An amazing find - a 250-year-old census showing the earliest recorded population of the Island of St Kilda has been discovered thanks to work by the National Records of Scotland.
If you are a Maclachlan, MacQueen, Ferguson, Gillies, MacDonald or MacKinnon, the list of people on the census might have been your ancestors. We still have some space on our St Kilda cruise aboard Proud Seahorse on September 4th 2017 if this trip is on your bucket list and you fancy a bit of luxury on the journey!
The census lists the 90 people living on the island on 15 June 1764, 38 males and 52 females, including 19 families and 9 individuals. After listing their names, the census says that they each ate “36 wild fouls eggs and 18 fouls” (seabirds) a day, an overall daily consumption of 3240 eggs and 1620 birds.
The document was discovered among the papers of the Maclachlan of Maclachlan family during cataloguing by the National Register of Archives for Scotland (NRAS), the branch of the National Records of Scotland which records historical papers held in private hands in Scotland. It is not known exactly why the census was taken, or by whom, but it is likely it was made to contribute to a wider report on the Hebrides.
Until now, the oldest known record of the population dated from 1822. As the later document included ages, it is possible to track five residents of St Kilda who appeared on both censuses, 52 years apart. The 1764 census also includes the ancestors of the final five families to be evacuated from the island in 1930, the MacQueens, Fergusons, Gillies, MacDonalds and MacKinnons.
Dr Alison Rosie, Registrar of the National Register of Archives for Scotland, said that this document sheds new light on the history of St Kilda and the families who lived there, and gives an insight into their lives more than 250 years ago. Through it individuals can be traced back fifty years earlier than the next surviving census, and many of the people listed were the ancestors of the families who left the island in 1930.
The document was found as part of a hoard of papers - around 13 large boxes. The first document that was pulled out dated from 1590 and it was realised that the time had come to call in the professionals. The team from NRAS had the papers spread out all over the dining room of Castle Lachlan – which is not a small room – and went through them, gasping a bit, before explaining that they would need more than an afternoon to evaluate them, boxing them back up and taking them away. A year and half’s study produced a 79 page catalogue .
We were so pleased with the charter booking from the initial emails inquiring about dates available to the last minute questions and timely responses as we prepared to head to Scotland. Emma is professional, kind, and prompt in responding by email. We appreciate good customer service and yours is excellent. Since this was our second cruise with Skipper James and the Emma Jane, we knew what to expect about anchorages and visiting the islands. However, this cruise exceeded any expectations we had. We enjoyed returning to some islands we had previously visited and seeing new places. We continue to be overwhelmed by our visit to St. Kilda (thank you, Skipper James!) and seeing the many, many species and numbers of birds throughout the cruise that were not around in these numbers in September 2017. James knows much about all aspects of the Hebrides; if he doesn’t know an answer, he says that he doesn’t know. I like that. Will was knowledgeable about cetaceans, birds, plants, and extremely helpful to those of us who decided to take some of the walks that included narrow and muddy trails with steep inclines. He was available to offer a hand or arm to steady us as we hiked up and down the hills. Anchoring in protected areas overnight is an extraordinary experience—the quiet, the skies, the gentle rocking of the vessel. All ten of us on this charter live on bodies of water—bays, lakes, ocean. Anchoring in coves next to small villages or near an unpopulated island is special. The cruise was extra special. We were made to feel welcomed back and our friends from New Hampshire were thrilled with their experiences seeing the Hebrides and the wildlife, scenery, remoteness, and the comfort of the Emma Jane.
Angela & David Hiley: 8 June 2019Private Charter 10 Nights