Durness Parish Register - Part 2

[djct59]

Headbutts: The short answer is that ministers did not keep a written record of deaths, only births and marriages. These were necessary to prove the legitimacy of marriages and that parties were of age and not prohibited to marry by the terms of the Incest (Scotland) Act 1567. The dead would be commemorated on a stone which everyone could see.

Donald MacKay would probably be buried in the cemetery at Melness, which is now in Tongue Parish. His stone would be a flat on, probably sandstone, and likely to be illegible now - the Melness gravestones are here, but I don't see any that arte legible and fit your information - https://public.fotki.com/rhemusaig/burial_grounds/tongue-parish/tongue_melness/page6.html

 

[djct59]

Wilros: I am descended from the shepherd Thomas Mather (1783-1852), b. Redewater, Northumberland, d. Balnakeil, Durness, through his son Mitchell from his first marriage in England to Kitty Dodds.

All his other children are from his second marriage to Janet Crawford of Rothbury, Northumberland. They came north when the local area was populated with Cheviot sheep. I see I said that Thomas was shepherd at Kearvaig. That was an error - it was his son Mitchell (my g-g-g-grandfather, 1800-1890) who tended the sheep at Kearvaig. Edward, John, James, Margaret and Hannah were his half-siblings. John died in 1852 offshore at Port Nepean, Victoria, in the notorious plague outbreak on the Ticonderoga without ever setting foot in Australia.

Never thought about sending photos to geograph but will give it a thought. That one was a prize winer at the local show a few years ago.

 

[Skoosh]

Only the well-off in a parish had their name cut in stone. The majority had their lair marked with a stone or the name cut or burned in wood & these markers have vanished.

Skoosh.

[djct59]

Some of the oldest graves in Balnakeil consist of a flat stone laid horizontally at the level of the grass. If there was ever anything written, it disappeared centuries ago. There is another stone that bears a carved date but no names, so I must presume that the names were, as you propose, marked in a less permanent form.

[wilros]

Wilros: I am descended from the shepherd Thomas Mather (1783-1852), b. Redewater, Northumberland, d. Balnakeil, Durness, through his son Mitchell from his first marriage in England to Kitty Dodds.

djct59,

Ok, then condensing the siblings, cousins, inlaws, etc. connecting us, from John Ross born in Borley in 1775 to John Mather born in Balnaceil in 1809, into a single sentence:

my 3rd great-grandfather's sister's daughter's husband's sister married your 4th great-grandfather's son; 

or, less precise but more condensed, my 3rd great-grandfather's niece's sister-in-law married your 4th great-grandfather's son.

lol.

[wr]

[djct59]

Since the people involved have long since died, names might help, but that's up to you 

[wilros]

I'm working on the biography of Alexander MacLeod (1809-unknown), the fifth of nine children born in Durness Parish to Angus MacLeod (1777-1848) and Janet Ross (1778-1866).

Alexander MacLeod's baptism:
"1809 - Angus MacLeod a little Tenent in Aultcorifraisgill and Janet Ross his wife had Alexander Baptized 11th March."

Marriage to Christian Mackay:
"1831 Jan'y 14 - At the Manse Alex McLeod son to Angus McLeod shepherd Achumore and Christian Mackay servant at the Manse."

I have baptisms for each of the seven children born to Alexander MacLeod and Christian Mackay, and the family is visible in the 1841 and 1851 census. After that they disappear - not in any other census, no marriages of any of the kids, no death certificates, etc.

My question is the family of origin for Christian Mackay. Specifically, was she a daughter of Lt. Donald Mackay and Sybella Thomson?
"1806 - Lieut. Donald Mackay in Borly and Sybella Thomson his wife had a Daughter born 15th November and Baptized 16th Decem. i.e. Christian"

In the 1851 census Christy McLeod is listed as 4 years older than Alex, so the Christian born to Lt. Mackay and Sybella Thomson is plausible.

Searching ScotlandsPeople for female baptisms with the name Christian Mackay in Durness Parish between 1800 and 1810 yields only one candidate, the Christian Mackay born to Lt. Donald Mackay and Sybella Thomson. Broadening the search to any parish in Sutherland and searching only for infants named Christian Mackay returns 10 candidates.
 
Suggestions welcome.

[wr]

[djct59]

An Isabella MacLeod died in 1877 aged 40. She and her husband Angus MacKay are buried in Balnakeil.

I presume you have ruled out the Barbara MacLeod who died in Strathy in 1915?

[wilros]

Isabella MacLeod died in 1877 aged 40 . She and her husband Angus MacKay are buried in Balnakeil.

I presume you have ruled out the Barbara MacLeod who died in Strathy in 1915?

Djct59,

Good questions. I'm looking into them and writing answers below.

From the Durness Parish statutory death record Isabella McKay died 17 April 1877 in Keoldale, Durness Parish, the informant on her death was her widow Angus McKay, and her parents were William and Henny McLeod

I found this Isobel McLeod's baptism - "1836 October 30 Isobel Lawful Daughter of William and Henrietta McLeod in Knockan." Her baptism was registered in Assynt Parish. So this Isobel McLeod from Assynt is not one of the children in the Alex McLeod + Christy Mackay family.

For context, here's the baptism in the Durness Register for Isobel Macleod born in Clashneach:
"1836 Mar. 25 - Isabell to Alex McLeod shep'd Clashneach and Christy Mackay."

----

From the statutory death registration Barbara Macleod who died in Strathy on 16 December 1915 was a widow of William Sinclair, a ship captain, she was 75 years old (right age for birth in 1840), and her parents were John Macleod and Elizabeth Mackay.

So this Barbara Macleod has the right forename and maiden surname and year of birth, but otherwise is not a match for the one I am looking for - whose stanza in the Durness Parish Register reads like this: "1840 Nov. 2 - Barbara Scobie to Alex McLeod shep'd Eodavabhinn and Christy Mckay."

[ aside, where is Eodavabhinn? ]

My other question is about Alex's spouse Christy Mckay. Was she Christian Mackay the daughter of Lt. Donald Mackay and Sybella Thomson? This is the only Mackay in the Durness Parish Register with the right forename and right year of birth to be Alex's bride. Was the daughter of Lt. Donald Mackay and Sybella Thomson the Christian Mackay who as a 23 year old servant at the Durness Manse married Alex Macleod a 21 year old shepherd? Is this an implausible outcome for the daughter of a Mackay who is both an army officer and a Tachsman, and also for the granddaughter of Rev. Thomson?

There are dozens of other Christian/Christy/Christina McKays born in Scotland from 1804-1807, with 14 other candidates in five Sutherland parishes other than Durness.

[wr]