The Urquhart-Campbell-Sutherland fonds contains personal, family, and business correspondence and other materials related to the families of three Scottish Presbyterian ministers: Rev. Alexander Urquhart (c.1750-1812) of Rograt, Urquhart’s son-in-law Rev. James Campbell (1782-1859) of Kildonan and Inverness, and Campbell’s son-in-law Rev. Murdoch Sutherland (d.1858), who was appointed to the Free Church in Pictou, Nova Scotia. The fonds contains materials that provide important insights into the conditions in Sutherlandshire during a period of major social and economic upheaval, including the Highland clearances.
The correspondence related to Rev. Alexander Urquhart, which covers the period from about 1780 to 1823, discusses education, parish management, and church politics in northern Scotland. Letters related to education include discussion on the quality of teaching in Caithness as well as adequate tuition for his five children. Family letters from the Polson family of Navidale are also prominent.
The bulk of the fonds contains materials related to Rev. James Campbell from 1810 to 1859. These include business, family, and personal correspondence, as well as a collection of death notices. The letters provide a commentary on the role of a rural parish minister in the management of the Sutherland estate and discuss the ramifications of the Highland clearances. Financial invoices and bills are also included.
Correspondence from 1846 to 1884 relating to Rev. Murdoch Sutherland (c.1826-1858) and his family is also inluded. Many of the letters are between Sutherland and his wife, Isabella, and include a commentary of religious life in the Nova Scotia, including descriptions of the Halifax College as well as congregations he served.
Urquhart, Alexander