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"Survey return from Archibald Clerk"
Kilmalie, Fort William.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/129
Archibald Clerk was a church minister in Kilmalie.
Kilmalie (also known as Kilmallie) was a parish in the historic County of Inverness and contained the town of Fort William. In 1831, the population was 4210. The inhabitants mainly worked as fishers or shepherds. There was not much agriculture.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
Archd Clerk
Kilmalie
Fort William
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Kilmalie?
Three
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
William Kennedy M.D. Fortwilliam
Charles Crichton C.M. Fortwilliam
Ewen Cameron C.M. Drimnasaille by Fortwilliam
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
Stationary for 7 or 8 years - & I think for a much longer period.
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
My connection with the Parish is of only six years standing. One Practitioner Mr. Smith left the Parish since for want of practice. Mr. Cameron who did not practice then practices now.
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
Very rarely. Sometimes persons in poor circumstances (not paupers) complain of medical visits not being repeated so frequently as they wd. wish. But I know of no case where a medl man had refused to visit & examine when application was first made to him.
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?
None from want of medl advice. But the wretchedly stifled, damp, dark smoky atmosphere of the huts & the stupidity of the nurses protract the illness of patients very much
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
I am not sure that I understand this question aright. I wd say there is no public provision made for attendance on any except the paupers – I wd also say that none except qualified practitioners attempt to practice.
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?
An Hospital in Fortwilliam containing from 10 to 20 beds wd. be a great boon. If a Poor House be built such an Hospital might be conjoined to it - if the Funds cd. be had.
9. What Heritors1 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
Donald Cameron Esquire of Lochiel the chief Heritor – occasionally resident present address Hampden House Buckinghamshire. Sir D. Cameron Bart. of Fassfern. Alexr. McLean Esquire of Ardgour - permanently.
These two last named gentlemen reside in the Quoad Sacra2 parish of Balachulish. But as this Parish is included quoad civilia in Kilmalie I have mentioned them resident
[[Additional Text]]3
P.S. A Dr. Hurst an English gentleman who had retired from practice in England lives at Corran in the Parish, & attends the poor about him gratis. But I do not term him a regular practitioner. Mr Ewen Cameron whom I mentioned above, while a regular practitioner now, lives chiefly by a farm wh. he rents. Dr. Kennedy & Mr. Crichton live entirely by their profession. They practice not only in Kilmalie – a very wide Parish, but over a great extent of Kilmonisvaig to the East & the districts of Arasaig, Moidart and Strontian to the W. & S.W. As far as I know they never refuse to visit a patient in the case of an accident, or of dangerous illness. But at the same time many cases of illness are visited irregularly & rarely & it must be so where the district embraces 60 or 70 miles where the people are so poor that they cannot pay any fee to the medical attendant, nor give any accommodation to himself or horse supposing it necessary for him to stay with [1 word illegible]4 This poverty of the people, and especially the filth, & wretchedness of their hovels wh. in many cases are fearful seem to me5 to be the chief causes of the continuance of many diseases ann for a length of time among them. An Hospital such as I have briefly referred to above seems to me the to promise the best – at all events the most practicable remedy for the chief evils to wh. the poor are exposed in cases of sickness The improvement of their huts or hovels is a work of time & of very great expense - a work apparently hopeless in the present circumstances of the Highlands –
I must state that I know no class of men more extensively & actively charitable than medical practitioners in the Highlands.
Archd. Clerk minr. of Kilmalie
Explanatory notes:
1. 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.
2. Quoad sacra translates from Latin as "concerning sacred matters". Where a civil and an ecclesiastical parish are coterminous, the area is designated a "parish proper", a parish quoad omnia ("concerning all"), or a parish quoad civilia et sacra ("concerning the civil and the sacred").
3. Written on return address page.
4. Word obscured by binding.
5. Continues below address.
Remote & Rural Remedies
