Gairloch In North-West Ross-Shire Part 60

Population, &c., of Gairloch.

The only estimates of the population of the parish of Gairloch given in the old accounts of the parish are manifestly mere approximations. They are as follows:--

Sir George Steuart Mackenzie says the population in 1755 was 2050 Pennant in his Tour says the population " 1772 " 2800 The Old Statistical Account says the population " 1774 " 2000 Sir G. S. Mackenzie says the population from 1790 to 1798 " 2200

The Registrar-General's returns of the population and numbers of houses at the census taken in each of the following years is given below. The census of 1801 is believed to be imperfect, and that of 1811 gives a slightly less figure than the Rev. James Russell's estimate (see page 114). The population of Gairloch in 1801 was probably over 2000.

+--------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ s.e.x. 1801. 1811. 1821. 1831. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. 1881. +--------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ Males 740 1434 2410 2164 2346 2527 2617 2452 2253 Females 697 1321 2108 2281 2534 2635 2832 2596 2341 +--------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ Totals 1437 2755 4518 4445 4880 5162 5449 5048 4594 +--------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

_Number of Houses._

+-----------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ Description. 1841. 1851. 1861. 1871. 1881. +-----------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ Inhabited Houses 925 947 1042 1001 966 Uninhabited Houses 3 10 8 29 28 Houses in course of erection 2 4 2 3 9 +-----------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ Totals 930 961 1052 1033 1003 +-----------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

IV.

Ministers of the Parish of Gairloch.

NAME. DATE OF PRESENTATION.

Sir John Broik, rector, about 1530 Alexander Mackenzie, 1582 or 1583 Farquhar M'Rae 1608 Farquhar Mackenzie 1614 Roderick Mackenzie 1649 John Morrison 1711 James Smith 1721 aeneas M'Aulay 1732 John Dounie 1758 Daniel Mackintosh 1773 John M'Queen, presented but refused to accept 1802 James Russell 1802 John Campbell 1845 Duncan Simon Mackenzie 1850

MINISTERS OF THE QUOAD SACRA PARISH OF POOLEWE.

Donald M'Rae 1829 Hugh Ferguson Macdonald 1846 John Sutherland Mackay 1848 William G. G. M'Lean, a.s.sistant 1884

V.

Lairds of Gairloch.

NAME. BORN. SUCCEEDED. DIED.

Hector Roy Mackenzie 1440 1494 1528 John Gla.s.sich Mackenzie 1513 1528 1550 Hector Mackenzie 1542 1550 1566 John Roy Mackenzie 1548 1566 1628 Alastair Breac Mackenzie 1577 1628 1638 Kenneth Mackenzie 1605 1638 1669 Alexander Mackenzie 1652 1669 1694 Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, Bart. 1671 1694 1703 Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Bart. (ninth laird) 1700 1703 1766 Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Bart. (tenth laird) 1731 1766 1770 Sir Hector Mackenzie, Bart. 1757 1770 1826 Sir Francis Alexander Mackenzie, Bart. 1799 1826 1843 Sir Kenneth Smith Mackenzie, Bart. 1832 1843 ----

Hector Roy received a grant of Gairloch from King James IV.

in 1494. He is believed to have had a similar grant some years before.

Several of the dates given above are conjectural, especially among the earlier generations. For fuller details and evidence of dates see the History of the Mackenzies by Alexander Mackenzie, F.S.A. Scot.

Since John Roy Mackenzie, each laird of Gairloch has been the eldest or eldest surviving son of the preceding laird.

John Roy was third son of John Gla.s.sich, who was the eldest son of Hector Roy. John Roy's elder brothers, Hector and Alexander, died without issue.

APPENDICES.

Extracts from Old Writers and Records, &c.

A. Genealogical Account of the MacRaes, by Rev. John Macrae, who died 1704.

B. Tour in Scotland, by Thomas Pennant, in 1772.

C. Old Statistical Account of Scotland, 1792.

D. Dr MacCulloch's Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland, 1811 to 1821.

E. New Statistical Account of Scotland, 1836.

F. Records of the Presbytery of Dingwall.

G. Records and Extracts relating to Sir George Hay and the Manufacture of Iron.

H. Addenda on St Maelrubha and Ecclesiastical History.

A.

EXTRACT from the "Genealogical account of the Macras, as originally written by Mr John Macra, sometime minister of Dingwall in Ross-shire, who died in the year of our Lord 1704. Transcribed by Farquhar Macra of Inverinate in the year 1786. Printed, Camden, South Carolina, 1874."

The following are some pa.s.sages in the life of a Highland minister, who was vicar of Gairloch for ten years in the seventeenth century.

Note:--the t.i.tle "Mr" is applied in old books and doc.u.ments only to those who held the degree of M.A. "Saint Johnstown" is the old name of Perth.

"Mr Farquhar Macra the second son of Christopher MacConnochie was born at Islandonan, anno 1580, being a seven months' child howbeit he became afterwards to be a man of a very strong body, and his father seeing his good genius for learning sent him to the school of Saint Johnstown, where he stayed four or five years and became a great master of the Latin language, as appears by some discoveries of his yet extant. From Perth his father sent him to the college of Edinburgh, where he became a pregnant philosopher beyond his condisciples, and commanded Master of Arts under the discipline of Mr Thomas Reid his regent, who afterwards became Princ.i.p.al of the College, all the members of which pitched on Mr Farquhar as the most accomplished and capable to take Reid's place as Regent. But Kenneth Lord Kintail, being then in Edinburgh, disapproved of the design, and prevailed with the members of the college to pa.s.s from Mr Farquhar, who himself preferred to be a preacher of the Gospel to any other calling whatsoever, and for that end had for some months preceding heard the lectures and lessons of Mr Robert Rollack, professor of divinity. So that omitting that opportunity of improving his great abilities he was brought by Lord Kenneth home to Chanery of Ross, where he was overseer of the Grammar school which then flourished there, and stayed for the s.p.a.ce of fifteen months and pa.s.sed his tryals. He became a sound, learned, eloquent and grave preacher, and was pitched upon by the bishop and clergy of Ross as the properest man to be minister of Garloch that he might thereby serve the colony of English which Sir George Hay of Airdry, afterwards Chancellor of Scotland, kept at Letterewe, making iron and casting cannon. Mr Farquhar having entered there did not only please the country people but also the strangers, especially George Hay. In the year 1610 Kenneth Lord Kintail brought Mr Farquhar with him to the Lewes, where he preached the Gospel to the inhabitants, who were great strangers to it for many years before, as is evident from his having to baptize all under forty years of age which he did, and married a vast number who lived there as man and wife thereby to legitimate their children, and to abolish the barbarous custom that prevailed of putting away their wives upon the least discord. This was so agreeable to the well thinking part of the people that my Lord Kintail promising to place such a man among them made them the more readily submit to him, so that all the inhabitants at this time took tacks from him except some of the sons of MacLeod of Lewes, who fled rather than submit to him. My Lord falling sick returned in haste home to Chanery of Ross where he died, and was the first of the family that was buried there, leaving the management of his affairs to Rory Mackenzie his brother, commonly called the Factor of Kintail, of whom are come the family of Cromarty. Mr Farquhar married Christian MacCulloch, eldest lawful daughter of MacCulloch of Park, on the first day of December 1611, dwelt at Ardlair, where several of his children were born.

"But Sir George Hay went from Letterew to Fife. He seriously invited Mr Farquhar to go with him, promising he would get him an act of Transplantation and his choice of several parishes of which he was Patron, and besides give him a yearly pension from himself and endeavour to get him ecclesiastical promotion. Mr Farquhar could not in grat.i.tude refuse such an offer, and was content to go with him, was it not that Colin Lord of Kintail prevailed with Sir George to dispense with him, Lord Colin himself purposing to transplant him to Kintail, which was then vacant by the death of Mr Murdoch Murchison, uncle by the mother to Mr Farquhar, who accordingly succeeded his uncle both as minister of Kintail and Constable of Islandonan in the year 1618, as will appear by a contract betwixt Lord Colin and him dated at Chanery that year. Mr Farquhar lived here in an opulent and flourishing condition for many years much given to hospitality and charity....

"Mr Farquhar being rich when he came from Garloch provided his children considerably well, having six sons and two daughters that were settled in his own life time, viz.

Alexander, Mr John, Mr Donald, Milmoire or Myles, Murdoch, and John....

"In the year 1651 Mr Farquhar, being old and heavy, removed from Islandonan by reason of the coldness of the air to a place called Inchcruiter, where he lived very plentifully eleven years; some of his grandchildren after his wife's death alternately ruling his house, to which there was a great resort of all sorts of people, he being very generous, charitable, and free-hearted.

"In the year 1654 when General George Monk pa.s.sed through Kintail with his army, they in their return carried away three hundred and sixty, but not the whole of Mr Farquhar's cows, for which after the restoration of King Charles the II., he was advised to put in his claim; but his love of the change of affairs made him decline it, and at his death he had as many cows as them, and might have had as many more were it not that they were constantly slaughtered for the use of the family when he had his grandchildren and their bairns about him. Being at last full of days, and having seen his children that came of age settled after he had lived fifty-four years in the Ministry, ten of which at Garloch, he departed this life in the year 1662, and the eighty-second of his age. He was buried with his predecessors at Kilduich in Kintail."

B.

EXTRACT from "A Tour in Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides, 1772, by Thomas Pennant." Dedication dated at Downing, March 1, 1774.

Mr Pennant accomplished most of his tour in the Western Highlands and Islands by means of a sailing vessel. Landing at Dundonnel at the head of Little Loch Broom, on 30th July 1772, in tempestuous weather, he was hospitably entertained by Kenneth Mackenzie, Esq. of Dundonnel. He made this note here:--"Dundonnel,--Determine to go by land to visit Loch Maree, a great lake to the south; and direct Mr Thompson to sail and wait for us at Gairloch."