Highland Archive Centre

We were delighted to welcome 28 people to our talk last night looking at Crime and Punishment archives held by the Highland Archive Centre. The next in this series of four talks will examine some of the many trade and business archives we hold, including the papers of Fraser Timber Merchants (with its letter signed by Thomas Telford), the archives of the Rose Street Foundry (AI Welders) and many others!
Please join us on 1st May for this!

For today’s post we have two sections of CI/4/2/29, the Valuation Roll for the County of Inverness, 1918-1919. Valuation Rolls were compiled annually in order to calculate the rates paid on each property. These pages show the workers at Moy Hall, the home of the Chiefs of the Clan MacKintosh. You’ll notice the occupations such as butler, dairymaid, and gamekeeper. The other page shows those working on the Moy and Tomatin Railways, occupations such as pointsman and surfaceman are common. Moy and Tomatin Railways were both opened in 1897 and closed in 1965.

For the next fortnight we will be focusing on the joint parishes of Moy and Dalarossie, exploring the various archives which we hold pertaining to the Parish. We start with a section of the 2nd Edition 6 inch Ordnance Survey Map No. XXXII, which was published in 1904. Shown is the village of Tomatin along with Tomatin Distillery which was built in 1894. The census taken in 1901 gave the parish population as 761.

Royal Charter of Confirmation from James VI to David, Bishop of Ross, 1610 HCA/D/282
In 1560, David Lindsay (c1531-1613), Bishop of Ross, was nominated minister of Leith and by 1568 was one of the prominent members of the general session of the Church of Scotland. He became influential at court and in 1589 accompanied James VI (1566-1625), King of Scotland, as chaplain on the journey to Norway, where he married the king and his bride, Anne of Norway, on 23 November 1589. Lind...say’s continued services to the King were rewarded in 1600 with the bishopric of Ross and with admission to the Privy Council. In 1604 he accompanied James VI when he traveled to England to be proclaimed James I, King of England. David Lindsay died in 1613 and was buried at Leith.
This Royal Charter of Confirmation dated 1610 from James VI to David, Bishop of Ross is confirming him in his lands at Tarbat and Rosskeen at Easter Ross.
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From 1st May - 28th June the Highland Archive Centre in #Inverness is proud to be hosting "A Time to Fight: Living and Remembering WWII", an exhibition of photography by Inverness-born photographer Robert D Anderson. Please see attached poster for further details and visit us in May and June to see these beautiful images. Unicorn Publishing

HCA/CRC/4/2/47
This is a page from the valuation roll for the County of Ross and Cromarty for 1934-35. Valuation rolls recorded ownership of property and list the proprietor, tenant, occupier and annual rateable value of each property and are a great resource for local historians.

Rockfield (Ross-shire)Harbour, HCA/D1456/1
Here is a sketch of the proposed boat harbour and landing pier at Rockfield as surveyed by Joseph Mitchel, Civil Engineer dated May 1828.

Tarbat School Board, Plans of New School Buildings to be Erected at Portmohomack, 1870s HCA/CRC/5/4/23/1+2
Following on from the popular post on Wednesday with the photograph of Tarbat Old School in Portmahomack, here are two plans of the school building showing the layout of the internal rooms, the outside playgrounds and some proposed extensions.

HCA/CRC/5/3/63j
This photograph was taken at Tarbat Old School in Portmahomack c 1900, showing the pupils in front of the school building. After the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872, it was compulsory for schools to keep log books which record the daily goings on in the school. The first log book for Tarbat Old School dates from 2 March 1874 with the first entry reading:
‘Commenced new school year in terms of circular from the Education Department. Attendance very low and irregular in consequence of measles’.

Today we begin our two week exploration of the Parish of Tarbat, situated in the county of Ross and Cromarty. Tarbat contains the villages of Portmahomack, Rockfield and Balnabruach and extends around 7.5 miles long and 4 miles wide. The name Tarbat comes from the Gaelic ‘Tairbeart’ meaning a crossing or isthmus.
This image is the 1907 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map (sheet XXX) for Ross and Cromarty showing the Parish of Tarbat which is bounded by the Dornoch Firth and Moray Firth and by the parishes of Fearn and Tain.

For the last in this series of posts on the parish of Rogart we have an extract from the Sutherland Constabulary Daily Occurrence Book for Rogart Station, dated 13th and 14th November 1907 (R91/B/5/16/3). The constable, PC Hugh Macdonald, describes attending the midday and evening trains at the railway station, then taking a statement regarding a theft of honey from a hive. The following day he uses red ink to write up his account of the detection of the young culprits of said theft.
“…found part of said honey in possession of John Matheson aged 11 years and Alexander Matheson aged 9 years sons of and residing with George Matheson Shoemaker at Rovie and some of the said honey in possession of Donald Swanson aged 14 years son of and residing with George Swanson Cattleman Rovie..”

Have you received outstanding customer service from a member of the High Life Highland team? Why not nominate them for a staff award? Nominations close 31st March! https://www.highlifehighland.com/nominate -member-team/

Monday is the launch of #Archive30, a month-long social media campaign which sees archives across the world post items from their collections which tie in to daily themes. The themes, which can be seen below, are very varied and can have a wide range of interpretations! Join us over on Twitter (@hlharchives) to see what we share throughout April!
Archives & Records Association Scotland - ARA Scotland Am Baile - Highland History and Culture Scottish Council on Archives

Today we look at the Admissions Register for Blarich School 1880-1967 (CS/5/5/6/d). This was one of the ‘side schools’ which existed in the parish and served those children who lived too far away from Rogart School.
This type of document is a valuable resource for anyone tracing their family history; as well as the name and date of birth of the child, it gives the name of the parent or guardian, their address, and the name of any previous school attended. The last column also gives the date and cause of leaving. It can be seen that once a child reached the age of fourteen, they were deemed ‘Over age’ and would leave school.
These two images are for entries in the register between 1910 and 1913.

Our Community Engagement Officer, Lorna, spent yesterday with the lovely P3-6 pupils of Applecross Primary School.
The pupils, who are studying the Victorians, had already done a wide range of work (including learning about the impact of the Poor Relief and Education Acts) and were full of great questions about Victorian-era documents held in the Highland Archive Centre. We looked at the changes in science and healthcare, education and transport which happened in Queen Victo...ria's reign, as well as discussing what life was life for both the poor and the rich in the Highlands.
The pupils can be seen below, trying their best to pull 'serious Victorian' faces before giving up and bursting into laughter! Also shown are some images from the beautiful journey from Inverness to Applecross, including some of the others traffic encountered on the road! The Highland Council Scottish Council on Archives
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Our Community Engagement Officer, Lorna, spent yesterday with the lovely P3-6 pupils of Applecross Primary School. The pupils, who are learning about the Victorians, had already studied a wide range of things (including the impact of the Poor Relief and the Education Acts) and were full of great questions about documents in the Highland Archive Centre dating from the Victorian era. We discussed the development of science and healthcare, the different types of lifestyle expe...rienced by the rich and the poor, the huge changes in education during Queen Victoria's reign and the growth of the railway network in the Highlands.
The pictures below show the class trying their best to do 'serious Victorian' poses before giving up and smiling for the camera! Also shown are some images from the beautiful journey from Inverness to Applecross, including some of the other traffic on the road...
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In the centre of this section of the map (OS 6” 1st ed. 1879 Sutherland Sheet CIV) of the Rogart area, we can see a hill named ‘Creag a’ Bhata’. Interestingly, there are two very different theories as to the origins of this name.
The Ordnance Survey Name Book (OS1/33/26), which gives detailed descriptions of all the features on the map, translates the name as ‘Rock of the Staff’, the Gaelic word ‘bata’ meaning stick or staff. However, if it is spelt ‘bàta’ with an accent on... the letter a, it means boat, and ‘Creag a’ Bhàta’ translates as Rock of the Boat, which may seem an unusual name, given that it is four miles inland.
However, a large area of land was reclaimed from the sea in 1816 when the ‘Mound’ was built. In his book ‘Rogart, the Story of a Sutherland Crofting Parish’, John Macdonald writes that prior to this, the hill could have been a marker for the upper tidal reaches, hence the name. His book gives a fascinating insight into the social history of the area, and can be consulted in the Family History room at the Highland Archive Centre.
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For our third look at the parish of Rogart, here are two extracts from the School Log Book 1915-1930 (CS/5/5/29d). These books were kept by the schoolteacher, and were a means of recording information about the day-to-day occurrences in the school, and give a fascinating insight into life at the time. Mention is often made of the weather, pupils’ attendance and performance. It was common for children to be absent at harvest time, as they would have to help their families w...ork on the land.
In these particular extracts, pupils were absent due to illness. The first image is of one of the pages at the front of the Log Book. At the top of the page we can see names of prize winners of an ‘SSPCA Essay Competition’, but further down the page the teacher has noted ‘Epidemics’ and listed the outbreaks; of Whooping Cough, Scarlet Fever, German Measles, Chicken Pox, Infectious Tonsilitis and Influenza. The second image shows the teacher’s notes on absences caused by these outbreaks and the eventual closure of the school due to the epidemic.
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Very helpful staff!

Thoroughly recommend visiting the Highland Archive Centre. The wealth of knowledge in this beautiful building coupled with the excellent staff make it a great experience. Hopefully all the departments receive much needed funding to continue preserving our history and heritage.

My husband and I are doing the 6 Week Archive Class with the Highland Archive Centre. Loving every minute of it! It's a well structured class and very informative. Each week we learn about a different set of records i.e. Education, Property, Church, Estate etc and it's been absolutely fascinating. The Highland Archive Centre is an outstanding resource in the Highlands, and what really stands out is just how passionate the staff are about working there. We'll be using the resource a lot in the future, and we both highly recommend taking a visit if you want to know more about your Ancestry or Highland history. You may just be amazed by what you find. Today I was reading Inverness Town Council Minutes from 1720 - 1749 in the original book.

Just done a 4 week course with Anne Fraser. She covered so much stuff and so helpful with our queries. Thanks also for the help today online.

I was there with a group of friends in a meeting about the spirit of emigration in Scotland, we was reading letters manuscripts for emigrants hundred years ago as well. Nice atmosphere.

I had a great consultation with Anne Fraser, Family Historian, at the Inverness Archives when I visited there in October 2017. I'm still trying to find my GGGG Grandfather named Alexander Fraser who immigrated to New Brunswick,Canada in the early 1800s but with Anne's help I hope to make a breakthrough. Thank you Inverness Archives for the amazing work you do preserving Scotland's history!

HAC offers a brilliant service - there is so much to see and learn about. Fascinating.... It is not just about research and documents, HAC allows you to step into the past... The staff are great.

Fantastic service! A wealth of information, particularly looking at Craig Dunain records around 1900, everything you’d ever want to know, looking forward to visiting again

Fantastic place very helpful staff very friendly and enjoyed our tour had a fantastic day many thanks

Brilliant service, all staff very helpful, nothing was too much trouble.

Beautiful building

Very helpful staff!

Thoroughly recommend visiting the Highland Archive Centre. The wealth of knowledge in this beautiful building coupled with the excellent staff make it a great experience. Hopefully all the departments receive much needed funding to continue preserving our history and heritage.

My husband and I are doing the 6 Week Archive Class with the Highland Archive Centre. Loving every minute of it! It's a well structured class and very informative. Each week we learn about a different set of records i.e. Education, Property, Church, Estate etc and it's been absolutely fascinating. The Highland Archive Centre is an outstanding resource in the Highlands, and what really stands out is just how passionate the staff are about working there. We'll be using the resource a lot in the future, and we both highly recommend taking a visit if you want to know more about your Ancestry or Highland history. You may just be amazed by what you find. Today I was reading Inverness Town Council Minutes from 1720 - 1749 in the original book.

Just done a 4 week course with Anne Fraser. She covered so much stuff and so helpful with our queries. Thanks also for the help today online.

I was there with a group of friends in a meeting about the spirit of emigration in Scotland, we was reading letters manuscripts for emigrants hundred years ago as well. Nice atmosphere.

I had a great consultation with Anne Fraser, Family Historian, at the Inverness Archives when I visited there in October 2017. I'm still trying to find my GGGG Grandfather named Alexander Fraser who immigrated to New Brunswick,Canada in the early 1800s but with Anne's help I hope to make a breakthrough. Thank you Inverness Archives for the amazing work you do preserving Scotland's history!

HAC offers a brilliant service - there is so much to see and learn about. Fascinating.... It is not just about research and documents, HAC allows you to step into the past... The staff are great.

Fantastic service! A wealth of information, particularly looking at Craig Dunain records around 1900, everything you’d ever want to know, looking forward to visiting again

Fantastic place very helpful staff very friendly and enjoyed our tour had a fantastic day many thanks

Brilliant service, all staff very helpful, nothing was too much trouble.

Beautiful building

Very helpful staff!

Thoroughly recommend visiting the Highland Archive Centre. The wealth of knowledge in this beautiful building coupled with the excellent staff make it a great experience. Hopefully all the departments receive much needed funding to continue preserving our history and heritage.

My husband and I are doing the 6 Week Archive Class with the Highland Archive Centre. Loving every minute of it! It's a well structured class and very informative. Each week we learn about a different set of records i.e. Education, Property, Church, Estate etc and it's been absolutely fascinating. The Highland Archive Centre is an outstanding resource in the Highlands, and what really stands out is just how passionate the staff are about working there. We'll be using the resource a lot in the future, and we both highly recommend taking a visit if you want to know more about your Ancestry or Highland history. You may just be amazed by what you find. Today I was reading Inverness Town Council Minutes from 1720 - 1749 in the original book.

Just done a 4 week course with Anne Fraser. She covered so much stuff and so helpful with our queries. Thanks also for the help today online.

I was there with a group of friends in a meeting about the spirit of emigration in Scotland, we was reading letters manuscripts for emigrants hundred years ago as well. Nice atmosphere.

I had a great consultation with Anne Fraser, Family Historian, at the Inverness Archives when I visited there in October 2017. I'm still trying to find my GGGG Grandfather named Alexander Fraser who immigrated to New Brunswick,Canada in the early 1800s but with Anne's help I hope to make a breakthrough. Thank you Inverness Archives for the amazing work you do preserving Scotland's history!

HAC offers a brilliant service - there is so much to see and learn about. Fascinating.... It is not just about research and documents, HAC allows you to step into the past... The staff are great.

Fantastic service! A wealth of information, particularly looking at Craig Dunain records around 1900, everything you’d ever want to know, looking forward to visiting again

Fantastic place very helpful staff very friendly and enjoyed our tour had a fantastic day many thanks

Brilliant service, all staff very helpful, nothing was too much trouble.

Beautiful building