33 Keith Street, Stornoway

I have been intending compiling this list of those residing at number 33, and its associated parts, for some time because these records from five consecutive censuses provide us with a typical portrait of the people of the town of Stornoway in the 19thC:

1861

Murdo Montgomery, 65, Sawyer, 33 Keith St, b. Stornoway

Ann Montgomery, 55, Wife, b. Stornoway

Dugald Mcgillivray, 27, Carter, Boarder, b. Invernessshire

Murdo Macleod, 21, Apprentice Joiner, Boarder, b. Lochs

Norman Montgomery, 16, Apprentice Miller, b. Lochs

Margaret Thomson, 29, Domestic Servant, b. Barvas

Donald Macleod, 27, Tailor(poss Sailor?), Lodger, b. Barvas

Kenneth Macleod, 18, Cartwright, 33 Keith St, b. Inverness-shire

http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/08/cartwrights-wheelwrights-coachwright-of.html

Malcolm Kerr, 36, Seaman, 33 Keith St, b. Invernessshire

Mary Kerr, 38, Wife, b. Lochs

Catherine Kerr, 11, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Ann Kerr, 8, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Alexander John Kerr, 5, Son, b. Stornoway

Malcolm Kerr, 3, son, b. Stornoway

Margaret Kerr, Daughter, 4 months, b. Stornoway

Multiple-occupancy is quite usual for the time as are households comprising people from a variety of families originating from across the isles and in a range of occupations.

The second family is obviously why I first came upon 33 Keith Street but other occupants over time have also appeared in the particular entries on occupations that I have provided links for.

1871

George Mackenzie, 69, Grocer & Spirit Dealer, 33 Keith St, b. Stornoway

Isabella Mackenzie, 56, Grocer & Spirit Dealer, Wife, b. Stornoway

Alexander Mackenzie, 34, Joiner, Son, b. Stornoway

Isabella Lees, 28, Ship Carpenter's Wife, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Mary Mackenzie, 22, Domestic Servant, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Elizabeth Mackenzie, 20, Domestic Servant, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Isabella B Cooper, 8, Scholar, Granddaughter, b. Portmahomack, Ross-shire

Mary Lees, 6 months, Granddaughter, b. Stornoway

http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/03/ship-builders-of-stornoway.html

Catherine Mackenzie, 71, Pauper, 33 ½ Keith St, b. Lochs

Maggie Mackenzie, 63, Pauper, 33 ½ Keith St, b. Uist, Invernessshire

Marion Mackenzie, 28, General Servant, Daughter

Barbara Mackenzie, 24, General Servant, Daughter

The first thing to note is the use of '33 ½' to identify a dwelling. The next Census suggests that this was probably the 'Back Court' of number 33 and the use of '½', which we might liken to '33a', is found all over the town. The presence of two Pauper households here is a sad reminder that poverty existed within the town as well as in the rural areas of the islands.

The other feature is that the main house appears now to be one household and we learn that George and Isabella were both in trade and that their daughter Isabella has married a Mr Lees and gave birth to a daughter in Stornoway six months before the census. Unfortunately we do not know which daughter was responsible for granddaughter Isabella B Cooper.

1881

George Mackenzie, 79, Builder, Head, 33 Keith St, b. Stornoway

Isabella Mackenzie, 67, Wife, b. Stornoway

Alexander Mackenzie, 43, House Carpenter, Son, b. Stornoway

Margaret Mackenzie, 34, House Keeper, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Mary Macdonald, 32, Seaman's Wife, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Isabella Lees, 7, Scholar, Granddaughter, b. Govan, Lanarkshire

Mary Macdonald, 2, Granddaughter, b. Stornoway

Alexander Macdonald, 9 months, Grandson, b. Stornoway

Kenneth Macsween, 18, Carter, Servant, b. Lochs

Isabella Cooper, 18, Granddaughter, b. Tarbert, Ross-shire

http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/05/builders-of-stornoway.html

William Maclean, 46, General Labourer, 33 Keith St Back Court, b. Lochs

Ann Maclean, 39, Wife, b. Lochs

Neil Morrison, 40, Carter, 33, Keith St Back Court, b. Lochs

Catherine Morrison, 35, Wife, b. Lochs

Murdo Smith, 18, Tailor (Apprentice), Boarder, b. Lochs

Kenneth Morrison, 18, Shoemaker (Apprentice), Boarder, b. Uig, Ross-shire

Alexander Macdonald, 18, Cooper (Apprentice), Boarder, b. Lochs

Malcolm Maclean, 18, Tailor (Apprentice), Boarder, b. Lochs

http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/04/coopers-of-stornoway.html

The Mackenzie family are still the sole family occupying number 33 but a dramatic change of occupation has seen George become a builder possibly a reflection of his son Alexander being a Joiner/House Carpenter or had the Temperance movement played a part, too? Daughter Mary has married a Mr Macdonald and added two more Stornowegians to the population during the past couple of years and we can see that her sister Isabella Lees was in Govan giving birth to a daughter seven years ago.

The 'Back Court' is now home to two households with that of the Morrisons playing host to four young apprentices from Lochs and Uig.

1891

Malcolm Maciver, 32, Tailor & Clothier, 33 Keith Street, b. Uig, Ross-shire

Annie Maciver, 24, Wife, b. Stornoway

Malcolm Maciver, 3, Son, b. Stornoway

Kate Maciver, 1, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Maggie Macleod, 20, Domestic Servant, b. Stornoway

Alexander Macleod, 26, Naval Reserve Man, Boarder, b. Stornoway

John Mackay, 25, Naval Reserve Man, Boarder, b. Stornoway

John Macaulay, 28, Naval Reserve Man, Boarder, b. Stornoway

Donald Macaulay, 25, Naval Reserve Man, Boarder, b. Stornoway

William Macleod, 30, Naval Reserve Man, Boarder, b. Stornoway

Malcolm Macleod, , 32, Fisherman, 33 Keith Street, b. Lochs

Catherine Macleod, 32, Wife, b. Lochs

Roderick Macleod, 5, son, b. Lochs

Maggie Macleod, 1, Daughter, b. Stornoway

John A Macleod, 6 months, Son, b. Stornoway

Murdo Macleod, 35, Sailor, Visitor, b. Lochs

Isabella Macleod, 28, Visitor, b. Lochs

We appear now to have two large households at number 33 and no reference to the 'Back Court'.

I do not know if the sixteen residents and one visitor were indeed squeezed together under one roof, reflecting the fifteen people at the address in 1861, but the presence of five who gave their occupation as 'Naval Reserve Man' is interesting. Did they have other occupations at this time or were they unemployed, for being in the Naval Reserve is not in itself a job. Possibly they were engaged in Naval duties at this time in which case it would be interesting to know if being billeted on families was typical. Yet more puzzles to be solved!

1901

Angus Maciver, 42, Spirit Dealer, 33 Keith St, b. Uig, Ross-shire

Mary Maciver, 42, Wife, b. Uig, Ross-shire

John Maciver, 14, Scholar, Son, b. Uig

Christina Maciver, 12, Scholar, Daughter, b. Uig

Catherine Ann Maciver, 3, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Margaret Mary Maciver, 1 month, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Finlay Smith, 32, Crofter, Brother, b. Barvas

Alexander Maclean, 42, Cooper, 33 Keith St, b. Stornoway

Mary Maclean, 42, Wife, b. Stornoway

Catherine Maclean, 9, Scholar, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Maryann Maclean, 7, Scholar, Daughter, b. Stornoway

Alexander Duncan Maclean, 4, Scholar, Son, b. Stornoway

Flora Maclean, 3 months, Daughter, b. Stornoway

http://direcleit.blogspot.com/2010/04/coopers-of-stornoway.html

Mary Graham, 66, Head, 33 Keith St, b. Stornoway

Donald Nicolson, 42, Fisherman, Brother, b. Barvas

Angus Morrison, 43, Fisherman, Brother, b. Barvas

Norman Macdonald, 21, Fisherman, Brother, b. Barvas

Donald Macdonald, 28, Fisherman, Brother, b. Barvas

Our final list shows a return to the Spirit Dealing of 30 years previously. The Maciver family appear to have moved to the town from Uig at least three years earlier. I don't know if Finlay Smith was Mary Maclean's brother but it is interesting that one of the Uig-born Macivers had a Barvas-born brother.

On the subject of brothers, I would suggest that the four fishermen, with three different surnames, living at Mary Graham's were not in fact all brothers of hers, unless she had a particularly convoluted family history!

In conclusion, I hope that this rather long list of those associated with 33 Keith Street during a forty-year period has served, as suggested at the start, as an illustration several aspects of Stornoway and its people.

Oh, and if anyone can tell me what became of number 33 and 33 ½/Back Court I would love to know because as far as I can tell they have disappeared!