1844 Visitation
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Tongue Village |
Braetongue
TONGUE No.1
GEORGE MACINTOSH [Inchverry] First house above road on south side.
Lot: an excellent one below the road and good dyked garden above, seemingly
4 or 5 acres under crop while possibly other two might still be taken in.
Tenant now dead drained a good deal, and trenched fully an acre.
Rent £4.6s.
House: In Melioration Book, thatched and with chimney in one
end only, and built with Highland Couples [this is the old, pre-formed roof
timbers]. Melioration however now forfeited, in consequence of an unauthorised
alteration having been made upon the House and in direct opposition to orders.
(Family Notes kindly provided by Carol Small)
Family: Tenant
(George Macintosh 1773-1839) died about four years ago in May last
- leaving on the lot a
widow (Margaret Sutherland 1783-1873) about 65 years of age, a son of 28 (Robert,
1815-1901, died Canada) who is now married (Betsy Brims) and has a
daughter under 12 months old (Margaret Macintosh). And a daughter (Catherine
1813-1897) married to William McIntosh (about 40) with
now four children, two girls aged 9 and 1½ (Janet
1835-1919 and Williamina 1843-1848), and two boys of 6 and 4
(Donald 1838-1911 and George 1840-). The late tenant had likewise a son, about 45, a Roman Catholic
priest at Tomintoul (William 1805-1889, migrated to
Toronto, Canada, and died in Chicago, Illinois, USA), another son of about 40 in America
(John, abt.1803-?1839, last known at Moulton, Maine, USA), a third of about 36
a shopkeeper in Aberdeen (George, abt.1808-1874), a fourth in
America of about 25
(John Sutherland Macintosh aka Jock, abt.1820-1901, died
Australia), a fifth a cooper
in Portskerra of about 30 (Hugh 1811-1891, wife Barbara Macintosh, both
died New Zealand), and a sixth, Alexander, now
married and living with his wife in the parish of Latheron in Caithness
(Alexander 1822-1911, wife Barbara Gunn, emigrated 1845 to
Canada).
New Tenant: not fixed in consequence of nobody living in the house but the
daughter.
Stock: 6 cows, 1 stirk, 26 sheep, 2 ponies.
Miscellaneous: House divided between mother and married daughter, which
ought not to have been done. (Catherine was later put out of the house.)
TONGUE No.2
JOHN MACKAY, “Bain” Second house above road on south end.
Lot: Rent 1s. - About 2 acres taken in by the tenant in patches, but much more might
and ought still to be done - land both above and below the road.
House - A new tenantry one - Covered with divot merely, - divided - broken
Windows
Family: tenant, an industrious and hard working man about 50, has a wife
aged 46 and eight children at home, four sons, 13, 11, 9 and 2½, four
daughters, 19, 15, 7 and 5. Has also in the house two aunts of the wife's,
aged 86 and 80, the eldest of whom is on the Poors’ roll. Has in addition a
son, age 21, married a few days and off to live with his wife in Helmsdale.
Has likewise a daughter married to Angus Mackay in Braetongue. All the
family strong and healthy, generally poor and enough to do.
Stock: 1 cow, 1 stirk, 1 poney.
TONGUE VILLAGE No.8
Widow JOHN ROSS Third house below road on south end.
Lot: Rent £1.9s.2d. About 2 acres under cultivation, and probably 3 roods
taken in by the present tenant. A great deal more could still be done.
House: a stone one of an inferior kind built within the last 4 or five
years, but entitled to no meliorations, either under new or old system.
Family: tenant, 47 years old, has at home five children, four boys aged 20,
16, 14 and 12, and one girl of 18. Has four daughters, one in America, one
in Argyllshire, one in Edinburgh, and one in Badenoch.
Stock: 1 cow.
COTTAR
GEORGE MATHESON (Buie), an inferior man of 62 - 13 years ploughman
for Lord Reay, and four with the Duke of Sutherland - poor, and has been
allowed to occupy the carpenter’s lot from year to year. Has in the south
a son working on the railway aged 31, and in the house three daughters of
27, 25 and 28. Much assisted by son, but who is said last year to have
lost £28 by a Railroad Contractor. A very tolerable house immediately
above Widow Ross’ lot. Daughters get work at Tongue Kirk. Stock: has two
cows.
TONGUE VILLAGE No.3
Widow JAMES MACKAY & Wm MACKAY Second house below road on south.
Lot: Rent £2 10s 8d. - About 3 acres fully under cultivation and probably 1¼
acres taken in by present tenant. A good deal more might still be done.
House: considered a good one in its time ( put up by Clark of Kinlochbervie’s father) but now old.
Family: Widow about 60, has a daughter, rather silly, about 23 - son,
married, 34 years old, wife 33, has five children, four boys, 7, 5, 3 years
and 6 months, and a girl 9 years old. Mother and son live in separate
apartments, old woman on Poors’ roll, poor.
Stock: 2 cows, 1 horse.
TONGUE VILLAGE No.10
Lot kept vacant for carpenter. Rent 11s 6d. Downlay held for several crops
back by GEORGE MATHESON, very cheap and probably 2½ acres under crop.
A good deal still to be trenched. [see entry above for George Matheson,
Cottar.]
TONGUE VILLAGE NO.9
ROBERT GRAHAM Third house below road at south end.
Lot: £- 11s. 7d. About 3½ under crop, and more than an
acre taken in by the present tenant, who has likewise drained a great deal,
and put up a considerable extent of stone dyke and fence. Altogether much
improved and likely to be soon completed.
House: an excellent Tenantry, all divided, floored and lofted.
Family: The tenant an excellent blacksmith, 45 years old, unmarried. Has a
son of 8 years old - a servant woman from Rogart. Has in the house a
journeyman, ANDREW McBETH from Clyne aged 24, and an apprentice, DONALD
STEWART, of nearly 20 years of age.
Stock: 2 cows.
TONGUE VILLAGE No.4
ROBERT MACKAY, Merchant
Lot: Rent of shop £8 and of house £1, together £9.
House: in Melioration Book, but meliorations forfeited by unauthorised
meliorations made a few years ago. Has a large garden nearly attached to the
house, shop excellent.
Family: tenant about 30, has a wife about the same age and three children,
two [sic] girls aged 3 years, 1½ and 3 weeks. Has a son of the wife's, Robert
Munro, aged 11 in the house, and likewise a servant girl from Glackbeath.
Stock; 1 cow.
TONGUE VILLAGE No.5
DONALD McLEOD
Lot: one below the road and another above. ["Rent 8s and 1s. altogether"
stored out] Rent 9s. The first lot so
much improved, that another was given. Both exceedingly well managed.
House: an excellent tenantry one, all divided and floored.
Family: tenant about 45 and has a wife about the same age, has four children,
16, 14, 12 and 10 [no gender shown]. Has two servant girls, and a
lad of 20. Mrs McLeod’s mother likewise lives in the house, an infirm old
woman of nearly 80.
Stock; 2 cows, 6 sheep, 1 horse.
Spirit Cellar, Henderson & Co.
A Tenantry house, kept by GEORGE MACKAY for his brother Charles of
Portskerra. George a shoemaker of about 30. Has a servant
girl always, and occasionally a journeyman shoemaker. Has a garden at the
back of the house.
TONGUE NO.4
Widow HUGH MORRISON
Lot: Rent 5/2, about 2½ acres all under cultivation, with garden at back
of house. Enclosed on one side by Mr McLeod and on the other by the Duke.
House: runs the whole breadth of the lot. No meliorations now due. Formerly
thatched but now slated, the slates having been granted in 1842 by the Duke.
North end of the house let to Mr Barclay. The whole pretty well finished.
Family: Tenant 44, keeps a sewing school, and likewise gives lessons in
writing and reading. Has only two girls at present but had 15 in winter,
gets £5 p[er] an[nu]m from the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. Has
two daughters with Mrs Gordon in Halladale, one 16 and the other 14. Has
likewise a brother living with her, Robert Gordon, aged 50, and Mr Barclay, Free Kirk missionary, also two servant girls, one a daughter of
William Mackay, tenant, Midtown, 38 - the other a daughter of Roderick
Mackay, tenant, Braetongue, 18.
Mr Barclay's family consists of his wife, one daughter about 2 years old,
and a servant girl from Erriboll.
Stock: 2 cows, 3 sheep.
TONGUE No. 7
KENNETH MUNRO, Inn.
Farm - Rent [blank].
Family: Tenant 53, wife 48. Has two sons, John at home 21, and Murdoch in
Huddersfield 23. Three servant girls and a sister of
Munro’s, a ploughman, 2 boys and Crask Mail Driver. Stock [blank].
General [blank]
Dr BLACK [Dr Robert Walker Black]
House and garden rent free.
Family: the Dr. aged 25, and an old widow from Fife as a servant.