Caithness families - Nicolson connections

[Dlnbn@aol.com]

[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@zilker.net.
[ For more information, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
-------

Thanks, Ray, for your information about the Sinclair site. I shall check it
out to see if any such Admiral was worthy of inclusion.  And Hi, also to
Rebecca and Toni - your messages arrived here listed under the subject of my
interest in Admiral Sinclair - thanks for your interest - I do hope everything
cools down for you soon. Here in wet, wet England we can only send sympathy
for your troubles - we are having the wettest June for many, many years !
I shall send you, Ray, sometime soon some details of linkages in Caithness
between my Nicolson family and some Calders and a few Sinclairs.  Our
Nicolsons were originally from Newcastle-upon-Tyne - according to family
tradition - and in the early 1600's one moved to Caithness as GIRNALMAN at
Lyth (in Bower Parish) to the Laird of Barrock , who I believe at that time
could have been John Sinclair of Rattar although in 1673 the estate passed to
George Sinclair, 1st of Barrock( died 1724) who was a descendant of Alexander
of Stemster & Dunbeath, son of the 2nd Earl.  The Brabsterdorran Lairds were
descendants of the 3rd Earl, brother of Alexander of Stemster.  A brother of
George, 1st of Barrock was John Sinclair of Brabster and he, in 1678, granted
a lease to John Niklesson in the Milnetown of Lyth - so we were certainly
beholden to the Sinclairs.  This John Niklesson was probably the son or
grandson of the girnalman (a girnalman looked after the meal and corn) and I
descend from him. John Nicolsone is also mentioned in a Rental of Brabster or
Brabster-myre dated 1697  as "....Item, a brown mear (mare) and a kear (dark
gray or dusky) stead (steed) foll at hir foott (in foal) that came from John
Nicolsone".
Some measure of the Caithness names comes from the names on the voters lists
in 1906 (of course, you had to qualify to vote by a certain minimum property
holding) -  you may find it of interest although it is much later than most of
us are researching - there were 316 Sutherlands, 197 Mackays, 196 Sinclairs,
170 Millers,169 Gunns, 115 Mansons. 114 Hendersons etc.  My Nicolsons came way
down the list with 29 - the Calders were a bit higher with 55. Probably
someone has got a better list of numbers of names from the 1841 or 1851 Census
Returns before so many emigrated to get away from the poor conditions. 
Hope this may be of some interest.  Best wishes, Douglas Nicholson
P.S. Have been trying to connect to
http://pasl.erols.com/sinclair/timeline.html-ssi
but aol do not seem to be able to do this for me.  Is this the correct address
?
[
[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@zilker.net.
[ For subscription, unusubscription, or other instructions, see
[  http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
[ or send mail to majordomo@zilker.net with this single line in the body:
[  info sinclair
[
[ To unsubscribe, send a message like this:
[
[           To: majordomo@zilker.net
[
[           unsubscribe sinclair
[