Wednesday 1st September 1819
Wednesday Sept 1st We were very much alarmed last night at the gentleman not returning till very late on account of the tremendous weather which obliged them to land several miles away & walk to the Inn in the dark the waterfalls were nothing very striking at two o’clock this morning we made an excursion to Glenco whose stupendous & craggy mountains surpass anything I have seen the incessant rain of yesterday which has still continued rendered the generally ?***? cataracts quite torrents & the angry clouds which hovered about the mountains gave
the whole a grand & terrific effect we rode a few miles through the glen & returned the same way to the Inn
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Glencoe: Glencoe’s scenic beauty has led to its inclusion in the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area.
1812: To the Most Noble George Marquis of Tweedale &c &c this View of the Valley of Glencoe is respectfully Inscribed by His Lordships most obedient Servant, Robert Andrew Riddell. Engraver: R A Robertson, Publisher: Boydell & Co http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/3429
A review of the national scenic areas by Scottish Natural Heritage in 2010 referred to the "soaring, dramatic splendour of Glen Coe", and "the suddenness of the transition between high mountain pass and the lightly wooded strath" in the lower glen.
1889: The Pass of Glencoe, Scottish Highlands, from “Souvenir of Scotland: its Cities, Lakes, and Mountains.” Published by T. Nelson and Sons, London, Edinburgh and New York. https://www.mapsandantiqueprints.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/p-1119-319-373.jpg
2013: View from the old road, now the West Highland Way, at the entrance to Glen Coe, looking west, with Buachaille Etive Mòr and Buachaille Etive Beag on the left, and Aonach Eagach to the right. By Dave Souza, the copyright holder of this work, and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:130707_Glen_Coe_from_east_C.jpg
2006: Glencoe, Scotland, by Superbass, the copyright holder of this work, and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glencoepanorama.jpg
The main settlement is the village of Glencoe located at the foot of the glen, which is regarded as the home of Scottish mountaineering. On the 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Jacobite uprising of 1689, an incident known as the Massacre of Glencoe took place in the glen. Thirty-eight men from Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by government forces who were billeted with them on the grounds that they had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William II and Mary II. Glencoe is supposed to have been the birthplace of Ossian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Coe
2012: The 'cave' can be seen upper right on the slope of Aonach Dubh, one of The Three Sisters in the 'Glen of Weeping'. By Kim Traynor, the copyright holder of this work, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ossian%27s_Cave,_Glencoe.JPG
Ossian was reputed to be the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson from 1760. Macpherson claimed to have collected word-of-mouth material in Scottish Gaelic, said to be from ancient sources, and that the work was his translation of that material. Ossian is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a legendary bard who is a character in Irish mythology. Contemporary critics were divided in their view of the work's authenticity, but the consensus since is that Macpherson framed the poems himself, based on old folk tales he had collected. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossian
Can you help us?
Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering a section today:
has still continued rendered the generally ?***? cataracts quite torrents &
We need expert help on interpreting this word.
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?