Latheron 1804
Elspet Dallas was born in Latheron, Caithness, Scotland on 14 July 1804. She was also known as Elizabeth or Betty. Dallas was aka Dollas. I will refer to her as Betty Dallas. Betty’s parents were John Dollas and Elspet Barnie. Betty had probably 10 siblings. She married Robert Sutherland on 6 Jan 1825 when she was 21. Robert recorded his abode as Achontoft and Betty put hers as Achintoft. At the time of her appearing before the Session Betty and Robert were living at Latheronwheel. They had up to six children, but, Betty claimed, none of them were Robert’s – except one who had died. And while Betty denied all charges against her of ‘gross impropriety’ she admitted she was ‘going on in that way’ both before and after her marriage and making a living from it.
Conditions at the time in Caithness were difficult. Donald Horne, the Langwell Laird from 1830 had evicted a number of families and replaced them with sheep. Life was precarious and poverty was endemic. As well, the Christian teachings of the church, the catechism and the Bible were very much the standards by which folks were expected to live. Betty’s actions and lifestyle would have been gossiped about and regarded as scandalous by the majority of the locals.
A Meeting in the Lane.
Land of Heather
Gross Impropriety of Conduct
At the Latheron Church on 6th October 1834 Betty Dallas was summons to a meeting of the Session and charged with gross impropriety of conduct by offering money to young women to induce them to meet with gentlemen at places proposed by her. She utterly denied the charges so witnesses were brought in to be examined. It seems that the mills of God grind slowly for the Kirk Session as all those examined said their interaction with Betty was a couple of years ago. If the mills also grind fine in this case we don’t get to know.
Detail from William
Hogarth’s ‘A Harlot’s Progress’ (1733) showing Moll’s arrival in London
and her procurement by a pox-ridden madame. 
First Witness - Esther MacLachlan
“Esther MacLachlan residing at Dunbeath was summons and asked if she was acquainted with Betty Dallas or Sutherland wife of Robert Sutherland in Latheronwheel. Said that she was, about two years back, when she was about 15 years old and in the service of George Sutherland on the Estate of Latheronwheel. That when on her master’s business she accidently met with Betty Dallas when she began speaking with her about coming to her house and upon inquiring as to the reason she said that it was to meet some gentlemen there and that she would be well paid for it. Witness said she was never in the habit of going in such ways and that it was a shame to her to ask her. A short time after this she was sent on a message to some distance and not knowing the house to which she was going she called at the first house she came to (which happened to be Betty Dallas), that Betty Dallas immediately began to ask her why she did not come before for that she would have got several pounds by it, that it would do her no harm more than others who were even making well by it and she hoped she would come some other time.
Witness said that surely Betty Dallas had been going on in that way before. She said she had and also since she married and as proof of it that none of her six children were Robert’s (her husband’s) except one that died and that neither she nor they were any the worse of that for people must take many ways for their support – so that she had better come and she would get two or three pounds for it. Upon which witness went away telling her that however well she was paid for these things she should not be deceiving others, that it was a disgrace to any person and especially to a married woman. That several months after this happened witness on more occasions than one told Betty Dallas’ husband when at work with other people that his wife was going on in bad practices mentioning the manner in which she tried to deceive witness and that it was a greater disgrace to him than to her when he allowed her to be acting in this way and that Betty Dallas is considered a woman of notoriously bad character. All which Betty Dallas flatly denied – upon which – “
To Be Continued
Source: Scotlandspeople.gov.uk/virtual volumes. Minutes 1819-1834. Pages 99-102
No comments:
Post a Comment