Caledonian bank of Scotland
Attribution: unknown or not recorded
Caledonian Bank of Scotland
Before the Caledonain Bank of Scotland took possession of the building, it was known in the village as Fraserdale.
Fraserdale first appears on maps of the area around 1904 and was built by the Fraser family of the Tarradale Inn. It may have been built earlier as a Mrs A.M. Ross is mentioned in newspaper articles, as living there as early as 1896.
The Ross family lived at Fraserdale for around two years from 1896 until 1898. The head of the
Household, Alexander McAndrew Ross was a journalist and became the founder and first editor of
The North Star newspaper based in Dingwall.
The house was to let in 1904 where it was described as containing 6 apartments with garden. The owner remained as Donald Fraser or Carnachlarsair, Muir of Ord. The tenant in 1905 was listed as Alexander Mackintosh, a retired hotelkeeper.
Attribution: not recorded or unknown
Miss Christina Mackenzie
From the valuation rolls of 1915 until 1935, the tenant was listed as a Miss Christina Mackenzie. There was no description of how she was employed, however she must have been a lady of some significance as she was mentioned in a newspaper report about one of her cousins, Captain Colin Mackenzie, D.S.O, R.N.
“Captain Colin. Mackenzie, D. S.0., R.N, son of the late Mr Donald Mackenzie, J.P., factor for Gairloch, has been appointed a Companion of the Most Excellent Order of the Indian Empire for war services in Mesopotamia. Captain Mackenzie has had a most distinguished career in the Navy., Queen Victoria presented him with the D.S.O. for his great services at the taking of the Lakes Fort in China in 1900, and was promoted to Captain tor his distinguished service at Kut- el-Amara. Captain. Mackenzie is a cousin of Miss Mackenzie, Fraserdale, Muir of Ord, and it is of interest to note she has had over forty cousins in the war —many making the supreme sacrifice and twelve being awarded honours which they received from the King at Buckingham Palace.”
Saturday 27 September 1919, Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser
Caledonian bank of Scotland
The Caledonian Bank was established at Inverness in 1838 and kept its operations confined to the North of Scotland.
It had a successful 40 year career until 1878 when the City of Glasgow Bank collapsed.
The Caledonian Bank held £400 of assets there, which caused enough uncertainty amongst customers withdrawing their monies, resulting in the Bank having to close its doors. The fears were however unfounded and the Caledonian Bank resumed business a few months later, gradually regaining its deposits and clients.
They continued operating for another twenty years however following the 1888 Herring Fishery Crisis and the retirement of the long-standing manager in 1900, the bank struggled to keep up with modern day demands.
By 1906 the Caledonian Bank was no longer healthy and the sudden death of the then manager, Mr Brown, caused the directors to consider the whole position.
The conclusion being and absorption of the Caledonian Bank by the Bank of Scotland with negotiations commencing in 1907.
Attribution: not recorded or unknown
Mr R.T.M. Sinclair
The Bank worked predominantly at the market Stance throughout the 19th century at Bank Cottage.
It only opened on market days until 1903 when the directors agreed that it would open daily under the charge of Mr R.T.M. Sinclair who, at that time was an accountant at the Bank at Dingwall.
The Valuation rolls of 1895 show that the bank was still operating from the Market Stance with a Donald Fraser occupying an office within the village in 1905 and 1915. By 1920, the same Donald Fraser was now recorded at a Bank Office.
Up until the Valuation Roll of 1935, Fraserdale was still in existence at the same time as a Bank office.
By 1940, Fraserdale had disappeared and there was now an established Bank of Scotland building.
R.T.M. Sinclair remained at the bank until 1905 when he was then moved to the Lochcarron branch, retuning to Muir of Ord in 1909 to marry Mary Fraser, daughter of James Fraser, of the Tarradale Hotel. Mary’s address was Carnachlarsair, the address the couple would return to when Robert retired.
Whilst at Lochcarron Robert was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for the area in 1918. The couple can next be found at Pitlochry in 1920 when Robert was a pall bearer at a local man’s funeral, indicating he had to have been there for some time to earn the respect of the locals.
Although his time was brief at the Muir of Ord branch, his wife was very much a local of the village so they returned to the Fraser family home when Robert retired in March 1935.
He died in July 1944; the couple had no children.
David Frazer Gordon
David Frazer Gordon was born in Fortrose in 1876 and started his career with the bank around 1894.
He was the son of Mr D. F. Gordon, schoolmaster at the Rosemarkie Public School.
As a member of the Fortrose Volunteer Company, he served on the front during the Boer War of 1900. There he contracted enteric fever and was invalided home where he returned to work at the bank.
Within a year he was appointed as accountant of the bank at Gairloch.
His brother Alister F. Gordon also joined the bank, moving to the London office of the national bank of India at Rangoon, before being promoted to Columbo. He was appointed as manager of the bank of Mombasa in 1904.
David was appointed as sub agent at Muir of Ord in 1905, he had previously been working at head office at Inverness.
He took lodgings at the Railway Cottages, a villa on the corner beside the village hall. By 1921 he was lodging at the Ord Arms Hotel which was currently owned by Mrs Helen Cameron and her family.
He remained at the Muir of Ord branch until he retired in 1941.
During his time in the village, he did much for the welfare of the district as well as promoting cricket, football and golf.
He retired on a bank pension which would not have been available to him at the Caledonian Bank, but was now a benefit of working for the Bank of Scotland.
He married Margaret Cameron, daughter of Hector and Helen Cameron of the Ord Arms Hotel, in 1941.
David was 64 and Margaret 66. Sadly, David died in October 1941 at their home in Inverness.
Mr H.G. Munro
The new agent at the bank was Mr H. G. Munro who had moved from the Mallaig branch. Not much is known about this Mr Munro apart from he was treasurer of the Clan Munro Association and his wife was a long-standing treasurer of the local Women’s Rural Institute.
N.B. H.G. Munro not to be confused with G.W. Munro of the Commercial Bank.
The bank was still in operation in 1973 and for sale in 1978, when it was turned into a dwelling house.
