Ashantilly

Ashantilly

My trip to Darien was wonderful.  It just so happens that my hostess is on the board of Ashantilly, the house I mention in my novel.  Jan and Bill Chamberlain have a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Blue Heron Inn, which looks out on the marshes and across to Sapelo Island. She took me on a tour of it, because at present it is open only by appointment.  So much of it was as I expected, but the staircase was so narrow!  Then of course I realized that two hundred years ago, people were a great deal smaller.

My hostess also shared with me the information that Ashuntilly was the name of the Spaulding family’s baronial seat in Scotland.

Jan shared with me these possible origins of the name:

Ashaig (Skye), Aiseag.
“Ferry”. The full name is Aiseag Maol Ruibhe, “Maol Rubha’s ferry”, the saint commemorated in Applecross. However, the initial vowel can be pronounced long, giving Àiseag, which might point to a Norse origin suggesting “ash bay”.
Ashcraig (Arran), Baile Uachdrach.
The English name is “ash rock”, but the Gaelic name is “upper farm”.
Ashentilly (Kincardine).
“Stream at the green hill”, from Eas an Tulaich.
Ashfield (Argyll), Learg na h-Uinnsinn.
The Gaelic name is “the ash slope”.
Ashintully (Perth).
“The stream at the green hill”, from Eas an Tulaich.
Ashmore (Perth), An t-Eas Mór.
“The big waterfall”.
Askernish (South Uist), Àisgearnais.
This may be “ash field point”, from Norse.

This genealogical and historical information comes from research done by Neal McBurnett:

The Spaldings of Ashintully, Perthshire, Scotland
The Spalding family highlighted here lived in Perthshire, Scotland, for several hundred years before 1745, and dispersed to Germany, Sweden, Jamacia, Georgia, Liverpool and elsewhere. The castle of Ashintully was the clan center in Perthshire.

Spalding highlights and lowlights
In 1318, Peter Spalding helped followers of Robert the Bruce enter and sieze the town of Berwick from the English. He was English and a burgess of the town, but he was married to a cousin of Sir Robert Keith, Marshall of Scotland. He was granted lands by Bruce on 1 May 1319 in Ballourthy and Petmethy in Forfarshire (now Angus), together with the Keepership of the Royal Forest of Kilgerry. He also received a flag with a gate upon it, having a portcullis half raised, and the motto “Nobile Servitium”.

Around 1060, King Malcolm III “Canmore”, who killed Macbeth in 1057, built Whitefield Castle in Strathardle as a hunting lodge. Over 500 years later, in 1576, Colonel David Spalding led members of his clan to fight in Flanders for the King of Spain. After 7 years, with the resulting plunder, he built Ashintully Castle, 1 km to the southeast of Whitefield Castle, which served as a model.

In 1615, David “Deas” Spalding started the first regular Highlands market place: “Michael Mass Fair”. In Gaelic he was called “Daidh Deas” (line over “e” in Deas). Deas, as here used, requires half-a-dozen English words to give the full meaning – ever, or very restless, ready, brave, wise, etc. Deas means south, and is a relic of Druid sun-worship. Everything if south or sunwards was perfect.

But 200 years later, another David Spalding, also Laird of Ashintully, was remembered much more harshly. “He condemned and executed many most unrighteously, particularly a man of the name of Duncan, who was drowned in a sack in what is still called ‘Duncan’s Pool.’”

During the early 1700′s, the family followed the Jacobite cause, lost its lands, and dispersed. Over the years, offshoots of the original Spaldings of Berwick migrated to Aberdeen, Perthshire, Edinburgh, Germany, Sweden, Jamaica, Liverpool, and Georgia. At least three books have been written about them, by the branches in Germany, Liverpool and Georgia. The Aberdeen branch might be related to the well-known historical society the “Spalding Club” established in 1839. Ashintully Castle, now a 3000-acre sheep ranch and Bed&Breakfast, has been visited by Spaldings from these places and more.

Following the stories of these people, and the times in which they lived, is fascinating, and makes history come alive. Just think. Until the mid 1700′s there were no roads or wheeled vehicles of any kind in this part of the highlands, and Gaelic was spoken universally.

[To be added: accomplishments of Thomas Spalding of Sapelo, Thomas Spalding Wylly his grandson in gold rush times, Drs Robert and Hinton Spalding in Jamaica, etc.]

Geography
The action takes place in Strathardle, a valley at the beginning of the Scottish Highlands in Perth county, which is part of the Tayside district. The “District of Atholl” seems to be a smaller area also containing Strathardle. It is a beautiful area consisting of rolling hills separated by glacial valleys. These are the foothills of the Grampian Mountains. The most popular skiing in Scotland is at the top of nearby Glenshee.