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McEachin
Origins
Part 2
The
traditional home of the McEachins is Kintyre, a peninsula in Argyllshire,
Scotland. Robert W. Gilchrist has written a history of the
Kintyre McEachens, found on Steve
Gilchrist's excellent website.
An excerpt: "In 1609, two years after Archibald, 7th Earl of Argyll was awarded a charter to all Kintyre lands, Charles McLauchlan V�Eachen and his father, Lauchlan McLauchlan of Killarow became feuars of the church lands of
Kilchenzie. Through the remainder of the seventeenth century the McEachen (also recorded as McEachine) family became one of the most influential families in central Kintyre having strong established ties with the Campbells as well as the MacDonalds. Charles McEachen made his home on Tangy farm located between Killarow and Killocraw farms, and it is quite probable that it is his grave slab that is found in the old Kilchenzie Churchyard. The large slab has a carved soldier and the inscription: HEC est jacit M�EACHIN
He was cousin to Alexander Oig MacDonald of Smerbie who in turn was a cousin of Archibald Oig MacDonald of
Sanda; Alexander Oig�s wife, More McAlester, was the sister of Hector McAlester , the Laird of Loup. In 1620, Charles McEachen and Alexander Oig MacDonald served as sheriff. In the years from 1633 to 1636 Charles served as factor over Lord Lorne�s Skeirchanyie
(Kilchenzie) lands; it was Lord Lorne who would become the famous Marquis of Argyll. By 1666 the McEachen family held the lease to the farms of Tangy,
Lagalgarve, Killocraw, Putechantie, Corputechane, and Killarow all within the bounds of the United Parish of Killean and
Kilchenzie. Record is found of a great house being built in 1670 by the McEachen proprietor of Tangy, very likely Charles McEachen�s son also named Charles, in which the Earl of Argyll was entertained.
With the collapse of the 9th Earl of Argyll�s 1685 rebellion against James VII of Scotland (James II of England) the McEachens who had given their support to their Campbell chief now had their Kintyre lands forfeited, whereupon they fled to the security of northern Ireland, later changing their name to
"McCaughan." At this point many of those who had farmed the McEachen lands now moved northward taking leases from the McAlisters of Loup who held the Kilcalmonell Parish lands of Loup, Balnakiel and
Ronachan; the McAlisters had not joined in the ill-fated rebellion. In 1694 Archibald, 10th Earl of Argyll issued a Decree of Adjudication against Duncan
McEachen, and in 1699 John McEachen of Balliemeanoch, Ireland sold the lands to John McEachen in Ballagan
(Ballevain) in Kintyre who was then granted a lease charter to them by the Earl of Argyll in 1701."
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