Skelbo Estate
This table lists the farms in the various documents describing the estate of Skelbo (nominally 12 davachs).
Parishes: D=Dornoch, G=Golspie, R=Rogart, CR=Creich.
| Farms (& parish) | a) 1525 | g) 1560 or 1562 | h) 1562 | i) 1563 | j) 1566 | Extent or Comment |
| Skelbo (D) | Skelbo | Casteltown of Skelbo | Skelbo | Casteltoun of Skelbo | 4 davachs Skelbo & Casteltoun 1509-10? | |
| E Skelbo (D) | Easter Skelbo | Ester Skelbo | Ester Skelbo | Eistir Skelbo | ||
| Balblair (G) 1623 | Dawauchdow | 1 davach? 3d | ||||
| Auchandro (D) | Auchandro | Andandro | 1 davach? | |||
| Pitmayne (D) | Pait Mayne | Petmayne | Petmayne | Petmane | Pitmanyn | 1 davach? |
| Balvraid (D) | Balnobraid | Ballewraat | Ballwraat | Bellwraith | Balnabraide | 1? (or 2) davach(s) (f) |
| Cambusavie (D) | Cammeseffe | Cambusawye | Cambusawye | Camusowe | Cambussave | 1 davach? |
| E Aberscross (G) b) | Estir Abbirschoir | Eister Aberscors | 1 davach? | |||
| W Aberscross (G) | Vestir Abbirschoir | Wester Aberscors | Wester Aberscors | Westir Abbirscors | Vestir Aberscors | 2 davachs incl. Morvich? |
| Little Rogart (R) | Littill Roart | Roartbeig | Litill Rewart | Litilrod | Litill Reorde | 1 davach? |
| Knockarthur (R) | Knok Cartnall | Knokartoll | Knokarthoill | 12d | ||
| Morvich (G)
Morness (R) ? |
Moir Ench | Morynche | Morocht | See W Aberscross.
OPS p 679 |
||
| Auchindowich (CR) b) | Auchindowecht | Awchindowych | Auchindowicht | Auchindwycht | Auchindaucht | 1½ davachs |
| Invershin (CR) b) | Innirschyn | Innerschyn | Innerschyn | Innerschine | Innerschin | 1½ davachs |
| Pittentrail (R) d) | Petintraill | Pettintraill | Pittintraill | 1 davach? | ||
| Assynt | Assent | 4 davachs | ||||
| Edderachylis | Artrikquhilles | 1 davach | ||||
| Pitfure (R) | Petfuir (c) | Pitfwir | Pitfuyr | 1½ davachs? | ||
| Coul (D) | ½ Coull (e) | Cowll | Cowll | Cowle | Cowle | ⅓ davach? |
| Morness (R) | Morines | Morenes | Mornes | Morenes | 2 davachs? | |
| Craggy (R) | Cragie | 2 in Rogart – both 3d | ||||
| Leataidh (R) | Ladie | Lady | Leady | 1½ davachs? | ||
| Blarich (R) | Blaricht | Blaroquhy | Blarocht | 1 davach? or 3d (k) | ||
| Langwell (R) | ½ Langwell | Langwell | Langoll | ½ = 3d? |
Sutherland Book III No 4 1222-1245 Scelleboll (Skelbo) apparently had 12 davachs.
Sutherland Book III No 1 c. 1211 mentions Scelbol, Fernebuchlyn and Inuerchyn.
Sutherland Book III No 2 c. 1212 mentions Scelebol and Ferenbeuchlin.
Sutherland Book III No 3 c. 1214 mentions Scelbotil, Fernebuchlyn and Inuerchen.
Sutherland Book III No 6 1235 mentions Skellebolle and Ferinbeilldin. (Ferinbeildin in Bentinck p 525).
Although I have listed them above I do not think Assynt or Edderachylis should be regarded as part of the 12-davach estate. Indeed one of the problems of the above table is that if we add the rightmost column the total comes to well over 12 davachs. Probably what happened is that the Skelbo estate started off at 12 davachs and then accrued other properties which became loosely described as part of Skelbo.
- a) The first detailed description of the lands within Skelbo is found in Sutherland Book III No 74 of 1525 (see column 2 above). Spelling variants are found in OPS II, II p 628.
- b) Sutherland Book III No 79 of 1529 also refers to Innerschine, Awchindowicke and Estyr Abyrskoure which passed from John Kynnard of Skelbo to William Suthirland of Duffous.
- c) OPS II, II p 630 (quoting Sutherland Charters) refers to Petfuir, Knokarwall, Estir Heberriscors and Hawchandrow in the barony of Skelbo in 1534 or 1535. OPS II, II p 634 (quoting Sutherland Charters) shows that these four farms of Auchandro, Estir Aberscors, Pitfour and Knokartholl were sold to Hugh Murray of Aberscors in 1578.
- d) OPS II, II p 630 (quoting Sutherland Charters) refers to Petintreill in 1529.
- e) OPS II, II pp 630-31 (quoting Sutherland Charters for 1536) refers to Petfwr, Knokcartoll, Cambussaffe, Balbrade and half of Coull.
- f) ER XIII p 266 gives a 40s rent which implies 1 davach. OPS II, II p 631 (quoting Sutherland Charters for 1551) refers to Balnabrayt extending to 2 davachs.
- g) OPS II, II p 632 (quoting Sutherland Charters for 1560 (or 1562)) refers to the lands and barony of Skelbo as in column 3 of the table above.
- h) OPS II, II p 632 (quoting Sutherland Charters for 1562) refers to the lands of Skelbo as in column 4 of the table above.
- i) OPS II, II p 633 (quoting RSS Vol XXXII f 5 1563) refers to the lands of Skelbo as in column 5 of the table above.
- j) OPS II, II p 634 (quoting Sutherland Charters for 1566) refers to the lands of Skelbo as in column 6 of the table above.
- k) ER XIII p 266 gives a 40s rent which implies 1 davach. Sutherland Book III, No 112, 1587
- l) Retours (Sutherland) (3) 1616 refers to Skelbo, Eister Skelbo, Pitmean, Coull, Ballavraid, Cambusavie, Westir Abirscorss, Morroch (Morvich), Morres (Morines?), Lytill Rogart, Craigie, Lady (Leataidh), Blench (Blarich), ½ of Langwell, Pentraill (Pittentrail).
Bentinck, Dornoch Cathedral and Parish p 537, gives a list of Tenants on the Skelbo estate in 1718. This states that:
William Macintosh, officer of Skelbo, depones he has a possession of the lands of Skelbo of yearly value of Two Bolls Bear allowed him for his service as officer to the Barony of Skelbo, and that there is waste in the Barrony of Skelbo beside a halfpenny land to the value of Two Bolls and Six Shillings Sterling, Threepenny lands with 12 bolls bear and 27 merks Scots yearly.
Since a halfpennyland was valued at 2 bolls we can deduce that the officer had a halfpennyland for his service – which is a custom also found on the west coast. It would mean a pennyland was worth 4 bolls and a sixpennyland (or davach) worth 24 bolls. Interestingly this is half the rate which Alasdair Ross found in Moray.
In later years the barony of Skelbo included numerous other lands such as Torboll. See Sutherland Book III No 98, 1562.
Finally, NLS Dep.313/81 Decreet of Sale of Skelbo 1787, p 155, gives the estate properties in 1787.
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