Laird Family at John O'Groats, Duncansby, Freswick and Stroma

At John O'Groats, today a popular tourist attraction stands the Last House in Scotland Museum.  Inside it records it was once a Laird Family home.   There are pictures of the last family to live there.  Campbell Shearer, who married William Laird, and her daughter Elizabeth. There is an old photograph which shows the croft and the old hotel. 

The family details are recorded in a chart and a table.

Click on the thumbnails for a full image.

LEST WE FORGET THE PARISH OF CANISBAY edited by Anne Houston and published by the Congregational Board of Canisbay Church and printed Highland News Group, Henderson Road, Inverness, Scotland in 1996, has further information about the Lairds in Caithness. It is available cost £20 with postage and packing £4 UK and £7.50 overseas, from :
Anne L Houston
"St Magnus"
John O Groats
by Wick
Caithness
KW1 4YR
Scotland

It has a story involving William Laird of Stroma:

and has maps showing the grazings of John and Gilbert Laird at Duncansby and Freswick. 

Local historian George Watson, who has lived in Caithness since 1960 confirmed to us on a visit in August 2000 that it was Lairds from Stroma or Duncansby who founded Laird Shipbuilders in Birkenhead and  it is also thought, Burns Laird, the shipping company in Glasgow for which my Grandfather, James Laird was Company Secretary. However when we contacted subsequently Mrs Anne McGrail , named in the Canisbay Book as a source, and who is a descendant of the Laird Shipbuilders, she did not know of any Caithness connection, and believed that her branch of the family had originated in Ayrshire, and knew of no connection with Burns Laird.

Anne Houston wrote to us that "There was a rope making business in Wick and it was from Wick the two Laird brothers went to Clydeside."   On page 428 of the book is the following article:

We have to keep looking.