Margaret Lamont (1797 - 1867)

Born 11 May 1797 in Ardyne, Inverchaolain, Argyll, Scotland

Ancestors

Wife of Daniel MacPhorich Lamont — married about 1820 in New York State

Descendants

Died 3 Sep 1867 at age 70 in Tomkins,New York, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Colin Mayall [send private message]

Biography

Margaret was born on the 11 May 1797 at Ardyne in the Parish of Inverchaolain, Argyllshire. She was baptised in the Parish of Inverchaolain, Argyllshire on 12 May 1797 (most probably in Inverchaolain Parish Kirk which lay close by and is a Lamont locus. She was the daughter of Robert Lamont and Mary Black.

The Lamonts farmed Ardyne which was a "ferme toun" bordering on Loch Striven and overlooking the Island of Bute. A "ferme toun" was a common type of agricultural premises in the 18th and 19th century. Usually U shaped it was normally occupied by the various family units. A Scottish "kibbutz" in style, each family would do their own thing but assist others with things like harvesting or sowing crops. Individual family members would work at their own trade out of their own home. Margaret was one of eleven siblings, all born in Inverchaolain and probably at Ardyne .

The Ardyne “ferme toun“ was run by Archibald Lamont (Lamont) and his wife Mary Baxter and their three sons and their wives -- Archibald Lamont (Lamont) and Margaret White or Whyte -- John Lamont (Lamont) and Catherine Lamont -- Robert Lamont and Mary Black. It is an interesting observation to note that the Lamont spouses include a White and Black. The reasoning for this is historical. The traditional enemies of the Clan were the Campbells. Through the 11th century, the Lamont chief sat in a town called Dunoon, until 1371 when Robert II of Scotland, upon his ascension to the throne, appointed Sir Colin Campbell the Hereditary Keeper of Dunoon Castle instead. This marked the beginning of an increasingly bitter feud between the two clans, as the Lamonts tried to resist the Campbell's growing influence. What resulted from this bad blood was not just a few well-placed words or even a handful of injurious confrontations, but instead the brutal massacre of the Lamont clan, an event that would deal a crushing blow to one of Scotland’s proudest families. Not only would the Campbells break an age-old code of honour between chiefs, but they would slaughter over 200 Lamont men, women, and children, hanging them from trees and even burying them alive. As a result of the massacre and continued antagonism, many Lamont families changed their surnames to the colours, Brown, White or Black. This is a useful aid to tracing Lamont lines from 1646 forwards .

Whatever the reason, the Lamonts, with exception of Robert, Mary and family decided to leave Ardyne and cross over Loch Striven to a similar ferme toun on the island of Bute. It was a short distance of some one and a half miles and was an established ferry crossing .

The following account was sent by Carol J. (MCCune) McCraw of California USA to a distant cousin of Colin Lamont Mayall ( ) :

From the publication Colonial families of America Vol VI which is the history of the Wright family, Julia Wright married on the 8 August 1822 Archibald Lamont whom the history shows is a son of Robert Lamont and Mary Black who married 22 January 1791.The history goes on to state "Archibald Lamont was born in Argyleshire (sic) in the Parish of Inverchaolain on December 10, 1793. According to a family record in his own handwriting, in the year 1810, on the 25th of May, Archibald Lamont left his home at Little Ardyne , in the Parish of Inverchaolain, with his father and mother and crossed a small river to a place called Stuck in the Isle of Bute which became the family home. Here Mary Black died on the 10th December 1814 and Robert Lamont on January 15th 1820. Archibald Lamont sailed from Greenock in the ship Caledonia under Captain E. Nogg on the 6th November 1815 and on the 27th December of that year arrived in New York which became his home.

Marriage: Margaret Lamont married Daniel or Donald Lamont about 1820 in New York, USA. Daniel is mentioned in the written history of the clan entitled Lamont Clan, 1235-1935 (McKechnie Edinburgh)

Page 340: John and his wife Catherine Buchanan (who claimed descent from the historian of her name), had a youngest son named Daniel. He emigrated to America in 1817, and his grandson, the Hon. Daniel Scott Lamont later became Secretary of State in that country. There are many descendants alive of both Neil and John. The original Daniel, on his arrival in the United States, married a Margaret Lamont, a daughter of a family of very similar antecedents. Her father Robert was a son of Archibald Lamont tenant of Inerchaolain, who left Ardyne for Stuck in Bute, and on the 25th May 1810 sailed on PS Caledonia for New York City, where he died on the 15th January 1820. He has descendants in America to this day, and from his younger son John are sprung the present Lamonts in Stuck. These details are typical of the way in which the Clan was being gradually spread over the face of the earth."

The marriage of Margaret and Daniel is interesting. They apparently married in New York but clearly did not meet there. I (Colin Lamont Mayall) am related separately to BOTH sides and have spent considerable time tracing family movements. Daniel was the youngest son of John (McPhorich) Lamont and Catherine Buchanan and was a twin - his brother Alexander died in infancy. Born in Ardentinny near Dunoon He and his family moved back to Towardnuilt the farm of his grandfather. The adjoining farm was Ardyne home of his future wife Margaret Lamont. She was some four years younger than him but it is in the realms of probability that they were indeed acquainted. Margaret uncle Robert is my 3 x great-grandfather and Daniel’s father John is my 4 x great-grand-father! Somewhat incestuous bunch these Lamonts!

Death : Margaret Lamont passed away in 1867. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by Colin Mayall, Monday, March 17, 2014.

1. Birth : OPRs for Inverchaolain, Film 184225 page 787 R/number 17915 OPR Ref 151.

2. Baptism :OPR Baptism indexes; LAMONT, MARGARET; ROBERT LAMONT/MARY BLACK FR151 (FR151); F; 12/05/1797; 514/ 10 147; Inverchaolain; from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk ( the Scottish Government FamilyHistory Site )

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCHS-DJS : Fri Sep 15 19:23:37 UTC 2023), Entry for Daniel Lamont and Margaret Lamont, 1860.