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THEKINTYRE ANTIQUARIAN & NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETYMAGAZINENo 1April 1977
THE MAGAZINEofThe Kintyre Antiquarian & Natural History Society.President: A. I. B. Stewart, O.B.E., B.L.
 
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NUMBER ONE SPRING 1977CONTENTSForeword & Introduction
:Duncan Colville, Life PresidentA.I.B. Stewart, O.B.E., B.L., President............ 2
Editorial
............................................... 3
History of the Society
Hector L. MacKenzie, M.A........................... 4
The Jet Necklace
Frances Hood....................................... 6
Largie
J.R. Maxwell-Macdonald, J.P........................ 7
The North Carolina Connection
Angus MacVicar, M.A................................ 9
Sika Deer in Kintyre
T.W.G. Coulson, B.Sc, F.I.F.......................13
Excavations at Balloch Hillfort
E.J.Peltenburg, B.A., Ph.D., F.R.S. Scot..........16
Kintyre in Ontario
Efric Wotherspoon.................................18
Mary : A Hundred & Fifty Years Ago
Margaret MacDougall, M.A...........................22
William MacTaggart
Isabella Dunnett...................................24
EDITOR
: M. G. Hunter, M.A., B.Sc.
COVER
: J. Hex.
ARTICLES & LETTERS toPOSTAL REQUESTS for MEMBERSHIP
Mrs. M. G. Hunter,and copies of MAGAZINE toMerkland,Mr. A. McNair,Southend, Campbeltown.47 Limecraigs, Campbeltown.
1Page 2F0REWORD
by Duncan Colville, Life President.As a founder member and the first Honorary Secretary of the original Kintyre Antiquarian Society, it gives me greatpleasure to welcome the publication of this magazine. I am sure it will meet a long felt want, and I wish it every successin the future.
INTRODUCTION
by A. I. B. Stewart, President.In an age when scholarship is at a discount and change is regarded by many as synonymous with improvement, it seemsto me that it becomes all the more important to look over our shoulders at the lives and achievements of our ancestors,for only by understanding the past can we prepare for the future.This publication is an effort by the Kintyre Antiquarian and Natural History Society to give some permanence to thework done by our members in recording our past history and the natural features of our beautiful environment.
Page 3EDITORIAL
For over half a century The Kintyre Antiquarian Society as it originally was has held meetings where talks on all aspectsof life in Kintyre were given. In addition many of these lectures were published, but are now out of print. The Society'sLibrary contains a large collection of books and manuscripts relating to Kintyre. Recently a sub-committee of the
 
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Society was formed to go into the question of making new and old material available to its members and others. ThisMagazine, which it is hoped to publish twice a year, is the result.In this, our first number, we have included a variety of articles, touching on topics of interest to members. Muchinterest has always been shown by the descendants of Kintyre emigrants in this district, and perhaps this periodical willappeal to them also. In our limited space we have been unable to touch on all the many facets of the work of theSociety, but we hope to repair some of our omissions in succeeding Issues. Meantime perhaps some of our readers willbe inspired to send contributions for other numbers. These could be anecdotes as well as full length articles. We aim torecord the present before it becomes past and forgotten.The Editor thanks the members of the sub-committee and in particular the Chairman, who has shared the editorialtask; all who have contributed; the Editor of "The Kist" of The Natural History & Archaeological Society of MidArgyll, without whose help this Magazine would not have got going; and the Editor of "The Glynns" of The Glens ofAntrim Historical Society for understanding and encouragement.And lastly, we thank our subscribers, and hope that they will bear with our omissions and errors, and that they willenjoy reading our Magazine.
Page 4A SHORT HISTORY OF KINTYRE ANTIQUARIAN AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
Hector L. MacKenzieOn 14th June, 1921, the then Macdonald of Largie (father of the present Laird) and Sheriff J. MacMaster Campbellissued a circular letter convening a meeting in the Argyll Arms Hotel on 21st June, relative to the proposed formationof a society for the study of the Archaeology, History and Antiquities of Kintyre, and the preservation of the olderrecords of the district.The gentlemen convened were Col. Charles Mactaggart, Col. George Rome, Dean of Guild MacArthur, ex-ProvostJames Lothian, Dr.J. P. Brown, Rev. C. McEachern, Rev. A. MacKenzie, Messrs. T. Galloway, Latimer Maclnnes, D.MacKinlay, and Duncan Colville. Of these founder members only one is still with us - the venerable Mr. DuncanColville, Life President of our Society, now in his 93rd year. At the first A.G.M., two ladies, Miss Moira Campbell, onlyrecently deceased, and the late Mrs. Archd. Stewart, mother of our President, were admitted to membership.Right away in its first year, the society inaugurated what was to become a regular feature, an annual outing to someplace or places of archaeological Interest. The first was to Largie and Clachan districts, followed by lunch at theTemperance Inn at Clachan, and by tea at Largie Castle.Mr. Duncan Colville was appointed first Hon. Secretary and Treasurer. Largie was the first President, but he died in hisfirst year of office and was succeeded by Sheriff J. MacMaster Campbell, who remained President until his death in1939.In April 1932, was admitted to membership the Rev. Father Webb, who, when he died in 1974, bequeathed a generouslegacy to the Society, as well as all his antiquarian, historical and archaeological papers, which are currently being editedby Dr. Eric Cregeen.The meetings of the Society were suspended In 1940 "until," as the minute says, "the war is over." The
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first meeting after the war was on 19th October, 1946, but the Society did not regain its vigour for some time. Twomembers, however, were very active and all enquiries relating to the antiquities of Kintyre were referred to them. Mr.Colville and Father Webb were both active archaeologists, and continued to further the aims of the Society. FatherWebb, for example, took advantage of the excavations made in preparing the ground for pre-fabricated houses at theCalton site in 1947. More than 400 flints were found, and other relics, which constitute, as one authority has said, "theearliest unambiguous remains of man in Scotland." "The dwellers in these 'prefabs' wrote Father Webb in characteristicfashion, "had the honour of living upon the occupation site and working stance of the first human inhabitants ofScotland at a remove of something like 8,000 years."
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