Durness Parish Register

[IanB]

Hi Tearlach,
You say that you are descended from " Jean Morrison for Donn" (born around 1790). That seems a rather different combination of names. What is its source? Dis you find the actual registration of her birth/baptism? In which parish?

There were many, many Hustians/Uisdeans/Hughs in the parish. What was the date of Jean's marriage? I could look it up in my copy of the parish register, assuming it was Durness.

IanB

[djct59]

Teárlach:

Records show that Angus Mackay Mackenzie, farm servant, Knockbreack, married Effy Macpherson of Durin on  24th December 1812, so the marriage you refer to must presumably have been some time after Effy's death.

There's reference to a Jean Done (sic), wife of George Mackay rather Mackenzie, tenant in Croispol, having a son Angus on 26th October 1790 but that doesn't seem to be the same branch of the family

[IanB]

I notice a  19 Jan, 1790 marriage entry in the Durness Parish Register between George Mackay Mackenzie, Crosple, ---and-- Jean Morison, alias nin Hustian Duin, in Cnocbreac. This appears to be the couple who baptized their son, Angus, on Oct 28, 1790.

I looked for the baptism by a Hugh Morison or Done/Duin/Down/Donn of a daughter Jean, as far back as the start of the Register (1764) but couldn't find one.

Hugh was a common given name for Morisons from Cnocbreac but I have not noticed an "eke" name of Done/Duin/Don  (meaning Brown) before.

IanB

[Tearlach]

Ah "Hustian" is Uísdean, I missed that one. I wondered if it was "Uilliam" - William.

So Jean was the son of Hugh, aka "Shuggie"....

Thanks for that. IainB - Thanks for looking for a birth date for Jean , but I've been through the Register with a fine tooth comb, and found nothing.

And a typo in my previous e-mail - Jean Donn or Morrison, rather than Jean Morrison for Donn.

I'm descended through George and Jean, through their son Angus, his son Donald, and his youngest daughter Margaret - b 1855, who disappeared of to Caithness for a year or so in 1871, had my GG Grandmother, out of wedlock, left the bairn Dolina with a step Granny (after taking the father to court to prove paternity) and then came back to Durness to live with her extended family and at least one other child.

I have seen other references to that Margaret Mackay on this board, but no-one seems to have noted that she lived in Thurso and had one daughter there before coming back to Durness.

I have spent quite a few years now getting to the bottom of Margaret's movements, and in doing so have managed to solve one family mystery. When I was a wee boy in Thurso there was always a family story that we had connections to Eilean nan Ròn in the Kyle of Tongue. In fact I was taken there as a baby in the early 60's in my Grandfather Mackays fishing boat, and was the first baby back there since the evacuation in the 30's. We still live on the North Coast, so as an Adult I started to see which bit of the family came from Eilean nan Ròn, or Eilean Roan. No luck, one branch of the Mackays were Strathnaver, another Kildonan, another Reay (Aberach's).

Margaret seemed the only other choice, but was a dead end in Thurso, as she vanished in 1871, right after the birth of her Daughter, my GG Grandmother. The Court case gave me the clue - she was living with two Mackay brothers, and a Morrison Aunt and Uncle in Thurso - all from Durness, all recorded in the 1871 census, so that allowed me to move on, and discover that her Mothers family were Morrisons from Eilean Hoan off Smoo, not Roan.

Mystery solved, I'd like to think. Just shows how a little luck with timing in records (my GG Grandmother birth in 1871 was a few days before the census, and the Paternity Court case was in the October of 1871) allowed me to get to the bottom of it all. 

[Munro84]

Hi, can anyone translate the following gaelic aliases for Elisabeth Mackay as found in the Durness parish register in 1791 and 1794:

1791:

38. William Morison, tenent and boatman in Ceannabin, and . . . Elisabeth Mackay, alias nin Eachinmacdholi-cachin, Barbara 9 Nov.

1794:

20. William Morison, alias macuilammachustian, tenent and boatman in Ceannabin, and . . . Elisabeth (alias Betty) Mackay, alias nin Achinmacdholicachinskerray, Mary-anne 29 May.

Any help really appreciated.

Thanks.

[IanB]

1791/38:  daughter of Hector; son of Donald; son of Hector

1794/20: daughter of Hector; son of Donald; daughter of Hector of Skerray

Elizabeth was from the Skerray branch of Mackays, descended from the chiefly line.

Donald appears in the Book of Mackay; son of Hector who was the son of John of Skerray, who was the second son of John of Strathy, who was the second son of Hustian Du , Chief of Mackay.

BTW, William's patronymic is son of William, son of Hugh.

IanB

[Munro84]

1791/38:  daughter of Hector; son of Donald; son of Hector

1794/20: daughter of Hector; son of Donald; daughter of Hector of Skerray

Elizabeth was from the Skerray branch of Mackays, descended from the chiefly line.

Donald appears in the Book of Mackay; son of Hector who was the son of John of Skerray, who was the second son of John of Strathy, who was the second son of Hustian Du , Chief of Mackay.

BTW, William's patronymic is son of William, son of Hugh.

IanB

Thanks for that Ian B.  I am working on a theory that my ancestor Barbara Mackay who is also found in the hamlet of Ceannabin in 1791, as a mother of James Munro on the parish registers, is possibly the sister of Elizabeth. One of Barbara's sons had a 4th daughter named Elizabeth, who he could possibly have named after his auntie. Also Barbara's husband, Alexander Munro was a boat builder and carpenter which matches the trades of two William Morrisons who were in Ceannabin at the same time, one of which was husband of Elizabeth Mackay. These are the entries I am referring to:

1791:

30. Alexander Munro, carpenter in Ceannabin, and . . . Barbara Mackay, James 30 Sept.

38. William Morison, tenent and boatman in Ceannabin, and . . . Elisabeth Mackay, alias nin Eachinmacdholi-cachin, Barbara 9 Nov.

1794:

5. William Morison, alias maceanmacuilammachustian, carpenter in Ceannabin, and . . . Ann Mackay, Barbara 4 Feb.

20. William Morison, alias macuilammachustian, tenent and boatman in Ceannabin, and . . . Elisabeth (alias Betty) Mackay, alias nin Achinmacdholicachinskerray, Mary-anne 29 May.

1795:

14. William Morison, junr., alias macenmacuilammachustian, carpenter in
Ceannabin, and . . . Ann Mackay, Katharine 10 Sept.

[Munro84]

Hi IanB can I ask for your services again and translate the below Gaelic alias given in the Durness parish register in 1793 for Ann Mackay:

William Morison, alias Maceanmacuilammachustian, carpenter in Ceannabin . . . Ann Mackay, alias nin Hustianmacuilam, servant in Erriboll 2 May.

(Am I right in thinking that its "daughter of Hugh, son of William" ?)

many thanks for any advice!

[IanB]

Yes; you are correct. Her husband, William Morrison's patronymic is interesting, too, being so similar to that of Betty Mackay's husband, but apparently being a generation apart. (Macean being son of John, of course.) This is not so unusual for families in those times, and even later; my grandfather, for example was older than two of his uncles.

Without a patronymic for your Barbara, it's going to be difficult to determine any relationship between her and Betty or Ann. I have been searching through this parish register for years and have been puzzled by the times that the minister did not record one. Obviously, everyone had one, and there were many, many Barbara Mackays, so why not record hers - not just once but several times?

My "oldest" patronymic is for a John Morrison who married Christian Calder (daughter of Rob Donn) and it is : mac Uilliam 'ic Uisdean 'ic Eachain ruaidh, which suggests that he may have been related to the Ceannabeine Morrisons - he, also, was a ship's carpenter or joiner.

Good luck!

IanB