In September 2012, my daughters and I took my mom on a 10 day trip to visit England, Scotland, and Ireland. While in Scotland, we took an all-day tour of castles and lochs.
One of the tour stops was the conservation village of Luss which is located in Argyll and Bute, and sits on the west bank of Loch Lomond.
As we drove to our designated stop, we passed by a church. I saw a cemetery connected to the church and I knew that was where I would be spending the short time we had in the village.
After departing the tour van, I ran (yes, I really ran) to the church.
As I wandered through the cemetery, I came across a memorial to some victims of a drowning. I thought that would be a good story for my Graveyard Rabbit Journeys blog so I made a note to research it further when I returned home.
On December 18, 1873, Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, three of his keepers, and a kennel boy were drowned after their boat capsized on Loch Lomond.
They, along with William Colquhoun, the brother of Sir James, and some other keepers, had gone to Inch Loanag to hunt deer. After they had obtained the number of deer they wanted, they set off in three boats to cross the loch. One boat held some of the gamekeepers and deer. A second boat held Sir James Colquhoun, three keepers, and a kennel boy. William Colquhoun was in the third boat (a punter).
The water was described as "lumpy" and since the boats were well-filled, they were difficult to manage. The boat holding Sir James suddenly disappeared with her crew going to the bottom on the loch.1
Another article in the same newspaper issue provided some additional information about the accident.
Sir James Colquhoun, James Boyd, head gamekeeper, James Spottiswoode, gamekeeper, Angus MacDonald, gamekeeper, and Thomas Anderson, kennel boy, departed in a fishing boat from Rossdhu to Loch Loanag. The island was Inch Loanag and was also known as Sir James’ “deer island.” It was a large island of 200-300 acres and located about a mile and a half off Luss. The men had planned to shoot deer to provide venison for the poor people residing on the Luss estate of Sir James. Eight deer were killed and five of them were placed in the larger boat with Sir James.
The second boat occupied by William Colquhoun left about half an hour after Sir James. Shortly after that, the third boat containing two watchers, David Rose and Angus Cameron, and the remaining deer, departed the island.
William Colquhoun was concerned about his tiny craft and the weather. He decided to head for the Straits of Inch Tannoch. At that time, he observed his brother’s boat having some difficulty in the water between Inch Loanag and Inch Conag. Suddenly the boat disappeared from sight. William thought the boat had successfully turned the point and was on the other side of the island and that they would reach home first.
The second and third boats had returned home, but the first larger boat had not. A search party set off hoping to find the men sheltered somewhere on shore. They did not find anything and returned around 9 p.m. Another boat went out that night and also did not locate anyone. Additional boats were sent out the next morning. The missing boat was found floating close to shore, upside down. The hat of Sir James and two oars were nearby. A couple of deer carcasses were found underneath the seats of the boat.
Another search ensued on Friday afternoon.This time the boat had grabbling irons and part of the loch was dragged. There still was no sign of the men.2
David Rose and Angus Camerson, the occupants of the third boat, stated they had left the island about three-quarters of an hour after the other two boats.3
A fourth article in the same issue of the newspaper provided some additional information about the trip, the journey home, and the rescue mission.4
An obituary for Sir James Colquhoun was provided. It stated he was the 10th baronet of his family. He was born in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, in 1804. He had studied law but never passed the bar. In 1836, he succeeded to the baronetcy upon the death of his father. He married in 1843 to Jane, daughter of Sir Robert Abercromby, Bart. of Birkenbog, in Banffshire. They had one son James born in 1844, and his wife died shortly after his birth.5
An article about the history of the Colquhoun family stated Sir James was survived by his son James, and two brothers, Mr. John Colquhoun and Mr. William Colquhoun.6
The Glasgow Herald issue of 22 December 1873, mentioned that searches continued on Saturday and Sunday, without success.7
The Saturday search party consisted of 20-30 boats along with some grappling apparatus. The weather was bad with high gusts, rain, and hail. One boat discovered 3 deer carcasses on a bank. Nearby three large caps (two similar to gamekeepers’ caps) and a jacket were found. Beside these items, a Gaelic book of devotion was found. This book supposedly belonged to Agnus MacDonald, one of the gamekeepers.
The search on Sunday experienced similar weather as Saturday. William, brother of Sir James, thought that the search on Saturday had been done in the wrong part of the loch where the boat disappeared. He had consulted with a man who knew Loch Lomond thoroughly. A new search route was planned and executed.
It was decided that if the bodies were not recovered by the next afternoon, Mr. Geddes of the Humane Society in Glasgow, would be contacted to see if diving operations may be successful. Should the body of Sir James be located during the week, his funeral would be held next Sunday.8
The 23 December 1873 issue of the Glasgow Herald summarized Monday’s search and mentioned the search would be resumed on Tuesday.9 This issue also contained a tribute to Sir James.10
While searching and trawling on Tuesday, the boats were overtaken by heavy rain and rain which resulted in one of the steamers capsizing, throwing six men into the water. All six men were rescued.11
The Christmas issue of the Glasgow Herald summarized the search that had taken place the previous day. Numerous letters had been received suggesting ideas where the bodies may be recovered. To help those letter writers to put their plans in action, the loch was available to trawl for free, and rewards were offered. If all the bodies were found, a sum of £100 would be given to the recoveree, or £20 for one body.12
The search was unable to proceed on Christmas Day. The following day, Mr. William Colquhoun placed a buoy where the boat of Sir James had last been seen. A coat belonging to James Spottiswoode was found about 600 yards from the place William had last seen Sir James’ boat.13
The bodies of Thomas Anderson, the kennel boy, and the body of Sir James Colquhoun were recovered on Sunday afternoon. They were found within 20 yards of each other. The newspaper presumed the search would continue until all of the bodies were recovered. The funeral sermon for Sir James had been preached that same day.14
An additional article stated a grapnel had caught on the feet of Sir James who was wearing a heavy overcoat and boots.15
The body of James Spotswood was recovered on 29 December 1873. He was found near where the bodies of Sir James and the kennel boy were recovered.16
It was noted that the body of Sir James was located in almost the exact spot where William Colquhoun had turned and saw the boat struggling. Sir James’ shot-bag and silver powder flask were also recovered. In his vest pocket was his gold watch, formerly belonging to his father. The time had stopped at 4:40 p.m. It was thought that the watch had continued working some minutes before it had been completely penetrated by the water.
The remains of Sir James Colquhoun were laid to rest in the family burying place in the Old Chapel at Rossdhu, on 30 December 1873. His son James was not in attendance. He had been traveling in Egypt and a telegram had been dispatched to Cairo notifying him of his father’s death. It was speculated that he must have gone up the Nile before the telegram arrived.
The remains of Thomas Anderson, the kennel boy, were interred in the Luss Parish churchyard. The gamekeeper James Spottiswood was to be buried the next day in Luss.
A glazed coat and a silk handkerchief belonging to the head keeper, James Boyd, were recovered on Monday, as well as a baling dish, a paper collar, and two guns, near the body of James Spottiswood.17
As of 5 January 1874, the bodies of James Boyd and Angus MacDonald had not yet been recovered.18
The current Luss Parish Church was built in 1875 (a church has been located on that site since 510 A.D.).19 It was built by Sir James Colquhoun as a memorial to his father who had drowned.20
21
Sources
1. “Saturday Morning, Dec. 20,” Glasgow Herald, 20 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 1.
2. “Melancholy Boat Accident on Loch Lomond, Sir James Colquhoun and Four Attendants Drowned,” Glasgow Herald, 20 December 1873, Google News(https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 6.
3. “The Voyage of the Third Boat,” Glasgow Herald, 20 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 6.
4. “Another Account,” Glasgow Herald, 20 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 7.
5. “Life of Sir James Colquhoun,” Glasgow Herald, 20 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 7.
6. “History of the Colquhoun Family,” Glasgow Herald, 20 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 5, col. 1.
7. “Monday Morning, Dec. 22,” Glasgow Herald, 22 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 1.
8. “The Fatal Boat Accident on Loch Lomond,” Glasgow Herald, 22 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 3.
9. “The Fatal Boat Accident on Loch Lomond, The Search for the Bodies” Glasgow Herald, 23 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 4.
10. “The Late Sir James Colquhoun,” Glasgow Herald, 23 December 1873, Google News (https://news.google.com : accessed 15 February 2013), p. 4, col. 4.
11. “The Fatal Boat Accident on Loch Lomond, The Search— A Narrow Escape,” Glasgow Herald, 24 December 1873, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 4, col. 4.
12. “The Fatal Boat Accident on Loch Lomond, The Search for the Bodies” Glasgow Herald, 25 December 1873, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 4, col. 4.
13. “The Search in Loch Lomond,” Glasgow Herald, 27 December 1873, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 4, col. 3.
14. “Monday Morning, Dec. 29,” Glasgow Herald, 29 December 1873, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 4, col. 1.
15. “The Loch Lomond Catastrophe, Finding of the Bodies of Sir James Colquhoun and Anderson, the Kennel Boy,” Glasgow Herald, 29 December 1873, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 4, col. 5.
16. “The Search on Loch Lomond—Another Body and Two Guns Found,” Glasgow Herald, 30 December 1873, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 4, col. 3. The surname of Spottiswood had been spelled in several different ways in the articles.
17. “The Lochlomond Catastrophe, Funeral of Sir James Colquhoun,” Glasgow Herald, 31 December 1873, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 5, col. 2. Loch Lomond was written as one word in the title of the article.
18. “The Lochlomond Catastrophe,” Glasgow Herald, 5 January 1874, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 April 2020), p. 4, col. 5. Loch Lomond was written as one word in the title of the article.
19. “History,” Luss Parish Church (https://lusschurch.com/index.html : accessed 28 April 2020).
20. “Luss Parish Church,” Graham A. Stephen (https://geotopoi.wordpress.com/2018/11/03/luss-parish-church/ : accessed 28 April 2020).
21. "Inchlonaig in Loch Lomond," Google Earth (https://earth.google.com : accessed 30 April 2020); citing GPS coordinates 56°06’29.2'N, 4°36’ 14"W.
