William Coutts: Dundee, 1800s

[Fide et Fortitudine]

Help!  I'm stuck on the early 1800s.  I have traced my paternal line back to c. 1813-14, and would like to go back further but having difficulties.   

My great-great-great-grandfather WILLIAM COUTTS is on the 1851 Scottish census, aged 37, so that puts his birth around 1814.  According to the census, he was born at "Morres", Forfarshire (Angus) which I'm guessing is a misspelling of Murroes, near Dundee.  But I can't find a BC for him on the Old Parish Registers at Murroes.  In 1851 he was a flaxdresser, living in the Parish of St. Vigeans, Arbroath as head of house with his wife Sarah Coutts (nee Douglas), born at Craignish, Argyll and their 5 children:  William (16), Alexander (13), Agnes (6), and Mary (3).  Mary's birth certificate (Parish of St. Vigeans, Arbroath, 1847) has her father William Coutts as a weaver. 

William and Sarah were separated at some point earlier in their marriage, after the births of William and Alexander and before those of Agnes and Mary.  The 1841 census lists Sarah Coutts (aged 25) living on Keptie Street, Arbroath, only with her children William (aged 7), Alexander (3), Ann (10 months - who must have died before the next census) and a Margaret Duncan, aged 10 - probably a relative.  There is no mention of William Coutts living with Sarah in 1841.  That's another mystery to explore, but for now I'm concentrating on the lineage. 

William Coutts must have died between 1852 and 1855 (again, no death certificate found) because Sarah Douglas remarried in June 1855 (to James ALLARDICE) at Arbroath.  This marriage certificate states that it is a second marriage for both parties, but I cannot find the first marriage certificate for William Coutts and Sarah Douglas. 

So, without definite birth, death or marriage certs for William Coutts, how to confirm who his parents were?   

I have looked at OPR births around the 1814 mark.  The 1813 OPR of Dundee has a William Coutts, son of Alexander COUTS and Isabel LEITH.  Witnessed by W. Coutts (uncle).  This strikes me as a strong possible match as William named his second son Alexander, following the Scottish tradition of naming a child after a parent.  On the other hand, it might be a coincidence. 

Any guidance on how to advance on this would be much appreciated. 

[loobylooayr]

Hi Fide,

Looking at the 1841 Census there is a William Coutts - Flax Dresser - age 20 - Born Angus living at Rossie Street Arbroath.
Other residents in the household are
Luisa Coutts - Flax Spinner- age 15- born Angus
Elizabeth Hutchison- age 55 - born Angus.

According to Google Maps Roosie Street Arbroath is 0.3 miles from Keptie Street where Sarah Coutts and her children are. Could this be your William with sister and mother??
I know at 20 he is a bit young to have a 7 year old son but bear in mind that at the time of the 1841 Census people were told to round down to the nearest 5 years.
i.e. If William was 24 he could have given his age as 20.
Don't know about Elizabeth being his mother but it was common practice to in Scotland around this time for a widow to revert to her maiden name.

Good luck with your research,
Looby

[Gali]

Yes, I would definitely be looking into the Alexander Coutts and Isobel Leith link ... given they had children christened in Murroes, the place of birth for William on the 1851 census ... see below from OPRs ...

John Coutts, christening 1794, St Vigeans, parents Alexander Coutts, Isabel Lieth
Agnes Coutts, christening 1796, St Vigeans, parents Alexander Coutts, Isabel Leith
Lilia Coutts, christening 1798, Murroes, parents Alexander Coutts, Isobel Leith
Alexander Couts, christening 1799, Murroes, parent Alex Couts
Isobel Couts, christening 1801, Murroes, parents Alex Couts, Isobel Leith
Margaret Couts, christening 1803, Murroes, parents Alex Couts, Isobel Leith
James Couts, christening 1806, Murroes, parents Alex Couts, Isobel Leith
David Coutts, christening 1808, Murroes, parents Alexr Coutts, Isobel Leith
Elizabeth Coutts, christening 1809, Murroes, parents Alexr Coutts, Isobel Leith
William Couts, christening 1813, Dundee, parents Alexander Couts, Isabel Leith

(Edited this post twice as found more children!)

[Fide et Fortitudine]

Wow, thanks for the tips, Loobyloo and Gali.  Very helpful. 

10+ children?!  Poor Isobel Leith!

I'm on the case...

[Gali]

I note SP OPRs has one death in 1844 Arbroath for 'Is*' 'Leith' other name 'Cou*'

There's also a record for a death in 1832 of an 'Alexander Couts' in Arbroath ...

Wonder if this is Isobel on 1841 census:

'Isobel Coutts' Independent, aged 80, High Street, Arbroath on 1841 census ... living alone

OR

could be 1841 Rossie Street Arbroath, aged 65, indexed as 'Isobel Leath', living with a David Coutts and a David and Isobell Wanlass (David Wanless married Isobel Couts 1819 St Vigeans)

Using 'next household' facility on Freecen I see that the immediately above household was 5 households away from the household found by Looby which included a William and Luisa Coutts.

Might be worth looking into marriage of Louisa Couts to Alexander Crichton 1843 St Vigeans.  Alexander is on the 1851 census Cairnie Street, St Vigeans with 'mother in law' 'Elizabeth Hutcheon' aged 70 which matches the name of the other householder on the census found by Looby.

Some pieces of a jigsaw to try to fit together! 

[Gali]

Few more bits:
OPR has Alexander Couts and Isabel Lieth marrying 1793, Arbroath

and some more info from the OPR on the household found by Looby:
John Couts and Elizabeth Hutcheon married 1820 Arbroath
offspring listed on OPR
William, born Arbroath 1821
Louisa, born Arbroath 1823
Margaret Renny, born Arbroath 1826

[Fide et Fortitudine]

Thanks, Gali, for the leads.  Now I'm really confused! 

Re: 1841 Census

Found a William Coutts, aged 20, flaxdresser, living with Luisa Coutts, aged 15, flax spinner, and Elizabeth Hutchison, aged 55, on Rossie Street in the Parish of Inverbrothock, Arbroath. 

At first I thought it possible that this Elizabeth Hutchison might be the same person as Isabel/Isobel Leith - Isabel being a variation of Elizabeth. If EH was indeed William Coutts's (widowed) mother, he might have been living with her while separated from his wife, Sarah, as Looby suggested. 

However, in the same census I have also seen Isobell Leath, aged 65, living with David Coutts (20), a flax dresser, and Margaret Anderson (3), with David & Isobell Wanlass (45 & 35) on the same street (Rossie St.) - which you mention.  I am more inclined to think this Isobell might be William's mother.  Her age fits, born circa 1776.  I have found the BC for a William Coutts at 16/7/1813 in the Parish of Dundee - son of Alexander Couts and Isabel Leith.  If it's the same Isabel, she would have been about 37 when William was born, which makes sense if he was the 10th child. 

Elizabeth Hutchison, on the other hand, is only about 55 in 1841.  That means born circa 1786.  According to Looby, the first child of Isabel Leith & Alexander Coutts was baptised in 1794, meaning that Elizabeth Hutchison was 8 years old when she gave birth?!  Impossible.  On this basis, Elizabeth Hutchison and Isabel Leith cannot be the same person.  I have to rule out the Hutchison / Hutcheon connection for now.  William Coutts might have been related to her if he was living with her and Luisa Coutts, but it is unlikely EH is his mother even if the census ages are out by 5 years.  It sounds more like EH is Luisa's mother, given the 1843 marriage into the Chrichton family. 

I have found the marriage certificate for Alexander Couts and Isabel Leith, 23/8/1793 at St. Vigean's Parish, which corroborates Looby's list of 10 children, with christenings starting at 1794.

I will look into those OPR death certs. you mentioned, Gali.  Thank you very much for that. 

 

[loobylooayr]

Hi Fide,
It was actually Gali who listed the 10 children, so I better not take the credit for that!!

I found William with Luisa and Elizabeth and thought I'd draw him to your attention because he was around the right age and he was a Flax Dresser (but then again so might half of Arbroath been at that time ). Chances are this William could be a cousin of your elusive man.

Just to throw another spanner in the works...there is a William Coutts born Scotland on the England 1841 Census (according to  www.familysearch.org). His year of birth is 1811 and he is in St John district, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northhumberland. He is not showing in the English 1851 Census. Could be a false trail but then again.....

Hope this helps, sorry if it doesn't,
Looby

[Fide et Fortitudine]

Thanks Looby, yes you're right - it was Gali who found the 10 children.  Oops, sorry Gali!  Thanks, Looby, for pointing that out. 

Thanks also for drawing my attention to William Coutts & Luisa/Louisa Coutts.  I am inclined to agree with you that they might be cousins.  It is clear that there are 2 (or more) William Couttses in the same area around the same time.  One William Coutts is born in Arbroath, 1821; the other is born in Murroes, 1813, but lived in Arbroath in 1851 (census 1851, GROS no. 319/00 004/00 014).

I am 99% certain that my William Coutts is the one born in Murroes, registered at Dundee, 1813. This is based on the 1851 census and direct lineage info I have for the other members of the same household and their descendants, i.e. Sarah Douglas (Allardine) and their children.  So I am afraid the William Coutts you mentioned in Newcastle, 1811 cannot be the same one.  Thanks for the suggestion all the same. 

I found a death certificate for one William Coutts in 1852 in the parish of Arbroath, which fits the time scale between my definite data on the 1851 census, and my definite data on his wife's second marriage in 1855.  However, this William Coutts was a Tanner.  Is it possible that he could have changed highly skilled manual jobs from flax dresser to tanner in 1 year, in his late 30s/early 40s?  I find that unlikely.  Also, according to that DC, that William Coutts was born in the parish of Barry.  Not that far from the parish of Murroes or Dundee, true, but the career change still sticks out.  So William Coutts the tanner is not my William Coutts the flaxdresser, I think. 

Thanks, anyway, Looby.  I'm on the case!