Belston, Methven and Auchtergaven

[OzKat]

I have been spending a pleasant Sunday on ScotlandsPeople looking at the 1841 census but I can't seem to identify a couple of the places my folk seem to have spent time in.

At one stage my Rorie (Rorey) family were in the village of Belston, parish Methven. I can find Methven on a map but I can't seem to find anything on Belston? Any ideas or suggestions? 

David Rorie, the head of the family says he came from Auchtergaven in some census records but in the 1871 he says he came from the following place - any help in deciphering this would be appreciated. I am presuming it is part of Auchtergaven parish.


Thanks, Kath

[Isles]

Hi Kath,

    I have located Coulterenny, which is probably the place spelled Coltranny in the census.  If you go to old-maps.co.uk and enter Bankfoot, you will see Coulterenny at the top of the map.  It appears to be a farm.  Auchtergaven is described as a parish to the south of Dunkeld.  Its chief settlement is the village of Bankfoot which also used to be known as Auchtergaven.  Can't find Belston/Bilston (?) though, but will keep looking !

Isles.

[Isles]

Hi again Kath,

     Have now located Belston !  Enter Bankfoot as before, then using the left arrow click on it once, waiting for the new portion of the map to appear.
Do this four times in total and you should see Belston slightly to the left.  Again, it seems to be a farm.

Isles.

[MonicaL]

Isles

Just a tip from someone who got it wrong for a long time and clicked herself to oblivion on Old Maps site! At the top right of the map page on map section you are viewing you will find there are grid refs. which you can later use  to find the spot you were at. At the home page of Old Maps on the left hand side, you have search options on the left. Simply click in 'co-ordinate' and then key in the two sets of 6 nos, icluding comma and it will take you to the exact section of the map you want. ......You still have to click away of course to find what you are looking for in many cases in the first place!

Regards.

Monica

[Isles]

Thanks for that tip Monica. The grid references for the places are:

        Bankfoot  306811,735421
   Coulterenny  306811,735919                 
          Belston  303982,735666

Isles.

[OzKat]

Thanks Isles for the work you did on my behalf and the coordinates made it very easy to find these locations.

I can see what you mean about clicking yourself to death on "Old Maps", Monica. Excited by Isles finding these map references I then started to look for another of my missing farms near Kippen. 30mins on I am still clicking right and left to no avail and I am supposed to be working. Better wait till I get home tonight.

Thanks again
Kath

[Isles]

Should you be unsuccessful in finding that farm near Kippen, let me know its name and I'll have a go.  The Yellow Pages for Dundee and Perth has the following in the farm section:

                            D.&A. Husband,
                            Belstane Farm,
                            PERTH
                            PH1 4BY

I couldn't find a mention of Coulterenny farm.  Perhaps the owner/s chose not to be listed in Yellow Pages or the farm has been incorporated with another.  Next time I visit Montrose Library I'll check the Ordnance Survey map of Perthshire.

Isles.

[rupiezucki]

I hope some of this will be helpful:

Belston Farm (sometimes spelled Belstane) can be found on streetmap.co.uk, by getting the map open at Bankfoot.  Two roads lead west, the lower road goes to Belstane Farm.  It is just past Farkhill and just before Balquharn.

This is the ancestral home of my husband's family, PATON.  One son, Peter, emigrated in the early 1800's to Canada.  I have a fairly complete record after his arrival in Canada, but haven't found anything in Scotland earlier than his birth in 1803 (Auchtergaven).  His parents were Andrew and Anne, his brothers were James, 1794 Auchtergaven, Andrew 1800, Auchtergaven, John 1809, Auchtergaven.

I am sure there were sisters.  I think I found James on the Scottish census with a wife, Catherine, on Prieston Road (alternately given as Auchtergaven and Bankfoot), but none of the others.

I wonder if your Rorie relatives might be connected to my Patons?

Cheers from Canada!
Holly

[OzKat]

Hi Holly.

It is extremely coincidental that I just thought I would go and meander around the Perth board and then your response pops up whilst I am there.

And yes ... I have managed to find Belston, Belstane, Bellstown since my last post. In fact I have now managed to find all my obscure and wonderful little Scottish hamlets that I have been after ... maybe one day I'll get to travel to Scotland to take a look.

Belston only appears to have had about six or seven dwellings. I have tracked the Donaldson family back several generations there and yes I have noticed Patons in my travels. I am pretty sure that there is at least one Paton/Donaldson marriage maybe more but I don't have the data on this computer - will have to go and check when my son and his friend gets off the other computer (school hols here in Sydney at the moment).

The Rorie connection is that David Rorie worked as a ploughman on the Donaldson farm in Belston and then married one of the daughters - Janet Donaldson. When Thomas Donaldson, his father in law died, the Rories appear to have moved off to farm in Stirlingshire after many generations in Auchtergaven parish.

There are quite a lot of Donaldsons at Belston so I am wondering if there were perhaps more than one Donaldson family there. Unfortunately Donaldson is such a common name - and they kept naming their sons William or Thomas or Andrew so its pretty hard to tell who's who.

Regards
Kath