Farmyard

[farmyard]

Hi everyone, I too am searching the MacKays of Reay and wonder whether there is help out there for me. My MacKay, Margaret, b. abt. 1770 married Joseph Gillespie and their daughter Christina MacKay Gillespie, b. 1813, married my g.g.grandfather David Ross, gardener, b. 1817 in Golspie, they lived at Bankhead, Poulteneytown, Wick for most of their married life. Christina continued to live there after David's death in 1865 of Typhus Fever. As you see I am also looking for Ross's also. Thank you for your input everyone. The question about Reay's position, either Sutherland or Caithness was one I was querying too. I would love to know whereabouts Bankhead was in Poulteneytown please if someone is able to tell me. Thanks. May be one day I will be able to visit Caithness for myself and see these places.

Averil:D

[Mosser]

Hi everyone, I too am searching the MacKays of Reay and wonder whether there is help out there for me. My MacKay, Margaret, b. abt. 1770 married Joseph Gillespie and their daughter Christina MacKay Gillespie, b. 1813, married my g.g.grandfather David Ross, gardener, b. 1817 in Golspie, they lived at Bankhead, Poulteneytown, Wick for most of their married life. Christina continued to live there after David's death in 1865 of Typhus Fever. As you see I am also looking for Ross's also. Thank you for your input everyone. The question about Reay's position, either Sutherland or Caithness was one I was querying too. I would love to know whereabouts Bankhead was in Poulteneytown please if someone is able to tell me. Thanks. May be one day I will be able to visit Caithness for myself and see these places.

Averil:D
Hi Farmyard,
The hamlet of Bankhead lay in the area of the present day railway station and the ground accupied by Caithness General Hospital. This ground in the early 1800s was known as Samuel's Croft.

[farmyard]

Mosser, Thank you for your details about Bankhead. As David Ross was a gardener, I have also wondered where the work would come from. Would it be a big house, or with the local Borough Council. Knowing it was a Hamlet means I can visualise a bit more how it was then.

[Mosser]

Farmyard,

The ground known as Samuel's croft was bought in 1824 by a William MacLeay who built Rosebank House. It was a typical Scottish Mansion house with large grounds and a productive Garden. In c1836 James Henderson who owned the Puluteneytown Distillery among other things bought the house and grounds and further developed it. I should think that it is a good chance that your forebearer worked there, given that his abode was adjacent.

Hope this helps

[farmyard]

Thanks again Mosser. I have Googled the people involved and found out a lot of interesting things about their lives, mainly in Australia, and also t seems James Henderson married Elizabeth MacLeay.

David's son, Henry MacKay Ross was a compositor printer; I can only guess that he was probably apprenticed when he was about 14, but was Wick really big enough in the 1850's for publishers and a number of newspapers?

[Mosser]

Yes, in the 1850s Wick had two newspapers, John O Groat Journal and the Northern Ensign, as well as this there were a few small printing businesses doing death announcements, sale bills etc. it was a thriving town, especially in the main fishing season when the population tripled

[farmyard]

I had heard of "The Groat" newspaper which I take to be the John O Groat Journal. I am hoping that there will be records of apprentices held in the Archives in Wick as there seems to be a great deal of material held in Wick.

[farmyard]

I am wondering if there is any one has information on James Ross, Mason, born in Wick in 1861 who lived in Bankhead. His brother David, also Mason, married Betsy and moved to Fife, but sister Ann worked as general servant in Wick. Brother Peter, married Catherine Nicoll, born in Latheron and lived in Bankhead. There were also two sisters, Margaret and Alexanderina. They all seem to have vanished. Any help would be much appreciated.