Ramsay MacDonald

[GDub71]

Given that Ramsay's mother's maiden name was Ramsay and that he was from Lossiemouth and since my wife is descended from Ramsay's who were very prominent in the parishes of New Spynie and Duffus from at least 1700, I recently decided to determine whether she was in fact distantly related to Ramsay MacDonald or not. To do this, I've been tracing his line back... easy enough up to a point. This is what I have so far:

Ramsay's parents: John MacDonald and Anne Ramsay (b.1843 at Elgin)
Anne's parents: William Ramsay (b.1812 at Urquhart ) and Isabella Allan
William's parents: William Ramsay and Ann Brown (b.1775 at  Urquhart)

Now this final William's is not so easy, with three possible candidates that I see.

However, all three are members of my wife's extended family, so a connection seems certain. The last one in particular seems like a real likelihood:

father: Archibald Ramsay
mother: Isobel Falconer
Name: William Ramsay
Christening Date: 26 Feb 1749
Christening Place: NEW SPYNIE,MORAY,SCOTLAND
Birth Date: 26 Feb 1749

This William Ramsay married a Christian Laing and they are my wife's direct ancestors, so he is out of the equation. He was a Blacksmith (important fact here).
 
William Ramsay
birth: 23 January 1752 
christening: 26 January 1752 DUFFUS,MORAY,SCOTLAND
father: Samuel Ramsay
mother: Jean Scot

This William Ramsay is a cousin of the previous William. Their father's being brothers.

William Ramsy
Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950
birth: 15 February 1775 
christening: 19 February 1775 NEW SPYNIE,MORAY,SCOTLAND
father: Samuel Ramsy
mother: Jean Dunbar

This William is a nephew of the first William.

Samuel Ramsay was a Blacksmith in New Spynie amongst other things. He is very prominent in the Burgh records. William's son Alexander is also listed as a Blacksmith at Lochill in Urquhart in the 1841 and '51 Censuses. If William himself was a Blacksmith and noting the birth year would be the same as his wife's, then I think we might have a winner.

I was wondering if anyone had every seen any family history research for Ramsay MacDonald or done any themselves, as I think I've made a link here, but I'm lacking that one last tack to hold everything together?

[Redroger]

All modern Prime Ministers have a pedigree compiled officially I think by Burkes when they take office. I don't know when the practice started, but a pedigree was certainly done for Clement Atlee (pm 1945-51) and subsequent pms. As McDonald was pm in both 1924 and 1929-31 it is possible the practice had already begun. Worth asking I think?

[ev]

Just to add -

http://www.burkes-peerage.co.uk/help/collections-britpm.aspx

ev

[Skoosh]

I've always understood that Ramsay MacDonald was illegitimate?

Skoosh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsay_MacDonald

[GDub71]

Ramsay MacDonald was illegitimate! Later in life however, when he was bedding a succession of Duchesses, he did little to dispel the rumour that his father was really a Marquis and not a Ploughman from the Black Isle. I must say that I'm slightly reluctant to pay for access to Burke's Peerage online to access one record which I suspect will have less information about his maternal line than what I have already uncovered.

Anyway, I did manage to find some additional evidence on Libindx to support my theory outlined above. According to their marriage details from the Urquhart Parish records, William Ramsay, husband of Ann Brown was a Blacksmith as I surmised. Just need to prove he was the son of Samuel Ramsay and Jean Dunbar and we're in business!

[Forfarian]

I must say that I'm slightly reluctant to pay for access to Burke's Peerage online to access one record which I suspect will have less information about his maternal line than what I have already uncovered.

No need - Elgin Local Heritage Centre has some editions of Burke's Peerage, and I expect Aberdeen Central Library would have similar. Or even the Family History Shop.

[GDub71]

Good shout Forfarian. Since I work in Elgin, I'm sure I could arrange to drop in and be reacquainted with my namesake.

 

[Skoosh]

Folks,  Oscar Wilde described Burke's Peerage as the greatest work of fiction yet published in the English language!   

Skoosh.

[Redroger]

Folks,  Oscar Wilde described Burke's Peerage as the greatest work of fiction yet published in the English language!   

Skoosh.

Which is probably why Royals don't do DNA