50 MIs

An overgrown Clan grave in Carnmoney, Northern Ireland

Since starting this blog just over a year ago I have recorded 50 Memorial Inscription names. I am very grateful to all the people who have sent me photographs from round the world, even when, like the one above, they don't say much for the care of the graves, though let it be said that at Carnmoney the local Family History Society has done a great clearing job quite recently.

The MIs are to be found in 24 different locations, mostly of course cemeteries, but a few War Memorials as well. There are 24 names in Northern Ireland, 10 in Scotland, 6 in England, 5 in the USA, 3 in Mainland Europe, and one each in Australia, Asia and Canada. If you total those, you will find it comes to 51 - but one name has been recorded twice!

Twenty four of the names are of men and twenty six of women. Other than those I have already mentioned in the blog, one is of particular interest because it contains the names of two wives of the same person. The husband outlived both, which is fairly unusual. The earliest is in the 1730s in Scotland and that is the only one from the eighteenth century. Then there are three in the first half of the nineteenth century and eight in the second half. Inevitably most are in the twentieth: 3 in the first decade, 9 in the second, 4 in the third, 5 in the fourth, 6 in the fifth, 5 in the sixth, 3 in the seventh and one in the eighth. Most record the name McIlhagga - 39, though I also have McIlhaggo - 4, McElhago - 4, McElhagger - 2 and McIlhaga - 1. I am sure there are many more out there that I do not know about, so would welcome any other photographs.