Faerie Lore Among the Scots-Irish

A Jackro aka a Brownie drawn from eyewitness encounter

There was a large migration of people from the north of Ireland to the English Colonies in the 18th Century. This event is called the Ulster Migration. This migration began in early Colonial times, from1690 onward, and grew into a large exodus by 1718. Many of these immigrant were Irish Protestants, with the majority of them being Scots-Irish. 

They came in great numbers and the migration had organization to it.  Often whole families, extended families, even villages, participated. One family would settle, and cousins, uncles and aunts, etc., would follow a few years later. The pattern continue from 1718 into the late 1770s. It was quite a remarkable phenomenon. These people brought with them their values, their folk beliefs, from Ulster to the New World. One aspect of these beliefs was their Faerie Faith. 

Some of the Faeries from Ireland followed these people to the Colonies. From the early 1700s into the early 1900s belief in Faeries endured. It was in the Southern Uplands and Backsettlements that these beliefs survived the longest and there are still a few people in these areas that see things and believe. 

Among the Scots-Irish, one type of Faerie was called a Jackro. They were also called a Brownie. This type of Faerie was well known in Ireland. There it had several names, in Gaelic it was often called a Gruagach (said grew o gach) or a Fear Dearg (Gaelic for a Red Man, so called because of their red hats). Brownie was a Scots-Irish term from the Lallans language (a dialect of northern English spoken in the Lowlands of Scotland, and Ulster). 

The Jackro and Brownie were simple Faerie folk. They were generally tutelary beings. These lived in or near settlements, in the attics, barns, and out-buildings, of some family they attached themselves to. There were also solitary Faeries. These lived in the lonely places; in the mountains, ridges, and hills, or in the deep woods, or near waterfalls.  

Sarah Pearl McCain née Tweedy circa 1900

My grandmother, Sarah Pearl McCain née Tweedy, was born in 1883. She passed away in 1962 when I was only twelve years old. I was fortunately to be able to spent a lot of time with her in my youth. She  She told me about the Jackros. From that time on I was fascinated by the topic.  My grandmother had the Second-Sight, an inherited trait that runs in her Tweedy family. Her family were typical Scots-Irish; to Ireland in the early 1600s, then on to the Colonies circa 1700. They eventually settled in southern Illinois circa 1805. This area is called the Illinois Ozarks. The geography there is a series of hills and ridges and the region was heavily settled by the Scots-Irish at an early date. Just across the Mississippi from southern Illinois are the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. Many of her Tweedy family moved west and were some of the first families to settle the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. These Scots-Irish brought their folkways with them.

The Ouachita Mountain in Arkansas

As Faeries go, the Jackro, or Brownie is you prefer, was your typical type of Faerie known in Ireland and Scotland. They were hard to see, and often one would just catch a glimpse of the being going around a corner, or through a door way. Their size was small, about three feet tall. They were often dressed in brown or grey, but some were known to sport red caps. In older and more civilized times, some families would reserve a place by the fire for the Jackro; a small home made stool. Libations of milk, or something stronger was also set out. The solitary Jackros shunned men however, and chose to live the solitary life in the wild places.  They were thought of as dangerous.

The belief in Faeries has almost died out here, though not quite, and there is some revival of interest in them. An interesting sidebar, the belief in races of Faeries was also strong among some American Indians, particularly the Cherokee and Shoshone tribes. Their lore is remarkably like that of the Irish, Scots, and Scots-Irish. 

I am collecting oral history on the Faerie Faith in America right now.  If anyone has a story, part of your family history, of encounters, do send me a note through my blog McCain's Corner.  I would love to hear it.  


 Link:  Finding the McCains 

© Barry R McCain 2019