Catherine McBain
Born 26 May 1879
Married John MacLeod 07 June 1901
Catherine MacBean and John MacLeod were married on June 7th 1901 in the station hotel in Muir of Ord. The wedding was a double wedding with John’s brother Alexander MacLeod and Catherine’s sister Isabella MacBean. Catherine and John were living at Balnabean on the Black Isle when the twins, Annie (Nan) and Catherine (Katie) were born premature in 1902. Apparently because the twins were born early the minister requested a letter from the local doctor confirming this fact before allowing the twins to be baptised! The family continued living at Balnabean where John worked for many years as a ploughman for the Campbell family. During this time four further children were born to John and Catherine. John, Angus, Francis and Donaldina, who sadly died in infancy.
At some point the family moved to Linnie, between Tore and Redcastle. They rented a croft in the corner of a field from the Fraser family who worked the local farm. Even up to quite recent times the foundations of this cottage were still visible in the field as a reminder of where they lived. From this cottage it was a short walk across the fields to Balguneerie where the Matheson relatives lived and still do today. McKay relatives today still remember making these trips across the fields to visit their Matheson relatives.
Tragedy struck when Francis died as a teenager in an accidental shooting whilst hunting crows at Munlochy. Angus later emigrated to Australia where he lived the remainder of his life. John stayed in the area and became the local grave digger at Redcastle. He is still remembered by many of the locals today and his son and grandson continue to live in the area. As adults both of the twins went into service.
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John McLeod & Catherine McBean
with children |
John & Catherine with Nan & Katie |
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During this time Katie spent time with her close relatives in Burntisland, just across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh. The McKays in Burntisland were related through Katie’s grandmother Catherine (McKay) MacBean. Her brother John McKay had joined the railway and moved away from the Black Isle area. He met and then married Christine MacDonald in Perth on 23 August 1872. They later moved to, and settled in Burntisland. John’s older brother Duncan also worked on the railway and had previously moved to Burntisland and it is possible that John followed his older brother there. Whilst Duncan and his family later moved on again and settled in Cambridge, John and Christine remained in Burntisland. They had a son, Donald John and a daughter, Annie Christine. Donald John also remained in the area and later married Annie Irons Kilgour. Together they raised a family of four sons and five daughters. Katie and her second cousin John, the eldest son of Donald John, met and were married on the 1st August 1931. John like his father and grandfather before him worked on the railway They lived initially in Inverkeithing, a small town near to Burntisland and here their daughter Catherine was born. They later moved back to Burntisland and lived for many years in the ‘Parsonage’ at 17 Leven Street. Here they had two further children, sons John and Donald. They later moved again to live in the ‘Castle’ area of Burntisland at 72 Rossend Terrace Katie died in January 1978 at the age of 76. John outlived Katie for a number of years and died in February 1999 at the age of 98. Their daughter Catherine still lives in Burntisland and many other descendants and close relatives still live in the Fife area today. Nan MacLeod moved back to the Black Isle where she was for many years the postmistress at Tore and many in the area still remember her today. Later in life she married William Dalgetty and together they lived in a croft at Tore. Nan died in 2001 at the age of 99 |
Wedding of Catherine (Katie) McLeod & John McKay 01 August 1928 |
Nan's Cottage - 2007