Duncan McPherson

1. Duncan, son of Donald Macpherson in Laggain of Nuide and Elspet Clarke his wife was baptised in Kingussie, 26/07/1799.

2. Thomas Sinton, a relative and an executor of Duncan's will, wrote that Duncan "in 1833, on his return from the West Indies, opened an agency of the British Linen Bank' in Kingussie.

3. Duncan Mcpherson, age 40, "bank agent", was living on Back Street, Kingussie in 1841 in the household of Allan Mcpherson, age 85, Ann Mcpherson age 35, Janet Mcpherson age 30, one female servant and four agricultural labourers. He was living at Spey Street, Kingussie in 1851, age 51, "Bank agent + farmer of 100 acres arable, moor not known, empoying 9 men, 2 boys + 3 women", with his wife Jessie age 29, born Dull, Perthshire, daughter Elizabeth age 3, sister Janet, three female and two male servants.

4. Duncan Mcpherson, "bank agent", age 61, born in Kingussie, was living at Pitmain, Kingussie, in the census of 1861 with his sister Janet, age 51, sister-in-law Euphemia Stewart, age 31, three female servants and two male servants, and two visitors (George Mckay age 62 and Donald Rose age 75). Not identified in the census of 1871.

5. Duncan McPherson, age 81, "retired banker", was living in Kingussie in 1881 with his sister Janet, daughter Elizabeth age 33, son Donald age 32, three female and one male servants.

6. Duncan Macpherson, late bank agent, widower of Jessie Stewart, son of Donald Macpherson (farmer, deceased) and Elizabeth Macpherson (maiden surname Clark, deceased) died 18/02/1890 at Old Bank, Kingussie.

7. Alexander Macpherson, writing in the early 1890s, described Duncan as "the venerable 'Old Banker'": "Although he had attained that advanced age, the 'Old Banker's' memory remained unimpaired down to the end of his life. Only a short time before his death he related to me incidents and events occuring from fifty to eighty years ago, connected with the lives of many who sleep their 'last sleep' in the old churchyard, as vividly as if these had happened the previous day."

1. NROS OPR Births 102 20 80 Kingussie and Insh.

2. Thomas Sinton, By Loch and River (Inverness, 1910), p. 257.

3. 1841 and 1851 censuses online.

4. 1861 census online.

5. 1881 census online.

6. NROS Deaths 102 8 1890.

7. Alexander Macpherson, Glimpses of Church and Social Life in the Highlands in Olden Times (Edinburgh, 1893), p. 137.

We are grateful to David Taylor for his extensive assistance with compiling this entry.