In other words "taxman". The funny thing is that my cousins and I, being brought up in public schools and having an image of "immigrants" as poor folk, desperately searching for a way to stay alive, away from pogroms and the military, never considered that our Orcadian great-grandparents would be from any other social order.... Research, pushing for stories, and visits to Orkney have been a real education. >From tacksmen to genteel just-making-it in 4 generations ;+) Anne On 9/7/07, Patricia Long <[email protected]> wrote: > Anne, > > A tacksman rented land from the Earldom and then re-let it for as much as he > could. I gather that he's unlikely to just have been tacksman of > Rothiesholm, as that seems to be too small an area to have been rented on > its own. It sounds as if your ancestor was a man of substance. > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Anne Slater > Sent: 07 September 2007 15:50 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ORCADIA] "Translation" needed > > I am desperately searching for the REAL roots of my > great-great-grandmother and namesake, Ann Sclater. The 1861 census > says for her place of birth "Ireland" and I can't find her death cert. > which I had hoped would give me more information on where in Ireland. > (She married James Twatt of Rothiesholm and lived on Stronsay until > she dies in 1878) > > HOWEVER what I did find that mystifies me is in my gg father's will, > he is listed as "tacksman of Rothiesholm, island of Stronsay" > > What is a tacksman???? I do know the noun "tack" as in the leather > straps etc that make up harnesses and bits for saddles. > > Please tell me if I an correct in thinking that "tack" and "tacksman" > are related (but why then would his household include NINE "servants". > (I would have assumed farm hands) > > Anne near Philadelphia > about to take a walk in the not-quite noon-day sun > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Tacksman was more a Highland institution,,although used throughout most of Scotland at one time or the other. Sometimes they were employees of the nobles or chiefs who collected the rents. They got to keep part of what they collected as their fee, so long as the laird got his full share. They also were supposed to see to the welfare of the tenants and keep them in line. In other cases they actually rented the land and then sublet it in bits and pieces. In those cases of course they kept what they collected less what they in their turn had to pay in rent. Some were good and knew that happy well taken care of tenants produced more revenue,,and some were out to squeeze the tenants for every penny they could. That said, it's like all things historical, there were wide variations in practice between areas, times and families. Likely no two were ever exactly the same. R -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Anne Slater Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 10:11 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] "Translation" needed In other words "taxman". The funny thing is that my cousins and I, being brought up in public schools and having an image of "immigrants" as poor folk, desperately searching for a way to stay alive, away from pogroms and the military, never considered that our Orcadian great-grandparents would be from any other social order.... Research, pushing for stories, and visits to Orkney have been a real education. >From tacksmen to genteel just-making-it in 4 generations ;+) Anne On 9/7/07, Patricia Long <[email protected]> wrote: > Anne, > > A tacksman rented land from the Earldom and then re-let it for as much as he > could. I gather that he's unlikely to just have been tacksman of > Rothiesholm, as that seems to be too small an area to have been rented on > its own. It sounds as if your ancestor was a man of substance. > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Anne Slater > Sent: 07 September 2007 15:50 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ORCADIA] "Translation" needed > > I am desperately searching for the REAL roots of my > great-great-grandmother and namesake, Ann Sclater. The 1861 census > says for her place of birth "Ireland" and I can't find her death cert. > which I had hoped would give me more information on where in Ireland. > (She married James Twatt of Rothiesholm and lived on Stronsay until > she dies in 1878) > > HOWEVER what I did find that mystifies me is in my gg father's will, > he is listed as "tacksman of Rothiesholm, island of Stronsay" > > What is a tacksman???? I do know the noun "tack" as in the leather > straps etc that make up harnesses and bits for saddles. > > Please tell me if I an correct in thinking that "tack" and "tacksman" > are related (but why then would his household include NINE "servants". > (I would have assumed farm hands) > > Anne near Philadelphia > about to take a walk in the not-quite noon-day sun > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message