquired family members of Clan Chisholm. How does a young 20th century lassie cope with 18th century life and the continual struggle to stay alive?

Follow the tales of the Chisholms in this exciting series set in the Highlands of Scotland during one of the most turbulent times in Scottish history. 

Available on Kindle, Amazon, Audible and also Google Play Books

Images below are scenes from Beyond The Door and can be visited today. They are all tagged when the images are clicked on.

There are two images of the St Catherine's Hotel, first granted a charter as the Wayfarers Tavern in 1460, and the novels are dedicated to this building, under threat of demolition.

Two images of Loch Fyne, where the Wayfarers Tavern sits on the loch side. Alex's view when she first arrived at the Tavern.

Then Kilchurn Castle where quite a dark scene takes place.

The last pair are Glen Affric, the Chisholm lands where the Caledonian Pine Forest can still be seen.

Historical Notes And References.

Chapter 1 & 10: St Catherine’s Hotel – The Old Ferry Inn – Wayfarers Tavern – Quarry and Chapel.

It is reputed that there has been a hostelry on this site since 1460, however the present building dates back to the mid-18th century with later alterations. To the SE of the hotel there are fragmentary remains of a ruined chapel, founded in the mid-15th century by Duncan Campbell of Lochawe. Groome's Gazetteer records that next to the chapel was a holy well, which was frequented by pilgrims. With both buildings established during the mid-15th century the inn would have been built to provide shelter and accommodation for the pilgrims and travellers. To the NW of the hotel is the remains of an 82m stone pier built to Thomas Telford's design in 1812-1820 (RCAHMS), which possibly replaced a much smaller pier. With the improvement of communications throughout Scotland in the 18th century the inn was rebuilt in 1756 as a coaching inn. A ferry service operated from Inveraray to St Catherines crossing Loch Fyne whereupon travellers would be able to continue the next part of their journey via roads leading to Kilmun, Lochgoilhead, Cairndow and Glencroe. This route was favoured by the Earls of Argyll as the most direct route to and from the Lowlands. The inn's low wing may pre-date 1756 but this has not been established. The main building of the Inn is similar in size and form to the mid-18th century coaching inn at nearby Cairndow, the only real difference being the roof. The roof of St Catherines with its overhanging eaves and bargeboards implies a 19th century roof placed on an older building. Said to have suffered a fire in the 19th century, the Inn may originally have had a steeper pitched roof, similar to that at Cairndow. The rebuilding date of 1756 also ties in with the opening of a nearby quarry to the S of the Inn. From 1751, stone quarried at St Catherines was the main source of ashlar for Inveraray Castle with its distinctive light green hue. With up to fifty quarriers being employed, the Inn would have been at the hub of all this activity. After this flurry of activity in the latter half of the 18th century the quarry was occasionally worked in the 19th century with no new workings after 1849 (RCAHMS) The car park to the NE of the hotel is thought to have been the paddock area where horses were grazed. (Historic Scotland)

Chapter 2 – Edinburgh Castle Risings - Gardyloo

A Jacobite force failed to capture the castle during the Rising of 1715 thanks to poor planning. The ladder they brought to scale the ramparts turned out to be too short.

https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/the-castle/history

Gardyloo! Before we had indoor toilets, people in Edinburgh would go to the toilet in a type of potty called a ‘Po’. When it was full they would empty the contents out the window into the street. To warn passers-by that they were about to throw something nasty, people would shout ‘Gardyloo!’

Chapter 4 – Shielings

The shielings were summer pasture. If there were raids for cattle or, worse, for the heads of clansmen; the children would be likely both to raise the alarm first from their outposts and also be the first victims of the attack. Luckily, this wasn’t an everyday occurrence, but training to fight and survive was a key part of upbringing and stronger youngsters would be chosen to take charge in the shielings.

If the shieling outpost noticed a raid, the aim would be to get everyone back to the village and warn the adults. If, however, the shieling came under attack, there would likely be few survivors, but the aim would be for the fastest individual to get the warning to the village. It was not entirely uncommon for the boys to be killed outright, while girls who did not escape would be taken and made part of the enemy clan (I won’t go into too much detail as to how this might have been achieved, but it probably wasn’t with consent). Whilst some young women were treated badly, some were treated well and exchanged back to their families for supplies or cattle. https://doriccolumns.wordpress.com/industry/agriculture/sheilings/

Chapter 5 – Kelpies

A kelpie or water kelpie (Each-Uisge), is a shape-shifting spirit inhabiting lochs in Scottish folklore. It is usually described as a black horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves when appearing as a human, leading to its association with the Christian idea of Satan as alluded to by Robert Burns in his 1786 poem "Address to the Devil". The kelpie is usually described as a powerful and beautiful black horse inhabiting the deep pools of rivers and streams of Scotland, preying on any humans it encounters. Almost every sizeable body of water in Scotland has a kelpie story. The Kelpies at Falkirk are worth a visit.

Chapter 7 – Yule Celebrations

Any activity that was judged to be extravagant, or celebrated superstitions, was deemed un-Christian and indeed illegal. In 1583, the Glasgow Kirk at St Mungo’s Cathedral, now Glasgow Cathedral, ordered the excommunication of those who celebrated Yule, whilst elsewhere in Scotland, even singing a Christmas carol was considered a serious crime. By the 1800s, people had become more relaxed about observing Christmas, but it meant the turning of the New Year was the true festive celebration. The 12 days between Christmas and Twelfth night were given over to merriment and excess, with the period hailed as the “daft days” by 17th-century Scots poet Robert Fergusson.

Chapter 9 – Earasaid

The word “Earasaid” comes from the Gaelic language and means “shoulder mantle.” The garment was typically made from wool or linen and was often dyed in bright colours, such as red, green, and blue. It was a versatile garment that could be worn in many different ways, depending on the occasion. One of the most common ways to wear an Earasaid was as a shawl, draped over the shoulders and fastened at the waist. This style was particularly popular for everyday wear and was often paired with a simple shift dress or skirt. The Earasaid was also worn as a cloak, with one end thrown over the head to protect against the wind and rain. Another way to wear an Earasaid was as a full-length gown. The garment was wrapped around the body and fastened at the waist with a belt, creating a fitted silhouette that was both practical and elegant. This style was particularly popular among aristocratic women and was often worn to formal events and ceremonies. The Earasaid was also a practical garment that could be used in a variety of ways. It could be used as a blanket, a baby carrier, or even as a makeshift bag for carrying goods. Its versatility made it an indispensable part of Scottish women’s clothing for centuries. While the Earasaid was traditionally worn by women, there is evidence to suggest that men also wore a similar garment in ancient Scotland. The féileadh-mór, a kilt-like garment that was worn by Highlanders in the 16-18th century, was a large piece of tartan fabric that was wrapped around the body and fastened at the waist with a belt. While it was primarily a men’s garment, there is evidence to suggest that women also wore the féileadh-mór in certain regions of Scotland.

https://clan.com/help/kilt-ancient-origins/kilts-ancient-womens-garments

Chapter 11 – Dearest Watkin

Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet (c. 1692 – 26 September 1749) was a Welsh politician and landowner who sat in the British House of Commons from 1716 to 1749, when he died in office. A member of the Tory party, he was also a prominent Jacobite sympathizer. He helped engineer the downfall of Prime Minister Robert Walpole in 1742 and engaged in negotiations with the exiled Stuarts prior to the Jacobite rising of 1745 but did not participate in the rebellion himself. Watch out for him in later novels.

Chapter 13 – Glen Loin Caves – Castle Lachlan

Jacobite Caves & Boulder – Arrochar - Best known of Scotland’s fissure caves, easily reached & with intriguing complexity can give satisfyingly strenuous exploration. From Arrochar drive around the head of Loch Long toward Ben Arthur (The Cobbler). Opposite a large lay-by on left, a minor road heads up Glen Loin. Drive up this & park at last group of cottages. Walk up the road 1 km to a gate barring access to the forest entrance. Cross the gate & take the path on left, skirt the electricity pylon & head uphill. Well-worn path ascends steeply to a frozen avalanche of massive boulders.

https://registry.gsg.org.uk/sr/sitedetails.php?id=935

Castle Lachlan – The Old Castle is a fifteenth century fortress occupying a rocky headland overlooking Lachlan Bay on the east side of Loch Fyne. It was the major building of the local clan, the Maclachlans. There has been a castle on the site since at least 1314. Old Castle Lachlan is of great historic, cultural and architectural significance. Up until the 18th century it was the focal point for a village and 13th century church that stood close by.

https://www.oldcastlelachlan.com/our-castles-story

Chapter 14 – Glen Croe – Old Military Road

In 1743 it was decided to construct 44 miles of military road from Dumbarton to Inveraray, via Loch Lomond-side, Tarbet, Arrochar, Glen Croe and thus down to Loch Fyne.  Major Caulfield, Wade’s successor of the Highland roads network, was ordered to survey the route. Work started that summer, although the progress was interrupted by the outbreak of the 1745 Jacobite Uprising. However, this was a rather strange military road.  The Wade-Caulfield roads were built to link military bases in the highlands and to help keep down the disaffected areas by allowing the rapid movement of troops into potential trouble spots. A route up Loch Lomond-side leading to Crianlarich, Tyndrum and Fort William was an obvious military necessity, although the Tarbet to Crianlarich section had to wait until 1752-4 to be built.

Inveraray was strongly Hanoverian, pro-government, firmly under the control of the Duke of Argyll, one of the leading figures in the government of Scotland, so what military purpose was to be served by this road? It was hardly likely that a detachment from the garrison at Dumbarton would be marched to Loch Fyne to put down an insurrection in the peaceful glens of Argyll. Two possible reasons exist for the high priority given to this road.  The first may have been to allow the pro-government forces that could be raised in Argyll, and indeed a regiment of the Argyll Militia fought in the Culloden campaign, to move swiftly from Loch Fyne to wherever they might be needed. The other reason was perhaps less straight forwards, but perhaps more plausible to provide a conveniently smooth road to and from the Lowlands for the Duke of Argyll. The connection between the road and the Duke was emphasized by Caulfield when the road was nearly finished, money was running out and there was a danger that a bridge at Inveraray could not be completed,  Caulfield wrote this will hurt a great man for the bridge is at his door, as indeed it was, being barely a mile from Inveraray Castle, the Duke’s seat. After Culloden, work recommenced and by 1748 troops built the road over the summit of Glen Croe and erected a stone seat with the legend Rest And Be Thankful. Completion of the road to Inveraray was achieved by 1749

Chapter 17 – The giving up of arms and lands

There were Chisholms on the government and the Jacobite sides in the events of 1745-6. After the Chisholms had supported the Jacobite cause in 1715, their estate was forfeited and was only returned to the chief’s eldest son. In 1743. Wary of losing his land again, in 1745 the clan chief declared his support for neither the government nor the Jacobite side. Following his lead, the clan as a whole did not support the Jacobite army. However, individual Chisholms did join the Prince, including Roderick Og, the fifth son of the chief. He and his Chisholm followers joined the Jacobite army in Inverness in March 1746 and fought at Culloden. Roderick fought against two of his brothers who were officers in the government army in the Scots Fusiliers.

The Disarming Act was an 18th-century Act of Parliament of Great Britain that was enacted to curtail Jacobitism among Scottish clans in the Scottish Highlands after the Jacobite rising of 1715. The new law came into effect on 1 November 1716 and aimed at “securing the peace of the highlands in Scotland”. The Disarming Act of 1716 proved ineffectual, and a subsequent act was passed in 1725 for more effective disarming of the highlands and better securing of peace. Major-General George Wade played a significant role in enforcing a new act passed in 1725 for “disarming the highlands in that part of Great Britain called Scotland; and for the better securing the peace and quiet of that part of the kingdom”. He used this law to successfully confiscate a significant number of weapons.

Chapter 19 – Clan Law

Clans functioned as autonomous entities, with their own laws, customs, and judicial systems. The Clan system ensured that the Clan Chiefs could act as judge and jury over his clan, he could decide the type of punishment a miscreant of minor crimes would face. For more serious crimes suspects would be sent to Edinburgh for trial where they would be kept in the notorious Tolbooth prison located next to St Giles cathedral on Edinburgh’s High Street until their fate was decided. The early clans were more than familial groups; they were intricate societies, with a sense of collective responsibility and communal welfare.

https://www.tartanvibesclothing.com/blogs/history/clans-of-scotland

Chapter 20 – Kilchurn Castle.

Kilchurn Castle - Garrison stronghold - During the troubled times of the late 1600s, following the overthrow of the Stuart dynasty in 1689, Kilchurn found a new role. In that year Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy, 1st Earl of Breadalbane, retired to his ancestral seat. He set about converting it into a garrison stronghold, a project which took the best part of a decade. The old tower house was converted into accommodation for the officers commanding a garrison of 200 men. For that garrison, a purpose-built barracks was erected along the north side of the courtyard. The barrack block still stands relatively complete and is the oldest surviving barracks on the British mainland. Little use was made of the garrison stronghold, other than as an outpost for government soldiers during the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745. (There is no proof of a prison cell on site, so artistic license was used!)

https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/kilchurn-castle-p859451

Chapter 24 – Mention of John Chisholm at Culloden

Book – A List Of Persons Concerned In The Rebellion – Page 72 – Roderick and John Chisholm are listed.