Don and Ann Mackenzie Marriage

[Rena]

I'd appreciate a transcription of this 1803 Black Isle marriage record.  I can't make out all the words and it looks like money exchanged hands???

[hanes teulu]

March 9 1803
£80   _____ ? Then contracted Donald Mckenzie tenant? in Unapool in order to marriage with Ann Mckensie in Com___? & the same to take place in due course of law? under the above penalty to be paid by the party failing to the Session of Assent**
John M Mcleod Cautioner of s(ai)d Don'd Mckenzie
_____ Mckenzie C* for said Ann M Mckensie

* is this short for "Cautioner"?
** Session and Assent include the long "s".


You can check out the meaning of "cautioner" online - a guarantor

[g eli]

I think it is  80 Scots as opposed to English.

[hanes teulu]

Thanks for clarifying - I read it initially as "Pesto"!

[Rena]

Wonderful - thank you very much hanes teulu and g ell.

Excepting for the names, all I could understand was the money  (Scots)

[manukarik]

Could it read Conon after Anne McKenzie's name? It is now called Conon Bridge, but the bridge wasn't built until the early 19th Century (built between 1807 & 1809 by Thomas Telford). Conon Bridge is just at the edge of the Black Isle.

[Millmoor]

The marriage appears to have taken place in the parish of Assynt. Therefore  I think the phrase should be transcribed as " the Session of Assynt" , referring to the Kirk Session of Assynt.

Assynt is in the historic county of Sutherland. Unapool lies within that parish. It is not in the Black Isle.

Here is a description of the parish.

https://www.scottish-places.info/parishes/parhistory123.html


William

[MonicaL]

GR2 is very knowledgeable on this area. Copying his response on another recent thread:

               Kelso 29 May 1778
Compeared William Ramsay
in the parish of Linton & Janet
Slight in this parish & Craved pro-
clamation in order to marriage they
produced Andw Thomson Jur in
Trogden Caur for the man & Jas
Slight Gardner in Kelso for ye woman

Andw = Andrew
Jur = Junior
Caur = cautioner
Jas = James

The couple compeared (= appeared) before the session clerk and craved (= asked) for the banns to be read (three Sundays) so they could get married. A prospective bride and groom had to "consign pledges for performance", in other words pay a sum of money which was returned to them after their marriage if there was no scandal attached to it. You would forfeit the money if, for example, the bride turned out to be pregnant, if the marriage didn't take place within forty days, or if there was scandalous behaviour at the wedding celebrations. Instead of handing over the "pledges", you could get someone to agree to be your cautioner. In that case, no money was handed over, but, if the pledges were forfeit, the cautioners promised to pay up. In this case, Andrew Thomson junior acts as cautioner for the prospective groom and James Slight acts as cautioner for the prospective bride.

Monica

[manukarik]

Millmoor - you're spot on with Assynt. From the heading I thought perhaps the bride was from the Black Isle. The only other place I could think that Anne might be from is Camore but that's the other side of Sutherland near Evelix and Dornoch...