4. George Munro (1799)

A document called the "Ledger of Farr 1830" which is part of the Sutherland Estate Papers in the National Library of Scotland (REF:DEP.313.1943), has an entry for the 13th December 1830 that reads:

1.       To George Munro, valuing houses in Armadale. 10.  £   .126.

           2.       “ Alex Munro, express to Strathy. 10.   £   .1.

Death in Thurso

A petition from George Munro's mother, Barbara Mackay, dated 18th August 1835, to the Duchess-Countess of Sutherland, as found in the Sutherland Estate Papers in the National Library of Scotland (ref: DEP.313/2420), states that two of her sons drowned in 1819 and two of her other sons had died more recently; one in Thurso and one in Liverpool. The eldest son, James Munro (b.1796), only had two children with the last being born in 1819 and no further trace of James after that. So it seems more than likely that James was one of the two who drowned in 1819. The fifth son, Honyman Munro, has already been traced to Liverpool so it is more than likely that he is the one who died there. That only leaves the second and fourth sons, George Munro (b.1799) and Gabriel Munro (b.1804), as the other two who died early. It seems obvious to allocate George as the second eldest as the other one of the two who drowned in 1819, leaving Gabriel as the one who died more recently (as of August 1835) in Thurso. However, as shown above there is a George Munro on record who was valuing houses in the village of Armadale in 1830 - which happens to have been a job that was previously carried out by their father Alex Munro. So it could be the other way round with Gabriel having drowned in 1819 and George having died later in Thurso by August 1835.

Tenant in Strathy Point, parish of Farr and marriage to Janet Young, parish of Thurso

Given that as explained above it is likely that George was the son who had died by August 1835 in Thurso, there is one possibility of what became of him prior to his death: There are two parish marriage records; one in the parish of Thurso, county of Caithness and the other in the parish of Farr, county of Sutherland for a George Munro who married a Janet Young, with both parish register entries, Farr and Thurso, being dated 8 February 1825. The parish of Farr register entry gives George's location at the time as "Strathy Point" and Janet Young's as "Thurso". The parish of Thurso register entry gives George's location as "Strathy, parish of Farr" and states that he was a "tenant", and gives Janet Young's location again as "Thurso". There are no recorded children for this couple and going by the 1835 petition, it can only be ascertained that the son who died in Thurso, died sometime between 1819 and August 1835 when the petition was written.

The village of Armadale was part of both the Strathy Estate and the church parish of Farr until 1833 when the Strathy Estate became its own church parish of Strathy. In terms of the estates, the Strathy Estate was sold in 1813 to the Sutherland Estate. Strathy Point is the coastal tip found at the north end of the actual village of Strathy, which itself is only a few miles east of the village of Armadale. The village of Farr is a few miles to the west of Armadale. 

Tenant in Achiemore, parish of Farr alongside half brother Alexander Munro

Another possibility of what happened to George Munro who was born in Armadale in 1799 is that before he died he was a tenant on the farmstead of Achiemore, also known as Achumore, which was part of the Bighouse Estate which was part of the larger Sutherland Estate and like Armadale was in the part of the parish of Farr that later became the parish of Strathy. It is possible that he was living there with relatives. I will try to explain as follows.

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2232 which is a rent book for "Reay and Farr 1830-1837" shows three tenants at Achiemore for each of these years named Alexander Munro, George Munro and Widow John Simpson. At a first glance one might assume that this cannot be George Munro born in 1799 in Armadale because he died no later than August 1835 in Thurso as per the petition from his mother Barbara Mackay to the Duchess-Countess of Sutherland but I will try to explain how this is possible as well. For each year from 1832 to 1837 they were joined by two other tenants, Roderick MacDonald and John Mackay and so there was no more than five tenants in Achiemore in this period. Firstly, the arrears owed by George Munro are different to the other four tenants. There were two types of areas listed: "small rents" arrears and "assessment" arrears. In each year from 1830 to 1837 the other four tenants all had both small rents arrears and assessment arrears. In 1830, George Munro had some small rent arrears but no assessment arrears and in 1831 and 1832 he had some small rent arrears and some assessment arears. In each year from 1833 to 1836 he had some small rent arrears but no assessment arrears unlike the other four tenants who all had both types of arrears. In the entry for 1837 which is stated as covering the period from 1836 to 1839, George Munro is the only one of the five tenants who does not owe any arrears which could be because he had died. I should point out that as shown on page 1838 -1853 Armadale rental, Barbara Mackay of Armadale continued to be included on the rent records for three years after she had died in 1845 up to 1848 and this included showing her in arrears. So George Munro could have been listed on the rent records after he had died as well.

Archival references

National Library of Scotland Dep. 313/2369 lists tenants at Achiemore in 1829-1830: Alexander Munro and John Simpson. So George Munro does not seem to have been there at this time and John Simpson seems to have still been alive. This list covers from 1829 to 1830 and the rent book in Dep.313/2232 mentioned above shows George Munro there from 1830.

National Library of Scotland Dep. 313/2369 shows in another list of tenants at Achiemore in 1829-1830: Alexander Munro and Widow John Simpson. So George Munro still does not seem to have been there at this time and John Simpson had died. He would have been aged about 65 when he died in around 1830 if he is the same John Simson born in 1765 in Resolis, Black Isle, Ross-shire mentioned above. This list covers from 1829 to 1830 and the rent book in Dep.313/2232 mentioned above shows George Munro there from 1830.

National Library of Scotland Dep. 313/2369 lists tenants at Achiemore in 1830-1831: Alexander Munro, George Munro and Widow John Simpson. This concurs with the rent book in Dep.313/2232 mentioned above which shows George Munro there from 1830 and that John Mackay and Roderick MacDonald were not at Achiemore until 1832.

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2011 records a George Munro who lived at Bighouse Bay in 1831 in a list of the Halladale fishermen.

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2011 includes an Alexander Munro as a tenant at Achiemore on the Bighouse Estate in 1831.

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/1948 includes an Alexander Munro who lived at Achumore who was paid for full meliorations for ground improved by him dated 31st January 1832.

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2013 includes a John Munro, Alexander Munro and George Munro who all lived at Achumore on a paylist of labourers who worked on the Bighouse Farm Canal from 1832 to October 1833. This is one of only two mentions of John Munro at Achumore (Achiemore). I do not think that this was my 3rd great-grandad Mackay (John) Munro (b.1812) because he is accounted for in Armadale at this time. 

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2502 shows that Alexander Munro and George Munro who were both tenants at Achumore along with John Munro who was a labourer at Achumore were on the Halladale paylist in 1833. This is the only other mention of John Munro at Achumore (Achiemore).

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2500 includes George Munro, Widow Simpson, and Roderick MacDonald who all lived at Achumore and who received pay from hay sold from the meadows of the Bighouse estate "in the month of March 1834 (crops 1832)".

National Library of Scotland Dep.313/2503 includes Alexander Munro as the only person from Achumore on the Halladale and Farr ticket list in 1834.

Family of half brother Alexander Munro

There is an Alexander Munro who married a Margaret Fraser in the parish of Cromarty, Black Isle, in 1807 and they had five sons and two daughters born between 1808 and 1824 in the same parish. This Alexander Munro's occupation is given as a mason on the parish records which matches the occupation of the Alexander Munro who had four children with Janet Simpson in Cromarty between 1784 and 1794, including Alexander in 1788. The family of Alexander Munro and Margaret Fraser does not appear on the 1841 census anywhere in Scotland. With this in mind and with their last child being born in 1824 it is possible that this Alexander Munro was the same man born in 1788 in Cromarty and later found in Achumore (Achiemore) in Sutherland from 1829 onward. 

The full list of children of Alexander Munro and Margaret Fraser in Cromarty is: Margaret (1808), James (1809), Donald (1811), John (1813), William (1816), Alexander (1820), Isabella (1824). As mentioned above there are only two mentions of a John Munro with Alexander Munro in Achumore, in 1832 and 1833, and it is possible that this was his son John Munro who was born in 1813 in Cromarty and who would have then been around 20 years old.

The elder brother of Alexander Munro born in 1788 in Cromarty, John Munro born in 1784 in Cromarty, probably married Mary Mckenzie in the same parish in 1804 and had the following children: William (1805), Isabel (1808), Andrewina Fowle (1811), James Evans Joh (1814).