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Sutherland
Sutherland is the most sparsely populated county in Scotland. It was under
Norse rule until the 12th Century when it was claimed over to Scotland by
William The Lion. Dornoch is its largest town, although Golspie was its
County Town until it became part of the Highland Region in 1975.
The county is closely associated with the infamous Highland Clearances
largely because of the actions of Patrick Sellar, factor to Elizabeth,
Countess of Sutherland. Dunrobin, the fortress home of the Dukes of
Sutherland, is on the outskirts of Golspie.
Clan and Family Heartlands
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area
they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived
together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to
clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those
of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family
historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it
can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
MacKay: One of the oldest clans originating in Moray but
later concentrated in around Strathnaver where they were particularly badly
hit by clearances.
Sutherland: The clan lands lay to the east of the County
Parishes
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not
only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of
marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most
social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a
definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided,
been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is
based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New
Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Assynt,
Clyne,
Criech (Creich),
Dornoch,
Durness,
Edderachillis,
Farr,
Golspie,
Kildonan,
Cairg,
Loth,
Rogart
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative
name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be
found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of
Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm
is the individual views of the minister, which can include some
fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment,
landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the
parishioners.
Local Studies Libraries
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
Highland Council Genealogy Centre
Inverness Library
Farraline Park
Inverness
IV1 1NH
Tel: +44 1463 236463 extn 9
Fax: +44 1463 711128
E-mail:
genealogy@highland.gov.uk
www.highland.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/what-to-see/archives/highlandcouncilarchives
Open: Mon-Fri, 09:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00.
Local Archives Centres
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history
publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared
to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more
fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring
over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
Museums and Heritage Centres
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no
surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and
heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned
collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small
centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The
following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of
them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Maryck Memories of Childhood
Unapool School
Kylesku
Sutherland
IV27 4HW
Tel: +44 1971 502341
Open: Easter-October, daily, 10:00-17:30
Exhibition of dolls, dolls houses, bears and toys from the years 1880-2000.
Dunrobin Castle
Golspie
Sutherland
Tel: +44 1408 633177
Fax: +44 1408 634081
Open: April-May and October, Mon-Sat 10:30-16:30, Sun 12:30-16:30;
June-August, Mon-Sat 10:30-17:30, Sun 12:30-17:30
Home of the Clan Sutherland, Dunrobin is one of the largest houses in the
North of Scotland and dates from c1400. Contains a magnificent collection
of furniture, silver, tapestries, family portraits and memorabilia.
Strathnaver Museum
Bettyhill
Sutherland
KW14 7SS
Tel: +44 1641 521418
Open: April-October, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00.
Housed in the former parish church of Farr, the main theme is the
Strathnaver Clearances and it also houses a Clan MacKay room.
Timespan Heritage Centre
Dunrobin Street
Helmsdale
Sutherland
Tel: +44 1431 821327
www.timespan.org.uk
Open: April-October, Mon-Sat, 09:30 - 17:00 & Sun 14:00 - 17:00.
Award winning centre illustrating the history of the Highlands, especially
the Clearances.
Family History Society
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most
maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the
discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in
your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Highland Family History Society
c/o Highland Council Genealogy Centre
Inverness Library
Farraline Park
Inverness
IV1 1NH
Tel: +44 1463 236463
Fax: +44 1463 711128
E-mail:
angus.bethune@tesco.net
www.highlandfhs.org.uk
Details of members' research interests held on computer.
Burial Information
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Transport, Environmental and Community Services
Highland Council
Victoria Road
Brora
KW9 6QW
Tel: +44 1408 623 400
Email: Sutherland.area@highland.gov.uk
