Galloway people: Quentin McIlvie; Murdoch McDowall; Andrew McMonies; Charlie Baille; Andrew McQuoid; Jamie McCracken and Stewart McMurdo circa 1817
Loch Sinniness
Apparently Quentin McIlvie was an awful, wicked man whom nobody liked. He lived around Mull o’Sinniness on the Bay of Luce. (also known as Laigh Sinniness or Loch of Sinniness, situated Old Luce, Dumfries and Galloway region , in the district of Wigtown.) He “prospered in the world, for the Devil’s aye mindful o’ his sin, and when he died everyone praised him, up to the skies almost”.
His funeral was a grand affair, where whisky flowed and many got drunk in his honour. During his funeral it was a windy day with four men at each of the handspokes carrying the coffin –some took turns stepping in to relieve them. The road being very exposed, every once in a while the wind would heave the coffin up as they carried it, making it sometimes seem lighter to carry.
However, since Quentin McIlvie had been a famous warlock in his day, the variation in the weight of his coffin was attributed to the attempts of the devil to carry the body off to a different destination. This put the bearers in a state of terror:
Murdoch McDowall, an elder started a prayer but the “devil” sent a gust of wind that nearly carried off the bearers and the body.
Several thought that songs were in order with suggestions by Andrew McMonies to sing “The Lord Is My Sheppard”, Charlie Baillie to sing “Refuge”. Andrew McQuoid the Precentor, feeling most qualified in the absence of the minister, started to sing “Aul’ Hunner”. (probably meaning “The Auld Hundred” a psalmist’s song)
The others starting singing their own suggestions, and their various friends and kinfolk joined in until “the Lord would a been fashed to ken which was which”.
Jamie McCracken, soberer than the others finally suggested that it was needless to carry on the way they were and suggested leaving him in the road to let the devil take him, as it was his right. They left him on the road and left for their respective homes.
The next morning Stewart McMurdo from Glenluce, upon finding his coffin on the road, carted it away and buried it. People were outraged because it was a disgrace in those days to be taken to the graveyard in a cart!
On This Day: True Stories about the life and times of our ancestors 