4th Great Grandparents; Alexander Cameron and Catharine McPherson

Alexander Archibald Cameron (1805-1877)

Alexander Cameron was born in 1805 in Ardnamurchan, Argyll, Scotland, son of Donald Cameron and Ann (MacPherson). On the passenger list for the "Brilliant" he is listed as a farm servant and quarryman, son of Donald Cameron, also a stonemason, from Ardnamurchan. Another source states that he was first a farmer, and then a shoemaker. (link) He married Catharine Macpherson on March 3, 1828, in Ardtoe, Argyll, Scotland. They migrated with 5 children on the ship, Brilliant, 1838, and settled at Phoenix Park, near East Maitland, as tenants of J. Barker. They had 11 children in 21 years. He died on June 27, 1877, in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, at the age of 72. 

(Death NSW BDM Index 7238/1877 CAMERON ALEXANDER (parents) DONALD & ANN (Reg. NEWCASTLE)

Catherine Macpherson (1810-1869)

Catherine Macpherson was born in 1810 in Ardtoe, Ahacle, Argyllshire, Scotland. ON the passenger list for the "Brilliant" she is listed as a dairy maid, daughter of Duncan McPherson, road contractor, from Ardnamurchan, and Jane McDougall. She married Alexander Cameron on March 3, 1828, in Ardtoe, Argyll, Scotland. They had 11 children in 21 years. She died on March 24, 1869, in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, at the age of 59.

Immigration

They emigrated from Scotland as part of a mass migration during the highland clearances. The family were aged Alexander 32, Catherine 27 and the children from 10 down to 2 years of age. Alexander's wider family were also onboard, incuding his father, Donald. Details of highland clearances can be found at;

 http://www.keithdash.net/Ships/Brilliantmain.pdf

The Briliant was part of a large contingent of ships from the highlands carrying immigrants for the colony, all part of the same scheme, in response to the crisis. Other ships included the Midloathian (carrying my Gilles ancestors) and the David Nichol. Earlier ships included the Heber, which carried my Martin ancestors and McPherson. 

This scheme was criticized as overly generous by some other colonists, who complained about their privleges on arrival, which included two months rations. (see article ; Colonist (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), Wednesday 7 March 1838, page 2)

Voyage of the Brilliant

from Tobermory, Isle of Mull, to Sydney

1837-38

The Brilliant, a copper-sheathed wooden-hulled ship of 428 tons, was built in Montreal, Canada, in 1834. It made at least two voyages to Australia, the first as a Bounty Scheme ship under the command of Captain Gilkison departing from Tobermory, Isle of Mull, on

27th September 1837 and arriving in Sydney on 20th January 1838. In a letter to Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Lord Glenelg explained that the original intention had been to send the Brilliant to Van Dieman's Land (i.e. Tasmania), but because of reports of poor prospects for immigrants there the ship had been sent to Sydney instead. The departure of the Brilliant from Tobermory was reported in some detail in an article (see below) the Inverness Courier, and after its arrival in Sydney a committee of passengers wrote a letter of thanks to Captain Gilkison. 

The Bounty Ships Scheme to Australia

Departure of the Brilliant from Tobermory, Isle of Mull 27th September 1837

[transcriptions by Anne Maye] Extract from the Inverness Courier Index 1837, p.212.

''A large body of emigrants sailed from Tobermory on the 27th September for New South Wales. The vessel was the 'Brilliant', and its size and splendid fittings were greatly admired.''

''The people to be conveyed by this vessel are decidedly the most valuable that have ever that have ever left the shores of Great Britain; they are all of excellent moral character, and from their knowledge of agriculture, and the management of sheep and cattle, must prove a most valuable acquisition to a colony like New South Wales."

''The Rev. Mr MacPherson, of Tobermory, preached a farewell sermon before the party sailed. The total number of emigrants was 322, made up as follows: from Ardnamurchan and Strontian, 105; Coll and Tiree, 104; Mull and Iona, 56; Morven, 25; Dunoon, 28; teachers 2; surgeons 2. A visitor from new South Wales presented as many of the party as he met with letters of introduction, and expressed himself highly gratified with the prospect of having so valuable an addition to the colony. A government agent superintended the embarkation.''

In contrast to this, the ship's surgeon had less flattering words about the highlanders. "In her diary, Jessie Campbell, who emigrated to New Zealand in 1840 wrote…

Captain Grey and the doctor complaining woefully about the filth of Highland emigrants, they say they could not have believed it was possible for human beings to be so dirty in their habits, only fancying using their dishes they have for their food for certain other purposes at night poor as I am no considerations on earth would tempt me to trust my little family in a ship with Highland emigrants if I still had the voyage before me." (see https://www.geni.com/people/Janet-McLean-Free-Settler-Brilliant-1838/6000000008709302268)

Notes from Other Sources

The Brilliant arrived at Tobermory on 15 September - embarkation completed by Monday 25 September and on Tuesday 26 September a sermon in Gaelic was preached to the emigrants by Rev'd MacPherson, the parish minister of Tobermory. Early the next morning the vessel was towed out of harbour by a steamer and set sail around the north end of Mull for the open sea.

"The size and splendid fittings [of the ship] created a sensation, the highlanders only being used to small vessels for American emigration ... many came from a distance to embark in case those engaged would change resolution."

"Credit is due to clergymen, proprietors and their agents for kind interest and attention to the people's wants ... most are family, but amply provided with everything necessary for the voyage."

The supervising agent was Dr David Boyter, a surgeon in the Royal Navy, "to whom the most grateful acknowledgements were made for his kind attentions to all introduced".

The minister from New South Wales was James M MacArthur of Camden whose letters of introduction were "joyfully received as passports to a secure and profitable employment". 

Further Notes

Oral history; The Cameron families were estranged from their traditional lands in retribution for their role at Culloden. Apparently these Camerons were closely related to The Gentle Lochliel himself, Aunty Jean Cameron being the wife of his brother Archibald, who was hung, drawn and quartered.

Their property was passed to  a Mr Riddel.  They stayed on as tenants but things got too difficult when they were required to upgrade their crofts at their own expense.  The crofts were typically  7m to 8m long and 4m to 5m wide with rounded corners and a door in the centre of one of the long sides.The upgrades required were detailed by Mr Riddel and expensive, declaring windows of certain sizes etc.  After the renovations, which they had paid for in full, without debt, they were asked to move on. This may have had something to do with a British government initiative where landlords of crofters were pressured to get rid of tenants by forcing a tax on poorly constructed crofts.  They had fallen into arrears with their rent and so all their property was taken to satisfy the debt. (http://heritageardnamurchan.co.uk/the-landlords/)

Accounts of the clearance of tenants at Ardnamurchan are found on the site (The Clearance of Swordlechorach – a Family Account, https://borclaud.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/the-clearance-of-swordlechorach-a-personal-account/).  The barbary of these evictions is incomprehensible. Borclaud recounts how his ancestor, one of these Camerons, had to carry his four year old son on his back after the eviction, because he had measles, but the child later died of the exposure.  The mother had to return to their farm every two days or so to collect potatoes, their only means of sustenance, a journey of 10 hours or so each time. She had to carry these whilst pregnant.  Then, in return for being allowed to gather seaweed from the beach to eat, she had to further cut sod for the landlord's shepherds and carry sacks of sand. The 87 year old grandmother was not spared. Another account details how, in an earlier eviction, an old lady refused to leave so they walled her up until she was so hungry she had to leave.  A Facebook link to "Acharacle in the Past" makes for interesting reading.

Endnote: A grandson of Sir James Riddell,(d.1797), first baronet, of Ardnamurchan, Argyllshire, Scotland, was Campbell Drummond Riddell (1796-1858), emigrated to Australia and became a disreputable colonial treasurer in NSW.  He was, along with the establishment, complicit in the dispossession and genocide of the aborigines. Seems that this snivelling family has a long tradition of dispossession. I did hear a story that Alexander Cameron was actually encouraged to come to the colony by Riddell before widespread clearances.

Above; Mr Riddel.