Re: TRAIL-NICHOLS allied early MD
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In reply to:
TRAIL-NICHOLS allied early MD
George 2/20/03
I've been pondering the name "Blackask" and I have two thoughts about it:
1.Could it possibly be "Blackash", referring to an ash tree?There's also a place called Blackash in County Cork, Ireland.
2.(This one sounds a bit farfetched, even to me!) In the Highland region near Loch Cluanie, north of the A87, about 10 miles inland from the end of Loch Duich, is a peak called Ciste Dubh.This is between the ancient seat of Clan MacNicol, near Ullapool, and the southwestern edge of Clan MacLeod territory.The MacNicols merged with the MacLeods in the 17th century when the line ran out, and eventually ended up on the island of Skye, which is just opposite Loch Duich off the west coast of mainland Scotland.The Gaelic words "ciste dubh" mean "black cask(et)", referring to a chest (in the 1600's, called a cask or casket, often meaning a small chest like a jewelry box)."Ciste" can also have the other English meaning of "casket", a coffin, but that use of the word "casket" is strictly American and I think it's also a more modern usage.So "Blackask" could possibly be a contraction of "Black Cask" -- referring either to a black box of some kind (probably not a coffin, more likely a kind of treasure chest or jewel box) or even the Highland hilltop at Ciste Dubh, translated into English.
This Highland area I'm talking about is nowhere near Fife, where the Bealls and their crowd are supposed to come from, but we don't know where Simon Nicols was born.Maybe there was some family property in Scotland with a connection to Ciste Dubh -- I have no facts to offer on the matter, just ideas.
Tiaraidh an drasda (Cheerio for now), Cyndi