Evan Fraser of Balconie
Encyclopedia
Captain Evan Baillie Fraser of Balconie was the son of Alexander Fraser of Inchcoulter/Balconie who founded the modern town of Evanton
, naming it after his son. Evan married Christine Nicol in 1838 who bore him children: Alexander Thomas (1839), John Thomas (1842) and Elma (1843). He became a Collector of Stamps with the Excise Service
The Reverend Thomas Munro, minister of Kiltearn, writing in the 1840s lists him among five landowners in the parish of Kiltearn
at the time, and tells us that "all of them, except Captain Fraser, [are] non-resident in the parish". The new village was partly a convenient way of absorbing the numbers of people in the parish who were being evicted to make way for sheep, a process which was part of the historical phenomenon known as the Highland Clearances
. By the 1840s, the process meant that Evanton had a population of 500 people, more than a quarter of the population of the parish, which was 1800.
Evanton
Evanton is a large village in Easter Ross, in the Highland Council Area of Scotland. It lies between the river Sgitheach and the Allt Graad, is north of the city of Inverness, some south-west of Alness, and north-east of Dingwall. The village has a dozen or so streets, the main one being...
, naming it after his son. Evan married Christine Nicol in 1838 who bore him children: Alexander Thomas (1839), John Thomas (1842) and Elma (1843). He became a Collector of Stamps with the Excise Service
The Reverend Thomas Munro, minister of Kiltearn, writing in the 1840s lists him among five landowners in the parish of Kiltearn
Kiltearn
Kiltearn is a parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. The principal settlement is the village of Evanton, and the parish extends almost to Dingwall and about halfway to Alness. The old Kiltearn church and burial ground are on the shore of the Cromarty Firth. The current church is on the main...
at the time, and tells us that "all of them, except Captain Fraser, [are] non-resident in the parish". The new village was partly a convenient way of absorbing the numbers of people in the parish who were being evicted to make way for sheep, a process which was part of the historical phenomenon known as the Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
. By the 1840s, the process meant that Evanton had a population of 500 people, more than a quarter of the population of the parish, which was 1800.