My grandmother, Bella Donald MARTIN, born 1867, wrote a short biography before she died in 1964 and part of it is as follows. I would like to know more about the "Castle Huntley Mansion House" and "Mrs Armstead" whom I have not been able to find in the 1881 Census. Sheila, in Belleville, Illinois, USA "I do not know how long we were at Kinloch, but my next remembrance was our stay for several years in the outskirts of Longforgan, a village on the main road between Dundee and Perth. . . . Castle Huntley Mansion House was a short distance from the village and the grounds were open to many picnic parties from Dundee, chiefly Sunday School Picnics and we children had a share in many of them. . . Our next move was to the village of Inchture, about two miles from Longforgan . . . As we move in the middle of the school term, I walked to Longforgan School to finish my year there, Grade Six and Seven, and afterwards went to Inchture School, three rooms and usually three pupil teachers. As I was top scholar and eighth standard, they wanted to keep me as pupil teacher, but as there was no vacancy, the Lady Bountiful of the district, Mrs. Armstead, paid me my first year's salary. I was not at all anxious to be a teacher but was not given my choice. . . . We pupil teachers were very fortunate as Lady Armstead paid expenses often for the pupil teachers to take advantage of any special speakers or exhibitions held in Dundee. She was a very well educated lady and held classes for a few young women at the Mansion Home every Sunday afternoon, a class none of us liked to miss. My oldest sister Kate, who had learned the trade of dressmaking, was also a member of that class, and after being in Perth for some time became engaged to be married. Lady Armstead financed all the wedding, our bridesmaid dresses, and Kate's wedding one (plus a beautiful cloak) and sent her butler and maid with everything for the wedding feast and also to serve it."

Sheila wrote: <snip> > I would > like to know more > about the "Castle Huntley Mansion House" and "Mrs Armstead" whom > I have not been > able to find in the 1881 Census. <snip> What a fascinating story! A Google search found a mention of Castle Huntley, Longforgan at http://www.fitzwalter.com/afh/Armitstead/armithist1.htm (another fascinating story - the word "scurrilous" is used about it!) But the name is spelled there as Armitstead - perhaps you might search under that spelling in the census? A marriage referred to on that site is in the IGI as follows: George ARMITSTEAD m Jane Elizabeth BAXTER, 19 May 1848 in Dundee. And it seems that George (1824-1915) did become Lord Armitstead. Regards, Judy