Harkness – MacGillivray Stories

As mentioned in the introduction, this book is based in part on several oral sources. Some came from my mother, Rhoda Campbell Harkness (nee MacGillivray). Some information I have gained talking to relatives, such as my Auntie Violet, my mother’s cousin, Katie McKinnon, and people who I met on the island. Apart from this, I have obtained documents from ScotlandsPeople, and found information in various books about Eigg (see Bibliography). 

However, the narrative structuring of the book is somewhat haphazard. It naturally centres around the family of my grandmother Morag MacGillivray (nee Campbell). In this context, it seems also natural to focus on her father Roderick Campbell. Moreover, I will focus on people, events, stories, incidents and anecdotes where there is information available. 

It seems a good place to start by reporting on a conversation I had with my mother Rhoda Campbell Harkness who describes Roderick Campbell. 

“Roderick Campbell was more than 80 years of age when he died. He was born in Oban, Argyllshire. He was a sailor in the Merchant Navy; Ferryman on Eigg; and had a Post Office contract for parcels and deliveries. He was educated in Oban school. He had reddish colour hair and beard and looked like a Viking. So he must have had some Scandinavian blood in his veins. … I know he had 2 more brothers. One stayed in Oban, the other moved to Glasgow. He had 3 children (2 girls and a boy). The one in Oban had 2 girls. My grandfather had 11 children.” 

I haven’t looked into the two brothers (Glasgow and Oban). My mother has also said on another occasion that he (Roderick) was born on Skye. My mother’s account seems to contradict the records; but with no birth certificate for Roderick Campbell, it is difficult to be sure. However, the censuses shown above report that he was born on Eigg.

According to my mother, Rhoda, Ruairidh Ruadh gained his name because of his mass of red hair and beard. She also recalls that on the island they called her ‘Roderick the Red’s granddaughter’ in Gaelic (my mother doesn’t remember the Gaelic expression).

My mother says that he was a tall man (about 6 foot), and because of his red hair and fair skin was said to have had Viking ancestors, although there is of course no proof of this. Roderick’s son, Donald, also called his son Roderick (Roddy). My mother, Rhoda Campbell Harkness (nee MacGillivray), says she was also called after her grandfather, Roderick. My brother Alistair also has Roderick as a middle name. In other words, ‘Roderick’ is the masculine form of ‘Rhoda’. 

Roderick Campbell was a crofter. Like many other crofters born in the nineteenth century, he was illiterate. This can be deduced from the cross he makes instead of a signature on the various birth and death certificates of his ten children (this was a fairly common practice in official records). There seems to be no signature on the death certificate (1881) of his mother, Peggie McLean.

According to all three censuses; 1881, 1891 and 1901, Roderick Campbell was born on Eigg. According to the 1841 census, Roderick was living at Sandaveg when he was 6 months old.My mother, Rhoda Campbell Harkness, was born on May 21^st, 1921, which was not long after Roderick, her grandfather, died on March 23^rd, 1921, aged 81 years. This perhaps explains why she was called after him.

My mother also mentions that he used to visit her parents at 81 Plantation Street, Govan, Glasgow, before she was born; so it seems Roderick kept contact with his daughter Morag, and was an energetic person although advanced in years – in that it was a fair trip from Eigg to Glasgow and back.