Durness Parish Register - Part 2

[djct59]

IanB/Munro84: I don't see any marriage in the parish records between 1788 and 1810 that's a good match for the Barbara MacKay, daughter of Donald in Uaibeg, born in 1770. There are 66 births and marriages where the woman's name is Barbara MacKay, so my suspicion is that "your" Barbara is not the one born in Uaibeg in 1770.

[Munro84]

Thanks both of you for your replies, I agree largely with what you say, except that I know from studying the parish registers including my own family that families not only moved around the parish, but moved from parish to parish often, and sometimes even to different counties.

My Barbara Mackay was wife of Alexander Munro, there is no parish marriage record for them, and the first record of them is in 1791 at the baptism of their first son James Munro in Ceanabeinne, Durness, in which Barbara is described as the "wife" of Alexander.

However, by 1796 they had moved to Armadale, parish of Farr where they had another son called James, with the first having died young. In Armadale they had a total of 6 sons and one daughter between 1796 and 1812.

Barbara Mckay is found aged 75 on the 1841 census still in Armadale. Ages on the census having been rounded down to a multiple of five means that she could have been aged between 75 and 79 and thus born between 1762 and 1766. However, I have reason to believe that the age on the 1841 census is not only wrong but too high: Firstly because I have found in the Sutherland Papers a petition from my ancestor Barbara Munro (nee Mackay) dated September 1837 in which she describes herself as being in the "66th year of her age". This would surely mean that she had reached 65 years old and was approaching 66 years old, thus meaning that she was born in 1771 or 1772. However, if by saying she was in the  "66th year of her age" she meant that she had actually reached 66 then she would have been born in about 1770 - 1771 - which leads me to the above mentioned parish record in Uaibeg, Durness in 1770.

Also, if I was to accept the age for her on the 1841 census that indicated that she was born between 1762 and 1766 then that would mean that she would have been aged between 46 and 50 when she gave birth to her last child in Armadale in 1812 - highly unlikely. I think the age on the petition of 1837 is much more likely to be accurate.

I am assuming that Barbara was born in the parish of Durness based on the fact that that is where she and Alexander Munro had their first child Jame Munro in 1791. Further to this I have found with genealogy that usually the man of the family has traveled from elsewhere, married and settled down somewhere other than where he was born, in most instances. But with the women they usually stayed put, married and had kids near to where they were born. I am not saying that was always the case but often was. I have information that Alexander Munro removed from his "native county" of Ross-shire in 1784.

[djct59]

Based on what you say, I suspect that Barbara MacKay might not in fact have been born in Durness.

It's necessary to bear in mind just how common "MacKay" was as a surname throughout the whole of north-west Sutherland.

What we seem to know is -
1. Your Alexander Munro originated from Ross-shire
2. He was a carpenter and moved around in the late 18th century before settling in Farr.
3. While there's a birth recorded in Durness in September 1791, there's no corresponding marriage. This might suggest that Alexander and Barbara had been married in another parish before their arrival.
4. Neither Alexander nor Barbara has a patronymic in the parish records. This might suggest that neither was a local whose family had been established for generations. OTOH, there's nothing in the parish records to say they were "incomers", although those from outside the parish were often indicated as such.
5. There's no reason why a woman from Uaibeg couldn't be living in Ceannabeinne, as you can walk from one to the other in under two hours, but if she was local you would expect her marriage to be recorded.

Women did sometimes have to follow their husbands; there are examples in the Durness records of couples from Skye settling in the parish, so on balance I'd suggest that, unless there's more compelling evidence, your ancestor/relative and Barbara from Uaibeg are not the same person.

[Munro84]

Based on what you say, I suspect that Barbara MacKay might not in fact have been born in Durness.

It's necessary to bear in mind just how common "MacKay" was as a surname throughout the whole of north-west Sutherland.

What we seem to know is -
1. Your Alexander Munro originated from Ross-shire
2. He was a carpenter and moved around in the late 18th century before settling in Farr.
3. While there's a birth recorded in Durness in September 1791, there's no corresponding marriage. This might suggest that Alexander and Barbara had been married in another parish before their arrival.
4. Neither Alexander nor Barbara has a patronymic in the parish records. This might suggest that neither was a local whose family had been established for generations. OTOH, there's nothing in the parish records to say they were "incomers", although those from outside the parish were often indicated as such.
5. There's no reason why a woman from Uaibeg couldn't be living in Ceannabeinne, as you can walk from one to the other in under two hours, but if she was local you would expect her marriage to be recorded.

Women did sometimes have to follow their husbands; there are examples in the Durness records of couples from Skye settling in the parish, so on balance I'd suggest that, unless there's more compelling evidence, your ancestor/relative and Barbara from Uaibeg are not the same person.

You know, I agree with everything you say and I even have a feeling that my Barbara Mackay might have been from the parish of Tongue, for which I think the parish registers only date back to 1789 anyway:

Alexander Munro and Barbara Mackay's third son Donald Munro (b.1802 in Armadale, parish of Farr) married Georgina Mackay who is recorded as having been his cousin. Donald and Georgina married in the parish of Tongue in 1826 and while the parish marriage record says that he was from Armadale, it also says that Georgina Mackay was from the village of Bratongue which is in the parish Tongue. So I am assuming that Georgina was from the parish of Tongue based on her location given as Braetongue in the Tongue parish register for her marriage of 1826. And if she was Donald's cousin and from Tongue, then her auntie would have been Donald's mother, Barbara Mackay, and possibly also from the parish of Tongue.

Lol, I guess I will never know. There's an interesting story regarding the Tongue parish register, although according to most sources it dates back to 1789. According to the New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834), page 175: the Tongue parish register of births and marriages was was started in 1775, but in 1797 the session clerk who became deranged was found one morning distributing pieces of paper on the graves in an attempt to raise an army of the dead. The papers were the parish register, torn so as to be completely useless.

[Uist1911]

Hi All
I have got stuck on my family tree John Bethune born abt 1792  married a Catherine Macleod born abt 1794 they had a son Angus who moved from strath in the isle of Skye to North uist and married a Mary Mackenzie. I was wondering if any one has come across this family

[djct59]

There are only four persons named Bethune in the Durness Parish Register: Margaret, married to Donald Campbell, both from Skye, Flora, married to Roderick MacLeod, James From Kintail, and Alexander, a white fisher in Keodale and later Aultan married to Barbara MacKay. He is listed as from the parish of Kincardine so was presumably not a Skye man.

None match your missing relative, I'm afraid.

[Uist1911]

Thank you for the information I know his son Angus Was born in starth isle of Skye but was beginning to think myself that John didn't come from Skye

[IanB]

Hi Uist:
I must admit to being puzzled by your thinking there might be a connection with your ancestors listed in the Durness, Sutherland parish register. Certainly there were people from the Western Isles/ Hebrides who emigrated to the Parish of Durness but they were relatively few. I am just concerned that you may inadvertently be searching in the wrong list.

Perhaps I am missing something?

Ian

[Uist1911]

Hi
in the north uist croft books it states that Angus Beaton was born in strath Isle of Skye and his father was John Bethune his mother was Catherine Macleod which is on Angus's death certificate. Although Angus was known as Beaton not Bethune