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Am Bratach No. 197 History File by Malcolm Bangor-Jones In 1818 Dugald Gilchrist took over the sheep-farm of Shinness: some of the large population of sub tenants were not permitted to remain or chose not to. The majority, however, decided to accept the conditional offer made by Gilchrist and remain on the farm for another year. About thirty-five subtenants signed up: most were allowed to keep a single cow but a few were permitted to keep two. In addition, there were eleven cottars, most of whom did not have a cow. The schoolmaster, William Mackay, who was supported by the Society in Scotland for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, was a subtenant. On May 1 1818, the Rev Angus Kennedy had written to Gilchrist describing Mackay as “a very decent, & useful man in that District”. Mackay had been “in the habit of getting some Potatoe Land from Mr Mckay & Mr Matheson, on the Mains of Shinness. This being the last year that he expects to be in that District, he hopes you will have the goodness to extend that indulgence to him” The society would provide another situation for him in due course. A list of arrears reveals that Mackay owed Matheson money for cows grass and potato ground and also the balance of cast sheep bought by him in November 1817. In December 1818 Gilchrist came to an arrangement with Hugh Gordon, the local miller. Gordon promised to pay Gilchrist a rent of £2 for the “miln of Shinness (at ‘Achnarah’), and for permission to keep a horse”. This was payable at Whitsunday 1819 when he was to “deliver the miln in good order”. Gordon also appears to have worked as a mason. In July 1818 he had offered to build for Gilchrist a new shepherd’s house at Altnacaorach, comprising a kitchen and parlour, with an attached smearing house where the sheep would be smeared with a mixture of butter and tar. There were complex financial transactions to be addressed as many of the subtenants owed money to Matheson, the previous tenant. For instance, in September 1818 Hugh Matheson Roy in Dalangdale requested that the £3 8s [£3.40] he owed should be paid by Gilchrist out of whatever he was due for working on the new road to Tongue. Some were pursued for arrears even though they had left Shinness. In June 1819 a warrant was sought for the apprehension of Donald Campbell, who had moved from Shinness to Gruids, and Donald Macdonald, who had moved from Colaboll to Clunel of Gruids. Both had “it in contemplation to go furth of this kingdom to America”. Donald Macdonald was incarcerated in Dornoch Jail on a warrant granted by Gilchrist, but was freed a week later after Mrs Kennedy wrote explaining that he had been “an old faithfull servant to my father”. In the meantime, in May 1819, Gilchrist had entered into agreements with about seventeen of the subtenants to remain on Shinness. For instance, Margaret Macdonald was to pay £6 for the summer grass of two cows and perform forty days work when called upon. Finlay and George Ross at Caolishie were “to work 25 days for potato ground, house & fire. To pay Three pounds for Summer grass of a Cow. To perform the Arrears of Statute Labour, & that of the present year, and any person from the House, to work, when Called on by the Grieve at Balnain [Shinness].” The estate management had expected that at least some of Gilchrist’s subtenants would have been removed. In August 1819 James Loch, commissioner for the Staffords, asked Gilchrist to come and dine at Dunrobin Castle. Loch had heard, not only that those who had been removed from Gilchrist’s possession of Mudale in Strathnaver had returned, but that families had been allowed to settle in Strath Tirry. If any subtenants were to remain, they could never be allowed to live “at a distant and remote part of the estate, far from the eye of the Management, on the very centre of the Stock farming & so situated as to lay the whole estate open to depredation of every sort.” It appears that a number of subtenants
remained at Balnain of Shinness and Achnarah for several years.
Most were working as labourers on the farm, while a few were
old and infirm.
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