Tain Museum Image Library

Picture No 181. Courtesy of Ross Macleod.
Year: 1940

Invercharron House, Ardgay

This Post Card has no details of the publisher and has no writing on the back. However someone has written "Invercharron House Newly Designed" in pen on the front. Invercharron House belonged to David Ross of Invercassley who was Provost of Tain, three times the Master of Lodge St Duthus and became Lord Ankerville. He carried out internal renovations on the house c1800 but it seems unlikely these are what is referred to here which sounds more like external alterations.
Picture added on 30 June 2004.

Comments

This is my house now. We have cleared off all that ivy and this is so weird seeing my home on the internet!!
Added by Kate Macnamara on 04 February 2005.

This house is beautiful, and the grounds are equally as lovely, I should know i live there too!
Added by Heather Wood on 21 February 2005.

My self and my family lived in the grounds of Invercharron house for 8 happy years as housekeeper to the Macnamara's, it a beautiful house with a lovely walled cottage garden. So many happy memories of summer days with the scent of sweet peas
Added by Sandie Mackenzie on 05 April 2005.

my grandmother(mary fullerton)was housekeeper at invercharron house for many years and i spent many a holiday roam and exploring the grounds, garden and river bank.A wonderful place.
Added by Gregor Maclennan on 09 September 2005.

i live here to i am typing this in invercharron house now!
Added by Flora Macnamara on 04 January 2006.

My father was Chauffeur to Admiral McNamara in 1955 till the Admiral died a few years later. I lived with my family in the second cottage on the estate next to the gardener's cottage.
Added by Valerie Barden (nee Heath) on 07 September 2006.

I have books printed in 18th century with the Crest of Lord Ankerville inside each of them. The books are 'The Complete Works of Pope'. There are 8 volumes but one volume is missing. I have had them for about 30 years and bought them from an antique Shop in Radlett, Herts.
Added by Michael Martin on 27 November 2006.

I have a pair of books that I bought from an antique shop approx 30 years ago. They are the Works of Alexander Pope. Each book has the crest / coat of arms of Lord Ankerville and were printed in London in 1736. I suppose they were once in the library of Lord Ankerville at his home at Invercharron House.
Added by Michael Martin on 28 November 2006.

My Great great aunt had a bracelet inscribed to her "from your friends at Invercharron 1898". Her name was Louisa Ballard, and she is likely to have been a lady's maid or similar. Are there any records for the house that anyone knows of? I do not know that it is the same house, but the internet only produces this one.
Added by Lucy Black on 08 October 2007.

Lucy, Louisa Ballard is listed as a lady's maid at Invercharron House on the 1891 census. According to the census she was born at Charlton (?) in Dorset. The other residents of the house in 1891 were Mary Littlejohn, the owner's wife, and her daughter Helen, housekeeper Charlotte Macdonald and parlour maid Annie Collyer.
Added by Estelle Quick on 09 October 2007.

thanks Estelle. I now have an extract from that census, but it is good to be able to confirm it is the same place. She was born in Charlton Marshall, a village in Dorest near Blandford Forum. How she ended up way up in the highlands we don't know - seems to have been in Jesmond in the census before this.
Added by on 19 October 2007.

There is a old plantation home named Invercharron in Meggett, SC. I came across this entry when searching for more information on it. There is nothing about it now and it is vacant but not quite abandoned.
Added by Nancy on 15 May 2008.

Thanks for this information, Nancy. It would be intriguing to know how it acquired its name. It sounds as if someone connected with Invercharron built this home. Although neither of the two (now out of print) books we have on the Clan Ross mention his existence, there are hand written genealogy charts in the museum, the result of the research by some unknown person, which show the tenth laird of Invercharron as David Ross who died unmarried at Ballimore in America c1790. According to the books William Ross was the tenth Laird. If a brother David did exist perhaps William suceeded after David's death. Williams two sons were soldiers and died without leaving issue, so that was the end of the line and the property was sold. At present, I have no idea where Ballimore was (or is) so perhaps this is a red herring.
Added by Margaret Urquhart on 16 May 2008.


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