We were met at the rail station by a mini bus and driven to Southampton docks, not the ferry docks,these had towering warships in various shades of gloomy grey looming around and here, at the waters edge, three spindly sticks rose like cobwebbed cricket stumps...
Peering over the edge I saw a familiar silhouette, one that looked larger in photos than it did bobbling on the icy water, one that I suddenly realised was to be my home for the next two weeks, one which was laughing hysterically at the copy of La Nausee that lurked in my bag but which was rapidly reaching for my stomach. Bloody Hell!
It was the last week of April 1976 and I was to spend Cup Final fortnight (Man United v Southampton, yes THAT ONE...) sailing in this three-masted schooner on the freezing North Sea. It had seemed quite a good idea last Summer when I'd applied for sponsorship for this character-building-once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity but I was still wallowing in post O'level relief then and the reality of A' level studies hadn't been nightmared-of...
Actually, the 'Lower-Sixth' was going pretty well...that is to say, the extra-curricular stuff was. In February I'd played the lead male in Christopher Fry's 'A Phoenix Too Frequent' which wasn't difficult in one way as it's a three-hander and two of the trio are female roles...
It was, as our Drama Teacher reminded us, the most ambitious production of his long and distinguished career so there's no pressure then, as they'd say these days. 'Phoenix' is 150 minutes plus of pretty heavy-going 'tragi-comedy' and I was on stage for all but about 12 minutes of it and, up until the first performance, I'd never remembered my lines...
Now, a masterful stroke was employed because a Prompt was chosen and it was deemed necessary for me to rehearse my lines at every opportunity with she, who happened to be, as was also said at every opportunity, the most beautiful girl in the school. She was also brilliant. Well, she saw through my ploy that Prompts had to do the stage-kissing bits too...
The three actual performances were the only times that I was word-perfect (a fact that threw the two ladies totally, resulting in them chalking-up a few penalty-points, as I recall) and the local rags gave us good reviews and the female lead let it be known that we did 'proper' kissing (which we did) and thus it was that I gained the reputation of being a 'rather good kisser'...
Anyway, back to the quayside and Sartre, the ship, and me. The Malcolm Miller was purpose built in Aberdeen as a training vessel for the (then-called) Sail Training Association. She was (and presumably in her latest guise as a luxury cruising yacht, still is) a 150ft long steel ship with three masts, one crows-nest and a host of memories to tell.
Once all 39 'trainees' were accounted for, we were shown below to our bunks (in the case of half-a-dozen unfortunate souls, their hammocks) and then mustered on deck for our initial initiation. The main mast, or middle stump, is actually a rather large lump of wood and somewhere up there, amongst the mysterious myriad of sheets (ropes, not sails) and shrouds (steel ropes, not Turin-type) was a nest. Now a nest, as we all know, is a large, comfy, nurturing bowl where proud parents can keep there young safe and warm and well-fed. This wasn't one of those. This 'nest' was a contorted crush-barrier, torn from a football terrace and taken God knows how many multi-fathoms into the air before being fixed (HOW?) to the mast. This was a torture-nest, a veritable vertigo virago, and, get this, to experience this least comfortable of all ill-conceived perches you had to climb a ladder, a wire rope ladder, a ladder who's width steadily narrowed at every terror-trembling step, a ladder that swayed under the weight and movement of the ascending ant-like 'trainees' that clung to it as if the future of the whole colony depended upon it – which, of course, is the whole point of life at sea.
All 39 of us made it. I counted us all up, and I counted us all down, as it were. But the 39 men who descended were definitely different from the 39 boys who had ascended. It broke the ice. After that, we scurried around 'our' ship safe in the knowledge that the worst was over (Oh, the innocence of youth...).
I should perhaps mention that my next foray into 'serious' Thespian (a couple of Sixth Form Reviews notwithstanding) was to be invited back to school to play a cameo role as Jacques Roux, the 'radical priest' in Peter Brook's Marat/Sade. Actually, it was my Chemistry teacher's production rather than Mr Brooks' and we never got to perform it once the Head was educated into the finer points of the play's contents, but at least I later got to date Charlotte Cordet in a weird art/life-mirroring kind of way. 'Charlotte' was actually a delightful, witty, extremely intelligent Irish colleen and ending our relationship was far crazier a thing than any of my straight-jacketed antics in the play. (Oh, the foolishness of youth...)
In addition to the 39 press-ganged trainees, one of whom was a Borstal Boy who started the swearing which, within a week, had spread throughout us faster than scurvy used to decimate real sailors, there were 3 leaders, a cook, a bosun, several able-seamen and the Captain. One of the perennial topics of conversation, again something that I think the Inmate have had begun, was the precise extent of the legal powers of the Captain once we were at sea. We were pretty sure that keel-hauling wasn't allowed but equally sure that Treason on the High Seas remained a Capital offence that he could execute should the need arise. We were pretty obedient at sea, but 39 sealed bottles of teenaged testosterone were bound explode should we be granted any shore-leave in, say, France, Holland or (cough) Edinburgh.
As it transpired, Cherbourg was saved due to a) most of us were still recovering from sea-sickness and b) the fact that we'd only been penned into our moated can for a day or two. Den Helder is the Dutch Naval Port and not only were we rank amateurs in comparison to the real matelots but the Dutch bars were as welcoming as ever to us 'Brits'.
Edinburgh was different. It was our last night. We'd been together for two weeks bar the nights in France and Holland. And there were a couple of Edinburgh lads in our number. That's about all any of could remember in the morning – apart from the serious bollocking we all got for returning several hours later than we were supposed to...
Talking of hours, time on board took on a new dimension once we were divided into our three 'watches' (Fore, Main & Mizzen, one mast each) and the day similarly divided but into four-hourly chunks (plus the two 2 hour 'dog watches') and we became shift-workers on a shifting-sand of time.
I was fortunate in having read of this nautical peculiarity and thus grasping the theory and, to an extent, the practice in advance of it becoming a reality. Several souls for whom the bells were an alien intrusion on their slumbers could be seen wildly confused at having to go to bed straight after breakfast or waking to the smell of boiling cabbages.
We left Southampton the next day and motored up the Solent for safety reasons. Chugging along at 5 knots on a fairly flat sea was bound to induce a false sense of security that was rudely interrupted when we were summoned to get of our backsides and raise sail, which appeared to coincide with the appearance of a more active sea and certainly was accompanied by the first few bouts of sea-sickness. Sea-sickness can be vaguely amusing as it spreads amongst the crew but takes on an altogether different character when it takes you in its mind-churning, stomach-hurling 'I'd rather die than suffer another second of this' grasp. And it will. There are very, very few people who will never suffer. Amongst sailors, I mean. I consider myself fortunate because I was acclimatised in a little over 24 hours. Some of the lads took three or four days. The good thing was that people did demonstrate a surprising amount of sympathy (empathy?) and no-one was blamed for the longevity of their individual torment.
Under sail and on our way, and about to cross the most congested shipping lanes in the World...
It was when we had left Cherbourg and were making our way along the French coast that I happened to have the helm and was given the order 'Hard a Port', to turn the bow to face across those shipping lanes and steer us back to the English side. On the occasions since then when I have taken a ferry across the channel, I always remember the thrill of actually doing that same journey with that great ship's wheel in my hands, with the wind in the sails that we had set, without GPS, without power, with pride...
There was one other time when I was at the helm having been called on Watch at 2 in the morning. We were pootling along the North Sea in light winds and a clear sky. The watch leader and I were consulting the compass. A look-out scanned to Port and another to Starboard. The rest of our team were allowed to wander the deck or sit in the warmth below. We four were responsible for the safety of all on board. We watched the lights slipping by. A few were other vessels. Others were the identifiable beacons and lighthouses. But the lights we marvelled at were those of the sky above us. We could easily have covered our compass and navigated our path with these dependable, celestial, timeless pin-pricks. The only danger was that of losing the familiar constellations in the unfamiliar background of stars that our light-polluted lands usually keep hidden. It was magical, incredibly cold, but wonderful.
34 years later, it is still with me but now with the added knowledge that three generations before me members of my family were making their living by harnessing the wind to drive them over the sea...
The morning we left Den Helder the Captain decided it would be a good idea to get every scrap of canvas aloft and the hoots we got from the Dutch naval vessels swelled our pride. I was scrubbing the deck at the stern simply because it was something to do. The slight heel was to be expected. The bucket sliding from Port to Starboard wasn't. I retrieved it but it stubbornly repeated its action, with what appeared to me to be slightly more haste. I recall thinking, 'Something's Up' and then it happened. An unforecast Force 8 gale appeared from nowhere and our Starboard gunwale was engulfed. 'All Hands' was called and with our pride between our legs, we scrambled to get as many sails down as quickly as possible. It was one of those occasions where adrenalin allows ordinary human beings to do extraordinary things. People scurried hither and thither in organised but seemingly disorganised ways. I do not know how close we may have been to disaster but I do know that the Captain thanked and praised us and we never again put all our sails on show...
The Cup final took place on a gloriously sunny afternoon off the Northumberland coast. No, it took place at Wembley Stadium but I was listening to it as we crawled along in the lightest of breezes. I know it was pretty calm because I took the opportunity to voluntarily and without very good reason to ascend to that 'nest' and take some photos from the yard-arms. A couple of things you need to know about yard-arms: a) they are less than a yard wide. b) they are more than a yard long. There appears to be a lot of nautical terminology that falls foul of the trades description act, but maybe it's Treason on the High Seas if you articulate that?
There was one guy on board who had brought his SLR and a complete set of lenses and, yes, he spent a lot of time aloft. I suspect he became an award-winning photo-journalist covering war-zones and, if so, I spotted his potential first...
1-0 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Southampton had kicked-us out into the Solent and now another Southampton had kicked me in the Solar-Plexus. I had only been a 'fan' of United since 1967/8 because I'd only been in Britain since July 67 and had returned here almost totally ignorant of the game of football. I knew, of course, that England had won the 1966 World Cup but for some strange reason my Aberdonian father hadn't made much of a fuss about it whilst we were abroad.
Southampton – yes, the one that the Titanic sailed from, the ship that carried 8 year-old Winifred Quick to America (well, almost) where she grew-up and her grandson married my cousin in Canada.
Enough!
The final three days are a bit of a blur because of those 72 hours I was awake for precisely 71 hours and 59 minutes and 59 seconds. The 'Watch' thing. It bit me. The net result was that I spent my final hour afloat in a chain locker. Why? Why was I manually coiling this heavy, cold, wet and thoroughly filthy in a bottom-of-the North-Sea-kind-of-disgustingness-way mile of chain inside the tin-tight confines of the bow of this vessel? I really do not know the answer but I do know that that was what I was doing.
I blame Southampton.
We were in Edinburgh.
The sea does things like that to you...
Monday, 22 March 2010
Fisherfolk of Stornoway 1851-1901
I present here the results from a 'crude' interrogation of the wildcard word 'Fisher*' for those residing in Stornoway:
Men Women
1851 406 114
1861 657 216
1871 771 124
1881 937 377
1891 1094 513
1901 1291 563
Even with all the usual warnings regarding accuracy and precision that these snapshots in time necessitate, we can see a clear pattern of growth during these 50 years.
The only exception appears in 1871 where the number of women is perhaps half that which might have been expected. This might simply be an artefact of that particular census. It could also reflect the fact that the 'Herring girls' were itinerant workers and hence many of them were employed elsewhere at the time. I think the unusually large ratio between men and women in 1871 point towards it being a mere artefact.
The results indicate that overall between a quarter and a third of those employed by the fishing were women, whose dexterity and skill was vital in ensuring that Stornoway Herring were sought-after in European markets as far-afield as the Baltic.
Their impact on the growth of Stornoway can be seen to this day.
Men Women
1851 406 114
1861 657 216
1871 771 124
1881 937 377
1891 1094 513
1901 1291 563
Even with all the usual warnings regarding accuracy and precision that these snapshots in time necessitate, we can see a clear pattern of growth during these 50 years.
The only exception appears in 1871 where the number of women is perhaps half that which might have been expected. This might simply be an artefact of that particular census. It could also reflect the fact that the 'Herring girls' were itinerant workers and hence many of them were employed elsewhere at the time. I think the unusually large ratio between men and women in 1871 point towards it being a mere artefact.
The results indicate that overall between a quarter and a third of those employed by the fishing were women, whose dexterity and skill was vital in ensuring that Stornoway Herring were sought-after in European markets as far-afield as the Baltic.
Their impact on the growth of Stornoway can be seen to this day.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Stornoway Coffee House
The censuses record the following:
1851
Margaret Ross, 63, Coffee House Keeper, Bayhead, b. Barvas
1861 and 1871 No Records
1881
Janet Mackenzie, 66, Coffee House Keeper, 33 Coffee House, b. Uig
Catherine Maclean, 37, Coffee House Keeper, Daughter, b. Stornoway
Mary S Mackenzie, 25, Barmaid Coffee House, Daughter, b. Stornoway
1891
Catherine Maclean(Mackenzie), 47, Manager Coffee House, 11 South Beach Street, b. Stornoway
1901
Catherine Maclean, 67(?), Coffee House Keeper, 30 Kenneth Street, b. Stornoway
Partial records containing gaps are always annoying but we can see that at least as far back as 1851 Stornoway had a Coffee House. Whether it was located on Bayhead or not is unknown.
More encouragingly, we have evidence of Janet Maclean, together with her daughter, Catherine, running such an establishment during the final two decades of the nineteenth Century.
The three locations, '33 Coffee House', 11 South Beach Street' and '30 Kenneth Street' were their places of residence so were not necessarily the site(s) of the Coffee House itself.
Wherever it was, the Coffee House was an important measure taken by the Temperance Movement to provide an alternative to the vast numbers of licensed premises serving alcoholic beverages.
Lovely Latte!, Thank you, Miss Mackenzie...
1851
Margaret Ross, 63, Coffee House Keeper, Bayhead, b. Barvas
1861 and 1871 No Records
1881
Janet Mackenzie, 66, Coffee House Keeper, 33 Coffee House, b. Uig
Catherine Maclean, 37, Coffee House Keeper, Daughter, b. Stornoway
Mary S Mackenzie, 25, Barmaid Coffee House, Daughter, b. Stornoway
1891
Catherine Maclean(Mackenzie), 47, Manager Coffee House, 11 South Beach Street, b. Stornoway
1901
Catherine Maclean, 67(?), Coffee House Keeper, 30 Kenneth Street, b. Stornoway
Partial records containing gaps are always annoying but we can see that at least as far back as 1851 Stornoway had a Coffee House. Whether it was located on Bayhead or not is unknown.
More encouragingly, we have evidence of Janet Maclean, together with her daughter, Catherine, running such an establishment during the final two decades of the nineteenth Century.
The three locations, '33 Coffee House', 11 South Beach Street' and '30 Kenneth Street' were their places of residence so were not necessarily the site(s) of the Coffee House itself.
Wherever it was, the Coffee House was an important measure taken by the Temperance Movement to provide an alternative to the vast numbers of licensed premises serving alcoholic beverages.
Lovely Latte!, Thank you, Miss Mackenzie...
Post Runners of Lewis
These are the only four recorded Post Runners that I have found in the censuses:
1901
Donald Kennedy, 21, Post Runner, Lochs, b. Lochs
(John Kennedy, 58, Crofter, Father, b. Lochs)
The Post Office in Lochs was home to the McPhail family, but no Post Master/Mistress is recorded. The Post Office in Carloway in 1881 was occupied, but again no Post Master/Mistress is recorded.
Angus Macritchie, 19, Post Runner, 35a Valtos, Uig, b. Uig
(Malcolm Macaulay, 37, Postman, Uncle, b Uig)
Murdo Macdonald, 17, Post Runner, Squatter House, Uig, b. Uig
(Donald Macdonald, 44, Fisherman, Father, b. Uig)
Donald Macualy, 58, was the Post Master in Mangersta.
Norman Maciver, 60, was the Post Master at the Postoffice House
Norman McDougall, 17, Post Runner, 54 Lower Barvas, b. Barvas
(John McDougall, 52, Crofter, Father, b. Barvas)
No Post Office is recorded in Barvas at this time.
It appears that, by 1901 and for reasons unknown, Lochs, Uig and Barvas first employed Post Runners. Appearnaces, however, can deceive and I think it is more likely that the earlier Post Runners performed that role as a secondary occupation that simply didn't get recorded.
These four people remain as the only recorded census entries for Post Runners on Lewis and that is why they I have presented them here.
1901
Donald Kennedy, 21, Post Runner, Lochs, b. Lochs
(John Kennedy, 58, Crofter, Father, b. Lochs)
The Post Office in Lochs was home to the McPhail family, but no Post Master/Mistress is recorded. The Post Office in Carloway in 1881 was occupied, but again no Post Master/Mistress is recorded.
Angus Macritchie, 19, Post Runner, 35a Valtos, Uig, b. Uig
(Malcolm Macaulay, 37, Postman, Uncle, b Uig)
Murdo Macdonald, 17, Post Runner, Squatter House, Uig, b. Uig
(Donald Macdonald, 44, Fisherman, Father, b. Uig)
Donald Macualy, 58, was the Post Master in Mangersta.
Norman Maciver, 60, was the Post Master at the Postoffice House
Norman McDougall, 17, Post Runner, 54 Lower Barvas, b. Barvas
(John McDougall, 52, Crofter, Father, b. Barvas)
No Post Office is recorded in Barvas at this time.
It appears that, by 1901 and for reasons unknown, Lochs, Uig and Barvas first employed Post Runners. Appearnaces, however, can deceive and I think it is more likely that the earlier Post Runners performed that role as a secondary occupation that simply didn't get recorded.
These four people remain as the only recorded census entries for Post Runners on Lewis and that is why they I have presented them here.
Chelsea Pensioners on Harris
I have restricted this list to records that confirm that, at the time, each person was an out-pensioner of the Chelsea Hospital. This partially explains why, with one exception, the census of 1851 is the only one represented:
1851
John Macdonald, 51, Pensioner Chelsea Hospital, Kentulavick, b. Harris
(Wife, 28, and three children aged 6, 4 and 2)
Angud MacCuish, 50, Pensioner Chelsea Hospital, Borve, b. Harris
Neil Maclennan, 48, Chelsea Pensioner, Flodabay, b. Harris
(Wife, 40, and 5 children aged 8 years to 5 months)
Donald Macaskill, 60, Pensioner (Chelsea), Island of Bernera, b. Harris
(Wife, 40 and two children aged 9 and 7)
Donald Macleod, 47, Pensioner (Chelsea), Island of Bernera, b. Harris
(Wife, 44, and 4 children aged 14 to 5)
Christopher Macrae, 67, Pensioner Chelsea Hospital, Nishiskee, b. Kintail, Ross
(Wife, 42, and 7 children aged 19 years to 5 months)
1881
Marion Macrae, 58, Chelsea Pensioner's Widow, South Harris, b. Stornoway
(I believe this to be Christopher Macrae's Wife. I found this family, uniquely, in 1841 where her age is recorded as 28 compared to his 55 years. I suspect she is nearer to 70 than 60, though!)
1900-1913
Norman Macleod, the only Chelsea Pensioner from Harris that I found in the National Archives: Archives
Links:
The Royal Hospital Chelsea - http://www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/
Chelsea Pensioner - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_pensioner
1851
John Macdonald, 51, Pensioner Chelsea Hospital, Kentulavick, b. Harris
(Wife, 28, and three children aged 6, 4 and 2)
Angud MacCuish, 50, Pensioner Chelsea Hospital, Borve, b. Harris
Neil Maclennan, 48, Chelsea Pensioner, Flodabay, b. Harris
(Wife, 40, and 5 children aged 8 years to 5 months)
Donald Macaskill, 60, Pensioner (Chelsea), Island of Bernera, b. Harris
(Wife, 40 and two children aged 9 and 7)
Donald Macleod, 47, Pensioner (Chelsea), Island of Bernera, b. Harris
(Wife, 44, and 4 children aged 14 to 5)
Christopher Macrae, 67, Pensioner Chelsea Hospital, Nishiskee, b. Kintail, Ross
(Wife, 42, and 7 children aged 19 years to 5 months)
1881
Marion Macrae, 58, Chelsea Pensioner's Widow, South Harris, b. Stornoway
(I believe this to be Christopher Macrae's Wife. I found this family, uniquely, in 1841 where her age is recorded as 28 compared to his 55 years. I suspect she is nearer to 70 than 60, though!)
1900-1913
Norman Macleod, the only Chelsea Pensioner from Harris that I found in the National Archives: Archives
Links:
The Royal Hospital Chelsea - http://www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/
Chelsea Pensioner - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_pensioner
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Telegraphy on Lewis
1872 – Cable laid linking Stornoway to Scotland
1881
Mary I Morrison, 19, Telegraphist, Daughter, Post Office Building, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Alex Fraser, 19, Telegraphist Card Server, Boarder, 44 Point Street, Stornoway, b. Gairloch
John Bruce, 40, Telegraph Linesman, Head, 1 ½ Francis Street, Stornoway, b. Clyne, Sutherland
-
1883 Evidence to Napier Commission regarding the importance of the Telegraph to the Fishing Industry
1886 – Cable laid linking Lewis/Harris to Uists
1891
William Fowler, 34, Inspecting Telegraphist, Boarder, 7 South Beach, b. Banchory
John Grant, 21, Telegraphist, Son, 51 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. Barvas, Inverness-shire
Margaret Maciver, 28, Telegraphist, Daughter, Brick Works, Stornoway, b. Garrabost
Mary J Morrison, 27, Telegraphist, Daughter, 38 Cromwell Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Bella Morrison, 25, Telegraphist, Daughter, 38 Cromwell Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Murdo Morrison, 20, Telegraphist, Son, 38 Cromwell Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Marion Macleod, 15, Telegraphist, Daughter, 23 Portroller, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
James E Macaulay, 20, Telegraph Clerk, Son, 8 James Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
John 14, Telegraph Messenger, Son, 13 Church Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Kenneth Murray, 15, Telegraph Boy, Son, 7 Garden Road, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
John Bruce, 50, Linesman Telegraphs, Head, Dormitory, Stornoway, b. Clyne, Sutherland
John McRitchie, 18, Telegraph Clerk, Son, Barvas Inn, b. Barvas
Donald Smith, 17, Telegraph Clerk, Son, 27 Balallan, Lochs, b. Lochs
1901
James Mackay, 20, Telegraphist (PO), Nephew, 59 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. Peterhead
John Bruce, 60, Telegraph Linesman (Retired), 34 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. Creich, Sutherland
Donald Macleod, 16, Telegraph Clerk, 34 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. England
James D Macrae, 15, Telegraph Messenger, Son, 80 Keith Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Colin Macaskill, 15, Telegraph Messenger, Son, 61 Keith Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Archibald Nisbet, 31, Telegraph Linesman, 1 Plantation Street (Plantation Cottage), Stornoway, b. Bollar, Clackmannanshire
C K Mackenzie, 17, Telegraphist, Daughter, Lochs, b. Lochs
I am not entirely sure what to make of these results other than the apparent 'explosion' in demand following the linking of the Southern Isles to Lewis in 1886. However, some fifteen years later Stornoway has only a couple of Telegraphists/Telegraph Clerks remaining from the seven in the 'boom time'. Whether this is due to improvements in technology, the loss of the three(!) Morrison girls, or a real drop in demand is not yet known.
The only constant figure is that of John Bruce, the linesman who, even in Retirement, appears to have kept a link to the system via young Donald Macleod who's family shared the same house in 1901.
1881
Mary I Morrison, 19, Telegraphist, Daughter, Post Office Building, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Alex Fraser, 19, Telegraphist Card Server, Boarder, 44 Point Street, Stornoway, b. Gairloch
John Bruce, 40, Telegraph Linesman, Head, 1 ½ Francis Street, Stornoway, b. Clyne, Sutherland
-
1883 Evidence to Napier Commission regarding the importance of the Telegraph to the Fishing Industry
1886 – Cable laid linking Lewis/Harris to Uists
1891
William Fowler, 34, Inspecting Telegraphist, Boarder, 7 South Beach, b. Banchory
John Grant, 21, Telegraphist, Son, 51 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. Barvas, Inverness-shire
Margaret Maciver, 28, Telegraphist, Daughter, Brick Works, Stornoway, b. Garrabost
Mary J Morrison, 27, Telegraphist, Daughter, 38 Cromwell Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Bella Morrison, 25, Telegraphist, Daughter, 38 Cromwell Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Murdo Morrison, 20, Telegraphist, Son, 38 Cromwell Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Marion Macleod, 15, Telegraphist, Daughter, 23 Portroller, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
James E Macaulay, 20, Telegraph Clerk, Son, 8 James Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
John 14, Telegraph Messenger, Son, 13 Church Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Kenneth Murray, 15, Telegraph Boy, Son, 7 Garden Road, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
John Bruce, 50, Linesman Telegraphs, Head, Dormitory, Stornoway, b. Clyne, Sutherland
John McRitchie, 18, Telegraph Clerk, Son, Barvas Inn, b. Barvas
Donald Smith, 17, Telegraph Clerk, Son, 27 Balallan, Lochs, b. Lochs
1901
James Mackay, 20, Telegraphist (PO), Nephew, 59 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. Peterhead
John Bruce, 60, Telegraph Linesman (Retired), 34 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. Creich, Sutherland
Donald Macleod, 16, Telegraph Clerk, 34 Bayhead Street, Stornoway, b. England
James D Macrae, 15, Telegraph Messenger, Son, 80 Keith Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Colin Macaskill, 15, Telegraph Messenger, Son, 61 Keith Street, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
Archibald Nisbet, 31, Telegraph Linesman, 1 Plantation Street (Plantation Cottage), Stornoway, b. Bollar, Clackmannanshire
C K Mackenzie, 17, Telegraphist, Daughter, Lochs, b. Lochs
I am not entirely sure what to make of these results other than the apparent 'explosion' in demand following the linking of the Southern Isles to Lewis in 1886. However, some fifteen years later Stornoway has only a couple of Telegraphists/Telegraph Clerks remaining from the seven in the 'boom time'. Whether this is due to improvements in technology, the loss of the three(!) Morrison girls, or a real drop in demand is not yet known.
The only constant figure is that of John Bruce, the linesman who, even in Retirement, appears to have kept a link to the system via young Donald Macleod who's family shared the same house in 1901.
Telegraphy on Harris
1872 – Cable from Stornoway to Scotland laid.
1881
Archibald N Macdonald, 20, Telegraph Clerk, East Tarbert 36, b. Harris
(Angus Macdonald, 50, Inspector of Poor, Father, b. South Uist)
1883 - Evidence to the Napier Commission on the importance of the Telegraph to the Fishing Industry
1886 – Cable from Port Esgein, Harris to North Uist laid.
1891
John Macdonald, 18, Telegraph Clerk, No. 5 East Tarbert, b. North Uist
(Angus Macdonald, 59, Postmaster, b. Benbecula)
1901
Mary Macdonald, 18, Telegraphist and Assistant, Angus's Niece, No. 25 North Harris, b. South Uist
Joanna Macleod, 19, Telegraphist and Assistant, Angus's Niece, b. South Uist
(Angus Macdonald, 70, Post Master, b. Uist)
Mary B Campbell, 20, Telegraphist, No. 51 Scalpay, b. Harris
(Marion Campbell, 43, Sub Postmistress, Mother, b. Harris
It is perhaps unsurprising to see the move by the start of the 20th Century from all-male 'Telegraph Clerks' to all-female 'Telegraphists'*, but perhaps more surprising to see that Tarbert housed the only telegraphic office on 'mainland' Harris.
One might have expected An-t-Ob to have warranted a telegraphic presence in the South of Harris, especially after the 1886 link to the Southern Isles had been made, but clearly this was not the case. It might well have developed in the heady days of the Leverburgh Experiment?
The Uist origins of several telegraphic personnel are perhaps better understood when it is recalled that, at this time, Harris and Uist were within Inverness-shire and were thus more closely politically linked than are Harris and neighbouring Lewis geographically!
(*The two 'Telegraphists' in Lewis in 1901 were a male in Stornoway and a female in Lochs.)
1881
Archibald N Macdonald, 20, Telegraph Clerk, East Tarbert 36, b. Harris
(Angus Macdonald, 50, Inspector of Poor, Father, b. South Uist)
1883 - Evidence to the Napier Commission on the importance of the Telegraph to the Fishing Industry
1886 – Cable from Port Esgein, Harris to North Uist laid.
1891
John Macdonald, 18, Telegraph Clerk, No. 5 East Tarbert, b. North Uist
(Angus Macdonald, 59, Postmaster, b. Benbecula)
1901
Mary Macdonald, 18, Telegraphist and Assistant, Angus's Niece, No. 25 North Harris, b. South Uist
Joanna Macleod, 19, Telegraphist and Assistant, Angus's Niece, b. South Uist
(Angus Macdonald, 70, Post Master, b. Uist)
Mary B Campbell, 20, Telegraphist, No. 51 Scalpay, b. Harris
(Marion Campbell, 43, Sub Postmistress, Mother, b. Harris
It is perhaps unsurprising to see the move by the start of the 20th Century from all-male 'Telegraph Clerks' to all-female 'Telegraphists'*, but perhaps more surprising to see that Tarbert housed the only telegraphic office on 'mainland' Harris.
One might have expected An-t-Ob to have warranted a telegraphic presence in the South of Harris, especially after the 1886 link to the Southern Isles had been made, but clearly this was not the case. It might well have developed in the heady days of the Leverburgh Experiment?
The Uist origins of several telegraphic personnel are perhaps better understood when it is recalled that, at this time, Harris and Uist were within Inverness-shire and were thus more closely politically linked than are Harris and neighbouring Lewis geographically!
(*The two 'Telegraphists' in Lewis in 1901 were a male in Stornoway and a female in Lochs.)
Ordnance Survey in Lewis
In 1851 (or 1853, depending upon one's source!) the Ordnance Survey (OS) published a map of the Isle of Lewis at a scale of 1:10,560.
It was followed by the First Edition of the One Inch to One Mile (1:63,360) map in 1853.
Lewis was mapped earlier than intended:
Although the plan had been to proceed generally northwards, Sir James Matheson, the proprietor of Lewis, was able to persuade the Survey that areas in Scotland requiring agricultural improvement should be given priority. From 1847-1853, the island of Lewis was mapped, with Matheson paying the extra expenses of being mapped out of sequence, and agreeing to purchase 100 copies of the maps
Ref: http://www.nls.uk/maps/os/6inch/os_info1.html
These people, from the 1851 Census, were at least some of those responsible for these jewels:
STORNOWAY
Matthew Wainwright, 24, Corporal OS, Black Water Sappers Camp, Stornoway, b. Ireland
Thomas Godding, 28, Chainman, b. Ireland
William Johnson, 26, Chainman, b. Ireland
Daniel Tiffew, 30, Chainman, b. Ireland
Miles Carbarie, 30, Civil Assistant, b. Ireland
John Flynn, 30, Camp Keeper, b. Ireland
Stephen Latham, 30, 2nd Corporal Royal Sappers and Miners, Cromwell St, b. England
(Wife and 3 children, 5 month-old b. Stornoway)
Donald Matheson, 21, Clerk OS, Point Street, b. Lochinver, Sutherland
(Angus Macdonald, 43, Grocer Draper General Merchant, b. Lochbroom)
Neil Cameron, 16, Clerk in OS, Son, Point Street, Stornoway, b. Greenock
(Mary Cameron, 38, Lodging House Keeper, b Argyll)
Patrick Connel, 30, Corporal Royal Miners and Sappers OS, Keith St, Stornoway, b. Ireland
Elizabeth Connel, 31, Wife, b. England
Thomas William, 1, b. Stornoway
George Greenslade, 28, Royal Sapper and Miner OS, Keith Street, b. England
James Turnbull, 16, Curlian OS, b. England
William Marrow, 39, Labourer OS, Keith St, b. Ireland
(Wife b. Stornoway)
John Macdonald, 26, Labourer OS, New Street, b. Uig, Ross
(Wife, b. Lochs and Brother , b. Uig)
Philip Smyth, 58, Chelsea Pensioner Labourer OS, Keith Street, b. Ireland
Daniel Harty, 34, Curl Assistant OS, Lodger, Keith St, b. Ireland
(Mrs Smyth and 2 daughters, all b. Ireland)
David E Halley, 29, Draughtsman Royal Sappers and Miners (Private), Kenneth St, b. E Indies
(William Black, 45, Boot and Shoemaker, b. Leith)
Thomas Kennedy, 27, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, b. Ireland
James Batterden, 26, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, Francis Street, b. Ireland
Joseph Brotherton, 24, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, b. Ireland
Peter Callin, 20, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, b. Ireland
(Margaret Rae, 63, House Propriertrix, b. Perthshire)
James Hannon, 44, Chelsea Pensioner Employed as Draughtsman OS, Francis St, b. Ireland
James Hannon, 16, Employed OS, b. Ireland
(5 more children, youngest aged 1 b. Stornoway)
Robert Cook, 53, Pensioner Royal Sappers and Miners OS, Francis Street, b. England
(Wife, b. England and two daughters of 25 and 23, b. Ireland)
Robert Barlow, 39, Sergeant Royal Sappers and Miners, South Beach, b. England
Scott Barlow, 16, Draughtsman Royal Sappers and Miners, Son, b. Ireland
(Wife and 6 more children, 2 year-old b. Stornoway)
Henry Stafford, 26, Employed OS, Lodger, South Beach, b. North Wales
(Willaim Pope, 46, Master Sailmaker, b. Rothsay, Bute)
George Spalding, 30, Corporal Royal Sappers and Miners, South Beach, b. England
(Wife, b. England)
Simon Ross, 34, Clerk Royal Sappers and Miners, Lodger, Enaclete, b. Redcastle, Ross
(Murdo Macdonald, 45, Shoemaker, b. Stornoway)
Richard Burnley, 29, Captain Royal Engineers, College, b. England
(Wife and 2 children, 3 year-old b. Stornoway)
John Nugent, 37, Surveyor OS, Imorsgliach, Lodger, b. Ireland
(Angus Morrison, 30, Master Shoemaker, b. Stornoway)
BARVAS
Bernard Gates, 31, Land Surveyor OS, South Galston, Barvas, b. Ireland
James Crons, 42, Land Surveyor OS, b .Ireland
John Chamrey, 32, Land Surveyor OS, b. Ireland
James Kelley, 24, Labourer OS, b. England
Malcolm Macdonald, 25, Labourer OS, b. Harris
Duncan Whead, 20, Labourer OS, b. Stornoway
(Hugh Macpherson, 42, Farmer of 150 Acres 15 Labourers, b ,Inverness)
Interesting Ref mentioning Galston Farm House: Galston
James Kennedy, 30, Labourer OS, Lodger, North Galston, b. Argyllshire
Robert Mackay, 28, Labourer OS, b. Thurso
(Angus Graham, 39, Small Tenant, b. Barvas)
Ref: North Galston River
Alexander Lands, 31, Private Royal Sappers, Cross, b. Nairn
(Wife and 4 children,
LOCHS
Park Farm Kenmore, Lochs
James Clarke, 32, Common Labourer OS, Kenmore House, Lodger, b. Perthshire
(Roderick Maclean, 32, Shepherd, b. Contin)
Daniel Balfour, 29, Surveyor (OS), (tent), b. Ireland
Mary Balfour, 31, Wife, b. Ireland
James, 10
Mary, 5
UIG
Michael Kayes, 31, 2nd Corporal Royal Sappers and Miners, Eadravil, b. Ireland
Thomas O'farrel, 32, Civil Assistant OS, b. Ireland
John Morrison, 22, Labourer OS, b. Stornoway
Evan Munsey, 18, Labourer OS, b. Stornoway
Brief note on the Royal Engineers and the OS:
Ordnance Survey, began in 1747, was the first of the Royal Engineers 'specialist' activities. Between 1820's-1856 soldiers of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners assisted officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers in survey duties in the British Isles and elsewhere in the British Empire. Today's Ordnance Survey was developed from the early Royal Engineers survey activities.
Ref: http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/history/default.aspx
There is a phenomenal amount of information lying in these records. The size of the undertaking can be seen both in terms of the number of personnel involved and its duration as indicated from the birthplaces of some of the children. It appears that some participants had been on the isles since at least 1848.
The dominance of Irishmen in the Royal Sappers and Miners is obvious but we also see that many had been serving, and surveying, that country prior to arriving in Scotland.
We owe these men, and women (for several wives clearly travelled around with their husbands), a huge debt of gratitude for providing us with a unique record which today, nearly 160 years later, we can even examine online:
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.htm
It was followed by the First Edition of the One Inch to One Mile (1:63,360) map in 1853.
Lewis was mapped earlier than intended:
Although the plan had been to proceed generally northwards, Sir James Matheson, the proprietor of Lewis, was able to persuade the Survey that areas in Scotland requiring agricultural improvement should be given priority. From 1847-1853, the island of Lewis was mapped, with Matheson paying the extra expenses of being mapped out of sequence, and agreeing to purchase 100 copies of the maps
Ref: http://www.nls.uk/maps/os/6inch/os_info1.html
These people, from the 1851 Census, were at least some of those responsible for these jewels:
STORNOWAY
Matthew Wainwright, 24, Corporal OS, Black Water Sappers Camp, Stornoway, b. Ireland
Thomas Godding, 28, Chainman, b. Ireland
William Johnson, 26, Chainman, b. Ireland
Daniel Tiffew, 30, Chainman, b. Ireland
Miles Carbarie, 30, Civil Assistant, b. Ireland
John Flynn, 30, Camp Keeper, b. Ireland
Stephen Latham, 30, 2nd Corporal Royal Sappers and Miners, Cromwell St, b. England
(Wife and 3 children, 5 month-old b. Stornoway)
Donald Matheson, 21, Clerk OS, Point Street, b. Lochinver, Sutherland
(Angus Macdonald, 43, Grocer Draper General Merchant, b. Lochbroom)
Neil Cameron, 16, Clerk in OS, Son, Point Street, Stornoway, b. Greenock
(Mary Cameron, 38, Lodging House Keeper, b Argyll)
Patrick Connel, 30, Corporal Royal Miners and Sappers OS, Keith St, Stornoway, b. Ireland
Elizabeth Connel, 31, Wife, b. England
Thomas William, 1, b. Stornoway
George Greenslade, 28, Royal Sapper and Miner OS, Keith Street, b. England
James Turnbull, 16, Curlian OS, b. England
William Marrow, 39, Labourer OS, Keith St, b. Ireland
(Wife b. Stornoway)
John Macdonald, 26, Labourer OS, New Street, b. Uig, Ross
(Wife, b. Lochs and Brother , b. Uig)
Philip Smyth, 58, Chelsea Pensioner Labourer OS, Keith Street, b. Ireland
Daniel Harty, 34, Curl Assistant OS, Lodger, Keith St, b. Ireland
(Mrs Smyth and 2 daughters, all b. Ireland)
David E Halley, 29, Draughtsman Royal Sappers and Miners (Private), Kenneth St, b. E Indies
(William Black, 45, Boot and Shoemaker, b. Leith)
Thomas Kennedy, 27, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, b. Ireland
James Batterden, 26, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, Francis Street, b. Ireland
Joseph Brotherton, 24, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, b. Ireland
Peter Callin, 20, Royal Sappers and Miners, Boarder, b. Ireland
(Margaret Rae, 63, House Propriertrix, b. Perthshire)
James Hannon, 44, Chelsea Pensioner Employed as Draughtsman OS, Francis St, b. Ireland
James Hannon, 16, Employed OS, b. Ireland
(5 more children, youngest aged 1 b. Stornoway)
Robert Cook, 53, Pensioner Royal Sappers and Miners OS, Francis Street, b. England
(Wife, b. England and two daughters of 25 and 23, b. Ireland)
Robert Barlow, 39, Sergeant Royal Sappers and Miners, South Beach, b. England
Scott Barlow, 16, Draughtsman Royal Sappers and Miners, Son, b. Ireland
(Wife and 6 more children, 2 year-old b. Stornoway)
Henry Stafford, 26, Employed OS, Lodger, South Beach, b. North Wales
(Willaim Pope, 46, Master Sailmaker, b. Rothsay, Bute)
George Spalding, 30, Corporal Royal Sappers and Miners, South Beach, b. England
(Wife, b. England)
Simon Ross, 34, Clerk Royal Sappers and Miners, Lodger, Enaclete, b. Redcastle, Ross
(Murdo Macdonald, 45, Shoemaker, b. Stornoway)
Richard Burnley, 29, Captain Royal Engineers, College, b. England
(Wife and 2 children, 3 year-old b. Stornoway)
John Nugent, 37, Surveyor OS, Imorsgliach, Lodger, b. Ireland
(Angus Morrison, 30, Master Shoemaker, b. Stornoway)
BARVAS
Bernard Gates, 31, Land Surveyor OS, South Galston, Barvas, b. Ireland
James Crons, 42, Land Surveyor OS, b .Ireland
John Chamrey, 32, Land Surveyor OS, b. Ireland
James Kelley, 24, Labourer OS, b. England
Malcolm Macdonald, 25, Labourer OS, b. Harris
Duncan Whead, 20, Labourer OS, b. Stornoway
(Hugh Macpherson, 42, Farmer of 150 Acres 15 Labourers, b ,Inverness)
Interesting Ref mentioning Galston Farm House: Galston
James Kennedy, 30, Labourer OS, Lodger, North Galston, b. Argyllshire
Robert Mackay, 28, Labourer OS, b. Thurso
(Angus Graham, 39, Small Tenant, b. Barvas)
Ref: North Galston River
Alexander Lands, 31, Private Royal Sappers, Cross, b. Nairn
(Wife and 4 children,
LOCHS
Park Farm Kenmore, Lochs
James Clarke, 32, Common Labourer OS, Kenmore House, Lodger, b. Perthshire
(Roderick Maclean, 32, Shepherd, b. Contin)
Daniel Balfour, 29, Surveyor (OS), (tent), b. Ireland
Mary Balfour, 31, Wife, b. Ireland
James, 10
Mary, 5
UIG
Michael Kayes, 31, 2nd Corporal Royal Sappers and Miners, Eadravil, b. Ireland
Thomas O'farrel, 32, Civil Assistant OS, b. Ireland
John Morrison, 22, Labourer OS, b. Stornoway
Evan Munsey, 18, Labourer OS, b. Stornoway
Brief note on the Royal Engineers and the OS:
Ordnance Survey, began in 1747, was the first of the Royal Engineers 'specialist' activities. Between 1820's-1856 soldiers of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners assisted officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers in survey duties in the British Isles and elsewhere in the British Empire. Today's Ordnance Survey was developed from the early Royal Engineers survey activities.
Ref: http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/history/default.aspx
There is a phenomenal amount of information lying in these records. The size of the undertaking can be seen both in terms of the number of personnel involved and its duration as indicated from the birthplaces of some of the children. It appears that some participants had been on the isles since at least 1848.
The dominance of Irishmen in the Royal Sappers and Miners is obvious but we also see that many had been serving, and surveying, that country prior to arriving in Scotland.
We owe these men, and women (for several wives clearly travelled around with their husbands), a huge debt of gratitude for providing us with a unique record which today, nearly 160 years later, we can even examine online:
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.htm
Friday, 19 March 2010
Crofters Commission Report 1895 P86 and 87
a) Township of Strond, South Harris
b) Township of Obbe, South Harris
The committees appointed under the Grazings Act by the crofters in the above townships on the Estate of South Harris, the property of the Trustees of the Earl of Dunmore, submitted the following rules to the Commissioners, which were approved by the latter:
1) The sourning of each croft shall be one horse, four cows and twenty sheep. The grazing of stock shall be calculated on the footing of one cow being equivalent to eight sheep, and one horse to two cows or sixteen sheep.
…
d) Townships of Dieraclate and Ceann-Debaig
…
Similar rules were issued for the foresaid townships on the same Estate, the sourning for each croft being four cows and twenty sheep, one cow being equivalent to eight sheep.
This brief excerpt contains a few items of interest:
If we take Strond and Obbe first, we see that 'one horse, four cows and twenty sheep' are equivalent in grazing terms to (1x16) + (4x8) + (20x1) = 68 sheep grazing units. That is the maximum grazing that each croft will support.
So, a single horse will consume 16/68 = 8/34 = 4/17, nearly a complete quarter of the grazing.
Similarly, four cows will consume 32/68 = 16/34 = 8/17, nearly half of that available.
The twenty sheep will consume 20/68 = 10/34 = 5/17, nearly a third of the total.
No croft was allowed to exceed their allocation of stock, but they could rent out any surplus based upon these calculations.
Turning to Dieraclate and Ceann-Debaig, we see that the sourning was much less:
'four cows and twenty sheep' equate to (4x8) + (20x1) = 52 sheep grazing units.
52/68 = 26/34 = 13/17, a mere two-thirds of that allowed in the richer, more fertile, South.
And finally, almost as an afterthought:
7) The committee shall have power to make a proper division of sea-ware among the crofters of the township.
Ref:http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_page.jsp?item_id=1729
b) Township of Obbe, South Harris
The committees appointed under the Grazings Act by the crofters in the above townships on the Estate of South Harris, the property of the Trustees of the Earl of Dunmore, submitted the following rules to the Commissioners, which were approved by the latter:
1) The sourning of each croft shall be one horse, four cows and twenty sheep. The grazing of stock shall be calculated on the footing of one cow being equivalent to eight sheep, and one horse to two cows or sixteen sheep.
…
d) Townships of Dieraclate and Ceann-Debaig
…
Similar rules were issued for the foresaid townships on the same Estate, the sourning for each croft being four cows and twenty sheep, one cow being equivalent to eight sheep.
This brief excerpt contains a few items of interest:
If we take Strond and Obbe first, we see that 'one horse, four cows and twenty sheep' are equivalent in grazing terms to (1x16) + (4x8) + (20x1) = 68 sheep grazing units. That is the maximum grazing that each croft will support.
So, a single horse will consume 16/68 = 8/34 = 4/17, nearly a complete quarter of the grazing.
Similarly, four cows will consume 32/68 = 16/34 = 8/17, nearly half of that available.
The twenty sheep will consume 20/68 = 10/34 = 5/17, nearly a third of the total.
No croft was allowed to exceed their allocation of stock, but they could rent out any surplus based upon these calculations.
Turning to Dieraclate and Ceann-Debaig, we see that the sourning was much less:
'four cows and twenty sheep' equate to (4x8) + (20x1) = 52 sheep grazing units.
52/68 = 26/34 = 13/17, a mere two-thirds of that allowed in the richer, more fertile, South.
And finally, almost as an afterthought:
7) The committee shall have power to make a proper division of sea-ware among the crofters of the township.
Ref:http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_page.jsp?item_id=1729
Some Englishmen (and Women) 'Abroad' in Harris
Here are those born in England and caught by the snapshot in time of each census.
I have listed the Householder in brackets to give an indication of each person's situation but have not included full listings for these households for reasons of brevity.
Each decade is followed by brief observations:
1851
Harriet Black, 30, Assistant's Wife, Scalpay
(Charles Black, 27, Assistant Lighthouse Keeper, b. Edinburgh)
Mary Maclennan, 40, Chelsea Pensioner's Wife, Flodabay
(Neil Maclennan, 49, Chelsea Pensioner, b. Harris)
John Henry Short, 34, Inland Revenue Officer, Kentulavick
Sarah Short, 29, Inland Revenue Officer's Wife
Richard H Watson, 32, Fish Merchant, Rodel
Henry G Watson, 12, Errand Boy, Nephew
Only half-a-dozen English-born but illuminating all the same: the Lighthouse Keeper's Wife in Scalpay and that of a Chelsea Pensioner (who's Military Record may be explored) in Flodabay, the Tax Man and family on the Sound of Harris and the fish Merchant just a couple of miles down the coast...
1861
Joseph Allan, 36, Butler, Little Borve
Ann Allan, 36, Butler's Wife
Elizabeth, 14, Daughter
Susan, 10, Daughter
Mary, 5, Daughter
Alexander Bain, 44, Ship Agent, East Tarbert
(John Morrison, 21, Hotel Keeper, b. Harris)
George B Williamson, 34, Master Mariner Merchant Service, Finsbay
Sophia Lauren Williamson, 24, Wife
William Hudson Williamson, 1, Son
William Lambert, 18, Apprentice Seaman
John William Jefferson, 16, Apprentice Seaman
Mary Maclennan, 34, Wife, Flodabay
Jane, 20, Daughter
Catherine, 17, Daughter
William, 16, Son
(Neil Maclennan, 56, Cottar Pension, b. Harris)
Borve Lodge doesn't surprise us in employing a Butler, and clearly he brought his family sometime after 1856 but I wonder what his three daughters made of their new surroundings by the beatiful beaches of the West Coast? Mr Bain was passing through and hence is found amongst the throng at the Hotel in Tarbert but what of the maritime Williamson's of Finsbay – did they stay long or was this a fleeting visit? Nice to see our Chelsea Pensioner Neil still surviving in Flodabay but where in England was he, with his wife, when his children were born?
1871
Anne Braden, 47, House Maid, Avensrudh Castle
Mary E Eliot, 16, Visitor, Niece, Avensrudh Castle
Mary Maclennan, 60
Catherine, 25, Domestic Servant, Daughter
William, 23, Fisherman, Son
Jane Maclennan, 27, Wool Weaveress
The castles I have touched-upon before but the transcriptions are confusing and somewhat unhelpful. Sadly, Neil appears to have passed away but his family remain, presumably in Flodabay?
.
1881
Elizabeth Covell, 32, General Servant, Castle North Harris
Lucy Macaulay, 32, (Unemployed) Gamekeeper's Wife, North Harris
Robert G Macaulay, 4 months, Son
(Murdo Macaulay, 66, Gamekeeper, b Harris – Lucy's Father-in-Law)
John Stewart, 5, Son, Kentulavick
(James Stewart, 22, Physician and Surgeon, b Fortingal, Perthshire
A contrast appears here between those serving the North Harris Estate and one providing an altogether different kind of service to the people. Little Robert G Macaulay was born when his Father was working in England, where he probably met his wife Lucy, but now the baby is at his grandparents home in Harris. I wonder whether he followed in his forebears footsteps and also became a Gamekeeper? Down South, little John Stewart's father, whose age is probably 32?, is a Physician and Surgeon but where, I wonder, did he carry out his observations and operations?
1891
Christina Macaulay, 16, Schoolmaster's Daughter, Obb
(Peter Macaulay, 55, Schoolmaster, b. Perthshire)
Margaret Mckellar, 23, Hotel Keeper's Daughter, No 2 East Tarbert
(Daniel Mckellar, 53, Hotel Keeper, b. Inverary, Argyll
John Stewart, 15, Scholar, No 15 West Tarbert
(James Stewart, 40, Physician and Surgeon, b. Aberfeldy, Perthshire
Sir John Carstairs McNeill, 60, Major-General Equerry to the Queen, aboard the Dunara Castle
Mr Macaulay who taught in Obb clearly travelled during his pedagogic career and I wonder whereabouts in England he was teaching in 1875 when Christina was born? Which hostelry did Daniel Mckellar serve when Margaret appeared in 1868? And where were James Stewart's patients when John was born in 1876?
I have received information (for which I am extremely grateful), from a gentleman who is researching the history of Borve Lodge, telling me that Daniel Mackellar 'was the proprietor of the Harris Hotel immediately prior to Tommy Cameron.' It would appear, anecdotally, that Mr Mackellar was perhaps a precursor of the 'Basil Fawlty' school of hotel management.
These snapshots raise so many such questions, which is why I enjoy exploring them so much!
1901
Milne Lothian, 12, Scholar, Nephew, Obbe
(Jessie Macleod, 48, Nurse and Midwife, b. Harris)
Christina Mackenzie, 25, Housekeeper, Daughter
(Peter Macaulay, 66, Retired Teacher, b. Killin, Perth)
We met Jessie Macleod when I investigated the Midwives of Harris but her Nephew's name intrigues me.
I may pursue him later.
We end with the Retired Schoolmaster Peter Macaulay, remaining in Harris with his married daughter keeping house for him, the final image from these little windows on the world of the English-born in Harris...
I have listed the Householder in brackets to give an indication of each person's situation but have not included full listings for these households for reasons of brevity.
Each decade is followed by brief observations:
1851
Harriet Black, 30, Assistant's Wife, Scalpay
(Charles Black, 27, Assistant Lighthouse Keeper, b. Edinburgh)
Mary Maclennan, 40, Chelsea Pensioner's Wife, Flodabay
(Neil Maclennan, 49, Chelsea Pensioner, b. Harris)
John Henry Short, 34, Inland Revenue Officer, Kentulavick
Sarah Short, 29, Inland Revenue Officer's Wife
Richard H Watson, 32, Fish Merchant, Rodel
Henry G Watson, 12, Errand Boy, Nephew
Only half-a-dozen English-born but illuminating all the same: the Lighthouse Keeper's Wife in Scalpay and that of a Chelsea Pensioner (who's Military Record may be explored) in Flodabay, the Tax Man and family on the Sound of Harris and the fish Merchant just a couple of miles down the coast...
1861
Joseph Allan, 36, Butler, Little Borve
Ann Allan, 36, Butler's Wife
Elizabeth, 14, Daughter
Susan, 10, Daughter
Mary, 5, Daughter
Alexander Bain, 44, Ship Agent, East Tarbert
(John Morrison, 21, Hotel Keeper, b. Harris)
George B Williamson, 34, Master Mariner Merchant Service, Finsbay
Sophia Lauren Williamson, 24, Wife
William Hudson Williamson, 1, Son
William Lambert, 18, Apprentice Seaman
John William Jefferson, 16, Apprentice Seaman
Mary Maclennan, 34, Wife, Flodabay
Jane, 20, Daughter
Catherine, 17, Daughter
William, 16, Son
(Neil Maclennan, 56, Cottar Pension, b. Harris)
Borve Lodge doesn't surprise us in employing a Butler, and clearly he brought his family sometime after 1856 but I wonder what his three daughters made of their new surroundings by the beatiful beaches of the West Coast? Mr Bain was passing through and hence is found amongst the throng at the Hotel in Tarbert but what of the maritime Williamson's of Finsbay – did they stay long or was this a fleeting visit? Nice to see our Chelsea Pensioner Neil still surviving in Flodabay but where in England was he, with his wife, when his children were born?
1871
Anne Braden, 47, House Maid, Avensrudh Castle
Mary E Eliot, 16, Visitor, Niece, Avensrudh Castle
Mary Maclennan, 60
Catherine, 25, Domestic Servant, Daughter
William, 23, Fisherman, Son
Jane Maclennan, 27, Wool Weaveress
The castles I have touched-upon before but the transcriptions are confusing and somewhat unhelpful. Sadly, Neil appears to have passed away but his family remain, presumably in Flodabay?
.
1881
Elizabeth Covell, 32, General Servant, Castle North Harris
Lucy Macaulay, 32, (Unemployed) Gamekeeper's Wife, North Harris
Robert G Macaulay, 4 months, Son
(Murdo Macaulay, 66, Gamekeeper, b Harris – Lucy's Father-in-Law)
John Stewart, 5, Son, Kentulavick
(James Stewart, 22, Physician and Surgeon, b Fortingal, Perthshire
A contrast appears here between those serving the North Harris Estate and one providing an altogether different kind of service to the people. Little Robert G Macaulay was born when his Father was working in England, where he probably met his wife Lucy, but now the baby is at his grandparents home in Harris. I wonder whether he followed in his forebears footsteps and also became a Gamekeeper? Down South, little John Stewart's father, whose age is probably 32?, is a Physician and Surgeon but where, I wonder, did he carry out his observations and operations?
1891
Christina Macaulay, 16, Schoolmaster's Daughter, Obb
(Peter Macaulay, 55, Schoolmaster, b. Perthshire)
Margaret Mckellar, 23, Hotel Keeper's Daughter, No 2 East Tarbert
(Daniel Mckellar, 53, Hotel Keeper, b. Inverary, Argyll
John Stewart, 15, Scholar, No 15 West Tarbert
(James Stewart, 40, Physician and Surgeon, b. Aberfeldy, Perthshire
Sir John Carstairs McNeill, 60, Major-General Equerry to the Queen, aboard the Dunara Castle
Mr Macaulay who taught in Obb clearly travelled during his pedagogic career and I wonder whereabouts in England he was teaching in 1875 when Christina was born? Which hostelry did Daniel Mckellar serve when Margaret appeared in 1868? And where were James Stewart's patients when John was born in 1876?
I have received information (for which I am extremely grateful), from a gentleman who is researching the history of Borve Lodge, telling me that Daniel Mackellar 'was the proprietor of the Harris Hotel immediately prior to Tommy Cameron.' It would appear, anecdotally, that Mr Mackellar was perhaps a precursor of the 'Basil Fawlty' school of hotel management.
These snapshots raise so many such questions, which is why I enjoy exploring them so much!
1901
Milne Lothian, 12, Scholar, Nephew, Obbe
(Jessie Macleod, 48, Nurse and Midwife, b. Harris)
Christina Mackenzie, 25, Housekeeper, Daughter
(Peter Macaulay, 66, Retired Teacher, b. Killin, Perth)
We met Jessie Macleod when I investigated the Midwives of Harris but her Nephew's name intrigues me.
I may pursue him later.
We end with the Retired Schoolmaster Peter Macaulay, remaining in Harris with his married daughter keeping house for him, the final image from these little windows on the world of the English-born in Harris...
Thursday, 18 March 2010
CREST - Final voyages 1898
My previous account of the voyages of the CREST left her at the end of June 1898 in her home port of Stornoway.
14th July sees her owner and Master, 44 year-old Alexander John Kerr, and his 76 year-old father, the 'Bosun' Malcolm Kerr, joined by John Macpherson, 44, from the 'William Smith' of Stornoway.
On the 18th, they left, unladen, from Stornoway for Ayr where they arrived on the 24th. Having taken on a cargo, they sailed from Ayr on the 28th July but only reached Stornoway on the 16th August. However, I think that date is incorrect for on the 15th August Don Macmillan, 18, returns to the ship in Stornoway having not sailed since leaving her in June. The unladen CREST then sets sail for Larne on the 16th August so clearly the date of arriving in Stornoway was an afterthought!
She arrives in Larne on the 23rd August but doesn't depart, laden, until 6th September and reaches Stornoway on the 19th. A couple of days later on the 21st September John Macpherson leaves her.
The final entry that gives details of her draught and freeboard, those measures of how laden she is, is on 21st October when she departs Stornoway only slightly laden. No entry is made for her destination.
The next piece of information in this timeline is for the 21st November when Malcolm Munro, 49, joins in Stornoway from the steam ship 'SS Staghound' of Belfast.
I think that the reason for these apparent gaps in the record of the voyages are indications that Alexander John didn't make the entries in 'real time'.
Then, on the 15th December 1898, in the space at the bottom of the form reserved for 'Particulars of Deaths', Alexander John Kerr writes:
Date: 15.12.98
Place: Horseshoe Sound Kerrera, By Oban
Name: Malcolm Kerr,
Sex: Male
Age: 75
Crew or Passenger: Crew
Rank: Bosun
Nationality: Tarbert, Harris
Last Place of Abode: Bayhead Street, Stornoway
Cause of Death: Heart-disease
Port at which Reported: Stornoway
So the life that began in dire straits in Direcleit, ended in another strait, the Sound of Kerrera, aboard his son's ship which he was Bosun upon having been a Ship Master in his own right.
When I first learnt of Malcolm's death at sea in the middle of December and in his middle seventies, I wondered what on Earth he was doing. It was only when I obtained these Crew Agreements from the Maritime History Archive in Newfoundland that I knew the answer: He was supporting his son and doing the thing that, I suspect, he loved more than anything other than his family, sailing the West Coast of Scotland.
Malcolm's death appears to have been later countersigned in red ink by a W. Goff but no indication is given as to where and when this was done.
The story is not quite finished for on the 19th December John Macleod, 44, joins at Kerrera from the 'Jane' of Stornoway. What intrigues me is that it is Kerrera and not nearby Oban. Is this a clue to one of the mysteries that remains, namely where was Malcolm laid to rest?
There is no record of Malcolm having been buried in Oban, burial 'at sea' would not have been an option in the narrow Sound of Kerrera and John Macleod joined the CREST at Kerrera. All things considered, I now think that Malcolm was laid to rest on that tiny island, a place I visited briefly last year as part of what was, for me a very personal pilgrimage.
The final two entries that Alexander John makes for the voyages of 1898 are:
On Passage to Belfast 31st December 1898
Arrived at Belfast 23rd January 1899
A series of letters between the Superintendents of the Mercantile Marine Offices in Stornoway and Belfast accompanies the documents and reveal that there had been a judicial enquiry held in Oban, presumably to eliminate any suspicions surrounding Malcolm's death aboard his son's vessel.
Although it is possible that Malcolm's body remained on board all this time and was indeed buried on the way to Belfast, I doubt it...
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kerrera/kerrera/
14th July sees her owner and Master, 44 year-old Alexander John Kerr, and his 76 year-old father, the 'Bosun' Malcolm Kerr, joined by John Macpherson, 44, from the 'William Smith' of Stornoway.
On the 18th, they left, unladen, from Stornoway for Ayr where they arrived on the 24th. Having taken on a cargo, they sailed from Ayr on the 28th July but only reached Stornoway on the 16th August. However, I think that date is incorrect for on the 15th August Don Macmillan, 18, returns to the ship in Stornoway having not sailed since leaving her in June. The unladen CREST then sets sail for Larne on the 16th August so clearly the date of arriving in Stornoway was an afterthought!
She arrives in Larne on the 23rd August but doesn't depart, laden, until 6th September and reaches Stornoway on the 19th. A couple of days later on the 21st September John Macpherson leaves her.
The final entry that gives details of her draught and freeboard, those measures of how laden she is, is on 21st October when she departs Stornoway only slightly laden. No entry is made for her destination.
The next piece of information in this timeline is for the 21st November when Malcolm Munro, 49, joins in Stornoway from the steam ship 'SS Staghound' of Belfast.
I think that the reason for these apparent gaps in the record of the voyages are indications that Alexander John didn't make the entries in 'real time'.
Then, on the 15th December 1898, in the space at the bottom of the form reserved for 'Particulars of Deaths', Alexander John Kerr writes:
Date: 15.12.98
Place: Horseshoe Sound Kerrera, By Oban
Name: Malcolm Kerr,
Sex: Male
Age: 75
Crew or Passenger: Crew
Rank: Bosun
Nationality: Tarbert, Harris
Last Place of Abode: Bayhead Street, Stornoway
Cause of Death: Heart-disease
Port at which Reported: Stornoway
So the life that began in dire straits in Direcleit, ended in another strait, the Sound of Kerrera, aboard his son's ship which he was Bosun upon having been a Ship Master in his own right.
When I first learnt of Malcolm's death at sea in the middle of December and in his middle seventies, I wondered what on Earth he was doing. It was only when I obtained these Crew Agreements from the Maritime History Archive in Newfoundland that I knew the answer: He was supporting his son and doing the thing that, I suspect, he loved more than anything other than his family, sailing the West Coast of Scotland.
Malcolm's death appears to have been later countersigned in red ink by a W. Goff but no indication is given as to where and when this was done.
The story is not quite finished for on the 19th December John Macleod, 44, joins at Kerrera from the 'Jane' of Stornoway. What intrigues me is that it is Kerrera and not nearby Oban. Is this a clue to one of the mysteries that remains, namely where was Malcolm laid to rest?
There is no record of Malcolm having been buried in Oban, burial 'at sea' would not have been an option in the narrow Sound of Kerrera and John Macleod joined the CREST at Kerrera. All things considered, I now think that Malcolm was laid to rest on that tiny island, a place I visited briefly last year as part of what was, for me a very personal pilgrimage.
The final two entries that Alexander John makes for the voyages of 1898 are:
On Passage to Belfast 31st December 1898
Arrived at Belfast 23rd January 1899
A series of letters between the Superintendents of the Mercantile Marine Offices in Stornoway and Belfast accompanies the documents and reveal that there had been a judicial enquiry held in Oban, presumably to eliminate any suspicions surrounding Malcolm's death aboard his son's vessel.
Although it is possible that Malcolm's body remained on board all this time and was indeed buried on the way to Belfast, I doubt it...
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kerrera/kerrera/
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Irish in Harris
As today is St Patrick's Day, I thought I'd look at people of Harris who were born in Ireland.
1851
Betsy Kern, 36, Rag Merchant, Kentulavick, Visitor
(Household of William Macrae, 60, Shepherd, b. Bracadale, Inverness)
1861
William Ferrier, 29, Rag Merchant, Obb
Betsy Ferrier, 39, Rag Merchant's Wife
Sarah, 8, b. North Uist
(Plus a Messenger & 2 Domestic Servants)
Henry Galbraith, 45, Gardener, Obb
Mary, 37, Teacher of Embroidery
Elizabeth Henry, 66, Wife of an Excise Officer, Mother-in-Law
William Ferrier, 31, Pedlar, East Tarbert
(Household of John Morrison, 21, Hotel Keeper)
1871
Arrabella Murray, 19, Servant, Ardoulie Castle
Betsy Ferrier, 60, Hawker, House at Obb
Henry Galbraith, 55, Gardener, Embroidery School
Mary, 47, Teacher of Embroidery
1881
Henry Galbraith, 65, Post Master, Obb
Mary, 57, Wife
Johanna Morrison, 8, Visitor, b. Stornoway
1891
William Ferrier, 58, Former Hawker, Obb
Ann, 50, Webmaker (Tweed), Wife
Ann Mackay, 28, Domestic Servant, b.Uig, Lewis
Mary Galbraith, 67, Post Mistress, Obb
Johanna Mackinnon, 34, Domestic Servant, b. Harris
Henry Greenwood Mahon, 31, Medical Practitioner, Obb, Visitor
(Household of John MacNab, 55, Medical Practitioner, b. Perthshire)
1901
Mary Galbraith, 77, Post Mistress, Obb
(2 Domestic Servants)
James Hanratty, 20, Hawker, 66 North Harris
Stephen MacShane, 35, Hawker
(Household of Murdo Morrison, 50, Stone Mason, b. Duirnish, Inverness)
Jessie Morrison, 29, Wife, 34 North Harris
(John Morrison, 35, Blacksmith, b. Harris, plus 2 children)
Although small in number, what a fascinating range of occupations these Irish men & women followed. We have itinerant Hawkers, a domiciled Rag Merchant and a Gardener, a Post Master and Post Mistress plus a couple of Doctors. However, the one that stands out is the Teacher of Embroidery at the Embroidery School in, it appears, An t-Ob.
This school was established by Lady Dunmore in 1849 and we now know that in 1861 and 1871 it was Mary Galbraith from Ireland who taught in it. It appears that her husband ran the Post Office in 1881 and that she continued to provide this service in 1891 and 1901.
1851
Betsy Kern, 36, Rag Merchant, Kentulavick, Visitor
(Household of William Macrae, 60, Shepherd, b. Bracadale, Inverness)
1861
William Ferrier, 29, Rag Merchant, Obb
Betsy Ferrier, 39, Rag Merchant's Wife
Sarah, 8, b. North Uist
(Plus a Messenger & 2 Domestic Servants)
Henry Galbraith, 45, Gardener, Obb
Mary, 37, Teacher of Embroidery
Elizabeth Henry, 66, Wife of an Excise Officer, Mother-in-Law
William Ferrier, 31, Pedlar, East Tarbert
(Household of John Morrison, 21, Hotel Keeper)
1871
Arrabella Murray, 19, Servant, Ardoulie Castle
Betsy Ferrier, 60, Hawker, House at Obb
Henry Galbraith, 55, Gardener, Embroidery School
Mary, 47, Teacher of Embroidery
1881
Henry Galbraith, 65, Post Master, Obb
Mary, 57, Wife
Johanna Morrison, 8, Visitor, b. Stornoway
1891
William Ferrier, 58, Former Hawker, Obb
Ann, 50, Webmaker (Tweed), Wife
Ann Mackay, 28, Domestic Servant, b.Uig, Lewis
Mary Galbraith, 67, Post Mistress, Obb
Johanna Mackinnon, 34, Domestic Servant, b. Harris
Henry Greenwood Mahon, 31, Medical Practitioner, Obb, Visitor
(Household of John MacNab, 55, Medical Practitioner, b. Perthshire)
1901
Mary Galbraith, 77, Post Mistress, Obb
(2 Domestic Servants)
James Hanratty, 20, Hawker, 66 North Harris
Stephen MacShane, 35, Hawker
(Household of Murdo Morrison, 50, Stone Mason, b. Duirnish, Inverness)
Jessie Morrison, 29, Wife, 34 North Harris
(John Morrison, 35, Blacksmith, b. Harris, plus 2 children)
Although small in number, what a fascinating range of occupations these Irish men & women followed. We have itinerant Hawkers, a domiciled Rag Merchant and a Gardener, a Post Master and Post Mistress plus a couple of Doctors. However, the one that stands out is the Teacher of Embroidery at the Embroidery School in, it appears, An t-Ob.
This school was established by Lady Dunmore in 1849 and we now know that in 1861 and 1871 it was Mary Galbraith from Ireland who taught in it. It appears that her husband ran the Post Office in 1881 and that she continued to provide this service in 1891 and 1901.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Striking Gold – or, rather, Tin
It is the 31st March 1901 and we are at the Tinkers Camp in Market Stance, Stornoway.
There are two families here, the Macdonalds and the Stewarts:
Donald Macdonald, 45, Travelling Tinsmith, b. Lochcarron, Sutherland
Christina Macdonald, 40, Travelling Tinsmith, Wife, b. Gairloch, Ross
Jane Macdonald, 20, Travelling Tinsmith, Daughter, b. Stornoway
Donald Macdonald, 19, Travelling Tinsmith, b. Stornoway
George Macdonald, 15, Son, b. Stornoway
John Macdonald, 15, Son, b. Stornoway
Peter Macdonald, 6, Son, b. Stornoway
Benjamin Macdonald, 4, Son, b. Stornoway
Alexander Stewart, 22, Tinsmith Traveller, b. Stornoway
Mary Stewart, 21, Tinsmith's Wife, b. Broadfield, Inverness
Coll Stewart, 2, Son, b. Barvas, Ross
Jane Stewart, 2 months, Daughter, b. Barvas, Ross
Several things strike me:
These two families were obviously welcomed within the town and given a prime location to stay.
The two Stewart children were both born in Barvas and the youngest some two months earlier so the family had been on the island since at least January of that year.
All the Macdonald children are said to have been born in Stornoway. Was this the fact, indicating at least 20 years of visiting the town, or did the person responsible for providing the birthplaces simplify things? Only a search of the records can answer that question.
My earlier entry on 'Two Traveller Families' dealt with two Stewart families, one of which included a couple of Barvas-born offspring but no Alexander.
If nothing else, I have learnt that in 1901 there was a 'Tinkers Camp in the Market Stance' in Stornoway.
(Earlier piece can be found here: Two Traveller Families)
There are two families here, the Macdonalds and the Stewarts:
Donald Macdonald, 45, Travelling Tinsmith, b. Lochcarron, Sutherland
Christina Macdonald, 40, Travelling Tinsmith, Wife, b. Gairloch, Ross
Jane Macdonald, 20, Travelling Tinsmith, Daughter, b. Stornoway
Donald Macdonald, 19, Travelling Tinsmith, b. Stornoway
George Macdonald, 15, Son, b. Stornoway
John Macdonald, 15, Son, b. Stornoway
Peter Macdonald, 6, Son, b. Stornoway
Benjamin Macdonald, 4, Son, b. Stornoway
Alexander Stewart, 22, Tinsmith Traveller, b. Stornoway
Mary Stewart, 21, Tinsmith's Wife, b. Broadfield, Inverness
Coll Stewart, 2, Son, b. Barvas, Ross
Jane Stewart, 2 months, Daughter, b. Barvas, Ross
Several things strike me:
These two families were obviously welcomed within the town and given a prime location to stay.
The two Stewart children were both born in Barvas and the youngest some two months earlier so the family had been on the island since at least January of that year.
All the Macdonald children are said to have been born in Stornoway. Was this the fact, indicating at least 20 years of visiting the town, or did the person responsible for providing the birthplaces simplify things? Only a search of the records can answer that question.
My earlier entry on 'Two Traveller Families' dealt with two Stewart families, one of which included a couple of Barvas-born offspring but no Alexander.
If nothing else, I have learnt that in 1901 there was a 'Tinkers Camp in the Market Stance' in Stornoway.
(Earlier piece can be found here: Two Traveller Families)
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