1861 Census

Robert Ballantyne, my 3x great grandfather, 24, is now a shepherd and Sarah, his wife is 27. They have moved to the mainland from the Isle of Lewis and are now living in Gairloch, Wester Ross. After six years of marriage, they have four children:

• James, age 5 
• Robert, age 3 
• Walter (my ancestor), 10 months and John, his twin, 10 months

The young family must have travelled up and down the country from Gairloch to Ayrshire in the interceding years as both James and Robert were born in Coylton, Ayrshire, where Sarah originally lived.

How did people travel around Scotland in 1861? 
There are several possibilities:
1. By road –

A key Government initiative for the Highlands of Scotland in 18th and 19th centuries was to improve access and communications. In 1803 a Commission for constructing roads and bridges in the Highlands of Scotland was created with Thomas Telford as principal surveyor. Over 60 years, from 1803 to 1863, 1,194 miles of road and 1,117 bridges were created and taken into the commission’s care. The commission’s reports trace the development and construction of all their works, including the many problems especially from the extremes of the Highland weather.

SCRAN

2. Train – it is unlikely the family travelled by train

Although in 1860 Inverness had a rail link to the south, the route via Aberdeen was circuitous and involved a change between two railway stations over ¹⁄₂-mile (0.80 km) apart. Passengers were conveyed between the termini by omnibus, paid for in the through fare and with forty five minutes being allowed for the transfer.

SCRAN

3. By boat

The Gairloch community once consisted of a number of small scattered settlements. Prior to the completion of the A832 in 1843, access to the area was almost exclusively by sea. Once ‘opened up’, the Gairloch area became a popular destination for Victorian tourists wishing to sample the Highland ‘sublime’. The area experienced a boom following a royal visit by Queen Victoria in 1877, who visited during her stay at nearby Loch Maree Hotel.3. Steamer – Around this time the waterways around the west coast of Scotland were alive with boats of all shapes and sizes and it is quite possible that Robert, Sarah and their young family travelled south by boat for at least part of their journey.They could have sailed from Gairloch to Fort William and then onto Oban. Another boat could have been be boarded there to travel down the coast to eventually dock at Ayr or Girvan. However, steamer routes mainly began at the end of the decade.

Wikipedia

Walter and John, the twins, were born on 31 May 1860 in the parish of Gairloch as stated in the 1861 census, but their birth certificates have yet to be found. The address given for the Ballantyne family is difficult to decipher but it looks like Glenlanigiel and this seems to be a small croft near a river.