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The
McCuaigs From the writings of Edith Ham, July 1935 |
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The MacCuaigs are certainly a sept of the MacLeods of Harris (Siel Tormod). Tradition has it that one of the MacLeod chieftans landed at that part of Islay on which the village of Port Illen is built. Dubhag MacLeod (pure Gaelic) settled in that part of Islay and was the progenitor of the MacCuaig branch of offspring. This was the common rule for naming people in the Highlands before the registration of surnames was introduced. Indeed, it is still very common in some parts of that District. MacCuaig is a sept of MacLeod of Harris according to "Scots Kith & Kin." Black's "The Surnames of Scotland" states that MacCaig (MacDbubhaig) means son of Blackie. For more than two centuries the name was common in Islay as M'Cuaig or M'Cowag. Various other spellings occur such as MacCaig, MacCuaig, MacKaig, MacCrivag, MacCowig, MacCoig and MacQuigg. The name MacCuaig, or MacCaig, is given as being derived from the Gaelic word "Cuthaig," a cuckoo, and here is the story: In early days it was thought to be lucky to name a newborn child after the first living thing seen. Consequently when a son was born to a MacLeod clansman, the happy father, wishing his son to be fortunate, went out of the house to look around. The first living thing he saw was a cuckoo, hence the child was named "Cuthaig," and his descendants are all MacCuaigs or MacCaigs |
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"Dubhag" means - the little black one. "Dubha" means black, and "ag" is the diminutive particle "bh" in Gaelic and is sounded like "v" in English. It is sometimes the silent "dh," sounded like "gha" in the word "aghast. The MacDhubhaigs, through generations and through the prevailing changes of colloquial speech, in time came to be pronounced and then later written as MacCuaig. The second "c" is almost silent like the "dh" mentioned above. The McCuaigs were generally found in that part of Islay that is now called the parish of Oa. Some of them eventually emigrated to the neighbouring penninsula of Cantyre where a few families are still to be found. Any history of a clan generally deals with the main line of the Chiefs and as a rule, the descendants of the branches of these families are not recorded. Registration of births and deaths did not take place until a comparatively recent time in the Highlands and elsewhere, so it is very difficult to trace the genealogy from the chieftan who founded our sept to Angus McCuaig Mcleod. Should time and opportunity permit us to trace up this back history, it shall be duly recorded in a later edition. But for the present, we shall be obliged to content ourselves with the records of the family since the time of coming to Canada. The fours sons of Angus McCuaig assumed the name of McLeod in the country because in purchasing land from the government it was necessary to register it under their proper surname. |
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History
of
one McLeod Family in Ontario