Dornoch Historylinks Image Library

The Rev William MacLeod was the minister of the Free Church of Scotland in Dornoch for many years. He offered most of his church services in Gaelic. He was a well known and respected person in Embo as most of his Gaelic speaking parishioners came from there. I also believe that he represented them as a local government councillor and I presume that MacLeod Terrace, Embo was named in his honour. I clearly remember him officiating at the funeral service of my widowed maternal grandmother Ann Cumming (Nee Fraser) of 9 Front Street (Mizpah Cottage), Embo who died there on the 20/6/1946. The service was held in Gaelic in the street outside the house and then later the remains were taken by train to Dornoch accompanied by the mourners and buried in the cemetery round the corner from the Free Church and on the approach road to the Golf Club. The Rev MacLeod was a very thin, tall and austere looking man. He always wore a dark suit and this coupled with his physical features and wire rimmed eye glasses made him very intimidating to children. He was also never fearful to spice his sermons with warnings of damnation and hell for those who did not repent their sins!
It would have been very interesting to read all of the 17 pages of this article.

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