Back to first Hugh Miller page . .

[ HOME ] [ HUGH MILLER ] [ SIR THOMAS URQUHART ] [ MILITIA LIST 1814 ] [ HOUSEHOLDERS 1744 ]

Hugh Miller (1802-1856):  Collector of Scottish folklore

List of legends, tales, local history and customs collected by Hugh Miller.

This list is taken from a fuller database compiled by Cromarty Courthouse Museum. For further details e-mail: courthouse@mail.cali.co.uk. References are to page numbers in:

SL = Scenes and Legends, 1995 edition

SS = My Schools and Schoolmasters, 1994 edition

TS = Tales and Sketches, 1863 edition (out of print)

Otherwise the source is another work of Miller.

Story or custom

SL

SS

TS

Allan Thomson: salmon fisher of Udale

0

0

118

Andrew Lindsay

194

0

0

Apparition near Gaelic Chapel, Cromarty

166

0

0

Apprentice's dream: Miller's own experience

434

0

0

Auldgrand: evil spirit in form of child

0

0

0

Auldgrand: smoke of the lady's baking

0

0

0

Babble Hannah

447

0

0

Ballad of Donald Munro

475

0

0

Banished lady at Gruids: child murder

0

116

0

Baptism as protection against fairies

0

0

0

Bernard Mackenzie

143

0

0

Bhodry More

0

0

185

Bill Whyte

0

0

239

Black Andrew Monro of Foulis: stripping the reapers

0

0

0

Black Andrew Munro of Foulis: his death

0

0

316

Blue Lights in rigging foretelling wreck

0

0

0

Brahan Seer: prophecies

163

0

0

Brahan Seer: stone

163

0

0

Brownie

77

0

0

Burning at Cononside Church

0

0

0

Cailleach mor

14

0

0

Caithness-man's leap

265

0

0

Capt Robinson of the Free Trader:smuggling

276

0

0

Castle Craig ghosts

0

0

0

Castle ghost, Cromarty

81

0

0

Castle apparition, Cromarty: tiny man

81

0

0

Cattle raid on Nigg: counter raid led by minister

0

0

0

Cave which fell and trapped sheep

0

60

0

Chaplain's Lair

124

0

0

Cholera cloud, Nigg

245

0

0

Cholera stone, Nigg

245

0

0

Clach Malloch: shipwreck

0

0

0

Clearances: first hand accounts of

0

0

0

Coalheugh well

0

0

0

Colin the Green

0

0

0

Conon eel with yellow hair

0

0

0

Conon Kelpie

0

0

220

Conon water wraith

0

0

222

Conventicles at Alness: site of

0

0

0

Cromarty Courthill: Hossack's prophecy

83

0

0

Cowardly bully in navy

0

0

0

Cromarty : giant's graves

0

0

0

Cromarty Castle

79

0

0

Cromarty Cross

450

0

0

Cromarty farmer in Black Years

238

0

0

Cromarty Jacobins

478

0

0

Cromarty sailor with Anson

279

2

0

Cromarty school: its pupils

408

0

0

Culloden: howling dog

0

128

0

Culloden: memories of Balnagowan gardener

326

127

0

Culloden: viewing the battle from Cromarty Hill

0

0

0

Culloden: watching the battle

323

0

0

Custom: Belemnite (thuderbolt) water: cure for cow

0

0

0

Custom: blessing cattle

71

0

0

Custom: casting clew in kiln

68

0

0

Custom: cock fights

421

0

0

Custom: Dropping Cave lifting stone

0

144

0

Custom: fairy cradle

105

0

0

Custom: fisherfolk - soothing waters

59

0

0

Custom: fisherfolk - whistling up wind

58

0

0

Custom: fortune telling - corn stalks

0

0

0

Custom: fortune telling - oats

0

0

0

Custom: fortune telling - tea leaves

0

0

0

Custom: Halloween - egg charm

64

0

0

Custom: Halloween - licenced mischief

63

0

0

Custom: Halloween - the 12th rig

66

0

0

Custom: Halloween games - candle and apple beam

64

0

0

Custom: Halloween games - apple dooking

64

0

0

Custom: hangman's peat in Inverness

0

44

0

Custom: herb lore

0

111

0

Custom: live trout to cure cow of disease

0

111

0

Custom: love and hate philtres

0

111

0

Custom: lykewakes - white hangings

0

0

202

Custom: lykewakes - corpse in white

0

0

202

Custom: lykewakes - dancing

0

96

0

Custom: lykewakes - plate with salt

0

0

202

Custom: masons - drinking

0

0

0

Custom: masons - punishments

0

0

0

Custom: May day dew gathering

293

0

0

Custom: rag well

105

0

0

Custom: spitting on the "burnt cook" stone

210

0

0

Custom: Throwing the stone at Gruids

0

0

0

Custom: tribute of peat to school

0

44

0

Custom: unbaptised children buried at Clava cairns

0

0

0

David Henderson

387

0

0

David MacCulloch

410

0

0

Dead man in shroud

0

0

211

Death of youth imitating corpse at lykewake

0

0

0

Death on the Champion

223

0

0

Deferred injury (Jock mo ghaol)

0

210

0

Diamond rock of Cromarty

45

0

0

Dingwall: stone with giant fingerprint

14

0

0

Donald Gair at La Nore

0

0

212

Donald McCandie and the walkers

0

0

0

Donald Miller's wars with the sea

31

0

0

Donald Munro & widow dancing at husband's wake

0

96

0

Donald Roy and the black dog

146

0

0

Donald Roy: Catherine Rose (Wright)'s illness

147

0

0

Donald Roy: conversion

145

0

0

Donald Roy: conversion of Catholic lady

146

0

0

Donald Roy: girl in snowstorm

147

0

0

Donald Roy: Jacobites

0

32

0

Donald Roy: Nigg secession

146

32

0

Donald Roy: the wedding rings

0

33

0

Donald Roy: vision of wreck

146

0

0

Doocot Cave: enclosed by laird's wall

0

75

0

Dr Hossack

410

0

0

Dropping cave: blue light

331

0

0

Dropping cave: running below Navity smithy

333

0

0

Dropping cave: the old man

331

0

0

Dunolly: the Dog stone

0

0

0

Dutchmens' graves

245

0

0

Edderton stone

14

0

0

Edinburgh markets: location

0

0

0

Eigg causeway: the gravestone

0

0

0

Eigg: path of crosses to grave of Donan

0

0

0

Eigg: the bone cave

0

0

0

Elspat MacCulloch: second sight

0

0

205

Fairburn's ghost

0

0

224

Fairies at Eathie

463

0

0

Fairies at Eathie: Donald Calder

463

0

0

Fairies at Eathie: offered snuff by old man

0

0

0

Fairies at Eathie:departure of the people of peace

0

0

0

Fairy Cradle: destruction

105

0

0

Fairy Island

0

0

0

Fairy mound at Gruids

0

108

0

Fairy mounds

0

0

0

False oath: cloud over sun

58

0

0

Fause Jamie

470

0

0

Ferindonald: devil in 5 forms

167

0

0

Fiddler's well: powers of the water

340

0

0

Fidler's well: Willie Fidler's dream

339

0

0

Fights at Kilmuir funeral

343

0

0

Fights at peat moss

343

0

0

Fights at Redcastle market: the Duff brothers

342

0

0

Fingal: the wild boar

0

105

0

Fionns of Knock Farrel

38

0

0

Fions on Nigg Hill

359

0

0

Fions who could not leap Firths on spear

0

105

0

First potatoes in Cromarty: 1740

0

264

0

Fisherfolk: bad luck to ask about a voyage

0

0

0

Fisherfolk: the townsboys and the changlings

0

0

0

Fisherman who survived two wrecks

67

0

0

Fisherman's widow: Cova Green

179

0

0

Flight of the herring drove

Back to top

257

0

0

Flight of the herring drove: blood on the water

252

0

0

Flight of the herring drove: sabbath work

252

0

0

Forsyth's boatmen: saved by mother's prayer

0

0

0

Foundation sacrifice: Castle Craig

0

112

0

Francie

0

52

0

French wars

485

0

0

Gallowhill: last execution

83

0

313

Gardener who fought at Culloden

0

0

0

George Ross

450

0

0

George Ross: son's suicide

450

0

0

Ghost cave of Munlochy

0

0

0

Ghost of farmer's wife

362

0

0

Ghost of nailer's wife: asking for tobacco

0

73

0

Gordon of Newhall's grave

440

0

0

Green lady

Back to top

70

0

0

Green Lady (Banff)

366

0

0

Green Lady: Boatman's tale

0

0

0

Grey Cairn

0

0

0

Guardian Cock

73

0

0

Gudewife of Minitarf

396

0

0

Gypsy wedding

0

389

0

Hanging at Tain: white dove

0

126

0

Harray man and lobster

0

0

0

Henderson's fall from grace and repentance

354

0

0

Herring drove

252

0

0

Highland chief: secret told to stones

0

0

0

Highlander with scarred thumb from Culloden

325

0

0

Hossack and Lord Byron's yacht

0

0

0

Hossack's pledge

481

0

0

Jack Grant's tale

0

17

0

Jacobite Highlanders in Cromarty

322

0

309

Jacobite psalm

328

0

0

Jacobites and ship boy: Francis Robertson

327

0

308

Jacobites in Cromarty: the Pindler (stone)

322

0

0

Jacobites in Cromarty:the girl and the jug

322

0

0

Jacobites: stealing shoes at Ferindonald

320

0

0

Jacobites: the Navity farmer

320

0

0

James Fraser of Brea

115

0

0

James Mackenzie's 20 children

144

0

0

Jock mo ghaol and resurectionists

0

0

0

Jock mo ghaol and witches

0

0

0

Jock Watson's ghost

0

0

0

John Feddes' ghost

0

0

0

John Feddes: buccaneering

195

0

0

John Holm

476

0

0

John Holm: plan of the fort

476

0

0

Johnie o' the shore: the stray cow's milk

380

0

0

Kelpie: drowning in font

0

98

0

Kenneth MacCulloch

424

0

0

King's sons

39

0

0

Lady Margaret Mackenzie

347

0

0

Lady of Ardvrock

168

0

0

Lady of Balconie

171

0

0

Lady of smallpox

70

0

0

Last Judgement at Navity

215

0

0

Last witch burned at Dornoch

0

0

0

Latinists: cabinet maker

0

0

300

Latinists: fisherman

410

0

300

Latinists: house painter

0

0

300

Lintel stone of Dunalisaig broch: giant lore

0

110

0

Lord Byron's yacht: death of Miss Mudie

0

0

0

Lord Byron's yacht: smuggling

0

0

0

Lord Louden's retreat: destruction of fishing boat

323

0

0

Lt William Wright's death at Carthagena

275

34

0

Luggie

123

0

0

Luidag: one legged apparition of Isle Ornsay

0

0

0

MacCulloch imprisons the laird

83

0

0

MacCulloch of Dunloth

389

0

0

MacCulloch the corn agent

299

0

0

MacCulloch the corn agent's ghost

299

0

0

MacCulloch the lawyer

344

0

0

MacCulloch's courtship

67

0

0

Mad woman's brother

0

0

0

Marcus's cave

0

131

0

Martinmas Market

252

0

0

McKechern the meal monger

0

0

265

McLeod the smuggler

211

0

0

McLeod's ghost

213

0

0

Meal mill at Eathie

463

0

0

Meg o the shore

384

0

0

Meg o the shore: foreseeing wreck

384

0

0

Meg o the shore: imprisoned for protest at Nigg

385

0

0

Meg o the shore: opening her grave

0

0

0

Meg o the shore: opening her grave

386

0

0

Mermaid

Back to top

290

0

0

Mermaid and John Reid

294

0

0

Michael Scott and the fairy bridge

0

0

0

Miller cottage: disembodied hand

358

0

0

Miller Cottage: vision of wreck

358

0

0

Miller Cottage: white spectre

358

0

0

Miller's father and drunken sailors

0

19

0

Miller's father at helm in storm

0

7

0

Miller's Father: action off Dogger Bank

0

5

0

Miller's Father: drowning puppies

0

2

0

Miller's father: mutiny on East Indiaman

0

4

0

Miller's father: rescue of drowning man

0

7

0

Miller's father: rescue of ship

0

7

0

Miller's father: scurvy

0

7

0

Miller's father: shipwrecked

0

7

0

Miller's father: the tiger

0

6

0

Morial's Den

Back to top

71

0

0

Morrison the painter

228

0

0

Moving stone of Torboll

0

0

0

Mulbuie: spectre ships

22

0

0

Munro of Fowlis

441

0

0

Munro of Fowlis: courtship of Jean Seymour

445

0

0

Munro of Newmore

0

0

315

Munro the Post

370

0

0

Nannie Fizzle's crook

252

0

0

Nannie Miller

321

0

0

Navity goblin

71

0

0

Newton: prophecy of fall of clay cliff

0

0

0

Nobleman's eye

0

389

0

Northumberland sabbath stone

0

0

0

One eyed step mother

362

0

0

Orkney shipwreck: Johnstone's Cave

0

0

0

Orkney wrecks: chalk ballast

0

0

0

Our Lady's well/Mary's well

330

0

0

Oykell filled with bodies of persecuted

0

0

0

Patronage dispute at Cromarty

349

0

0

Peat shortage: a Cromarty fire

0

0

307

Phantom troop of horse (second sight)

0

0

211

Pigs

450

0

0

Polander Ross

361

0

0

Poor wife's meal kist (cave)

0

75

0

Prophecy of Thomas the Rhymer

30

0

0

Quarantine

244

0

0

Resolis: deserted villages

239

0

0

Revenue cutter engaged in smuggling

0

0

0

Robber who nailed horse shoe to woman

46

0

0

Robertson injured at Culloden

324

0

0

Roderick Ross and the Captain

349

0

0

Sailor murdered by Captain Lowrie

279

0

0

Sandieson's spulzie

309

0

0

Sandy Wood

215

0

0

Sandy Wright and the orphan

267

0

0

Sandy Wright: adventures at sea

0

37

0

Saunder's McIver: massacre of crew by Indians

0

0

0

Ship launching: Tam Reid and the turpentine

0

0

0

Ship launching: the evil eye

0

0

0

Silken Sawney: only Jacobite in Cromarty

318

0

0

Silver mine at Brahan

0

0

0

Sludach: well

5

0

0

Soldier with uncut hair

325

0

0

Song: Lovat's head

324

0

0

Songs of Rob Donn

0

0

0

Soul leaving body as fly

0

111

0

Spectre of dead man beside Earl of Cromartie

0

0

210

Spull-the-wood and the "Wilful Murder"

428

0

0

St Kennat's well, Eathie

105

0

0

St Margaret's Well, Restalrig

0

0

0

Stine Bheag of Tarbat

281

0

0

Stolen linen at Loch Slin

61

0

0

Storm blows fishermen to Norway

0

0

158

Sutherland clan feuds

0

105

0

Sutors: giant lore

13

0

0

Sutors: origin as suitors (lovers)

13

0

0

Tam McKechan

463

0

0

The "Elizabeth" and the press gang

0

0

0

The "Elizabeth" saved by Mr Porteous' prayer

0

0

0

The "Elizabeth": the captain and the fever

0

0

0

The Bad Year (1741): the pock's mither

307

0

0

The Broken Promise

359

0

0

The County Meeting

483

0

0

The Doomed Man

0

0

0

The haddock dearth of 1789

0

0

0

The Hard Dominie

410

0

0

The Hard Dominie: at Stirling

410

0

0

The Hard Dominie: ghosts

410

0

0

The Hard Dominie: pauper Skinner

410

0

0

The meal mob

313

0

0

The pedlar

364

0

0

The Pot

298

0

0

The Scottish Hunters of Hudson Bay

0

0

0

The washing of the mermaid

300

0

0

The wild wife

437

0

0

The Young Surgeon

0

0

276

Thief doomed to a 'down look'

0

0

0

Thieves of Tantallon

0

0

0

Thieving Blacksmith

0

0

0

Thomas of Chartres

0

0

0

Tomnahurich: haunted

0

0

0

Town under the sea: meadows of the old town

0

0

0

Town under the sea: old Cromarty

28

0

0

Unknown fish pulls fishing boat

0

0

188

Urquhart of Greenhill

258

0

0

Ward Hill, Hoy: carbuncle

0

0

0

Watchmen of Cullicudden

167

0

0

Water wraith and Cromarty yawl

0

0

222

Water wraith at Brahan ford

0

0

222

White wizard in Speyside: the Devil's bridle

0

0

0

William Forsyth

261

0

0

William Forsyth and Meg o the Shore

0

0

0

William Forsyth and the bees

0

0

0

William Forsyth and the immoral pauper

0

0

0

William Forsyth and the Jacobites

0

0

0

William Forsyth and Widow Watson

0

0

0

William Forsyth: the peas

0

0

0

William Wallace: in Doocot cave

0

0

0

William Wallace: Wallace Slack

48

0

0

Willie Millar: the sleeping host

332

0

0

Willie Watson

222

0

0

Witch burning at Dornoch

0

126

0

Witch hole, Cromarty

83

0

0

Witchcraft in Resolis: the stolen anchor

0

0

0

Witchcraft in Resolis: transferring disease

0

0

0

Witches at Newhall Burn

0

0

124

Witches: shooting with silver

0

0

124

Young men dressed as ghost met ghost

0

0

0

[ HOME ] [ HUGH MILLER ] [ SIR THOMAS URQUHART ] [ MILITIA LIST 1814 ] [ HOUSEHOLDERS 1744 ]

Back to top