The book Arran; - Cook Clan

THE CHURCH AFTER THE REFORMATION 161
as on the mainland, but ' the people being generally poor,'
the best school would not draw more than £14 in a year nor
the poorest more than £5. Summer saw the young people
busy on the land in one capacity or another, so that attendance
was irregular.
Kilmorie now supported twelve schools : four parochial,
two Assembly, and the rest provided for by the inhabitants
by salary or fees. Parochial teachers had—Kilmorie
£17, 10s., Shisken £15, Imachar £5, 16s., Loch Ranza
£10, 10s., with dwelUng-house, garden, and glebe, except in
the case of Imachar. Fees were calculated by a method
different from that in Kilbride ; 2s. a quarter for reading,
reading and writing 2s. 6d., these plus arithmetic 3s.,
navigation and book-keeping luxuries at £l per quarter.
' There are none between the age of six and fifteen but who
and the greater number
either can, or are learning to read ;
of those of fifteen can also write.' ^ Mr. M'Kelvie of New
MiU had the reputation of being the best teacher in the
parish, ' Dominie Currie ' and ' Dominie Grey ' are others,
who have left a name in their profession.
The school buildings seem to have been the worst part
of the equipment, being, it would appear, almost inferior
to the ordinary dwellings. Even fairly late in this epoch
the scholars would snuggle their feet in the dust of the clay
floor to keep them warm.
Some further notes from individual recollections may
here illustrate the narrative.
About the year 1800 there were only two girls in the
whole district of Shisken who were taught writing. The
buildings used as schoolrooms were so wretched that the
scholars used to gather moss to fill up the holes in walls to
keep the wind out.
About 1820 Pate Raghill (or Peter Bannatyne) kept
a school at Blackwaterfoot. The schoolroom was never
VOL. II.
' New Statistical Account.
X