Isle of Coll Genealogy
hosted by Keith Dash
Contact me: email
hosted by Keith Dash
Contact me: email
| With special thanks to: An Iodhlann, Anne Maye, Argyll & Bute Council, Barbara Hall, Bill Clarke, Catriona McLeod, Chris McKinnon, Darryl Stout, Deborah Robertson, Esther MacRae, Flora MacDonald, Gene Lamont, Hilda Downey, Iain Campbell, Ian Scott, Jackie Davenport, Jean Little, Jenny Hicks, Linda Brackenbury, Linda Temple, Marina Campbell, Melda Brunette, National Archives of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople, Terry Hicks, Terry Sheppard, Valerie Bowden & Wayne Cameron. |
| About copyright. Everything on the website is provided freely in the interests of genealogical research. It is all protected by copyright, so articles or charts must not be copied and reproduced in other publications without the consent of the author(s). Copying for personal research or study is permitted. If you use information from the website in your own writings it would be appreciated if you could acknowledge the author(s) and source. |
About this Website
On this website there are a number of pages, reached by clicking on the blue links, giving information contributed by people with an interest in genealogy and the history of the Isle of Coll. Some pages are shared with the 'twin website', Isle of Tiree Genealogy. New contributions are welcome at any time.
About the Isle of Coll
On this website there are a number of pages, reached by clicking on the blue links, giving information contributed by people with an interest in genealogy and the history of the Isle of Coll. Some pages are shared with the 'twin website', Isle of Tiree Genealogy. New contributions are welcome at any time.
| Coll Censuses | Searchable databases of the 1776 List of Inhabitants of Coll and the 1841, 1851, 1861 & 1881 censuses (Microsoft Excel or Excel Viewer is required to download and search the databases). |
| Births, Baptisms & Marriages | Searchable indexes of Coll baptisms 1776-1855, with later entries also recording the date of birth, and Coll marriages 1776-1855 (Microsoft Excel or Excel Viewer is required to download and search the indexes). |
| Research Interests | Lists of surname and family research interests of people of Coll ancestry, with contact addresses. The lists are updated as new entries are received. |
| Coll Map | A map of the Isle of Coll showing the location of the village, settlements, and geographical features. |
| Coll Photos | Visitors' photos of the Isle of Coll. Contributions (in JPG format) are always welcome. |
| Historic Journals | Descriptions of the people and customs of Coll in the 1690s by Martin Martin, and in 1773 by Samuel Johnson & James Boswell. |
| Old Newspapers | Copies of articles from newspapers of the 1700s and 1800s. Contributions are always welcome. |
| Statistical Accounts | Comprehensive summaries of the entries for the Parish of Tiree & Coll in The Statistical Account of Scotland (1793), The New Statistical Account of Scotland (1843), and A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846). |
| Emigrant Ships | Passenger lists of emigrants from Coll or Tiree to Australia or Canada in the 1800s. |
| Leaving Home | An account of the life and times of John Macdonald who emigrated with his family from Tiree to Australia in 1853. The account includes a description of life on board immigrant ships to Australia in the 1850s. |
| Coll Links | Websites giving interesting and useful information about Coll or nearby islands. |
| Tiree Genealogy | A link to Coll's 'twin website', Isle of Tiree Genealogy |
About the Isle of Coll
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The Isle of Coll, situated north-east of Tiree and separated from it by the narrow Gunna Sound, is similar in size to Tiree but it is much more rugged, with numerous hills and a rocky coastline with occasional beaches. The island's population peaked at about 1,500 in the 1840s and today is less than 200. As was the case in in Tiree and the other Western Isles, many of its people were encouraged or coerced to emigrate in the 1840s and 1850s to mainland Britain or to distant British colonies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. The early history of Coll was similar to that of Tiree: it was part of the Celtic Kingdom of Dalriada; then came under Viking control; and then under the control of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles who ceded both islands to their allies, the MacLeans. The central and principal part of the island was granted by King James II to John Garve (Iain Garbh), first laird of Coll and ancestor of MacLean of Coll. In 1674 the two extremities of the island were acquired by the Earl of Argyll, along with other MacLean lands in Tiree and Mull, but in the 1800s the Coll lands were sold by the Argyll family to other proprietors and are no longer part of the estate of the Duke of Argyll. |