I want you to meet someone.
Catharine
Sutherland was the ‘Female Servant’ and ‘Housekeeper’ for her uncle, John
Badbea Sutherland. Catharine would be my 2nd cousin 3 times removed.
To recap on previous blogs:
- ‘The remote [Scottish, Highlands] settlement of Badbea, perched on cliff tops above the sea, is one of the most notorious locations to have received the dispossessed highlanders, as well as one of the earliest.’ http://www.bbc.co.uk
- John Badbea was a leader in the Badbea community. He never married and suffered from chronic bad health, often needing support to leave the house. He was a devout Christian and kept an open home for worship thus a great many people came to his house. His sister Elizabeth (aka Betty) who also suffered severe health problems lived in the same small stone house. Catherine, the servant and housekeeper, as well as another servant girl also lived in the house.
Celebrate Catharine's life and mourn her death
I have
posted in previous blogs photos of the Badbea memorial cairn that named many
families who lived there. Sadly many inspirational and hard working women are
not named. Catharine seems to me to be an especially heart-rending omission so
I would like to celebrate her life and mourn her death.
Catharine Sutherland was born in
Ramscraigs near Dunbeath, on the east coast of northern Scotland, and baptised on
21 March 1814. Catharine’s father was
Robert Sutherland and mother Janet Sutherland. Robert’s parents are not known.
Janet, a daughter of James and Catherine Sutherland, was born in Ausdale in
1794. When she was about 10, Janet was cleared from Ausdale by James Anderson
along with her widowed mother, brothers and sisters.
Catharine’s sister Elizabeth was
born in December 1815. Janet and Robert were then living up the coast in Forse.
Robert was shown as a cooper, so making barrels to store and ship salted
herrings for the fishing industry.
Little further is known of Elizabeth, although she will re appear
briefly at the end of this story.
 |
| The shore at Dunbeath |
The evidence is scant but it
seems probable that Janet and Robert died when Catharine and Elizabeth were young.
Catharine went to live at Badbea with her Uncle John and remained in the same
house for the rest of her life. She is shown in the 1841 and later Badbea
census records in John’s household as F. S or a Female Servant.
 |
| 1841 Census Catharine is a F.S. or Female Servant |
The 1841 census shows Catharine’s age as 20
but as with many census records where ages were rounded up or down, this is
wrong - she was nearer 27. She would have worked for Uncle John probably for
many years before this census.
Catharine as Servant
So how would this busy household
devoted to ‘gatherings of men and women’ to say nothing of those coming for
counseling and comfort have impacted on the family servant Catharine? A very
great deal. John had no wife to help run the house.
The Blog ‘Afflictions’ has
extracts from John’s letters. I will recount some of them here so think about his
niece Catharine instead of John when reading them again. Also think about Catharine
walking up to the Grey Hen’s Well in all sorts of weathers to meet the coach
with her uncle’s letters and bring him back a newspaper from Glasgow if the
coach left one.
Extracts
from letters written by John Sutherland from Badbea
BADBEA, 23rd
February, 1841. To David Steven
It was two Sabbaths that I was out of
the house since you saw me. I have been poorly with my head and my breast, and
my sister has been in extreme pain at times with her usual complaint…
If you knew my loneliness, myself and
my niece many a night watching my sister, feeling the night so long…PS Pray
that I get a cow yet for I lost the cow that I had last week.
BADBEA; 25th
January, 1842. To Alexander Sinclair
The Lord has been pleased to visit me
with another rod this winter. My niece that is staying with me was brought very
low with the typhus fever; we despaired of her being recovered. She is poorly
yet and lingering. My sister that is residing in Sutherland is very low just
now with the same trouble.
BADBEA, 6
August, 1847. To David Steven, Bower
I found my afflicted sister low, but
not so low as when I came from Lybster. She was then so low that my niece and I
would be attending her most of the night…..I have food and raiment…My sister
and niece join me, and I remain, my dearest friend, yours truly.
BADBEA, 13th
December, 1849. To David Steven, Bower
The heathen’s plague (cholera) is
also cutting down our fellow-creatures in our country and neighbourhood…
It is seven miles from any means of
the very form; and I am sickly and delicate; since many years I am almost
confined to house in the winter season, and my only sister who is with me has
been in the fiery furnace for twenty-six years; my niece is also broken in
health as the crofts are so difficult to labour, no plowing, no cart here, and
the place is shut in to the rocks, while I am paying four times as much as
mother was paying when we came here; yet I could not think of leaving it,
although my niece is always for leaving it.
BADBEA, 14th September,
1855. To Alexander Sinclair
My body bears every sign that it will
soon be in the house of silence. Although is so warm today I am shivering with
cold. My niece is shearing on the steep braes but I cannot help her.
 |
The remains of the closest house to the house of John, Elizabeth
and Catharine. The stones of their house were used to build the
Memorial Monument
|
BADBEA, October, 1855. To Alexander Sinclair
I have praise the Lord that is
sparing me and that I have a place to reside in and to open the Bible on the
week and on the Sabbath. I have not any to look to me but my niece and a
servant girl. I could not work a day’s work since I mind, being so delicate.
BADBEA, 12th February, 1856. To
Alexander Sinclair
I am shut out from the day’s noise by
His hand upon me and my family called home, except my niece, and she is very
tender.
BADBEA, 23rd December,
1856. To Alexander Sinclair
In this cold weather it is seldom I
am able to come to the fireside. I cannot do anything for myself.
BADBEA, 11th August, 1857
I went, as I got a conveyance, on the
Sabbath of the Sacrament to Latheron and I got a cold. I am much troubled with
the cough since that time… I set out, taking my niece with me, and thinking to
be that night in Dalnaha. But before I went six miles through the Berriedale
hills the cramp seized my feet and I was obliged to lie down on the heather. My
niece was distressed and I had to be carried home. They are bathing my feet in
salt water and I feel ease at times.
BADBEA, 27 October, 1857. To Alexander Sinclair
I thank you
and the friends who are so kind to me by your agency. The crop was very light
on these steep braes this harvest, but it is a great privilege to have a home
and that my niece is stopping with me.
BADBEA, 19th November, 1860
I got conveyance to Dunbeath, and my
niece went with me to the market and we came home next day. It was a poor
market besides what I have seen there of the Lord’s people.
By the mid
eighteen fifties Donald Horne the
demanding Laird and owner of the Langwell estate, that included the Badbea
crofts, had got into financial difficulties, and in 1857 sold the estate to the
fifth Duke of Portland. Even though the Duke
of Portland was very wealthy his factors raised the Badbea rents to about three
or four pounds a year. Those still living there had no option but try to eke
out a living and pay the rents to the Portlands or leave.
 |
| 1851 Census Catharine is a House Servant |
 |
| 1861 Census Catharine is now the Housekeeper |
By the 1861 census John’s sister
Elizabeth had died and a servant, Christina Sutherland, aged 28, from Helmsdale
was living in the house and helping Catharine who is now shown as a ‘Housekeeper’.
Death of John
John Badbea died on 30th
August 1864. Catharine was at the side
of uncle that she had looked after for so many years. Being present at the
death she was required to mark the record with her X
Although she
had long wanted to leave Badbea, Catharine stayed on in the house after for
nearly twenty more years. In reality there were probably few other options for
her.
 |
| 1871 Census Catharine is a Domestic Servant |
 |
| 1881 Census Catharine is a Crofter of 3 acres Arable |
In the 1881
census Catharine is described as a crofter of 3 acres and the house has 3
windows. Christina her servant is with her. Life would have continued with all
its struggles as before. As she is shown as a crofter Catherine would now be paying
the rent to the Portlands. There were only eight families living at Badbea in
1881.
Disaster
On Monday 2
October 1882 something terrible happened. Catharine had a traumatic injury that
resulted in the dislocation of her spine and paraplegia. She would have been in
terrible pain. She was sixty-eight years old.
Catharine's Will
Realising
the seriousness of the situation Catharine summons a lawyer from Wick to write
her will. All those years of being a hard working family servant and housekeeper
to being paralysed and so weak she could not use her arms to even sign her name
or mark her X as she had done before.
On Friday 13
October 1882 the law clerk wrote on Catharine’s behalf:
I Catherine Sutherland, residing at Badbea in the Parish of
Latheron and County of Caithness, Considering the uncertainty of life and being
desirous of settling my affairs so as to prevent all disputes concerning the
same after my death do hereby Give, Grant, Assign and Dispone to and in favour
of Donald Mackay, Blacksmith, Berriedale and Donald Mann, Overseer of Works, Berriedale..
as Trustees for… my whole heritable and moveable Estate wherever situated
belonging or which shall belong to me at the time of my death,… First, For
payment of all my just and lawful debts, deathbed and Funeral expenses and the
Expenses of executing this Trust: Second, I direct my said Trustees to pay the
following legacies at the first term of Whitsunday or
Martinmas occurring after my death viz:
To my sister Elizabeth Sutherland the
sum of Four Pounds sterling and the best blanket in the house. I direct my
trustees to sell and dispose of the white and black cow Fleckuq and divide the
proceeds equally between my cousins Mrs Jessie Macleod or Munro, Navidale, her
son George Munro and Alexander Macleod, Crofter, Navidale and Third, I direct
my said Trustees to pay and assign the remainder of my whole Estate heritable
and moveable to Christina Sutherland residing with me and who has been my
servant for nearly thirty years without receiving any wages…
By authority
of the above named and designed Catherine Sutherland who declares she cannot
write on account of sickness and bodily weakness, I William Miller Junior, Law
Agent and Solicitor, Wick, Notary Public subscribe these presents for her….(
the full will is available to read)
Death of Catharine
On the
following Thursday, at 11 pm 19th October 1882, Catharine died. Her
servant and faithful companion Christina Sutherland was present at the death
and put her mark X on the death certificate.
Deaths in the Parish of Latheron
in the County of Caithness. Catherine Sutherland, Crofter, (Single) 1882
October Nineteenth 11th hour P.M. Badbea, Berriedale, Female, 68
years; Daughter of Robert Sutherland, Crofter (deceased) and Janet Sutherland
M.S. Sutherland (deceased), Dislocation of Spine 18 days, Paraplegia, As cert
by A. Martin M.B. & Ch.B. Informant Christina Sutherland her X mark,
Domestic Servant and Inmate (Present) Alex’r Gunn, Registrar & Witness
Inventory of Personal Estate and Effects
The Inventory of the personal
estate and effects of Catherine after her death were:
Cash in the house £16.0.0
Cash in The Commercial Bank of
Scotland £60.0.0
Interest to date of death £0.5s.10d.
Interest to date of Oath £0.7s.8d.
Household furniture, farm stocking,
Implements £30.10s.11d.
Total Estate £107.4s.5d.
An estate of £107 is quite
surprising considering the difficult living conditions at Badbea. Over the
years Catharine must have been able to make some cash surplus perhaps from
selling milk or cheese products from her cow. She may have had eggs from hens
to sell.
Sister Elizabeth was obviously
still alive and likely somewhere in Latheron. I have been unable to trace her
whereabouts. Also Catharine considered her cousins in Navidale (the closest
settlement to Badbea on the other side of the Ord). But amazingly we find out
that Christina the servant has worked for nearly thirty years without receiving
any wages. I think this tells us a lot about the difficulties of being a single
woman in the Scottish Highlands at that time. Christina has had a roof over her
head plus food and the companionship of Catherine and she may have either been
content with that or had no other options.
What a hard life Catharine had.
Orphaned and taken in by her uncle. Having to work both the croft and the house
she suffered broken health and hardship. Yet she was still tender and compassionate
with both her sick aunt and uncle.
It is not known where Catharine
was buried but it may have been the old Berriedale cemetery.
Epitaph
So if I was to write an epitaph
for Catherine’s grave I would rework the memorial plaque made for John Badbea.
Very specially in memory of
Catharine Sutherland
Beloved and faithful servant and
housekeeper
Tender and Affectionate in spirit
Her home for the greater part of
her life was on the site of this monument where she died in 1882
 |
| Catharine's X on the death certificate of John Badea Sutherland |
 |
The Badbea Monument built on the site of
John's house where Catharine lived and
worked for about 40 years
|
Next blog: Christina Sutherland
the Servant Girl – 1830 – 1887
Source Drawings: Johnson,
Clifton, The Land of Heather, The
Macmillan Company, London, 1903, Illustrations,
No comments:
Post a Comment