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Comar Lodge is situated at the heart of Clan Chisholm country - Comar being the ancient seat of the Clan although after Culloden and the highland clearances Erchlees Castle became more important. The house was built in 1740 by the Clan Chief, Roderick Chisholm. Roderick had taken part in the 1715 Jacobite uprising. At the collapse of the rebellion the Chisholm lands around Strathglass were confiscated by the Crown. They were eventually returned following a pardon Roderick, and other Jacobites, received in 1727. |
Following the landing of Bonnie Prince Charlie in Scotland in 1745, many of the Highland clans again rallied to the cause. While Roderick's cousin Alexander fought for Cumberland, his own son also named Roderick died with many of his clansmen during the ill-fated Highland charge at Culloden. On this occassion Roderick Chisholm held onto his lands but Strahglass suffered several times from punitive raids by Cumberlands troops. |
It is well documented that Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through Strathglass en route to the west. He hid in a cave near Fasnakyle at the entrance to Glen Affric where he was attended by a number of Chisholms. Local folklore suggests that prior to this he took refuge at Comar Lodge, hiding in a 'secret room' at the rear of the house - only rediscovered during building works in the late 1940s! |
Much of the house is as it was in 1740 although some additions to the exterior were made in Victorian times, while internal renovations have taken place especially since the 1940s. The Clan relinquished ownership of Comar to a an investment trust in 1937. From the late 1940s through to the mid 1960s the village of Cannich was a hive of activity due to the Hydro-Electric Schemes and an increase in forestry work following the purchase of Glen Affric by the Forestry Commission in 1951. For a time during this period Comar Lodge was used as an annex to the once proud Glen Affric Hotel. |
There are a number of features to the house that guests find most interesting. The original Georgian Fireplace in the sitting room clearly shows the inscription 1740 and the initials RC (Roderick Chisholm). At the main entrance, the stonework has some interesting graffiti as well as marks made by Claymores being sharpened! |
Comar Lodge passed into the ownership of the present family in 1967 and has been operated as a quality bed and breakfast by Jane and Ian Mure since 1999. |
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Guests, particularly those with Chisholm connections will find a number of places of interest not too far from Comar Lodge. On the hillside above Loch Mullardoch you will find a cairn built to commemorate the 'Chisholm Stone', now below the waters of the loch, where the Clan would gather in times gone by. The old Clachan Comar cemetry is just across the River Glass - inscriptions on many of the headstones are still legible. Just up the road towards Glen Cannich stands a memorial stone, while in Glen Affric a cairn has been placed at the Chisholm Bridge marking Glen Affric as former Chisholm lands. Of course, Erchless Castle and the Clan Chisholm burial ground close to the castle is only a short drive away. |
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