Inn at Achavanich

[adtoo]

Before my great-great-grandparents migrated to Australia in 1862, they operated the inn at Achavanich, as did Alexander's parents and his father's parents before him. Last year we visited Caithness and located Achavanich Farm and the abandoned school. Can anyone tell me whether the inn is still standing, and if so, where it is located?

adtoo

[spittalhill]

According to John Thomson's 1832 Atlas of Scotland, the Inn of Achavanich was adjacent to the east side of the main Latheron-Thurso road near where the side road to Lybster is now(not shown on Thomson's map), and therefore near the school. I can only remember the school and the farm at that location. It may well be that the Inn was where the farmhouse is now. That is the case a few miles further north, at Mybster Inn. I see in the 1841 census, Alexander Forbes(60), publican, Achavanich. Your ancestor?

[Ballymore]

Try going into Google earth - you can see the farm (which could have been the inn as some inns were the owners residences) and the school. My husbands relations (MacGregor) came from Badyryrie and Munsary (Bruce) - on the other side of Stemster Loch - they probably went to the Achavanich school.

[spittalhill]

The school at Achavanich was built circa 1875 to replace older schools at Rangag and Munsary, so they probably did attend either Achavanich or before that, Munsary.

[spittalhill]

I forgot to mention there is an excellent article about Badryrie on caithness.org.

[Ballymore]

I forgot to mention there is an excellent article about Badryrie on caithness.org.

Thanks - husband's dad wrote that!

[adtoo]

Thanks for your comments.

Yes, Spittalhill, the Alexander Forbes in the 1841 census was my 3g-grandfather. My 2g-grandfather Alexander Forbes also operated the inn for a few years before he migrated. My 4g-grandfather James Forbes is described as a house carpenter and inn-keeper, so there's a strong possibility that he had the inn at an even earlier date.

When I visited Achavanich, I assumed that the inn was attached to the farm. However, during a later visit to Caithness Horizons, I discovered an old map that, as you say, Spittalhill, showed the inn on the east side of the road (the farm is on the west side). There is a two-storey house just around the corner on the Lybster road in about the same position as the inn is shown on the map, but I didn't pay sufficient attention to it at the time to estimate its age.

As for Achavanich school, it's too modern for my ancestors to have attended it. Like you, Ballymore, I have Bruce ancestors who probably attended Munsary, but the Forbes family more likely attended Rangag.

adtoo

[robbain]

Hi Adtoo
the Forbes family are connected to me

if you go to http://ambaile.org
go to Newspaer Articles link

you can request the following article
Law & Order > Excise
Achivianich: Latheron. Alexander Forbes and son found guilty of concealing 9 bushels of malt at their home.

John O'Groat Journal Friday, 30 December 1853

Robbain