Notes
on Sutherland of Rearchar papers
NAS
GD347
GD347/49
Rental
of Litle Torbol, Riarquhar, Evliks, Brea, gardens
occupied by Riarquhar servants . . .
Brea 1796 £6
3s 8d + 8½d fox money
1798
£7 7s 11d + 10d fox money
GD347/48
1787
August ‘This month built a Byer & Barn in Brea . . . got timber from Achinduich 15 new couples . . . Bot
Shioberscorse sheep & built a fold of rails bot of Andrew Davidson for them.’
24th
August Began to cut hay and ended cutting Septr 1st . . . full of the barn in Brea.
1788
May
19th & 20th The cattle went
all to Brea in fine order
July
29th The cows went to the Brea
Sept
1st The cows came that day from Brea
I
was free of Evliks Whitsy
1788 & this year got a liferent of ? of Riarchar
and Brea of Dalnamain.
Made
Baxter’s house of the east barn in Brea up quite new by Livalle
Nov
27th Donald Mchutcheon went to the Brea to
fetch the 12 wedders killed this season.
Dec 1st 6 wedders and 6 old Shiberscross sheep sold to John, Munro, Cromarty.
1789
May
19th Milk cows went to Brea. Cold wet weather.
May
28th The oxen went to Brea.
June
1st Sheep in Brea clipped & had 3½ stones wool. Oxen to the Gruids and yell cattle to Dalmore.
June
2nd The sheep lassy
came home late and had 43 sheep, 27 wedders & 10
lambs delivered her
June
24th The cows came first time from Brea
where one of my milk cows died.
July
22nd The milk cows went a second time to
Brea.
Aug
17th Livelle, John Ross & Donald Mchutcheon began to cut hay in the Brea, finished 19th
Sept
7th The cattle for sale came to Brea, the
milk cows came to Rearchar
Sept
14th Stacked my hay and cut the Brea bear with 13 hired hooks, 5
Brea folk and my own two lads
Sept
16th Clipt 27 lambs in Brea
Sept 30th All my shearers cutting oats in Brea.
1790
March
23rd Had 16 ploughs ploughing in the Brea
May
28th Clipd in Brea sheep 36 & wedders 34 & lug marked lambs there. Only 2¼ stones
wool and only 11 lambs.
Aug
24th 4 new scythes for cutting hay in Brea
Sept
24th Milk cows went a third time to Brea
[from The Last of the Tacksmen: Bell had to see to the
prosperity of the garden, but she also had the responsibility of the dairy-the
‘deye’ or ‘deyey’. There was a complaint that neither William
Taylor nor his wife mentioned how many milk cows the dairy had. “John Mathewson when he delivered me your letter
could not inform me, any more than a child, of any of those matters. I hope you have taken care, as you have
little cash, that the deye will have sixteen milk
cows. Be sure to keep the deye and boys in mind of a strict keeping of the grass in
Brea and assure them I will not forgive them if they neglect taking the stirks in early and all the heifers fit for bulling that
are not bulled, in time in the hill to be with the milk cows for bulling.” ]
GD347/48
|
1776
|
Aultanrivach GD347/48 |
£ |
s |
d |
|
James
Grant |
Rent |
1 |
5 |
|
|
|
Boll
salt |
|
11 |
4 |
|
|
|
1 |
16 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Promise
to help at dykes |
|
2 |
10 |
|
|
Balance
due |
1 |
14 |
6 |
GD347/48
1790
Settled James Munro at Aultenrivach at rent of £1 5s
and a choice wedder. To take Biggings
& Dykes & straw at an appreciation, pay proportion of the expense of
appreciators & also expenses of removing Hugh McLeod.
He
is to grass & hird my Stirks
without any expense to me & also the Brea horses; assist at winning &
gathering all the hay, at cutting & leading all the corn, casting divad, repairing bigings, casting
peat. 3 days in riarchar, 1 day in
Brea; going errands back & forth with cattle to & from the Gruids.
|
1790 |
Appreciation
of Aultenrivach GD347/48 |
£ |
s |
d |
|
|
House
of 10couples mostly birch |
|
8 |
6 |
|
|
Door
checks 4d; 2 windows with brods 3s 2d |
|
3 |
6 |
|
|
Barn
of 2 couples 2/2d checks 6d |
|
2 |
8 |
|
|
Sheep
cott of 3 couples |
|
1 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 |
4 |
|
|
Dykes
appreciated as if new (tho but patched at the rate
of what a man could build of them in a day new at 6d per day |
1 |
11 |
0 |
|
|
Deduce
value Hugh McLeod had of them |
|
11 |
0 |
|
|
Balance |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Straw
£1 13s – wintered 6 head of cattle at 3s & 6 more at half a crown |
1 |
13 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1774 |
Brea
GD347/48 |
£ |
s |
d |
|
Hugh
Mathewson |
Rent
& fox money |
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
|
Arrears |
1 |
12 |
6 |
|
|
2
bolls black oats |
|
14 |
0 |
|
|
Half
boll bear |
|
7 |
0 |
|
|
|
5 |
17 |
0 |
|
|
1775 |
|
|
|
|
|
Timber
for barn |
|
7 |
0 |
|
|
Winterings at 16d per head |
|
12 |
0 |
|
|
Cash |
3 |
13 |
0 |
|
|
Balance
due |
1 |
5 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1775 |
Rent
& fox money |
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
|
Half
boll ferry bear |
|
7 |
6 |
|
|
Paid
doctor for you |
|
5 |
0 |
|
|
|
3 |
16 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1783 |
Brea
of Dalnamain GD347/48 |
£ |
s |
d |
|
Mrs
Gilchrist |
Yearly
rent |
4 |
6 |
8 |
|
|
Yearly
grassum |
1 |
17 |
½ |
|
|
Fox
money |
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
6 |
4 |
4½ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wm
Rob |
|
1 |
12 |
2 |
|
Donald
Bain |
|
3 |
1 |
10½ |
|
Alexr
McIntosh |
|
3 |
1 |
10½ |
|
|
|
7 |
15 |
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
Mcpherson |
For
east possession |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
Vicarage
and fox money |
|
2 |
6 |
|
|
Four
beasts wintered at 1/8d |
|
6 |
8 |
|
|
Wedder |
|
3 |
4 |
|
|
|
3 |
15 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What
was by north water of east possession and I had all the fold and hay of west
possession to myself |
|
|
|
|
|
Donald
Down’s wife |
|
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
Vicarage
and fox money |
|
1 |
2 |
|
|
A
beast wintered |
|
1 |
8 |
|
|
Wedder |
|
3 |
4 |
|
|
|
1 |
7 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
Munro’s widow |
For
what is south the water |
1 |
7 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert
McIntosh was there 1780-82 and I took the east possession with the west into
my own hands in 1783 and had James Baxter as grass keeper |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GD347/48 |
|
|
|
||||
|
1777
Comprising of the Brea biggings when John Gray and
Hugh Mathewson went to Little Torboll |
|
|
|
||||
|
|
£ |
s |
d |
|
£ |
s |
d |
|
John
Gray’s or east house and oxhouse and stable timber |
1 |
7 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
A
sheep cott 4/6 small stables 1/6 |
|
6 |
0 |
|
1 |
13 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A
corn and old hay barn not valued |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hugh
Mathewson’s house timber |
|
|
|
|
|
15 |
6 |
|
A
barn, byer and cheep cott
built by me and not valued |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
8 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GD347/48
Brea
1787
Built the wester barn, byer and milkhouse
1788
Built the easter barn & sheep cott & James Baxter’s house new and paid Donald Down 5s
for the timber of a barn of his west in addition to make up Baxter’s house
|
GD347/48 |
|
|
|
||||
|
Apprising
of Geo Ross’s biggings 1790 |
Birch |
|
Fir |
||||
|
|
£ |
s |
d |
|
£ |
s |
d |
|
A
house of 15 couples |
|
7 |
0 |
|
|
9 |
10 |
|
Three
windows |
|
2 |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
Partition
next door checks |
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
The
two beyond the fire with door checks, iron knots etc |
|
5 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
Checks
of outer door |
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seven
wattled stalls in the byer |
|
1 |
0 |
|
|
10 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barn
of 6 couples with a fork to each gavell |
|
5 |
0 |
|
|
4 |
10 |
|
Door
checks with knots and staples |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kiln
of four couples and ? |
|
4 |
0 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
|
Door
checks, knots and staples |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
|
Door
at 2/- and one at 1/3 |
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stable
of four couples |
|
2 |
0 |
|
|
2 |
8 |
|
Door
checks, knots and staples |
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sheep
cot of 7 couples |
|
2 |
0 |
|
|
1 |
3 |
|
Birch
wood of the house |
|
7 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fir
trees uncut valued |
4 |
4 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GD347/48
1792
Mary Don in Brea
promised
3 year tack for 10s, wedder, 2 hens and a cock, eggs’
firlot dry moulter; services at corn & hay, biggins, errands etc
This
is a new settlement – Dalaginlone – taken in and
enclosed by Mary Don from Whitsunday 1790
Rent
augmented by 5s in 1796.
From
1798 a further 5s for new park she has made. A firlot
meal levied for Navy men in 1797 and recovered in 1798 rents.
In
1796: Spring 1796 as I was on the wing of leaving the country Donald Down told
me there was a small green spot & wished I would allow him to put a crop in
it . . . returned 12 months later . . . found several acres of ground of very
best pasture west of my dyke enclosed, built houses and laid down a second
crop.
Notes
former good behaviour and allowed him 2 crops free of rent, then added to rent.
From
‘The Last of the Tacksmen’:
In
1802 . . . he asked William Taylor to carry out removal proceedings against
Mary Don in Dallaginaline, who was to be warned of
her impending eviction. “That wicked old
thief Mary Don in Brae,” he wrote. “I
indulged them to live in their barn, if they would remove their sheep, etc., to
look after their crop, as they were promising every day to remove. I find they are there still and are casting
peats there; I hope you can procure a warrant to eject them and prevent them cutting peats.”
“Another
old devil is a plague and, after getting her to remove from the habitation she
occupied, when she was summoned she begged leave to put her little furniture to
an old sheepcot.
She remains in that cot, in spite of me still, without door or
window. I hope you will direct such
measures as will relieve me from these old devils.”
Gd347/12
At
Martinmas 1801 I gave up the old bargain I made with Donald Mathewson and
entered upon a new one with William Mathewson and his mother: I made them a
present of half of the crop of the Brea which was all mine at this term, sold
them all the horses 5 in number . . . William is to have all that is within the
cross dyke except for a field for which the tenant pays 20s and the Big Fold
reserved for my calves . . . he is to put no crop to the west of the cross dyke
and on that land he is to take charge of every concern of mine there, keep the biggings and dykes in proper repair, hird
all my yell cattle, sheep & horses & goats in summer & winter;
winter cow beasts to me on one half of the straw and is not to have a beast on
the grass but his own and mine.