Photocopied letter dated 22/10/1900 from Heylipol manse to the Duke of Argyll.
Letter dated 22/10/1900 from the Rev Dugald MacLean to the Duke of Argyll informing him that the report on the condition of Heylipol Church omits the decayed state of the windows and suggesting that it might be cheaper to build a new church than to repair the existing one. (Bundle 2504)
Photocopied feu contract between the Duke of Argyll and the Trustees of the Baptist Congregation at Baugh dated 1880.
Feu contract between the Duke of Argyll and the Trustees of the Baptist Congregation at Baugh dated 15 & 19/10/1880. (Bundle 2501)
Photocopied report on the number of pupils in Tiree schools in 1862 and 1863 and the numbers taking each subject taught.
Report on the number of pupils in Tiree schools in 1862 and 1863 and the numbers of pupils in each school in 1863 taking reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, geography, Latin, Greek and geometry. (Bundle 1541)
Photocopied report on Heylipol Public School, August 1873.
Report on Heylipol Public School by Schoolmaster John MacFarlane dated 13/9/1873, giving attendance, subjects taught and extensive notes. (Bundle 931)
Photocopied account of the annual salaries and allowances to teachers on the Argyll estates of Mull and Tiree.
Account of the annual salaries and allowances to teachers on the Argyll estates of Mull and Tiree (no date), listing teachers, schools and salaries. (Bundle 1539)
Schools in Tyree 1863
Transcription of John Ramsay’s report on Tiree schools in 1863.
Courtesy of His Grace the Duke of Argyll
In 1863, John Ramsay, MP for Falkirk Burghs, reported on the state of Tiree schools to the Royal Commission on Education in Scotland chaired by the 8th Duke of Argyll. Ramsay assessed the condition of the buildings, the quality of the teaching, the progress of the scholars and their attendance at school.
At the time of the report, there were eight schools on Tiree, two supported by the Church of Scotland, four by the Free Church Ladies Society and one each by the General Assembly and the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. Only three made a good impression.
The recommendations of the Argyll Commission were put into effect by the Education Act of 1872. Primary education was made compulsory for children aged five to thirteen and the control of schools placed in the hands of popularly elected school boards.
John Ramsay’s letter about Tiree schools
Transcription of John Ramsay’s letter to the 8th Duke of Argyll about Tiree schools in 1863.
Courtesy of His Grace the Duke of Argyll
In 1863, John Ramsay, MP for Falkirk Burghs, reported on the state of Tiree schools to the Royal Commission on Education in Scotland chaired by the 8th Duke of Argyll. At the time of the report, there were eight schools on Tiree, of which only three made a good impression.
In this private letter to the Duke, Ramsay made several suggestions on how to improve the quality of the teaching on the island by removing unsatisfactory teachers, offering inducements for better pupil attendance and school inspections by the factor, Lachlan MacQuarie.
Rather than appealing to the Duke’s altruism, Ramsay stressed ‘the pecuniary value of education to the proprietor of a Highland estate’.
Provisional order for the construction of Gott Bay pier.
Provisional order for the construction of Gott Bay pier dated 1959.
Photocopied letter dated 26/11/1887 from W John Straw about the Tiree pier.
Letter dated 26/11/1887 from W John Straw to Mssrs. Lindsay Howe & Co about the Tiree pier. (Bundle 927)
Letter of 1847 from the Secretary of the Board of Fisheries
Transcription of a letter of 1847 from the Secretary of the Board of Fisheries to the Marquis of Lorne.
Courtesy of His Grace the Duke of Argyll
The failure of the potato crop in 1846 led to widespread food shortages in the Highlands and Islands. In an attempt to provide work for people suffering from destitution, the government decided to improve ‘certain creeks on the west coast of Scotland’.
The Board of Fisheries sent an inspection team to Tiree and neighbouring islands to examine the state of the fishing boats, lines and piers. They concluded a total of £2,199 was needed to develop the fishing industry on Tiree, Mull and Iona and that the Duke of Argyll should pay half the costs.
The Marquis of Lorne argued against this proposal with some justification as the estate had tried for many years to encourage islanders to combine crofting and fishing with little success. However, in 1847 the Duke agreed to pay £690 towards building four new piers at Balemartine, Hynish, Milton and at the Green in Kilmoluaig.
