The manuscript bears a ‘coat of arms’ watermark, and was written circa 1759 (cf. page 11) by William MacMurchy (died circa 1778) of Campbeltown in Kintyre, schoolmaster, tailor, poet, musician and scribe, for whom see Conley, 'A poem in the Stewart Collection', page 26. He may have been a pupil of Hugh MacLean (schoolmaster of Kilchenzie, Kintyre, circa 1699), as his Gaelic hand, typical of its period for Irish manuscripts, bears at times a strong resemblance to that of the latter (note especially Adv.MS.72.2.15, page [ii]). His collection of Gaelic, including Irish, manuscripts is said to have been extensive and valuable.

In this manuscript William MacMurchy tends to write his vernacular in Roman script and more linguistically conservative material in Gaelic script. Written sideways like a note-pad.

Donald Mackintosh used William MacMurchy’s collection in compiling his ‘Proverbs’ of 1785 (‘Ossian Report’, Appendix, page 89). It does not appear to have been preserved. A few of Mackintosh’s proverbs, however, are found in the present manuscript.

In Ewen Maclachlan’s receipt (Ingliston MS. A.i.15 d) of the manuscript he describes it as ‘Part of a MS. consisting of poetry, and Collections of proverbs”, and his description of it in Adv.MS.72.3.4 shows it to have had the same number of pages in 1811 as now.

Marginalia: ‘Donald’, and a group of semi-legible letters (initials?) in bottom right corner, page 1; ‘David’, page 10.

The contents (text) are as follows.

(i) (Gaelic script begins). Deirdre’s lament for the sons of Uisneach, beginning (acephalous) “Tri Manuinn a bh’ aig riog Bretann”, 29 quatrains. Corresponds substantially to quatrains 32-60 of ‘Clann Uisnich nan each geala’ in Gillies, ‘Sean Dain agus Orain Ghaidhealach’, page 260. Continues after following item, which was written first. (Page 1.)

(ii) (Roman script). 6 proverbs beginning with R. (Page 2.)

(iii) Proverbs beginning with S: 36 in Roman script + 5 proverbial quatrains in Gaelic script. (Page 4.)

(iv) (Roman script resumes). 34 proverbs beginning with T. (Page 6.)

(v) Medical receipt beginning ‘A groats worth of herypikery’. (Middle of page 7.)

(vi) 4 proverbs beginning with U. (Page 8.)

(vii) ‘Stop passenger, untill my life you’ve read’, 16 lines. ‘An Epitaph Inscrib’d on the Tomb of Margt Scot who died in the Town of Dalkeith Feb: 9th 1738’. (page 8, line 7.)

(viii) (Gaelic script). ‘Gairim is guidm tu a cloch na leig Brighid amach’, 1 stanza. ‘Tuirimh Bhrighid’. Repeated in Roman script. (Page 9.)

(ix) (Roman script continues). 13 proverbs beginning with C. (Page 10.)

(x) ‘To melt the soul to captivate the ear’, 14 lines. On death of Handel (died 1759). (Page 11.)

(xi) Proverbs beginning with C, numbered 59-120. (Page 12.)

(xii) Blank save for heading ‘Sgibinis’ in Gaelic script. (Page 14.)

(xiii) (Page 15 blank.)

(xix) (Roman script resumes). 53 proverbs beginning with I, numbered from 57. (Page 16.)

(xx) (Page 18 blank.)

(xxi) ‘A mhic ata gu tuirseach tim’, 5 quatrains. Religious. (Page 19.)

(xxii) (Page 20 blank.)

(xxiii) (Gaelic script resumes). ‘Do rinnis an tigh marcuigh’, 20 quatrains. Humorous. Subscribed ‘Finnid / William Mac Mhurachaidh’. (Page 21.)

(xxiv) Death of Conlaoch, beginning (acephalous) ‘Fithiod bliadhna bhetham soir’, 20 quatrains. (Page 23.)

(xxv) ‘Tigh don choill is gerradh croinn’, 4 stanzas. ‘Faighdoireacht Amadan Emhna Mhacha’. (Bottom of page 23.)

(xxvi) ‘Dula chuaidh me dhenamh aodidh’, 26 quatrains headed ‘Laoidh an Tailleoir’. Cf. ‘Chaidh mi turus dheanamh eudaich’, MS.14882, folio 154. Corresponds to “Leabhar Na Féinne”, pages 201-202, ‘An tailfhear do na Fiannaibh’ (17 quatrains) with 2 extra quatrains + “Labhair Diarmaid” (7 quatrains). Page 26, where the last 3 quatrains appear, is headed ‘Gloir Diarmuid’. “Bàrdachd Ghàidhlig”, page 115. Cf. ‘Ossian Report’, Appendix, page 312. (Page 24, line 7.)

(xxvii) Oisin agus Padruig. ‘Oisin gur fad tu do suain’, 17½ quatrains (incomplete). (Middle of page 26.)

(xxviii) “O! ‘s tuisech anocht atáim”, 14 quatrains. On the sale of his patrimony by MacDonald of Largie, cf. the tradition that part of the estate was sold after ’45 (Conley, 'A poem in the Stewart Collection', page 37). See Watson, “Bàrdachd Ghàidhlig”, page 176. (Middle of page 28.)

(xxix) ‘Glenn Síoth an glensa rem taobh’, 10½ quatrains. ‘Laoi Diarmuid’. Incomplete due to excision of rest of manuscript. Cf. Bergin et al ‘The death of Diarmuid’, page 168. (Page 30.)

(xxx) The stub of the following leaf preserves most of a farther quatrain of ‘Laoi Diarmuid’. The stub after this preserves (recto) the first line ‘Osna caruid a ccuan Fraoich’, headed ‘Cumha Fhraoich’. Another poem takes up on the following leaf, the first line preserved on the stub (verso) being “A Chill Íthe aoibhinn duit”. The verso of the next stub ends ‘leite lith ar nglasfhiodhbhadh’. These are the last words remaining in the manuscript.