The Stewarts of Garchell

Stewarts of Garchell

This page introduces you to the Stewarts of Garchell, also known as Garroquhill. This Stewart family lived in Garroquhill and Ardnandamh. Garroquhill is shown on modern maps as Garchell and is located in Stirlingshire about midway between Buchlyve and Gartmore. (See maps at right.)

Ardnandamh is Anglicized as Ardnandave and means “Height of the Stag.” It was located in mid Strathyre on the west side and borders with Glen Buckie.

Very little is known about this family as they only held land for four generations and lost their land holdings by the early 17th century. As this family ceased to hold land prior to the commencement of written parish records there is no information on the later descendants, if any, of this family. Stewarts of the South does not mention this branch at all in 1820, nor does Duncan Stewart in his 1739 History of the Stewarts. It is tempting to presume from these absences that the male line of this family became extinct. However an argument from absence is weak. It is quite possible that there were later descendants, but that this family simply fell into obscurity, however the author of Stewarts of the South was pretty thorough, so it seems most likely that this family died out.

The patriarch of this branch of the Balquhidder Stewarts was Alexander Stewart, son of James Beag Stewart, 1st of Baldorran, and younger brother to William Stewart, 2nd of Baldorran and 1st Bailie of Balquhidder, and Andrew Stewart, 1st of Gartnafuaran. Alexander came into possession of Garroquhill sometime prior to 1484. His descendants held these lands and those of Ardnandamh for another three generations when the lands were sold and the family then disappears from written records.

Until very recently the family of the Stewarts of Garroquhill were completely unknown. We are grateful to the work of Scottish genealogist and author, Gordon MacGregor (The Red Book of Scotland), for finding the information on this family. All our present knowledge of the Garroquhill family comes from Gordon’s research.

Dow of Ardnandave (Dubh, Duff, Dove, etc)

Stewarts of the South mentions an “ancient” family by the name of Dow who once owned the property of Ardnandave in Strathyre. They are mentioned in the reference from the Stewarts of Brackland, Branch VIII of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran.

Bracklin formerly was rented by twelve tenants. At present it pays £150 and is well worth £350. [The farm] will keep about 60 milk cows. One-half of this farm formerly belonged to the ancient and respectable family of the Dows of Ardnadaw (Ardnandave in Strathyre) of whom no person in that country knows anything of.  This farm is now in the policy of Stirling of Keir.

The name Dow is an Anglicization of the Gaelic Dubh which means “Black”. It is also found Anglicized as Duff and Dove. In it’s patronymic form it is most famously rendered as McDuff. The Dove form can be found in the Callander OPR in the 18th century. It seems reasonable to suggest that the later Doves found in Callander probably descend from the earlier family of Dow of Ardnandave. The surname Dubh can be a surname in its own right, but as was common in Gaelic culture, it can also be a nickname that became a surname. Thus, the family of Dow of Ardnandave may be a “clan” in their own right, or may be a branch of another clan who began calling themselves Dow to distinguish themselves from their kindred branches.

We have evidence (shown below) that the Stewarts of Garchell also held the lands of Ardnandave in 1516. It appears that the Stewarts purchased these lands from George Buchanan of Strathyre, son of Patrick Buchanan of that Ilk (possibly George Buchanan, 15th of Buchanan). They were descended from Walter Dubh Buchanan, 12th of Buchanan. Could the Dow family be a branch of Buchanan descended from a younger son of Walter Dubh? We don’t know what happened to the lands of Ardnandave after Walter Stewart, Younger of Garchell held them. We don’t know if he had descendants.  Could the Dow family be descended from Walter Stewart of Ardnandave? We don’t know how far back the author of Stewarts of the South may have meant when he said that the Dow family resided in Ardnandave “in ancient times.” When he has used the same phrase elsewhere in the document it appears that he was usually referring to the 15th-16th centuries or thereabouts. It seems unlikely that the common historical recollection would go back much further than that unless there was something exceptionally memorable about the Dow family. However, in the absence of any further evidence all of this is merely speculation.