Some of the info in this file comes from partial transcription of a manuscript in the National Archives of Scotland in the
Seaforth Muniments collection, GD 46/6/45/19, to that base I am adding notes based on information from other sources,
including correspondance from descendants of the people named, and also adding hypertext links to mentions of the people
named in other files.
The Militia List was supposed to record every male in the Parish from 15 to 60, but likely it is far from complete.
The list is Headed;
List Containing
The columns are described as;
The Number and Names of those respectively having property in the Parish of Lochbroom.
The Number and Names of the several Towns their different Properties consist of.
The Number, Names and Designations of the Male Inhabitants in each Town from fifteen to sixty years of Age, of whom
these, having their Employer's names prefix'd, are Mariners, and the others almost all Boatmen (these marked X before
their names excepted).
The Number of Boats and small working Horses in the several Towns.
The Number of such Horses as are used less or more in the Draught together with the Number of Waggons in the Parish,
these two last to be considered as belonging to the particular Person or Persons whose names do immediately precede them.
N.B a X Those Towns marked thus after them are actual grassroom places having no fishing
Boats, and therefore, the Inhabitants, as required, not considered as Boatmen, but all those others residing where boats are
said to be may be considered in the general as Boatmen, so far as Act as their Crews by turns, in time of the Herring Fishing
-- None of those called the Ullapool Volunteers are included here who are said to be in number 140.
A few general notes:
The notes above indicate 140 not included people were in the "Ullapool Volunteers", no list for that group has been
found, however, a few are identified in other documents;
Capt R. Melvill to be Major-Commandant.
Lieutenant John Campbell to be Captain of a Company.
To be Lieutenants,
Thomas Mackenzie, Gent. vice Campbell.
John Robertson, Gent.
Samuel Whittle, Gent.
The 12 November 1799 edition of the London Gazette (http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/15203/pages/1163) notes the transfer
of Lieutenant Samuel Whittle from the Ullapool Volunteers to Princess Charlotte of Wale's Regiment of Fencible Infantry.
People are numbered consecutively within each townland.
Except for the last few places rather than apportioning boats and horses to individuals, totals are given for each of
those communities.
"The Lady Elibank" was Isabella Mackenzie, born 30 March, 1725 at Castle Leod near Strathpeffer, died 28 December, 1801,
married 8 January, 1760 to George Murray, 6th Lord Elibank, an Admiral. She held the Cromarty Estates, including Coigach,
from the death of her cousin Captain Kenneth Mackenzie 2 November, 1796, till her own death in 1801, the estates then passed
to her daughter and son-in-law.
Several people are noted as Servants to Thomas Mackenzie of Langwell, he himself does not appear, as he was over 60 years
of age in 1798.
"Strathpolly" clearly includes Inverpolly and Dalpolly, and probably includes the rough land to the north-west,
Eichbreachy and Runabreck.
"Waggons" are noted in the column headings, but in the columns as "Coups". Wikipedia says of coup�s;
"In the 19th century a coup� was a closed four-wheel horse-drawn carriage, cut (coup�) to eliminate the forward, rear-facing
passenger seats, with a single seat inside for two persons behind the driver, who sat on a box outside..."
Note that Coigach is said to have become accessable to wheeled transport only eight years before this List, none of the
nine Coups in the Parish are in Coigach.
Owner of the vessels at Isle Tanera, Donald Macdonald, was a merchant at Lochinver in neighbouring Assynt Parish, he
was from the Isle of Skye where he was Chieftan of the Macdonalds of Heisker and Skeabost.
"George Mackenzie of Dundonnel Esqr" succeeded to the Estates nine years before this list, in 1789. The
Scottish historian, Malcolm Bangor-Jones, gives a short biography of George on page 105 of "Peoples and Settlement in
North-West Ross";
"... a careful manager, he preferred to hold to the traditional ways of a Highland laird, dressing very plainly in a
`kelt-coat and trousers' and enjoying the services of a numerous tenantry, rather than turning his estate over to sheep to
support a more extravagant lifestyle. By the turn of the 19th century he was the only resident landlord in the parish of
Lochbroom. Some thought him `stingy' but when he died in 1816 he left the estate free from debt, personal property valued at
£5,176 and his family well provided for"
Where occupation "Pensioner" is noted it can be assumed those were "Chelsea Pensioners", retired from the army.
The occupation "Bowman" described someone in charge of cattle, the Gaelic word "b�" means cow.
Here is a surname breakdown of the 1798 Lochbroom Militia List;
And here is a forename breakdown of the 1798 Lochbroom Militia List;
John (110)
Alexander (82)
Donald (70)
Kenneth (55)
Roderick (48)
Murdoch (46)
William (28)
Duncan (24)
Hugh (10)
Simon (10)
Angus (9)
James (7)
Colin (6)
Hector (6)
Thomas (6)
George (5)
Philip (5)
Normand (4)
Robert (4)
Niel (4)
Christopher (2)
Evander (2)
Farquhar (2)
Zacharias (2)
Aulay (1)
Benjamin (1)
Casar (1)
Fergus (1)
Francis (1)
Henry (1)
Lewis (1)
Magnus (1)
Malcolm (1)
Michael (1)
Patrick (1)
There is a bracket before names 4 and 5, and before and after 6 through 10, Athol Lamont in Australia is researching the
Fraser family at Achindrean, his research shows Roderick and Donald as there (Donald in the 1841 census as then patriarch of
the Achindrean Fraser family), and MacDonald researchers also have their family there, so the first three were likely at
Polchoir, and the last seven at Achindrein.
Proprietor: The Lady Elibank
Boats: 1
Horses: 4
Count of Boats and Horses is repeated, presumably for the second of the two named communities;
John Stewart, Servant [ Presumably this is the John Stewart in the 1841 census at Badenscallie 41-9 noted as having had children born at Inverpolly ]
Alexander Macleod, Tenant [ Presumably this is the Alexander MacLeod noted by his son John as
having been joint-tenant at Inverpolly, see Achadh' a Bhraigh 41-3, his wife had been a
Margaret, Maiden Surname MacLeod. A brother of that John, Alexander at Badenscallie 41-1 agrees,
but seems to have mother Margaret's Maiden Surname as "Kerr" ]
Roderick Macleod, Tenant [ Presumably the other "Joint-tenant" of Inverpolly ]
John Macleod, Taylor
Angus Macleod, Tenant
Murdoch Macleod, Cottar
Angus Macleod, with an aged sickly Father a Tenant
Donald Macleod, Servant
Roderick Macleod, said last's Son
John Graham, Tenant [ Likely this and the following John Graham were at Runabreck, In 1769
there were three Grahams there, see chart in the intro to the file achil.htm ]
At this point in the Militia List a subtotal of the previous is noted as "The whole number of Men, Boats, and Horses
found out to be on Lady Elibank's Property in Lochbroom with 36 Marinas and Pools belonging to these owners, with Boats and
Horses ???????", that last word illegible, though ending with a count of 228 Men, 45 Boats, and 105 Horses.
Dundonnel, with Corrihail, Balblair, and Arkachy (that last placename possibly mistranscribed)
John Macdonald, alias MacIanrue, Tenant (the alias surname might be mistranscribed, might be Gaelic patronymic for
"son of John son of Roderick", or for "son of red John")
George Mackenzie, Sons with an aged Father, a Tenant
John Mackenzie (there is a bracket connecting George and John, presumably brothers)
Donald MacLeod, Tenant
Hector Mackenzie, Tenant
Donald Fraser, Tenant
Kenneth Mackenzie, Tenant
William Mackenzie, said last's Son
William Mackenzie, alias Donn, Tenant
Alexander Mackenzie, with an aged Father, a Tenant
Roderick MacLea, a Tenant
Kenneth MacLea, said's Son
At this point in the Militia List a subtotal of the previous is noted as "The whole number of Men, Boats, and Horses
said out to be on Dundonnel's Property", ending with a count of 150 Men, 25 Boats, and 77 Horses.
Alexander Mackenzie, with an aged Father in Law a Tenant
John Campbel, Tenant
At this point in the Militia List a subtotal of the previous is noted as "The whole number of Men, Boats, Horses, and
Coups said out to be on Tulloch's Property", ending with a count of 100 Men, 7 Boats, 92 Horses, and 4 Coups.
The following two sections with "Sir George Mackenzie Coul" and "Achilty" as Proprietors have Boats, Horses, and Coups
apportioned to individuals rather than totaled by communities.
Donald Ross, with an aged Father, a Tenant, has 2 horses
Roderick MacLeod, a Tenant, has 2 horses
Kenneth Mackenzie, Tenant, has 2 horses
Kenneth Cameron, Tenant, has 1 boat, 2 horses
John Cameron, Son to said's
Duncan MacIver, Tenant, has 1 horse
Donald MacLean, Tenant, has 2 horses
At this point in the Militia List a subtotal of the previous is noted as "Total Men, Boats, Horses, and Coups
represented to be on Coul's Estate", ending with a count of 59 Men, 9 Boats, 63 Horses, and 1 Coup.
Alexander Cameron, Inn-keeper and Tenant, has 1 boat, 3 horses
Donald MacLeod, said's Servant
Angus MacIver, said's Cottar, has 1 horse
Donald Mackenzie, a Superannuated Man and Tenant, has 1 boat, 2 horses
Duncan Mackenzie, a Tenant, has 2 horses
Kenneth Mackenzie, Tenant, has 2 horses
Donald MacAulay, Tenant, has 2 horses
Angus MacAulay, said's Brother, Tenant, has 1 boat, 2 horses
Murdoch Mackenzie, Servant to said Donald MacAulay
Kenneth Cameron, Servant to said Angus MacAulay
Roderick Macdonald, alias Dalvaih, Tenant, has 2 horses (alias surname probably mistranscribed)
John Cameron, said's Servant
Murdoch Mackenzie, alias Down, Tenant, has 2 horses
William Fraser, Cooper
Roderick Mackenzie, Tenant, has 2 horses
Kenneth Fraser, Cottar
Alexander Munro, Cottar
Roderick Mackenzie, Cottar, has 1 horse
At this point in the Militia List a subtotal of the previous is noted as "Achilty's Proportion of Men, Boats, and
Horses said to be on the Whole Estate", ending with a count of 18 Men, 3 Boats, 21 Horses
James MacCallam, Conyer and Possessor (first occupation possibly mistranscribed)
John Flemming, their Shep-herd
John Menzies, their Fox-hunter
At this point in the Militia List a total of the previous subtotals is made; 560 Men, 89 Boats, 362 Horses, and 7 Coups.
That total looks not to include the 6 Men, 4 Horses, 2 Coups on the Minister's Glebe, or George Simpson at Achiltibuie, my
own count totals 558 Men. A final attestation is then made by Alexander Stronach, the Minister, that those having Coups use
only their "Garrons" (see the Wikipedia definition of the Highland pony referred to as "Garron") to pull them, no oxen being used for that purpose.
This file, and others dealing with history and genealogy of Coigach, links from my homepage at:
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