22745: John Macleod

Iain Iain Aonghais

John (1842-1925) was a son of John Macleod and Isabella Macarthur, 8 Calbost.

He was engaged as a very young man to serve as a  Scalag (servant) for a family from Lemreway. The duties of a Scalag were varied and onerous and there were no set hours, the wages were small and the bed was hard. John worked hard for a year doing agricultural work, peat cutting, great line fishing, etc. His intention was to emigrate to Labrador, An talamh fuar (Canada) at the end of his period of service and therefore he was happy to leave his wages accumulating until the end of his service.

When eventually it was time to leave, he asked for his wages and was promptly told that he did not contract for any wages when he came and therefore there was no money due to him. Cha do cuir thu ceann air  tuarasdal nuair a thainig thu (You did not set a limit on your wages when you arrived). That was a valuable lesson for the young Calbost lad on the eve of his departure to Canada. Eventually he returned from Canada and in later years he used to say he was never without money since that time.

When Alastair Louis Macleod, 9 Marvig found himself in similar circumstances, he left quietly in the small hours of the morning, taking with him one of his employers cows. No-one came for the cow!

In Lochs, on the last day of 1867, John married Mary Macmillan, 14 Gravir. The couple settled at 8 Calbost and they had eight children.