No mention is made in the
obituary of John’s second wife Janet McKay who was still alive.
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Marion and John’s gravestone at the old Berriedale cemetery
Unveiling Ceremony
In 1912 at the unveiling ceremony of the memorial cairn, in
his address mentioning the homes of former days to those gathered, Mr George
Gunn did not forget John and Marion Gunn:
“There was the home of his relatives, John Gunn and
Marion Sinclair, his wife, and their family of five sons and six daughters”.
The Memorial Cairn at Badbea.
An Interesting Unveiling Ceremony, John O Groat Journal 8, November 1912.
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The Gunn Home in Badbea
A few glimpses of the home life of his parents Marion and
John were given by Alexander Gunn:
“The people were industrious and frugal. Every house had
its spinning wheel, on which was spun the material for clothing the whole
household, male and female, and if their homemade clothing did not come up to
the fine finish of shop-bought, it had the advantage over it in warmth and
durability. Spinning and carding were learnt by all the young women at their
mother's knee, so that when they got houses of their own, they were at no loss
to supply the wants of the goodman in respect of clothing”.
A Native of Badbea, Rambling Recollections of Berriedale,
Badbea, and Neighbourhood. Article I, Northern Ensign, July 17, 1879
“We were most religiously trained, and every ordinance of
religion was most punctually observed, as the following will show. On Saturday
night there was strict preparation made for the Sabbath. Everything that could
be done that night was done, so as to leave nothing to do on the Sabbath but
the real works of necessity and mercy. The water barrel was filled up to the
brim, that there might be no need for bringing in so much as a jig of water on
the Sabbath. The peat neuk was replenished, and the peats required for Sunday’s
use broken, ready to be laid on the fire. The hearth was cleared of all
superfluous ashes, the floor clean swept, and everything tidied up, leaving
nothing to be done on Sunday morning but to set up the fire. The very potatoes
were washed and put in the pot, ready to be hung on the crook. The day began
and ended with family worship, not only on Sunday, but on week days as well, a
practice which I am sorry to say, seems to have fallen into decay in Scotland,
once so famed for its religious observance”.
A Native of Badbea, Rambling
Recollections of my Schools & School Days. Article XXI, Northern Ensign Oct
19, 1892
“But many a child of God found food and shelter in
Badbea, especially at the communion seasons at Berriedale. We have seen ten or
a dozen people lodged in our house on such occasions, from Thursday to the
following Monday, and John Badbea would have as many entertained in his house.
The prayer meetings held in the evenings, after returning from the day's
services, were on such occasions the most sweet and solemn we ever witnessed,
and it would be sometimes one and two o' clock in the morning before people would
disperse. These were indeed precious times, and I believe no one who enjoyed
them can ever forget them. As I have already said, the Badbea people were
simple and kind - hearted, and were ready at all times to extend a helping hand
according to their means, to any one of whom they saw stood in need of help”.
A Native of Badbea, Rambling Recollections of my Schools
& School Days. Article III, Northern Ensign, August 27, 1879
“Old James Horne used to call
that way. I remember the old man's visits. He used to call occasionally, riding
a quiet dun pony. He would halt in front of our house and cry with a snivel, "John!" If my father was
about at hand he responded to the call, and held the stirrup till the Laird
dismounted. He then gave father the bridle, when the two walked along to Auchincraig, and after traversing the
lawn, and being assisted to remount, the old laird retraced his steps back to
Auchastle at a walking pace. He never put the pony to a trot. I remember on one
occasion his appearing in front of the house and as usual uttering the same
cry; but father was not at hand that day, and it was a pouring-down shower of
rain. My mother responded to the call and assisted him to alight, and as he had
no umbrella or any protection from the rain, mother invited him into the house,
which invitation he accepted. I question if he ever had been inside the house
of any of his tenants previously, and it is very likely he had very little idea
of what the interior of the house was like”.
“This is the description of the one he honoured with his
presence this time:- The one entrance served for man and beast. On entering,
the cattle sheded to the right and the rest of the inhabitants to the left,
having a wooden partition separating the cattle and the family. There was the
fire in the middle of the floor, and
the peat neuk close at hand. The furniture was all home-made, and ranged on
each side of the fireplace: but, need I say, there was no soft-bottomed chairs
- just the hard board, with a rung an inch thick in front and back. I omitted
to say there was a "but" and a "ben" but let me come back
to the laird, who got to the hinder side of the partition, when mother set a
chair beside him. He looked at it, but made no sign of using it. Mother divined
the reason, and she went and fetched a pillow, placing it on the chair, when the
laird sat down and remained till the shower ceased. Then mother had the honour
of holding the stirrup, when the laird mounted and moved off. There was great
expectation and speculation amongst us youngsters as to the amount of cash that
was about to change hands for all the kind offices which were performed on this
occasion: but whether the laird had left his purse behind him or failed to find
a key to open his heart, we never knew. The only thing we were certain of was
that he left nothing behind him to commemorate his visit. Now a stranger not
acquainted with the place is apt to think that the construction and
arrangements of the house I have described were exceptional. Well, they are, in
so far as in many of the houses the wooden partition spoken of did not exist at
all”.
Langwell Lairds Past and Present. Northern Ensign, 26 June,
1894
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A Caithness chair at the
Helmsdale museum
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How
Bizarre
This next extract is really bizarre, but it does illustrate
both how superstitious folks were and how much they believed in manifestations
– but also how utterly impossible it was for the crofters to defend themselves.
“In my last I described a brewing adventure and a surprise
by the gaugers. There was none of the malt found in the possession of anybody,
and the scattering of it among the heather and the grass was the worst result
of the day’s adventures, as far as we could judge. M’Dougal, the local gauger,
seems to have thought differently, as he lodged information against my father,
charging him with being the owner of the malt, and grounded his charges on his
having seen a woman leaving the hills, who, he said, was my mother, a
circumstance altogether impossible, as my mother was dead seven years before
this. My father was summoned to Wick, where he attended, having engaged Mr
Miller, late town clerk, to defend him, and he succeeded in getting the case
decided in his favour by the justices. The Excise appealed to the Quarter
Sessions, who also decided in my father’s favour; but the Excise determined to
carry the case to the Court of the Exchequer, where my father was not able to
follow it and defend himself, and, as might be expected, against him on the
evidence of a man who swore that he saw a woman who was seven years in her
grave come out of the kiln where the malt was found. I cannot tell whether
M’Dougal is still in the land of the living or not, but if his story has not
met him already, it will meet him at a future tribunal. I need not say where
the malt was, but my father was unjustly dealt with at that time, as he had no
more connection with it than the man in the moon”.
A Native of Badbea, Rambling Recollections of my Schools
& School Days. Article XXI, Northern Ensign May 25, 1892
My Comments:
Although there is no record of the cause of Marion’s death
the following article appeared in the John O Groat Journal on 10th
November 1837 and could perhaps be a clue:
Fever
“It gratifies us
to state that this distressing malady is considerably on the decline in the
town and its more immediate vicinity. The disease is, however we
understand spreading in the country and we have heard of several deaths in
the neighbouring parishes. A few days ago a woman died of fever in this
place and three others who were in attendance and in the enjoyment of good
health on the day of the funeral have since been carried off by the same
malady.
The fever referred to
could have been possibly either Typhus fever or Typhoid fever.
