The life and times of the Marquis family of Argyll
Marquis, Steve2018
Books, Manuscripts
For more than three centuries, the Marquis family have been at the heart of Scottish highland history. Bards, smugglers, rebels and, latterly, courageous fishermen on the bitterly cold northern seas, they have witnessed first hand the changing fortunes of a tumultuous land. Originally immersed in the rich Bardic traditions of the Gaels, they were significant land-holders during the 16th and 17th centuries who found themselves in the thick of clan conflict, civil wars, Jacobite rebellions and the many social convulsions that threatened the highland way of life. They even had links, through marriage, to Flora MacDonald. In this fascinating book, Steve Marquis chronicles the erratic progress of his family from their bardic beginnings to the present day, including his own grandfather's decision in the 1920s to leave Scotland for Leicestershire in the English Midlands, where many off-shoots of the family continue to live today.During the 18th century, Alexander McMarcus and his son Donald were described as traders and smugglers on the tiny island of Cara, just off the west coast of Kintyre. In 1818, Alexander (now Marquis) married Catherine McCaog in Tarbert, thus starting the fishing family the author's grandfather was born into in 1901. During the violent fishing conflict of 1851-67 his son Dugald, along with other Tarbert fishermen, would be jailed for illegal fishing. With the sinking of the Nancy Glen in January 2018, 200 years of Marquis men fishing out of Tarbert came to an end. The MacMarcus/Marquis family history closely mirrors that of Gaelic Kintyre. It is a tale of struggle and endurance as they attempted to survive extremely traumatic and violent times.
Main title:
The life and times of the Marquis family of Argyll / Steve Marquis
Author:
Imprint:
Magna Books, 2018
Collation:
188 pages : maps, illustrations ; 23 cm
Language:
English