W ffiv. National Library of Scotland H 'B000068723* s F*5" :*a# Sutherland and the Reay Country Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from National Library of Scotland http://www.archive.org/details/sutherlandreaycoOOgunn DUKE OF SUTHERLAND. DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND. SUTHERLAND AND THE REAY COUNTRY HISTORY, ANTIQUITIES, FOLKLORE, TOPOGRAPHY, REGIMENTS, ECCLESIASTICAL RECORDS, POETRY AND MUSIC, ETC. WITH NUMEROUS PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. EDITED BY Rev. ADA/n Gunn, n. a., John Aackay. G L A S G O W : JOHN MACKAY, "CELTIC MONTHLY" OFFICE, I g B L VTHSWOOD D R V E , 1 897. -•I will venture to say that in the whole of this island there exists nor a more intelligent population connected with the labouring and industrial interests, than the population of the County of Sutherland." —Speech in Parliament, by the Right Hon. W. E Gladstone. M- L'£, <x 3 ' ' P •1 '-?.! W~~ DEDICATED TO THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND-, AND LORD AND LADY R E A Y, THE PRESENT REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ANCIENT AND NOBLE FAMILIES OF "SUTHERLAND AND REAV," BY THE EDITORS. PREFACE. WHILE a great many works have already appeared bearing more or less remotely on the County of Sutherland, only two of these can be said to possess •much historical value, viz. Sir Robert Gordon's " Earldom of Sutherland" and Robert Mackay's "House and Clan of Mackay." Copies of these are somewhat scarce, and their price puts them beyond the reach of many. The want of such a work as the present has been long felt, and the Editors considered it would greatly enhance its value if each subject were treated separately by the best authority pro- curable. It will be readily understood that a considerable time was necessary in bringing together contributions from a variety of authors, and this accounts for the delay in the publication of the book. Subscribers, however, have lost nothing by the delay, as the volume has greatly exceeded the dimensions indicated in the prospectus, and contains ioo pages more than anticipated. It was intended at first to include chapters on the Natural History and Geology of Sutherland ; but the exigencies of space, combined with the recent appearance of exhaustive works on these subjects by Mr. Harvie-Brown, of Larbert, and Mr. Cadell, of Grange, induced the Editors to depart from their original intention. The Editors record, with thanks, their indebtedness for valuable assistance in the preparation of the work to Mr. Vlll. PREFACE. John Mackay of Hereford, whom all Highlanders recognise as one of the best representatives of their race ; to Colonel Duncan Menzies of Blairich, the popular Commanding Officer of the Sutherland Volunteers ; to the Rev. James Aberigh-Mackay, D.D., the present representative of the famous Clan Abrach of Strathnaver ; to Mr. John Munro, Hanley; to the late Mr. Thomas Bantock, of Wolverhampton ; to Mr. Henry Whyte (Fionn), the distinguished Celtic scholar ; to Dr. Anderson of the Society of Antiquaries (Scotland), for the use of a number of engravings which illustrate the Rev. Robert Munro's paper on the "Antiquities"; and to Mr. Fred Box, House of Tongue, through whose kind assistance several interesting views of the Reay country have been secured ; and, above all, to the various authors of the valuable papers relating to the County which appear in this volume. In preparing a list of notable men, the Editors found that the number of names deserving of notice was so large as to preclude adequate treatment of each. They therefore resolved to include only those who have kept in close touch with the affairs of their native county, a goodly number of whom are contributors to this work. The Editors, having now completed their labours, feel satisfied that Sutherland men at home and abroad will find in these papers something to interest them, and possibly to add to their knowledge of the past history of their native county ; while they also hope that the volume will not be without interest to other workers in the Celtic field. ADAM GUNN, » TOHN MACKAY, JJ™t-Editors. CONTENTS. PAGE History, to 1560, -------- 1 History, 1560- 1800, -------- 43 A Short Treatise on Homespun, ----- 78 Antiquities, --------- 87 Folklore, - - 116 Topography, - - - - - - - - -141 Language, - - - - - - - - -172 Regiments, - - - - - - - - - 183 Volunteers, - - - 260 Poetry and Music, -------- 283 Rob Donn, ------- - 285 Religious History before the Reformation, - - - 321 Religious History of the Reay Country after the Reformation, 333 Distinguished Men, -------- 367 List of Illustrations. A Glimpse of Strathnaver at Loch Naver, - 5 Loch Hope, looking towards Strathmore, - - - 9 The Field of Bannockburn, from Gillies Hill, - - - 12 Dunrobin Castle, Seat of the Duke of Sutherland, - - 15 Kyle of Tongue, - - - - - - - - 17 1 X. CONTENTS. The Watch Hill, Tongue, ------ 24 Castle Varrich, Kyle of Tongue, ----- 27 Strathnaver at Syre, near Rossal, ----- 29 Mackay (from M'lan's "Clans of the Scottish Highlands"), 35 Site of Borve Castle, Farr, - - - - - - 41 Tombstone on grave of Murchadh Macleod, - - - 43 Ruins of Heimsdale Castle, - - - - - - 4-5 The White Banner of the Clan Mackay, - - - - 49 Coat of Arms of the Sutherland family, - - - - 54 Tongue House, the ancient seat of the Mackay Chiefs, - 59 Coat of Arms of Donald, first Lord Reay, in Tongue House, 61 Corner in Tongue House gardens, ----- 65 Kirkiboll Churchyard, Tongue, ----- 68 Clans Sutherland and Mackay (from " The Queen's Book "), 74 Dunrobin Castle, 76 View and Plan of Rhinavie Cairns. - - - - - 91 Doorway from first to second chamber of long Cairn, - 92 North end of Cairn No. 3, - 93 Balblair Blade, - * - 98 Bronze Anvil, ---------99 Bronze Vessels found near Helmsdale, - - - 100, 10 Torish Necklace, - - - - - - - - 102 Eirde House, Erribol (cross section), - - - - 109 Ancient Gravestone in Farr Churchyard, - - - - in Colours of Mackay's Regiment in the service of Holland, 188 Colours of the Reay Fencibles, - . - 233 Place at Syre, where the Strathnaver men enlisted in 93rd, 236 " The Thin Red Line " at Balaclava, - - - - -43 Officer, Sergeant, Piper, and Privates of Sutherland Co.'s, 261 „ Caithness Companies, ------ 263 Sergeant and Privates of the Caithness Companies, - - 265 CONTENTS. Group of Officers of Battalion, - - ... 267 Group of Pipers „ ,, ------ 269 - Battalion at Invergordon Camp, - 271 „ marching past, Jubilee Review, Inverness, - 273 Colour-Sergeant Robert Mackay, Queen's Prizeman,- - 278 ^00*0 Plate Portraits. The Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, Frontispiece. Lord and Lady Reay, - To face page 1 Rev. Robert Munro, M.A., B.D., F.S.A. Scot., 87 The late John Mackay (Ben Reay), , 183 Sir A. K.C.B., 93rd S. General John Ewart, H., » -35 Lieut. -Col. Duncan Menzies, 1st S. H. R. Vol., , 260 John Mackay, C,E., J. P., Hereford, 285 Rev. John S. Mackay, Fort-Augustus, > 333 George Campbell, Sheriff of the Lews, 37i J. , James Macdo.nald, W.S., Edinburgh, , 372 Rev. Adam Gunn, M.A., Durness, - 373 Donald Matheson, of Achany, > 374 William Mackay, Provost of Thurso , 375 Rev. John Murray, Convener of the County, 378 Donald Munro, M.E., Manchester, - . 379 John Mackay, Editor Celtic Monthly, Glasgow, , 380 George Murray Campbell, C.E., Siam, , 381 Rev. James Aberigh-Mackay, D.D., , 382 List of Subscribers. Adam, Frank, Esq., F.S.A., Scot., Sourabaya, Java. Anderson, J. L., Esq., Northumberland Street, Edinburgh. Ansell, W. J., Esq., Larnacia, Cyprus. Bannerman, Hugh, Esq., Southport. Bantock, George Granville, Esq., M.D., London. Bantock, Thomas, Esq., Wolverhampton. Bickley, Thomas, Esq., J. P., Hanley. Bignold, Arthur, Esq., of Lochrosque, Ross-shire. Black, Robert, Esq., Bangkok, Siam. Bolton, Mrs., Moor Court, N. Staffordshire. Bolton, Miss Beatrice, Moor Court, N. Staffordshire. Box, John, Esq , House of Tongue, Sutherland. Box, Fred., Esq., Johannesburg, South African Republic. Bruce, Alexander, Esq., Clyne House, Pollokshields, Glasgow. Burgess, Captain A., Gairloch, Ross-shire. Cameron, A. F. H., Esq., M.D., Camden, Glos. Cameron, John, Esq., J. P., Ex-Provost of Kirkintilloch. Campbell, A. D., Esq., Komgha, Cape Colony, South Africa. Campbell, George J., Esq., Sheriff of the Lews. Campbell, John, Esq., Tongue, Sutherland. Carmichael, Dr., Tarbert. Chaplin's Library, Keswick. Chisholm, Kenneth Mackenzie, Esq., M.D., Radcliffe. Clarke, G. G., Esq., Eriboll, Sutherland. Colquhoun, Sir James, of Colquhoun and Luss, Bart. Colquhoun, Lady, Rossdhu, Loch Lomond. Cowan, George, Esq., Edinburgh. Crerar, Rev. A., Kinlochbervie. Cumming, Miss, Secretary, Sutherland Home Industries, Golspie. Cunyngham, Miss Ethel A., London. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. X11I. Dennis, Mrs. Matilda Mackay, Conneaut Lake, Penn., U.S.A. Ewart, General Sir John Alex., K.C.B., of Craigcleuch. Fraser, Alex., Esq., Solicitor, Inverness. Finlayson, Rev. D., Kinlochbervie, Sutherland. Gilmour, James, Esq., Mansion House Road, Paisley. Gilmour, William Ewing, Esq., Alexandria. Graham, William, Esq., J. P., of North Erines. Gray-Buchanan, A. W., Esq., Polmont. Gray, George, Esq., J. P., Rutherglen. Gunn, A. M., Esq., M.A., Brora, Sutherland. Gunn, Alexander, Esq., Parkhead, Glasgow. Gunn, Lieut. Gilbert, The Royal Scots, Bangalore, India. Gunn, Hugh, Esq., Strathy, Sutherland. Gunn, John, Esq., Golspie. Gunn, William, Esq., Strathpeffer. Harradence, R. W., Esq., Ware, Herts. Harvie-Brown, John A., Esq., Larbert. Hedderwick, J. C. H., Esq., M.P., Biggar. Hay, Colin, Esq., Ardbeg, I slay. Holmes, W. & R., Booksellers, Glasgow. Hopkinson, J. Garland, Esq., Monaughty, Forres. Houston, Major William, Kintradwell, Sutherland.