Sworn at!

The Duke and Duchess of Portland at Badbea

Langwell Lairds Past and Present – Is it the Dawn of a New Day?

Written by Alexander Gunn aka A Native of Badbea. Printed in the Northern Ensign 26 June 1894 Part C

To the Editor of the Northern Ensign

Continued from previous blog..

“The old laird was not such a bad man, although he was very passionate, and the least thing set him in a rage, when his language was anything but polite. There was a man George Grant, one of the Auchincraig tenants, with whom, for some cause or other, the laird got angry, and swore at him. George was relating the incident to some of his neighbours after returning home, and he was asked, "And what did you do George?" "I swore at him," was the reply. The statement was doubted by the neighbours, when George confessed it was after he crossed the bridge that the swearing took place on his part - a distance of fully three quarters of a mile from the big house.”

Bridge on the driveway to Langwell House

“As I have said, James Horne was not without good parts, but when his nephew Donald came into possession the very first thing he did was to turn out every one of the thirteen families in Auchincraig, the Cairn, and Badrinsary.”

To be continued..

Stoddard Lectures on Ireland, 1909  “An Evicted Family” www.maggieblanck.com/Mayopages/Eviction.html

My Comments:

It is not difficult to find comments indicting that others did not have a high opinion of either James or Donald Horne, for example:

'.......but of James Horne I have a very different opinion, in all respects, a most troublesome, litigious man as ever was.”

Source: Dep 313 National Library, Edinburgh. Letter to Marchioness of Stafford, 16th Dec. from Wm Young, Factor.

“The grandfather of Donald Horne WS was a blacksmith, without any connexions among the gentry, but a clever fellow who made money, bought a piece of land called Scouthal, gave his family a good education, and was latterly received in Society. One son, if I remember right, entered the Army and died s.p. Another was Count Horne [James] who made a considerable fortune as a WS and died a bachelor. He left the bulk of his means to his nephew Donald. I remember the Count, an old man with a large red nose (which the Collector says he derived from his father) crawling about the streets of Edinburgh and turning round as a young and pretty girl passed and gaping after her with a goatish stare. This propensity also he derived from the old blacksmith, and among them they transmitted it to Donald whose pranks are notorious, and were at one time likely to prove dangerous to himself. Donald's father had the same failing. He lived always in the Country, married a respectable lady of the name of Williamson, and enjoyed an indifferent reputation. He in fact was about the worst man of the Clan.

Source: JAMES ROBERTSON'S JOURNAL JBL 98 1 1842 Journal or Book of Memoranda & Jottings kept by James Robertson Sheriff Substitute Commenced at Stornoway 21 July 1841 continued at Tobermory 27 March 1842 and at Kirkwall on 14 March 1846 Vol: II. Kirkwall 31 January 1847 J.R.

Ruins at Achnacraig