The Lairds of Otter (PDF)

The Lairds of Otter

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THE LAIRDS
OF OTTER
by

Willie Logan

Edited by John F A Rankin ©

The Lairds of Otter

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The Lairds of Otter

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THE LAIRDS
OF OTTER
By
Willie Logan

Printed and published by

John F A Rankin

First edition 2000
Third Impression June 2015
with minor corrections

Your comments, corrections and
additional information are welcome:
john@claddie.co.uk
lynn@claddie.co.uk
wendylois_scottie@yahoo.co.uk
elise_rankin@hotmail.com

The Lairds of Otter

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HEADINGS
Page
Preface
The Old Laird
Origin of the name
Fishing rights
Arrival of Patrick Rankin
Steamer rivalry
John MacLachlan meets the laird
Kilfinan Bay - 1852
Out of season work - Irish workmen
Garry
Refurbishment
Years of progress
James Mackie and Kilfinan Estate
Incorporation of Kilfinan Estate
Mackie's return to Otter
The enlarged Otter
Sea freight
Annfield parks
Keeping the peace
Annfield Cottage
Ardgadden - deferred
Fearnoch
Lindsaig
Inveryne
Drum
Lime kilns
Lindsaig mill
John Logan comes to Otter
The laird's household
Village life
Willie's home

8
11
12
13
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
22
23
24
25
25
26
27
28
29
29
30
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39

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HEADINGS
Continued
Land improved
Straightening of Kilfinan burn
The Rankin mausoleum
Young Patrick
The laird's smithy
The Misses Rankin
The boathouse
Red faces
The church at Kilbride
Family origins
Responsibilities to the Church
Kilfinan farm - deferred
A start on Ardgadden
Death of the Old Laird
Trusteeship
Kilfinan Hotel
Jock's Lodge
Tighanraidh
The Minister's grazing rights
The succession
Absent laird
Jock Scott in bother
Tenants at Otter
The curling match
Short-lived lairds
The Major W B Rankin era
Factor James Main
Pier project
The reduction in cultivation
Sawmill
Bootmaker Leitch

40
41
42
43
44
45
45
47
48
49
51
52
53
54
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
60
61
63
64
65
66
67
67
68
68

The Lairds of Otter

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HEADINGS
Continued
Children at Kilfinan School
The mail contract
Smithies
The promised land at Drum Point
Guy Rankin at Otter
Kilfinan fishermen
Continuity
Factor James Barton
Willie as Gamekeeper
Copper at Otter
Miners' accommodation
Transporting the ore
The Great War
After the war
Motor Launch 'Otter'
Adventure at sea
Guy Rankin’s opinion
Encounters with poachers
Two wild men
Another chase at sea
Pursuit to Tarbert
Laird Rankin joins the hunt
Poachers from Ardrishaig
My reputation lives on
Time marches on
Park Cottage
River bank dispute
Copper again
Another laird ...
Otter! Otter! Where is that place?
Appendix 1: Data from gravestones
Appendix 2: Notes on the Rankins of Otter,
Cleddans etc.

69
70
70
72
72
73
73
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
87
90
92
92
93
94
96
98
101
103
104

The Lairds of Otter

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Illustrations
Otter House
Logans and Rankins
Steamship Azalea
Northern gateway to Otter House
James Mackie and the postmaster
Dan Martin
Annfield Cottage
Fearnoch farm
Lindsaig farm
Inveryne farm
Drum farm
Lime kiln in Kilfinan
Lindsaig mill, cottage and smithy
John Logan at 80
The Logans at Home farm
The Rankin mausoleum
The boathouse
Kilfinan farm
Kilfinan Hotel
Jock’s Lodge
Tighanraidh
Percy Aitken’s canoe Cis
The folding boat
Otter House extension
Kilfinan School
Smithy at West Lindsaig
Motor Launch Otter
Guy Rankin
Park Cottage
Tigh Cladaich and Auchalick Bay
The author

Front cover
10
14
21
23
26
28
30
31
32
33
34
36
37
40
43
46
55
56
57
58
62
63
66
69
71
80
82
94
100
Back cover

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Editor’s preface
“Willie, you really must write it all down, for
posterity.”
It was my mother speaking, as we sheltered from a
sudden shower.
Willie Logan had met me and my sister for the first time
that summer and he was already like an uncle to us. He
was about 80 and staying at Jocks Lodge; he had
appeared at Park Cottage
that morning with a
Winchester rifle and the image of a rabbit crayoned on a
piece of cardboard. We all walked up beside Kilfinan
burn to the disused coppermine, an ideal place for target
practice - and a place where I would later spend happy
hours stalking live rabbits. After a half hour of expert
and patient instruction on the skills of stalking and
shooting rabbits, on came the rain and Willie led us to a
natural shelter under the overhang of the high bank of
the burn.
“A handy place to lie in wait for salmon poachers” he
commented. “You’d be surprised at the methods they
use - dynamite, cyanide - I mind one local poacher - he
spotted a salmon lying under the bank of the
‘Minister’s pool’ there, whipped his kilt off and slipped
into the pool to ‘guddle’ the fish - he brought his hand
slowly up under the salmon from behind, grabbed it
behind the gills and hurled it onto the bank. But I got to

The Lairds of Otter

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At least a year passed and my parents were at Park
Cottage again when Willie appeared on the doorstep.
There were no telephones in the village and it was quite
normal to visit uninvited.
Willie laid on the table an exercise book containing
twenty six pages of neat and closely-written text. The
story recounted above was not in the book, but he did
write down some other anecdotes, as well as a lot of
previously unrecorded local history - much of it passed
on to Willie by his father.
Here is Willie’s book
addition of a few notes.

- unaltered apart from the