Am Bratach No. 196
February 2008
editor@bratach.co.uk

History File

by Malcolm Bangor-Jones

The new sheep farm of Shinness was let to the Matheson family in 1808. Ten years later it was taken over by Dugald Gilchrist of Ospisdale, sheep farmer, road contractor and minor landlord.

In view of the financial burden associated with this extensive farm, it is not surprising that Donald Matheson and his successors allowed a considerable population of subtenants to remain. When Gilchrist took over, the subtenants were not expected to stay after Whitsunday 1818 and indeed all were legally charged to remove.

However, on June 5 Gilchrist presented certain proposals to the subtenants. In consideration “of no provision having been made, by the Said Sub Tenants for themselves, or their families, and their consequent destitute circumstances”, Gilchrist, with the permission of the landlord, agreed to let the subtenants remain under certain conditions.

Each subtenant was to have the grazing of a cow, including its wintering, and was to be allowed to reside in their own dwelling house. They were not to keep more than one cow and were to pay a rent of £2 punctually at Martinmas 1818.

In addition, each subtenant was “obliged to come to any part of the Farm of Shinness, & give to Mr Gilchrist, or his Manager, Ten days personal labour, at any work pointed out to him; and in the event of the Tenant not being in condition to give these Ten days labour personally, he will be obliged to Send a woman, who shall be obliged to work Twenty days in lieu thereof.”

The subtenants were “to keep no horses, Goats, or Sheep, and they are specially prohibited from keeping any dogs; and they are to afford every assistance as far as in their power lies, towards the protection, and Safety of Mr Gilchrists Sheep.”
They were to promise to remove themselves and their livestock on May 1 1819 without any further legal warning, but they would be allowed to take their wood from the houses.

Gilchrist’s proposals were considered by the Rev Angus Kennedy, the former minister of Lairg who had moved to Dornoch. He replied that the conditions, “tho’ reasonable in themselves, and you may consider them necessary for your own interest, are nevertheless of such complexity, and required from such a variety of characters, that before any person would guarantee the punctual fulfilling of them, he would require the most serious deliberation.”

Kennedy consulted with his successor, Rev Duncan McGillivray and they responded on July 1. “We certainly feel gratified by your indulgence to these poor people, when they had no prospect of accommodation elsewhere and we hope that, from a sense of gratitude to you, as well as from a regard to character, they will conduct themselves with propriety.”

“Indeed we are satisfied that a goodly number of them will do so from the influence of religious principles; tho’ we are not warranted to say so of the whole of them. We hope, however, the good will preponderate. Under this belief we hereby engage to Guarantee to you the punctual observance of these Conditions on their part. We expect, however, that you will not attach credit to every complaint which a graceless Shepherd may prefer against them to conceal his own negligence or dishonesty.”

Of the fifty or so subtenants on the farm, about ten chose to leave or were not allowed to remain. Hugh Matheson from “Dalodle” resettled in Gruids; Duncan MacDonald from “Dalodle” emigrated to “America” [Canada]; Donald MacDonald from Colaboll resettled in Gruids (Clunel); John Murray from Colaboll resettled in Milnclaren; James Mackay, John Mackay and William Mackay from “Boullindune” resettled in Milnclaren; Hugh Mackay from Boullindune resettled in “Badtouk”; James Matheson from Achfrish resettled in Gruids; Angus Mackay and Duncan Mackay from “Achnarha” or “Auchinrah” emigrated to “America”; Donald Matheson from Ceann na Coille left for “Schorie” [Scourie]; and John Ross from Caolishie left the country.

It is noteworthy that in 1817 Donald Macdonald in Colaboll was found to have encroached on the lands of two of the other tenants. Seven tenants in Colaboll and “Daludle” subsequently testified that he could not be “Dealt with as a Door Neighbour”. It was “not safe to have Donald Macdonald in Colloble nor John Murray Among his [Gilchrist’s] Stock, as they are men not to be trusted in any respect”. (To be continued).