A horse tied to your door handle? That'll be the carters in Thurso
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Thurso's Heritage by a Thirsa Loon
Following last month, I thought I would look more at Thurso’s lifters and shifters, the carters.
Horse-drawn carts were a common sight, and accidents frequently happened. It wouldn’t be a first for the side of a cart to hit the corner of a building.
A couple of buildings in the town have the corner partially cut away to help prevent this. As another form of prevention, one building had a large boulder at its corner to ensure the drivers gave it a wide berth.
Farmers often frequented the beach with carts to gather seaweed for fertilising fields, and market days saw them coming into the town. This was not always welcome, with complaints of horses and carts tied in the most awkward places. One report even referred to a case of a horse tied up to a house door handle. You can imagine the surprise of opening your door to find a horse on the other side.
This influx of farmers also provided an opportunity for some fun. As one writer described, “The horses would be unyoked and left in a field nearby. One particular incident which my parents have related to me a few times happened when I was only four and a half and my 'accomplice' James Banks was four.
"There are short chains which attach the horse collar to each shaft of a cart. They are called 'pullers'. My pal and I unhitched the pullers from the carts and hid them in all types of receptacles – in a barrel of tar, in drains behind sheds – devilment at that age! You can imagine the pandemonium of the owners of these carts when they arrived from the market!
"A few were found, but some farmers had to make do with bits of rope. Where were the culprits? I was told that old Jock Mackay – the owner of the yard – came charging into our house shouting: 'Where is that little so-and-so'. Me? I was under the bed and when discovered, was sound asleep oblivious of the chaos we had created. They kept a strict watch on us after that!”
Carters also tendered for work, such as transporting building supplies and stone, which might have been delivered at Thurso or Scrabster harbours. Sometimes they had trouble getting paid, but they could also get themselves in trouble.
At the court in Thurso, Hugh Sinclair and Charles Manson, both carters, pleaded guilty to the charge of driving horses recklessly on the Scrabster Road and were fined 10s 6d each.
In 1912, the Thurso carters formed their own association and notified the coal merchants that the cartage rates were too low. At one point, they went on strike.
They submitted a new scale to the merchants, showing that they wanted an increase of sixpence per ton in the town. If need be, they would also appoint delegates to meet the merchants. If no meeting took place, the rates would automatically come into effect on August 15 of that year.
For many a bairn, a cartie, also called a hurlie, boagie or soapbox, was simply made up of a wooden fish box, four old pram wheels (sometimes supplied by the men on the scaffie cart), a short plank of wood and some rope and hours of fun. What more can you ask for?
- To get in touch, contact thursoheritage1@gmail.com
