2947: 9 Calbost

Croft 9 Calbost was grossly overcrowded over a long, long period, ever since John Morrison (Ian Mhurchaidh) the oldest son of the original crofter Murdo Morrison (Murchadh Breabadair) married about 1850 and also set up a home of his own on the croft.

Later on John’s brother (Alastair Mhurchaidh) also settled on the same croft because the landowning system did not allow for the provision of new crofts or the re-settlement of the cleared townships in Southern Park.

By the 1880s and 1890s, four sons of John Morrison married and they too had set up homes of their own on 9 Calbost:

Angus Morrison, born 1852. Married 1876, raised 8 children.
John Morrison, born 1855. Married 1884, raised 7 children.
Neil Morrison, born 1863. Married 1887, raised 8 children.
Donald Morrison, born 1867. Married 1895, raised 11 children.

At the same time, Calum Morrison (1875), son of the above Alastair Mhurchaidh also married in 1906 and had 11 of a family. Murdo Morrison (1878) married in 1905. He was the son of the above Angus Morrison and he had five children.

That made six families living on Croft No 9 at the same time in the early part of the 20th century. Two of the families who land raided Steimreway in 1921/22 moved out to the Calbost Common in an isolated place known as the “Glaic Mhor”. Until the 1920s, landless families dare not set up home on the Common Grazings anywhere but the mood of the ex-servicemen of the 1920s was that such families from practically all the villages of Pairc began to move out to the Common.

After the death of Murdo (1797-1870) the croft was divided between his sons, John (1828-1907) at 9a Calbost and Alexander (1840-1915) at 9b Calbost