Halkirk
Principal Sources
OSA Vol 19 No 1 1797
NSA Vol XV 1845 (written in 1840)
RMS I (614) 1374-5
RMS II (1267) 1476, (1404) 1478 on original of 1455, (2506) 1499
RMS III (1798) 1538, (2048) 1539, (3215) 1545-6
RMS IV (1635) 1565, (1705) 1565-6 on original of 1560
RMS V (1341) 1587, (1977) 1591
RMS VI (1729, 1758) 1606
RMS VII (409.2) 1610 on original of 1583, (1508) 1616
RMS VIII (1581) 1630
RMS XI (53) 1661
RSS I (607) 1500
RSS II (624) 1530
RSS III (167) 1542-3, (1570) 1545-6, (2228) 1547, (2717-8) 1548
RSS IV (1374) 1551, (3060, 3067) 1555
GD96/5A 1476
GD96/63 c. 1554
GD96/354 1610, GD 96/542 1636 on original of 1634
GD112/58/1/7 1552, GD112/58/1/9 1553
GD112/58/14/21 1662
GD112/58/154/11 n.d.
GD112/58/200/8 1597
GD139/97/1 & 2 1628
RS36/2/96r 1606
RS37/1/158r 1619
RS37/1/159r 1619
RS37/3/24r 1624
RS37/3/59v 1624
RS20/1/p 26 1648
RS20/1/pp 156-7 1662
RS20/1/pp 163-4 1662
RS20/1/pp 174-5 1663
RS20/1/pp 193-4 1664
RS20/1/p 195 1664
RS20/1/p 196 1664
RS20/1/p 201 1665
RS21/1/324v 1701
RS21/1/325r 1701
RS21/1/326r 1701
RS21/1/327r 1701
RS21/1/334v 1702
Records of the Parliaments of Scotland (online), 19/4/1567 – NAS PA2/10, II, ff 22v-23r
Retours (Caithness) (2) 1565, (10) 1620, (22) 1644, (29) 1672, (33) 1680, (34) 1684
ADC pp 345-6 1494
RHP 417 1802 Estate of Scotscalder
RHP 1217 nd, Assery, Brawllbin, Lurrery and Achscrabster
RHP 1218/1 & 2 1866, Brawlbin, Lambsdale, Assery
RHP 1679 1887
RHP 1681 Dorrery & Scotscalder boundary c.1864
RHP 2776, 2777, 2780/1, 2781, 2778, 2779, 2784, 2782/1-2, 2783, Dorrery
RHP 2785 1911 Estate of Scotscalder
RHP 4418/1/28 Sale Descriptions (1919) (Forss)
Hay Shennan, Boundaries of Counties and Parishes in Scotland, Edinburgh, 1892 (hereafter ‘Shennan’).
Caithness and Sutherland Records, Vol I, Pt VI, London, 1912, p 131.
Bangor-Jones, M., Ouncelands and Pennylands in Sutherland and Caithness, in MacGregor & Crawford (1987), pp 13-23
MacGregor, L., & Crawford, B., (eds), Ouncelands and Pennylands, University of St Andrews, 1987
Henderson, J., General View of the Agriculture of the County of Caithness, London, 1815 (hereafter, ‘Henderson, Agriculture’)
Henderson, J., Caithness Family History, Edinburgh, 1884
Myatt, L., The Early Ecclesiastical Remains of Halkirk parish, Caithness Field Club Bulletin, April 1975. (Hereafter ‘Myatt (1975)’).
Old-Lore Miscellany of Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and Sutherland, Vol X, Viking Society for Northern Research, London, 1935-46. (Hereafter Miscellany Vol X).
Peterkin, A., Rentals of the Ancient Earldom and Bishoprick of Orkney, Edinburgh, 1820. (This book is arranged in Sections: I – VI. Hereafter ‘Peterkin’ + Section No.).
e.g.
Peterkin III p 23 ff – Demands by the Toune of Edinburgh and Answers therto, with what Instructions I can remember concerning ye Bischoprick of Orknay c. 1642
Sinclair, T., Caithness Events (Second edition), Wick, 1899
Dorrery was a detached part of Thurso parish which was transferred to Halkirk in 1891 (Shennan p 129). I have included it under Halkirk.
This parish was formerly the two parishes of Halkirk and Skinnet. OPS II, II p 756 comments on the difficulty of trying to distinguish their boundaries. RMS V (1977) 1591 refers to ‘Ulgranmoir, Ulgranbeg, Thormesdeill, Eister Daill and Wester Daill in the parishes of Halkirk and Skenane’ which does at least tell us that these farms covered some of each parish.
There are various units of lay and ecclesiastical organisation which occur in mediaeval documents. We find baronies, lordships, bishoprics, regalities etc. In Halkirk we also find a ‘hospitality’ – viz. that of Spittal. I am not sure what this may have entailed but it certainly had currency. See, for example, RS20/1/p 26 1648, RS21/1/327r 1701.
The English word ‘field’ (or its Latin equivalent campus) occurs quite frequently in the sasines. So, in RS20/1/pp 174-5 1663, Norncaldell included the ‘field’ of Framside while Leurarie included the ‘field’ of Achscrabster. The second element of the name Framside is probably from Old Norse settr or shieling. The ‘Ach’ in Achscrabster is the Gaelic achadh or field, while the Scrabster part is the same as Scrabster in Thurso whose earliest form suggests an ending in bolstadr – one of the Old Norse terms for a farm. But, whatever their toponymic origins, in 1663 they are both classed as ‘fields’. My impression is that Framside was now viewed as more important than formerly. It was not just a shieling but probably included cultivated ground. Achscrabster, in contrast, was perhaps less important than it had once been. In Norse times it would have ranked with all the other ‘bolstadr’ and ‘buster’ names in Caithness. Now it was no longer one of the primary settlements, but just a constituent of a larger farm. The use of the term ‘field’ implies cultivation and therefore relative importance.
Another intriguing fact is revealed in RS20/1/pp 174-5 of 1663. Information about local farm-names and land -assessment was already being lost. The document has a number of blanks left in the text. It is possible that the scribe deliberately left them blank in the hope of filling them later with information from a local source. In any event he did not know all the relevant facts. He did not know the values of Sour or Gerstane and after the two ‘fields’ of Achabrall (Achavrole ND 1059) there was apparently another ‘field’ whose name and value have both been omitted.
Some later documents (e.g. RMS XI (53) 1661) refer to ‘Lewsbambster’ and ‘Knockingaldin’ which I have not been able to locate but which probably lay between Halkirk and Upper Strathhalladale.
The table shows a minimum of 120⅝d or 20+ davachs.
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