Catherine Bain1

(4 December 1841 - 1 June 1904)
FatherDonald Bain2,3,4 (Dec 1806 - Mar 1892)
MotherMargaret Taylor2,4 (cir. Feb 1802 - Dec 1861)
Relationship3rd great-aunt of Lorna Henderson

BMDB data

     Catherine Bain was born on 4 Dec 1841 Latheron, CAI, SCT.4,5 She was christened on 7 Dec 1841 Par. of Latheron, CAI, SCT.4 Some sources believe Catherine Bain was born on 12 Apr 1841 Latheron, CAI.6 Other sources indicate Catherine Bain was born cir. 1845 (from 1861 & 1881 census) or 1844 (by 1891 census.)2,7 She and Alexander Sutherland were definitely not married despite having a dtr Esther. Family sources say: "Alexander left Caithness becasue he got a young lady into trouble". In 1861 Alexander and Catherine were neighbours at Dale.8,9 Catherine Bain was also not married to male Gray as their 7mth old son Donald D Gray was living with Catherine and her father in 1881 and the registration of the birth to Catherine in 1880 of the above Donald D Gray shows him as illegitimate (but named as Donald David Bain) with no father's details shown.7,10
     Catherine Bain died on 1 Jun 1904 at the Quarry, Halkirk, CAI, SCT, at age 62; original info was that the cert read: Catherine Bain, aged 59, pauper, single, died at Fuarray Kirkwall of drowning accident. Dtr of Donald Bain, ag lab, dec. and Margaret m.s. Taylor, dec. Inf. son Donald Bain (which had me puzzling whether or not Fuarray was Burray? - which puzzlement was subsequently explained when someone more familiar with the family and area corrected this to a quarry at Halkirk ! The actual cert. shows the quarry as at Kirkhall, which was also Catherine's usual residence.)11,12,13

Census/Where lived/Occupations

     Catherine Bain appeared on the census of 30 Mar 1851 Clashscribie, Par. of Latheron, CAI, SCT, in the household of Donald and Margaret Bain as daughter of Donald.5,14 Catherine appeared on the census of 7 Apr 1861 Dale, Par. of Halkirk, CAI, SCT, in the household of Donald and Margaret Bain as dtr of Donald.9
     The census of 3 Apr 1881 showed Catherine in the household of her father Donald with her son Donald D Gray Westerdale, Par. of Halkirk, CAI, SCT, enumerated as BAIN (all b. Halkirk): Donald, widower, 73, lab; dtr Catherine, unm, 36, grd son Donald D Gray, 7m (Catherine's son.)3
     The census of 5 Apr 1891 showed Catherine in the household of her father Donald with her son Donald Bain Sibster, Par. of Halkirk, CAI, SCT, enumerated as listed as BAIN: Donald, head, widower, 82 (actually 85 as chr 1806), Gaelic & English, b. Halkirk, no occupation given. Dtr Catherine, 47, dom. servant, Gaelic & English, b. Latheron; Grdson Donald Bain, 10, scholar, b. Halkirk. One room with 1 or more windows.15 It is possible that Catherine Bain was Treesdale, Par. of Canisbay, CAI, SCT, in 1901 BAIN: Catherine 48 (but if so, is this a transcription error for 58, which even so is shaving 3 yrs off?) gen. serv. b Latheron; son Donald 20 farm serv carter b Halkirk.2,16

All the other info

     Catherine's lot in life was assumed to be the dtr who stayed at home and looked after her father, possibly the lot of the youngest dtr in the family. Certainly she was living at home with her father for each census 1851 thru 1891, the last two of these she had her youngest illegitimate child with her, Donald Bain or Gray , and also with her in 1901 assuming I've correctly identified her in that census.17

Family 1

Alexander Sutherland (Dec 1841 - Apr 1915)
Child
  • Esther Sutherland+ (Dec 1862 - Jan 1942); The identification of Cath Bain mother of Esther (with Alexander Sutherland) as the same Catherine Bain as the one with son Donald Bain or Gray is highly likely. Certainly Catherine was living in the right place (Dale, Halkirk) and Alexander was the brother of Catherine's brother's future wife, plus in the 1861 census, their respective houses were nearby. In 1871 Esther was living with Alexander's parents as their grandchild. The evidence between Esther and the Catherine, dtr of Donald Bain and Maggie Taylor is more circumstantial, although when Esther married in 1907, her mother Catherine was shown as deceased, which also fits18,19

Family 2

male Gray (cir. 1841 - )
Child
ChartsBAIN
TAYLOR
GRAY
Last Edited8 Jun 2022

Citations

  1. BAIN, International Genealogical Index (IGI), Births to Donald BAIN and Margaret TAYLOR, batch C110384 (Latheron), extracted 1993, rechecked Nov 2005.
  2. GRO, SCT, BDM searches at GRO SCT: Dth cert 1904 Catherine BAIN, trans. Stuart H Jul 2003.
  3. 1881 Census transcripts, UK, via Family Search/LDS CDs, Halkirk, CAI, FHL Film 0203400 GRO Ref Volume 037 EnumDist 7 Page 7, hsehold of Donald BAIN extracted c. 2001.
  4. BAIN, International Genealogical Index (IGI), Births to Donald BAIN and Margaret TAYLOR, batch C110384 (Latheron), extracted 1993, rechecked Nov 2005, (name on IGI given as Chtherine!).
  5. Letter, Robert B to Lorna Henderson, Aug 2001 ex 1851 census.
  6. Letter, Robert B to Lorna Henderson, Jun 2003.
  7. 1881 Census transcripts, UK, via Family Search/LDS CDs, FHL Film 0203400 GRO Ref Volume 037 EnumDist 7 Page 7 extracted c. 2001.
  8. John H SUTHERLAND, "Corres. re Alexander SUTHERLAND ex John H, York," e-mail to L McIntosh (1), Rcvd Feb 2004.
  9. 1861 Census, CAI, SCT, EnumDist 6 Page 2 Entry #6, p/copy held, 2004.
  10. GRO, SCT, BDM searches at GRO SCT: Birth cert 1880 Donald D BAIN ex Robert McC Apr 2001.
  11. GRO, SCT, BDM searches at GRO SCT: Dth 1 Jun 1904 Catherine BAIN, Fuarray, Kirkwall, trans. Stuart H Jul 2003.
  12. BAIN misc. searches/corres. Dth 1 Jun 1904 Quarry, Halkirk, from John F, rcvd Aug 2010.
  13. Scottish BMDB entries (from 1855), http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/index.php, Dth 1 Jun 1904 Catherine BAIN, Quarry, Kirkwall, Halkirk, CAI, 037/0A #23 (also Vol ! p132, RCE, not consulted), copy rcvd from Lynne D, Sep 2010.
  14. 1851 Census, CAI, SCT, Latheron, CAI Par. 38 ED 10 Pg 1 Sched 4, hsehold of Donald & Margaret BAIN, extracted Aug 1994.
  15. Census image, SCT, 1891 Census Search Nov 2002: Dist 037A 004 Page 9 #38 Halkirk, p/copy held.
  16. 1901 Census transcripts, Scotland, via http://Ancestry.com, Canisbay, CAI, Reg. 35 ED 3 Pg 6 Sched 29, hsehold of Catherine BAIN, extracted Aug 2010.
  17. "Lorna's Family History Musings", Jul 2004.
  18. GRO, SCT, BDM searches at GRO SCT: Mar. 1907 Esther SUTHERLAND or BAIN to George MacKAY, transcr. Bobby B, Apr 2004.
  19. GRO, SCT, BDM searches at GRO SCT: Birth cert 1862 (reg. 1863) Esther SUTHERLAND or BAIN, Halkirk, CAI, trans. Bobby B, rcvd May 2003, rechecked Mar 2004.

E. & O. E. Some/most parish records are rather hard to read and names, places hard to interpret, particularly if you are unfamiliar with an area.