552: Catherine Finlayson

Catherine Finlayson (1832-1914) had been employed at the manse in Sheildaig, Applecross, working for Rev Donald Murray and his wife Christina, who was neice to Rev Roderick Reid, minister at Keose. Catherine then worked as a nurse to the children of Rev Reid in Keose before going to Edinburgh. Her future husband John, who had met her in Keose, tracked her down in Edinburgh and married here.

When she returned to Keose with John in 1856, Catherine, due to her ability to read and write in both Gaelic and English and especially her nursing and midwifery skills, was much in demand in the days before organised medical assistance.