Kenneth McLean who ended up in Loftus Yorkshire

[woodvillecaz]

I too have wondered how they have moved up socially so quickly. Have you seen this site..http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/loftushistory/ It lists Alexander McLean as clerk in the Loftus 1840 section of the page. Also I have a copy of Kenneth 1750s marriage certificate which lists him as labourer and it is signed by him but in my opinion it is an educated signature for a labourer of the day (no disrespect to labourers intended here). In another directory it lists Alexander as gentry but haven't been able to locate where I found this info yet.

[daviddas]

Hi Belem and welcome to the site! I cannot quite piece together from your post your exact line in the tree. We same to have the same Gig grandfather Kenneth and then the same gg grandfather George born 1829. I have quite a bit of info from that line. One of their children was William Kenneth 1852-1922 who married Margaret Green 1854-1923. One of their children was my grandfather John Burdon McLean 1887-1975 born in Stockton who married twice- first to Sabina Wills 1892-1917 and they had my aunt Sabina May McLean 1917-2002. From grandad second marriage to Lillian Scott 1889-1983 born in Scarborough- they had my mum Jean McLean born 1923 in Middlesbrough and still with us at 91.
I have quite lot of other details added to by mistermc who has been very helpful but I haven't fitted them all in yet! My e mail address is * if you want to ask questions direct.
We are off to see my Mum next week who still lives in Middlesbrough. In September we have a week in the area so am aiming to go to Loftus as we know there are records there and in the local cemetery.

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[belem]

Hi! and thanks
I am descended from William's younger brother George.  George jnr does not appear on any census along with his father George senior (m Babbara Mclean and the miller at Spite Mill) because he was born after his father died of a pulmonary related (according to my grandma) to milling.  George jnr was born at Spite Mill (again, according to my grandma) and then Barbara moved to Stockton on Tees where she had a grocer's business.  George junior is my great grandfather, so Wm would be my great great uncle.  Below I've copied and pasted the 1871 census entry for Barbara Mclean nee Taylor when she had moved to Stockton.  In 1881 she was living in Tower St (I forgot to make a note of the address for 1871).  You will see Wm aged 14 and George aged 7.  My grandmother was George's youngest daughter, Olive May, born Stockton but moving as a child to New Row in Middleton St George.  She met my grandfather as a penpal during WWI and moved aged about 20 to Nott'm.  There are still Mclean descendants in Middleton St George thro' grandma's older sister Lizzie, but they have the surname Gayles.  Have a good trip north!  Will be in touch
1871 census
30
Name:
Barbara McLean
Age:
44
Estimated birth year:
abt 1827
Relation:
Head
Gender:
Female
Where born:
Dalton, Yorkshire, England
Civil Parish:
Holy Trinity
Ecclesiastical parish:
Holy Trinity
Town:
Stockton
County/Island:
Durham
Country:
England
Registration district:
Stockton
Sub-registration district:
Stockton
ED, institution, or vessel:
35
Household schedule number:
38
Piece:
4905
Folio:
110
Page Number:
7
Household Members:
Name
Age
Barbara McLean
44
William McLean
14
Annie McLean
14
George McLean
7
John McLean
30
Robert Arton
33
George Walker
19




 

[belem]

George Mclean (born 1830), son of Kenneth Mclean junior

I wrote to the Loftus History Group enquiring about any record of the family of Kenneth Mclean locally.  Unfortunately the group folded over a year ago, however, they kindly passed my query onto Rodney Begg from the Loftus History Group who was able to provide some very interesting information, both on George Mclean and the alum industry in and around Loftus.  Here is what he says:

'George McLean (born 1830) was at Darlington in 1851, as a servant to a master Miller.  From this I would assume that he was apprenticed about 1845 (I haven’t studied the indenture terms for a miller, but i would assume 5 – 7 years. As his brother John is with George at Spite Mill, Osmotherley in 1861, 2 years before George’s death, but at home with his parents in 1851, then it is fair to assume that as he gives his profession as Miller then he was apprenticed to his brother George.

(Although he worked for a miller called Thomas) Taylors, (Rodney hasn't) found any trace of a relationship (between these Taylors and the family of Barbra / Barbara Taylor (born Dalton on Tees))'.

The census is difficult to read, but the mill may be called Steam Mill

'The alum works stretched from Hummersea to Boulby, along the cliffs.  I would recommend “The Loftus Alum Makers” by Peter Appleton, a local researcher, as an easy-to-read non-technical book.  Although specifically about the Hunton family (who would be Alum Managers when your relative was the clerk of the Alum Works), it gives a good overview of the declining years of the Alum Industry – your relative was to be the last manager of the Alum Works – it was closed between 1861 and 1871 as the process became redundant, superseded by the Sulphuric Acid process which was much more efficient and it too was to become redundant with the invention of Aniline Dyes, which didn’t require fixing!
There were millers at the Alum Works – not corn millers, but cement millers! The process is the same, only a local cementite rock is ground down between the stones to make the cement dust to cast into conduits and channels used in the making of the Alum.  They would find it very easy to adapt to corn milling when the works closed.
Gallihow (where Kenneth Mclean lived near Loftus) is in the middle of the Boulby Alum Working area and cottages exist there to this day, still inhabited.'
Belem

[woodvillecaz]

Hi Belem,
Thank you for that very interesting information and it really does fill in some more of the picture. Very interesting that the milling process is similar to milling flour and obviously a transferable skill. Will have to get this book to help understand the alum industry. Great that you got in touch with someone from the Local History Group. Thanks for passing the information on,
Woodvillecaz .

[ianmack]

Hello all
I came across this conversation by chance when searching for Loftus and I am now amazed at how much research has been done.
My great grandfather Newark Burton who died in 1939 at the age of 99 was born in Staithes lived in Saltburn (then under Marske) and was buried in Loftus. He married Annie McLean and his children were Donald McLean Burton- my grandfather, Annie, Kate, Isabel and Duncan. They were staunch Methodists so I havent found anything about them in parish registers, but I know Donald was born on the 28 Oct 1871. Strangely enough after he married they too lived in Middleton one Row before moving back to Saltburn. I have two photographs of Newark Burton as an old man, and also one I am fairly sure is Annie McLean.
I have assumed my Annie McLean is the one born to Kenneth McLean and Ann Best on the 17 July 1842 at Gallehow Loftus. If any one can confirm this and tell me how she fits into the bigger picture I would be very grateful.

[woodvillecaz]

Hi Ianmack. My ancestor Donald McLean is a brother to your Kenneth McLean married to Ann Best. Mistermc on this thread is also related to your Kenneth McLean. Thanks for your information which helps greatly to fill in the tree.
All descended from the original Kenneth born 1760 ish. Still don't have an idea where he was born but died in Loftus.
Thanks for your info again.
Woodvillecaz.

[belem]

Hi!
Someone suggested that we might be able to find out a birthplace for Kenneth McLean of Loftus from his and Jane Wilkinson's the marriage bond (1787).  I have received the following from the Borthwick Institute in Yourk, who hold such documents in their archives, but sadly the record does not indicate Kenneth birthplace:

''Thank you for your email. I can confirm that we hold the marriage bond (the paperwork associated with marriage by licence) for the marriage of Kenneth MacLean and Jane Wilkinson in 1787. Unfortunately, I don't think the bond is going to give you the information you are searching for. Marriage bonds don't give the place of birth of the bride and groom, but their place of residence at the time of the application. For people who didn't move far from home, this can be their place of birth but it isn't necessarily. For Kenneth McLean (as he signs his name on the bond), his place of residence is given as Lofthouse. He had probably been living in Lofthouse for some time before his marriage. Where marriages involved a minor, a parent needed to give consent and this can be another avenue for research but as Kenneth was of age (28), there was no need to involve his parents.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It is always difficult to track individuals when they move over long distances. I've had a look but I can't find any sign of a probate for Kenneth (which could have given hints to the whereabouts of his wider family). Is he likely to have fallen on the parish for relief? You could check to see if any poor law records survive for Loftus, as a settlement examination would give you good information about his movements - although, unfortunately, their survival is extremely patchy. The Loftus parish records are held by Teeside Archives. I have had a quick look at their online catalogue and can't see any settlement papers listed, but it would be worth checking with them as they may have other ideas about places to check.''

Best wisheas all
Belem

[woodvillecaz]

Hi Belem,
It is a shame his name is not on the marriage certificate. I think he was a labourer. Maybe he has connections with the local mine.  If we could see the records for the local mines in Loftus maybe a birth place may be mentioned. I am too far away to be able to visit but maybe someone would be able to go one day. I was thinking also that his original name may be William Kenneth as his first son was called William and they were usually called after the fathers father. Maybe worth looking for a William McLean and not Kenneth,
Wooddvillecaz