John Mackay of Oldshoremore 1700 / 1800 period – includes Morrison & Ross

[ladytraveller]

Hello Donald
I found your post from some time ago about John Mackay, miller at Oldshoremore.  There is still the ruin of the mill at Oldshoremore and one of the grinding stones has been preserved. I should imagine the structure is later than the early eighteenth century but it is most likely on the same site.  also there is a rental from the estate that probably mentions the mill - would you like me to look it up for you when I'm there and maybe take a photo of the mill. 
best wishes
Fiona

[Donald NZ]

Hello Fiona
Thank you for your informative post.
I did see some internet information at website
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=129432

The website also had four photos from John R Hume’s photo collection.
I would appreciate any added information you can provide.
Something that I have not confirmed although seemingly water driven is the method of power to apply to the grinding wheels.

Do you happen to have any further info on family members of John Mackay?
Kind regards
Donald

[marionq]

Donald are you aware of the site www.countysutherland.co.uk where lots of people are doing research and most are the descendants of people from Sutherland.  John McKay, Miller of Oldshoremore is one that a lot of people on the site know about.  What is your relation to him?

[Donald NZ]

Hello mariong, thank you for your County Sutherland advice.
Yes I was aware of the excellent website; however I have done very little over recent years on my Scottish ancestry, mainly due to working on another family tree section. I note it is over two years since I was last on line with Roots Chat.

As I only returned home a few hours ago from having been in Sutherland, I found it most interesting that after my long absence from Sutherland research, advice of your today’s posting in my first download of emails.

I visited the mill ruins a little over a week ago and took several update photos of the ruins. If anyone wishes other update photos of the mill ruins let me know and I will email them.

Re John Mackay; you ask “What is your relation to him?” – he is my 3x Gt. Grandfather, born about Abt. 1756

[StewartBeth]

Donald:  this John MacKay's grandson, David Mackay, married my 2x great grand aunt Barbara MacKay (B: 1823).

Beth
Canada

[marionq]

Donald, Beth is my cousin (removed several times!) on my Fraser side from Kinlochbervie and I am also a Morrison through my grandmother from Oldshoremore.  On countysutherland you will find many more connections to this area.

[Donald NZ]

Hello Beth: Your mention “this John MacKay's grandson, David Mackay”.
Are the parents of your "David Mackay", John and Merrun?

What is interesting is that I found no reference to son John Mackay as a miller (although there could be a reference in a marriage of birth record that I have not yet located) However over the pre 1841 census periods there are reference to Morrison “millers” a Donald Morrison in Oldshoremore and three Morrisons in Oldshorebeg.
John Mackay snr. lived in the mill house above the mill. Son in law George Morrison took over the mill house after John Mackay died.

Donald NZ

[Donald NZ]

John Mackay’s daughter’s eldest son, Donald Morrison married and lived in Achriesgill where there was for a short period a horizontal mill. Donald was recorded in the 1851 census as “Crofter & Miller” and in the 1861 census as “Miller” and by the 1871 census as a Crofter and Fisherman, so seemingly he was involved in the development and running of the Achriesgill mill and it may have stopped its operations in the 1861 -1871 period.

As yet I have not done a search around the general Achriesgill region over this period to look for other persons who recorded their occupation as miller.
Such an exercise would give an indication of over what period of time the Achriesgill mill operated.
I have not been able to find much information about this mill on the internet. If someone with ready access to census records over this period could locate the time frame of when miller occupations were recorded, it would give a general timeframe of when both Oldshoremore and Achriesgill mills were in operation. The information would also be informative to historians.

Donald NZ

[StewartBeth]

Donald NZ: 
My tree shows:
Johan MacKay (about 1756 - ?) married Merrson unknown (about 1778 - ?)
daughter:  Christina MacKay (about 1790 to about 1860) married George Morrison (1790-March 1877) listed in 1851 as a miller
they had 5 children,
one of whom was David Morrison (1821 - Dec 1892), joiner & miller,  who married my great grand aunt, Barbara Mackay (1823 - June 1902) 
They had 7 kids.  None of their children as listed as "millers".  Most of the boys become joiners/carpenters.