The Prophecies of The Brahan Seer
The Brahan Seer, or Coinneach Odhar, was gifted with “the sight” – an ability to see visions that came unbidden day or night. His prophecies were so impressive that they are still quoted to this day.
The Second Sight, more correctly called the Two Sights, is the ability to see both this world and another world at the same time. The Second Sight has never been regarded as witchcraft in Scotland, it is seen more as a curse. “Ah, take patience with the lad for he has the Sight and it is a terrible affliction.” One of his prophecies wholly fulfilled is the story of James Jack was born in Elgin in 1807.
The seer wrote two Gaelic stanzas having undoubted reference to the Mackenzies of Rosehaugh. Literal translation of the Gaelic:
The heir (or chief) of the Mackenzies will take
A white rook out of the wood,
And will take a wife from a music house (dancing saloon),
With his people against him!
And the heir will be great
In deeds and as an orator,
When the Pope in Rome
Will be thrown off his throne.
Over opposite Creag-a-Chow
Will dwell a diminutive lean tailor,
Also Foolish James as the laird,
And Wise James as a measurer,
Who will ride without a bridle
The wild colt of his choice;
But foolish pride without sense
Will put in the place of the seed of the deer the seed of the goat;
And the beautiful Black Isle will fall
Under the management of the fishermen of Avoch.
The prediction in the seventh and eighth lines of the second stanza have been most literally fulfilled, for there can be no doubt that “foolish pride without sense” has brought about what the Seer predicted; and secured, for the present at least, the seed of the goat where the seed of the deer used to rule. The deer, and the deer’s horns, as is well known, are the armorial bearings of the Mackenzies, - while the goat is that of the, Fletchers, who now rule in Rosehaugh, on the ruins of its once great and famous “Cabairfeidh”.
Part of the beautiful Black Isle has already fallen under the management of the son of a fisherman of Avoch; and who knows but other fishermen from that humble village may yet amass sufficient wealth to buy the whole. The old proprietors, we regret, are rapidly making way with their “foolish pride without sense,” for some one to purchase it.
We are informed that the present proprietor of Rosehaugh is the son of an Avoch fisherman - the son of a Mr. Jack, who followed that honourable avocation in this humble village for many years; afterwards left the place and went to reside in Elgin, where he commenced business as a small general dealer, or “huckster”; that some of the boys - his sons - exhibited a peculiar smartness while in school; that this was noticed by a lady relative of their mother, an aunt, of the name of Fletcher, who encouraged and helped on the education of the boys, and who took one or more of them to her own home, and brought them up; afterwards they found their way south, and ultimately became successful merchants and landed proprietors. [In corroboration of the main facts here stated, we quote the following from “Walford’s County Families of the United Kingdom”: - “FLETCHER, JAMES, Esq.” of Rosehaugh, Ross-shire, son of the late Wm. Jack, Esq., by Isabel, dau. of the late Charles Fletcher, Esq., and brother of J. C Fletcher, Esq.; b. 18--; m, 1852, Frederica Mary, dau. of John Stephen, Esq., niece of Sir Alfred Stephen, C.B., Chief Justice of New South Wales, and widow of Alexander Hay, Esq., of the 58th Regt. . . . He assumed the name of Fletcher in lieu of his patronymic on the death of his mother in 1856.”]
It is said his father, William Jack, originated from Avoch, but no records survive to confirm this. Along with his brothers, he attended Elgin Academy and received what the Elgin Courier described at the time as an “excellent education”. Three of the boys, James, John and Charles, showed business acumen, and left Elgin to apply their skills in Liverpool. John and James founded a trading house in Liverpool , and became involved in the importing of alpaca - a wool of long silken fibres.
James’ and John’s wool trade continued to flourish, and there is evidence they traded in llama and vicuna wool too.
Frederica Mary StephenIn 1852, James married Frederica Mary Stephen in London. Frederica was the widow of Lieutenant Alexander Macleod Hay of the 58th regiment who had died in 1849.
Both James and John changed their name to Fletcher in 1855 - their mother having died earlier that same year. A notice in the London Gazette of the time noted that “The Queen has been pleased to give and grant unto James Jack.... Her Royal licence and authority that he....shall henceforth assume the name of Fletcher, instead of that of Jack”.
James died unexpectedly on 1 October 1885. His total estate amounted to more than £1,394,000.
source: http://www.avoch.org/html/james_jack.html
The Second Sight, more correctly called the Two Sights, is the ability to see both this world and another world at the same time. The Second Sight has never been regarded as witchcraft in Scotland, it is seen more as a curse. “Ah, take patience with the lad for he has the Sight and it is a terrible affliction.” One of his prophecies wholly fulfilled is the story of James Jack was born in Elgin in 1807.
The seer wrote two Gaelic stanzas having undoubted reference to the Mackenzies of Rosehaugh. Literal translation of the Gaelic:
The heir (or chief) of the Mackenzies will take
A white rook out of the wood,
And will take a wife from a music house (dancing saloon),
With his people against him!
And the heir will be great
In deeds and as an orator,
When the Pope in Rome
Will be thrown off his throne.
Over opposite Creag-a-Chow
Will dwell a diminutive lean tailor,
Also Foolish James as the laird,
And Wise James as a measurer,
Who will ride without a bridle
The wild colt of his choice;
But foolish pride without sense
Will put in the place of the seed of the deer the seed of the goat;
And the beautiful Black Isle will fall
Under the management of the fishermen of Avoch.
The prediction in the seventh and eighth lines of the second stanza have been most literally fulfilled, for there can be no doubt that “foolish pride without sense” has brought about what the Seer predicted; and secured, for the present at least, the seed of the goat where the seed of the deer used to rule. The deer, and the deer’s horns, as is well known, are the armorial bearings of the Mackenzies, - while the goat is that of the, Fletchers, who now rule in Rosehaugh, on the ruins of its once great and famous “Cabairfeidh”.
Part of the beautiful Black Isle has already fallen under the management of the son of a fisherman of Avoch; and who knows but other fishermen from that humble village may yet amass sufficient wealth to buy the whole. The old proprietors, we regret, are rapidly making way with their “foolish pride without sense,” for some one to purchase it.
We are informed that the present proprietor of Rosehaugh is the son of an Avoch fisherman - the son of a Mr. Jack, who followed that honourable avocation in this humble village for many years; afterwards left the place and went to reside in Elgin, where he commenced business as a small general dealer, or “huckster”; that some of the boys - his sons - exhibited a peculiar smartness while in school; that this was noticed by a lady relative of their mother, an aunt, of the name of Fletcher, who encouraged and helped on the education of the boys, and who took one or more of them to her own home, and brought them up; afterwards they found their way south, and ultimately became successful merchants and landed proprietors. [In corroboration of the main facts here stated, we quote the following from “Walford’s County Families of the United Kingdom”: - “FLETCHER, JAMES, Esq.” of Rosehaugh, Ross-shire, son of the late Wm. Jack, Esq., by Isabel, dau. of the late Charles Fletcher, Esq., and brother of J. C Fletcher, Esq.; b. 18--; m, 1852, Frederica Mary, dau. of John Stephen, Esq., niece of Sir Alfred Stephen, C.B., Chief Justice of New South Wales, and widow of Alexander Hay, Esq., of the 58th Regt. . . . He assumed the name of Fletcher in lieu of his patronymic on the death of his mother in 1856.”]
It is said his father, William Jack, originated from Avoch, but no records survive to confirm this. Along with his brothers, he attended Elgin Academy and received what the Elgin Courier described at the time as an “excellent education”. Three of the boys, James, John and Charles, showed business acumen, and left Elgin to apply their skills in Liverpool. John and James founded a trading house in Liverpool , and became involved in the importing of alpaca - a wool of long silken fibres.
James’ and John’s wool trade continued to flourish, and there is evidence they traded in llama and vicuna wool too.
Frederica Mary StephenIn 1852, James married Frederica Mary Stephen in London. Frederica was the widow of Lieutenant Alexander Macleod Hay of the 58th regiment who had died in 1849.
Both James and John changed their name to Fletcher in 1855 - their mother having died earlier that same year. A notice in the London Gazette of the time noted that “The Queen has been pleased to give and grant unto James Jack.... Her Royal licence and authority that he....shall henceforth assume the name of Fletcher, instead of that of Jack”.
James died unexpectedly on 1 October 1885. His total estate amounted to more than £1,394,000.
source: http://www.avoch.org/html/james_jack.html
