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"Survey return from George Campbell"
Tarbat, by Tain.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/85
George Campbell was a church minister to Tarbat parish.
Tarbat was a parish in the historic County of Ross and Cromarty and comprised the villages of Portmahomach, Balnabruach and Rockfield. In 1831, the population was 1809. Many of the inhabitants worked in agriculture, as well as trade, manufacture, or handicraft. There were also tree plantations and fisheries in the parish.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
George Campbell
Tarbat
by Tain
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Tarbat?
There is no Medical Man in the parish. When medical assistance is required, we have to send to Tain a distance of 10 miles & upwards from the bulk of the population – and of 13 miles from the Lighthouse.
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
[no text]
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
[no text]
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
[no text]
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
There are frequent complaints. It is hard upon the labouring population to have to send to Tain and pay so very high for medical advice. Last winter for instance I1 gave my Gig2 to a lad to go for a Doctor to see his father, a Cooper3. The Doctor came & charged 30/ for the visit. I know of higher Fees having been charged – and many suffer in consequence of this hardship4 – viz, the great distance & high charges of medical men.
6. Do you know of any cases of protracted suffering, or of injury by Accident, such as might have been alleviated had proper advice been at hand?
[no text]
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
[no text]
8. Does your experience enable you to suggest any measure – of general applicability – such as would be likely to relieve to some extent the evils (if they exist) of deficiency in the supply of Medical aid?
I wd. suggest, and I have no doubt our Parochial Board5 wd concur – that the salary granted by the Board to the Tain Medical Man, be given to any suitable & qualifd practitioner who could be sent to reside in the parish – I know also this wd be augmented by private families who have often complained to me of our great want in this matter. See note
9. What Heritors6 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
The only resident Heritor is W.H Murray Esq of Gearies, advocate, at present in Edinburgh
[[Additional Text]]
note – The amount paid by this parish, I mean the Parochial Board for Medical attendance for the last 3 years has been rather considerable.
Geo. Campbell.
Explanatory notes:
1. Answer to query 5 continues into box for 6.
2. A gig is a light two-wheeled carriage pulled by one horse.
3. A cooper is a person trained to make wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs and other similar containers.
4. Answer to query 5 continues into box for 7.
5. Following the Poor Law Amendment (Scotland) Act of 1845 parochial boards were set up in each parish to administer poor relief.
6. A heritor was a landowner, under Scots Law, whose holdings were sizeable enough for them to be liable for the payment of public burdens such as Poor Law rates, road and bridge assessments and the church minister’s stipend.
Remote & Rural Remedies
