Lairg
Principal Sources
OSA Vol 11 No 49
RMS IX (880) 1639 on original of 1638
ER XIII pp 263-9 1509-10
GD128/47/8/6 1623
GD305/1/74/83 of 1666
GD305/1/87/108 1665
GD305/1/118/468 of 1665
Retours (Sutherland) (15) 1692
Sutherland Book Vol III No 68 1518
CS96/1/63 (old reference RH15/1/63/1) Rental of Earldom of Sutherland & Lordship of Strathnaver 1705
RS36/2/161r 1607, RS36/2/166r 1607, RS36/2/278r 1607, RS36/2/279r 1607
RS36/2/286v 1607, RS36/2/288r 1607
NLS Dep.313/1598 Sir Robert Gordon’s tutor accounts with copy of the Sutherland Rental of 1624-5
NLS Dep 313/3312 1674
A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland, from its origin to the year 1630; written by Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun, Baronet, with a continuation to the year 1651. Edinburgh, 1813. (Hereafter: Earldom (Gordon)).
- Ketteringham, A History of Lairg, Lairg, 1998
The following are available online via the National Library of Scotland’s Digital Map Library:
NLS Dep.313/3623/2 Sketch of land … at Dalchork, Lairg, 1849
NLS Dep.313/3623/6 Part of Lairg parish, n.d.
NLS Dep.313/3623/5 Torble, Lairg Parish, n.d.
NLS Dep.313/3623/3 Plan of area around Loch Shin, 1850
NLS Dep.313/3624/7 Sutherland, 1833
NLS Acc.10225/124 Marches of Dulaich and Creagaich, 1881
NLS Acc.10225/140 Doula and Craggie Marches, 1878
NLS Acc.10225/130 Plan of the Lands of Dolay, Craggy, Taecraig and Saval-beg situated in the Parishes of Lairg and Rogart, 1912
NLS Acc.10225/131 Plan of the Lands of Dolay, Craggy, Taecraig and Saval-beg situated in the Parishes of Lairg and Rogart, 1912
SHS Sutherland Estate Management Vol 1 Report by P Sellar 1811 Section III Lands in the Parish of Lairg gives us a detailed breakdown of the individual holdings. The Mill of Claren then amounted to 8½ farthings (2⅛d) whilst Lower Lairg came to 14 farthings (3½d). In the same volume are further lists from 1808, 1815 and 1802-16. The 1808 list refers to a holding called Midpenny.
Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun gives us some general information in Earldom (Gordon) p 4:
Ther is another pairt of Southerland, called Breachat; that is, the hight of Cattey or Southerland, full of cornes, fresh-water-fishes, grasse, cattell, woods, deir, and wildfoull, verie pleasant, and exceeding profitable for feiding of bestiall; it is contained within the parish of Lairg. Breachat is tuentie mylls in lenth, and is [p5] divyded in tuo pairts by the river Shin, which proceeds from Loch Shin, and, runing from the north to the south, entereth into the river of Port-ne-Couter; that pairt of Breachat which lyes east and northeast from Logh-Shin joynes with the Diri-more at Phuarran-poole-dai [Fuaran (well, spring) occurs in Sutherland place-names and there are Allt Bealach an Fhuarain and Meall an Fhuarain just north of the watershed and parish boundary between Lairg and Farr by The Crask, NC 5226. This is probably the Fourandirrie of Thomson (1823)]. The western pairt of Breachat is called the Barony of Gruids, wherin is contained the forrest of Diri-Meanigh, with Corri-kean-loch [Corriekinloch NC 3625], Steill-Chorri [Steall a’ Choire NC 3728], Garwelayd, and Craigskaulay [Creag an Sgamhlainn NC 3732 was Craig-a-scaullan in NLS Dep.313/3613 of 1855];
(Garwelayd looks to be for garbh [rough] + leathad [slope] which would be suitable for the west side of Loch Merkland. If there was such a name it has now gone although there is still Garbh Allt [burn] and Garvault [settlement site at NC 3832]).
and on p 5 he describes the western boundary:
Ther are in Southerland divers loghes or laikes, …
There are fyve laiks lying together in the hight of the parish of Lairg, called the Fin-loches. …
In GD128/47/8/6, which is a rental of the Earldom of Sutherland in 1623, the parish of Lairg is stated to be 14 davachs. However the total number of pennylands given in the rental is 90d or 15 davachs. These do not include any part of Edderachillis. This is a vexed issue because OPS II, II p 697 (following Genealogy of the Earls pp 9-10) suggests that Edderachillis was once part of the parish of Lairg. Edderachillis was on the other side of the watershed (Druim Alban) so I am sceptical about this claim. However Edderachillis was such a remote and relatively poor district that I can well imagine that it was reckoned within Lairg for some practical purposes. It may also have lacked priest or minister for long periods of time.
I am not sure we can fully disentangle the ancient boundaries between Lairg and Creich (to the east of Druimalban) on the one hand and Assynt and Eddrachilis (west of Druimalban) on the other. For instance GD84/2/4 of 1637 is a renunciation by Robert Monro of Assint to Donald, Lord Reay. The properties include
Aulduanalbanache which is probably Allt nan Albannach (NC 3832/3833) which may have been at the westernmost end of Lairg parish. However it seems likely that Lairg essentially comprised the drainage basin of Loch Shin.
Book of Mackay, Appendix No 11 pp 385-7 is a Bond of Friendship between Adam, Earl of Sutherland, and John McKy of Strathnaver in 1518. It refers to:
VII davachs in the hycht of Straithflet, that is to say, the lands of Larg, Schennis, Moy, Ryne & Cragy
(See also Sutherland Book Vol III, No 68, pp 69-71). These are the lands of:
Lairg, 3 davachs, Lairg parish
Shinness, 1½ davachs, Lairg parish
Muie, 1 davach, Rogart parish
Rhaoine, 1 davach, Rogart parish
Craggie, ½ davach, Rogart parish.
However what is slightly puzzling is that only Muie, Rhaoine and Craggie could be said to be in the drainage-basin of the River Fleet. Lairg and Shinness are across the watershed and in the drainage basin of the Shin.
There is a Loch Dabhaich at NC 5922 near the watershed/parish boundary with Farr.
The table gives c. 15½ davachs.
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