Lows of Downhill, Luncarty

[Citizen Smith]

Hi
Any help you can give me with my research would be much appreciated.

I'm researching my maternal grandfathers ancestors who lived at Downhill,
Luncarty.  Their surname was Low and they were blacksmiths there from at least
1840 till at least 1915. 

As well as doing paper research from Glasgow, I've also visited Luncarty and
the surrounding area a number of times recently, looking for memorial
inscriptions and the site of the house.

I am keen to speak to anyone who has information/researching Downhill to
establish exactly what it was.  I know there was a smiddy based there and that
it was an inn as well.  I assume it was a coaching inn serving commercial and
other travellers coming to and from the Highlands.

Any help/info much appreciated!

Sarah Smith

[colpatton]

Hi Sarah,i came upon your post by chance,i see you started this quite some time back but have visited recently,my surname is Patton and my family have stayed in Luncarty for many many generations,infact my  uncle (now around 80yo) stays at Downhill the house he stays in belonged to my gran and grandad (his parents) before that,if i remember correctly there was indeed a smiddy and the buildings ajoined to my uncles house were stables,as stated my family history at Downhill goes back many many years and i know my uncles neighbour  is very keen on the history of her area,which particular house did your ancestors stay in ? i hope you get back to me soon and we can try and take this further.

What i can tell you Downhill was originally named Dome-hill regarding the hill behind the houses and as village rumour goes it was once the site of an ancient settlement,when they were building up the banks for the railway seemingly a skeleton was found which they think dated 100s of years old,the local vicar was informed who ordered the bones to be put back into the soil.
Round the corner from Downhill (through the Bridges) you had the old Ordie shuttle mill that made the thread shuttles for the surrounding textile mills,this dated back to the 1800s
The big white house as we called it at Downhill was once the local shop (i dont have the dates handy just now but could soon find out) footnote to say that house has been on the property market for about 5 years,only pic i can find attached.
Im not too clear about the Inn just now though,the big white house would fit that profile though,size,shape,its place beside the road,next to stable blocks etc would certainly fit that profile.

I visit Downhill on a regular basis so will speak to my family and Neighbour to see if i can be of any help.

Finding online photos of buildings and area seems to be a bit of a search at the moment but next visit i will take my own photos of old outbuildings etc

The white house dates back to 1650s,my uncles house and converted stables is to the far left of the picture out of view.

[colpatton]

Im hoping you visit this site again soon,i have since visited Downhill and talked to the person in question regarding your family ties,i have sent her a link to this page.

I have took quite a few photos of the buildings and will gladly upload them when you visit this thread again.

[Citizen Smith]

Hi there - thanks for the reply about Downhill.It's nice to know I'm not the only person interested in this wee area.

It would seem we have a lot of material and info to share! I've been doing my family history for a few years now and have links to Luncarty, Moneydie and Stormontfield.  I have some census returns for the houses and also a note that the Arns was originally a post office and coaching inn (found this through Scotlands Places which is a good site if you haven't already come across it)

My family tree is on GenesReunited if you want a look at it but I can download it and send to view another way if needed.

I'm just back from holidays but I will dig out the info I have and send you a fuller reply over the next couple of days.

Regards

Sarah

BTW - I noticed your surname is Patton - I have a Caroline Hislop (Haslop) Patton (sometimes Paton) who is born in Redgorton Parish and turns up again in Stormontfield working as a beetler in the mill where she is the first wife of my Great Grandfather William Low, has 2 daughters but dies very young.  Just wondered if that rang any bells with you.

[colpatton]

Hi Sarah sorry its took this long to get back to you,i have again spoken to the lady (my uncles neighbour) and she seems to be having problems registering on this site but she is going to send you a message via another route,her name is Joan and she has lots of info also about Downhill etc so im hoping you both can swap details soon,im very interested to see the results since i still have family staying there.

As for the name Caroline Hislop,it doesnt ring any bells with me just now but ive never looked into my familys history so you never know,again Joan is the lady who may have answers as i know she has done some research into the name Patton and she will be sending me some details for me to read through.

Once i work out how to transfer pictures from my phone to the comp then i will post up recent snaps of Downhill

 

[Alan Clayton]

I am also related to Pattons in Luncarty and Downhill. My Father was born there, William Nicol Clayton and his Aunt Mima lived at Downhill for many years. William Nicol Patton is a great Great Grandfather of mine. I would be interested to hear from other branches of this family!

[colpatton]

Been a while but i've found this site again.Hi Alan, William Patton was my grandfather and my Father Jimmy Patton,Uncle Billy and also Uncle Brian still stay at Downhill, infact im off down there this weekend to visit them. Nearly all of my family still stay around Luncarty, apart from the obvious Pattons theres Robertsons and Lyalls. I remember the Claytons, was your mother called Anne/Annie or is my memmory going bad ?

[Alan Clayton]

Hello Colpatton. Been awhile since I signed in here. My grandfather Henry Clayton was married to Jessica Slorach (Patton side of family). I remember summers at Downhill visiting Mima, Billy and Brian (when he was home). Fishing the burn, climbing the railway bank! My Aunt Ann looked after Grandad at Westfield, up the road from Downhill. My Father, William, Was the youngest of six. Winnie (Ismay), Norman, Ann, George, Margaret and my father William. All now passed on except Winnie who lives in Alloa, married Stewart. It is good to read of my relatives from Luncarty.

[dblowe]

Hi all,
I'm coming into this discussion very belatedly, but am delighted to find this information (and those who are interested in it!)
I have only recently returned to exploring my ancestry (after a 25 year gap!). My gg-grandfather seems to have been Charles Miller Lowe from Downhill - and so I've become quite interested in this area. Charles emigrated to Australia in 1854 (part of the 1850's goldrush!) and then married 4 years later. His marriage certificate shows his parents as Thomas Lowe and Helen Miller, and the immigration/shipping records show him coming from Perthshire, and being born in 1829. I am therefore confident that he is this Charles Low - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X1KL-S45 (with the change from "Low" to "Lowe" being fairly typical for those emigrating to NSW as an "English colony"). This would also make him the Charles Low shown in the 1841 census, living at Downhill as an 11 year old and with a father Thomas who is shown in the census as an Innkeeper - so he may well actually have lived in the white house discussed in this thread!
I would be very interested in any information that anyone would be interested in sharing about this branch.
Thanks for any help!
David