Is treasa tuatha na tighearna

Tenancy is stronger than a titled lord

Janet Lamont of Valtos

Seonaid Shomhairle Susaidh

I've been a widow since 1983.  My husband was Iain Lamont. His brothers - Donald and Norman - lived with Annie, their sister, in the old mission house at Culnancnoc. My husband's parents were Iain Lamont (from Valtos) and Maggie nee MacLeod (of Culnancnoc). Iain Lamont (my husband's father) had been a pupil at the school in Ellishadder - on the spot where Dougie Ross has his museum today.  I heard people here talk of the old schools that were once here.  There was another one on the flat side of the crofts in Marishadder. It was in a place called Sgealbarna.

Sgoil Bhaltois was situated at the back of the war monument.   When it was demolished, the stones from the building went in a lorry to Kintail to be used in the Hydro building there.  You can still see that building in Kintail.  The school which was briefly operating at Tobht had a teacher by the name of Morag Campbell.  She was from Dunvegan. She later married the Rev Norman MacDonald - an uncle of Donnie the post - from No 4 Valtos. That lady is a resident at An Acarsaid in Broadford today.  I know that the Rev Donald Beaton attended the school at Tobht.  Donald Beaton's father was a missionary in the West Coast Mission. Donald's mother was from Uig. The family stayed at the old Mission House.  Chrissie MacPherson from Tobht (Chrissie I'n bhig) was another pupil at the Tobht school. When she married, she became a Mrs Gilmour.

The Bàrd Ghrealain composed a song for Màiri Mackintosh who taught the children in Sgoil Bhaltois. This tune may be sung to the tune, 'Air fath mo mhulad'.  It is called Mo Run a chailinn.

Murdo Lamont stayed at No 3 Valtos. He was an uncle of my husband's. Captain Alasdair Lamont was a brother of Murdo.   The captain later settled in Kyleakin.  There is a house in Kyleakin called Ardmore.  At one time the captain owned the house, but when he owned it, it was called Dùn Dearg, after the hill beside no 1 Valtos.  The third brother was Iain, who married Maggie MacLeod from Culnancnoc (Magaidh Thormoid 'n Mhoir).

I spent my final year and a half of school at Staffin.   Following that I studied domestic science at Duncraig in Plockton.  I have never been abroad or travelled far south, but in 1997, I made a trip to London.  In my youth, I had worked for five years at the Dunringell Hotel in Kyleakin. My boss was an uncle of Lord Malcolm Douglas Hamilton.  The family were often inviting me to London to their home, and eventually I made the trip last year.   I really enjoyed it. My family and I were brought up between Glasgow, Gearaidh and Staffin.  In 1948, we moved from Glasgow to Waternish, where my mother had a house. And in 1951, we all came to Staffin to settle.  My father got work at MacBraynes here.  He did spells on the Loch Mór, the Loch Earn and the Loch Nevis, coming home at the weekends. Most of his working life he was at sea. Among his other work, he did a while at the diatomite here at Loch Cuithir.

My mother was a MacLeod from Waternish. She lived next door to me here until she died in her nineties.  In her home town of Gearaidh, she was known as Morag Dhòmhnaill Uilleim. She met my father in Glasgow where he was a merchant seaman.  He was known as Somhairle Sùsaidh.  He was a Nicolson from No 6 Valtos.  His mother's name was Sùsie. She was the second of the 12 known children of Norman and Chirsty Stewart.  Over the years I have been gathering bits and pieces about the history of Norman Stewart - my great grandfather.  His part in the Crofting struggles last century elevated his title from Tormod Choinnich (as he was known locally) to Parnell, after the Irish Charles Stewart Parnell who had been similarly stimulating the Irish people to take their destiny into their own hands.   Here are the details that I have been able to gather.

Valtos was the home of Norman Stewart who roused the crofters to stand against the landlord in 1883? We know a little bit about Tormod Choinnich.  And whilst many of the details were provided from the registrar, the others are from the oral tradition.

Norman Stewart married Chirsty Lamont in the Manse at Stenscholl on the 11^th of February 1864. On their wedding day, Norman was 28 years old, and Chirsty was 24.  He was a crofter; she was a domestic servant.  The witnesses to their marriage were Alex MacDonald and Donald Nicolson. When they married, Norman's parents (Ann Nicolson and Kenneth Stewart) were both deceased. Chirsty's parents, on the other hand, were both living: they were John Lamont (a crofter) and Ann Maclean.

At the end of his life, Norman Stewart sustained a fall that proved fatal.  He died on 13^th October 1895.    His death - at the age of 60 - was recorded by his son, Kenneth.  Norman's wife, Chirsty nee Lamont, died on 9 June 1909, aged 69 years.  Her death was registered by her son, Kenneth. 

The known children from the marriage of Norman Stewart and Chirsty Lamont are given at the end in Co leis thu/Family Trees and Rent Rolls.

A love song was composed by Alasdair Macintosh (Alasdair Ruadh mac Sheumais) of Breacraidh in honour of Chirsty MacLeod of Culnancnoc.  It is called A Nighean Bhuidhe bhàn, nam falbhadh tu leam.