Holley / Archibald Family — Gargunnock & Stirling, Scotland
This branch is off the France wine-trip geography, and it rests on the deep FamilySearch tree on the Holley side that Christy explicitly did not validate (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf). It is recorded here as a lead and as a possible standalone heritage trip, not as established fact.
> Christy's disclaimer: "This is the only destination where I have not really validated the sources one by one. I have used the FamilySearch tree that has many sources, but if interested further, I'd recommend going through that to validate each source… At any rate, I just wanted to show a trip to Scotland!" (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
The Archibald line (per the unvalidated tree)
On the Holley pedigree, the Archibald family is recorded in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, having come from Londonderry, Ireland to Londonderry, New Hampshire — part of the Scots-Irish "Ulster Scots" migration (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf). The tree carries the line back to John Archibald and Margaret, with stated origins in Londonderry (Northern Ireland), Gargunnock (Scotland) and Braughing (England), and additional places at Maghera, Co. Derry (Ireland), Hadstock, Essex (England) and Kennoway, Fife (Scotland) (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf). The Scottish anchor the deck builds its "trip to Scotland" around is Gargunnock, a very small village just west of Stirling (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
The wider Holley pedigree this sits inside — Captain Edmond du Castle / du Chastel-de-Blangerval, the Casteel name, and the move from France and the Low Countries to colonial Philadelphia — is covered on Casteel / du Chastel Family of Blangerval; the Irish Holley/Dougherty branch is on Holley / Dougherty Family — County Roscommon, Ireland (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
Gargunnock & Stirling — the heritage destination
Gargunnock sits in the heart of central Scotland, putting many of the country's most famous castles, lochs, distilleries and cities within 15 minutes to two hours: Stirling (15–20 min), Doune (25 min), Falkirk (40 min), Glasgow (~35 min by train), Edinburgh (~50 min by train) and Loch Lomond (~1 hr drive) (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
- Stirling Castle — one of Scotland's greatest stone fortresses on a volcanic crag, at its height in the 1500s and the childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
- The National Wallace Monument and Stirling Old Town — medieval streets and the heroic history of William Wallace, who led Scottish forces to victory at Stirling (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
- Doune Castle — a medieval fortress used as a filming location for Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Outlander (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
- Dumyat — a "wee hill" (418 m) at the eastern end of the Ochil Hills, climbable in a couple of hours, with views over Stirling, the Forth Valley and the Trossachs (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
Where to stay & eat: the Friars Wynd Boutique Hotel (a Victorian townhouse on one of Stirling's oldest streets); The Portcullis (an historic pub from 1787 near the castle, with rooms); and Nicky-Tams Bar & Bothy for haggis, live music and "the best Guinness outside of Ireland" (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf). Scottish food and drink threaded through the deck: porridge, Cullen skink (smoked-haddock soup), cranachan (cream, raspberries, oats and whisky), a full Scottish breakfast, and Scotch whisky — toast with "Slàinte!" (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
A note on the calendar: Christmas was officially banned in Scotland from 1640 to 1958 under the Protestant Reformation, so Hogmanay (New Year) became the main winter celebration — its anthem "Auld Lang Syne" written by Robert Burns (source: Holley-family-notes.pdf).
Related pages
- Mary's Family History — the wider ancestry and how this branch fits
- Casteel / du Chastel Family of Blangerval — the du Chastel / Casteel northern-France line in the same pedigree
- Holley / Dougherty Family — County Roscommon, Ireland — the Irish Holley/Dougherty branch
- Rask / Todd Family — Forsa & Hälsingland, Sweden — Mary's Swedish branch
- Noble / Sullivan / Childs Family — Derbyshire & Staffordshire, England — Mary's English branch