Durness Parish Register

[AuldSouthsider]

Hi Andy or Ian

My Great Great Grandfather Hugh Mackay lived in Latheron Caithness. In the 1841 Census his place of birth is captured as Reay. In the 1851 Census as Naver. In the 1861 Census as Durness. If Hugh was a Gaelic speaker and the census takers spoke only Scots English I'm wondering if Reay could be Reay Country (Not Reay, Caithness) and Naver to be Strathnaver as in the former county not the valley. By 1861 they may have got it right :-)
The census ages would have Hugh Mackay, born Durness @1809. What births if any can you find for Hugh there.
Hugh's twin sons and I think Hugh (and wife Janet Budge) all moved to Leith where James became a police officer. Interestingly there are Hugh, Donald and James Mackay members of the Edinburgh Sutherland Association @1879. Further marriages and births indicate a membership of the Free Church but I'm not sure if this would have been consistent or inconsistent with Freemasonry - which was a calling that the next generations of Mackays appeared to have taken
Grateful if you can trace Hugh's line in Durness

[IanB]

Welcome to the County of Sutherland Board. (Are you Roy?)
The census extracts in my file, after 1841, have as the headings of the 3rd-last and 2nd-last columns "Parish" and "County". 1841 shows "Parish" only. What county is shown in 1851 and 1861?

There was only one baptism recorded in the register for Durness in 1809: Oct 18 ; father Richard MacKay, weaver in Durin (i.e. now the village of Durness) mother Catharine MacPherson.

There was one other in the West Moine Mission on Jan 30th: father John Mackay, alias MacHeorish (i.e. son of george), Hunleam, and Barbara MacKay, Braeskill, not born in lawful wedlock.

There was a Hugh baptised 11 Mar 1808; father Hugh Mackay Shepherd in Borly; mother Christian macKay, both from Strathy

There were no Hugh MacKays baptized in 1810.

Odly, all of theIGI  entries for Janet Budge were submitted by LDS members (no extracted entries) Her marriage to hugh in 1833 and the birth of her children (John 1834; Hugh 1835; Donald & James 1838; and Janet 1840. There were 3 members submitting. Perhaps you could try contacting them?

Of the Durness Hughs, the West Moine entry seems slightly more promising because it is located closer to Latheron and because the father's name was John, the name Hugh gave to his first son.

Good luck,
Ian

[IanB]

One other thought; the Free Church was established in 1843, i.e. after the entries mentioned above. I don't think there was any connection between the Free Church and the Freemasons, but I don't know much about the latter.

Ian

[AuldSouthsider]

Ian - thanks very much for your prompt response. My name is Gordon Ferguson Mackay. My dad Hugh had a first son Hugh, I was his second son born out of his second marriage. Unlike previous generations I was not named after a previous Mackay. I was named after a footballer Gordon Smith of Hibs. Ferguson was my grandad Hugh Mackay's wife Jane Ferguson's maiden name.

My father Hugh had an older brother James named after their father Hugh's father James. My dad was born in Edinburgh in 1909. My grandad Hugh was born in Leith in 1875. His dad James was one of the twins born to Hugh and Janet. James married his wife Barbara Macleod in Edinburgh, James the son of Hugh listed as farm grieve and Barbara's father Alexander Macleod listed as Farmer/Crofter. Barbara's mother was Henrietta Mackay whose predecessors I've not yet traced. More Mackay's, More farmers/crofters, More Barbara's - my father and I both have a sister Barbara.

Census Results - I need to check my extracts - they are on another computer.

Agree about John and Barbara - there are no Richard's or Catherine's in my lineage, My father's brother was George

[Munro84]

Hi, I have an ancestor recorded in the Durness parish register; Barbara Mackay mother of Ann Mackay 12th March 1771.

It reads: "Barbara Mackay alias Nin Dholicorishskerray, Widow of John Mackay in Sartigrim had Ann baptised 12th March".

What I am trying to find out is just what "Nin Dholicorishskerray" translates as in English. Obviously it connects Barbara with the village of Skerray but does it say anything about her father.

I have read conflicting accounts: One person says that is says "daughter of James Mackay of Skerray" another person says that it means "daughter of George, son of Donald". But non of the gaelic versions of those male names appear in "Nin Dholicorishskerray".

So if anyone could tell me what "Nin Dholicorishskerray" means I would be most grateful.

Thanks

[IanB]

Hi,

In the Durness area, " nin" was apparently used as a contraction of nighean, daughter, rather than the usual "nic". So, "Dhol" is a phoenetic rendering of the Gaelic for Donald; "ic" is a contraction of "mhic", the genetive case for mac, meaning "son of" ; and 'orish" appears to be a phoenetic rendering of the Gaelic for George. The "skerray" at the end probably indicates he was a member of the Mackays of Skerray, an offshoot of the Mackays of Strathy.

So, Barbara's patronymic appears to be " daughter of Donald, son of George of Skerray". I took a quick look at the "Book of Mackay" and noticed a George listed as one of the sons o fHector Mackay of Skerray but no details are given.
Ian

[Munro84]

Ian,

Thank you so very much for clarryfying that for me! I have been swings and roundabouts with this one.

I have the Book of Mackay and know the George of Skerray you are referring to on page 315.

To cut a long story short, Barbara Mackay (daughter of Donald, son of George) was wife of John Mackay in Sartigrim, parish of Durness.

They had at least 3 daughters:

1. Janet Mackay born 1766,
2. Barbara Mackay born 1768
3. Ann Mackay born 1771.

The elder Barbara who was the mother of the three daughters is only actually mentioned on the parish birth record for the youngest daughter, Ann Mackay, born 1771. But all 3 of their parish birth records mention the father as John Mackay of Sartigrim. (Sartigrim is a very small settlement now known as Sarsgrum) So it is assumed that the elder Barbara was mother of all three, and it seems that the younger Barbara born 1768 was named after the mother.

The Barbara Mackay born 1768 was my 4th great grandmother, wife of Alexander Munro. They moved to Armadale, parish of Farr, Sutherland and had a large family but that is another story....

[lynne kathrine]

"Nin Dholicorishskerray"

there may well be an element of truth in that this means  daughter of  George son of Donald , however i would say that its meaning goes a little further than this in that  George was that of the McDonald  or MacDonald family  ( son of Donald  )  and as George being in a patriarchal /patriarchal position he was the father figure (so to speak) and as you already know Skerray know also as Sgeirea is the beautiful place in Sutherland

[Munro84]

I already know that the Barbara in question was a Mackay (daughter of Donald , son of George of Skerray). There was also an important Mackay family in Skerray.