Author Topic: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?  (Read 8831 times)

Offline mickdickson

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 52
    • View Profile
Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« on: Friday 11 November 05 21:35 GMT (UK) »
Hi everyone,

My family is trying to work past our biggest roadblock we have found in our quest for ancestors.

We have an extract (below) from the OPR of Carlaverock for the marriage of my g-g-g-g grandparents, Richard Dickson and Elspeth Dickson there on April 7 1768.   It  says that Richard is from Mousewald (well it looks like that anyway) and that Elspeth is the daughter of John Dickson in Byers.  Other Dickson marriages on the same record page also give places like 'in Blackshaw' etc.

Does anyone have any idea where Byers is or was?  The closest I have come is an old Barony in East Lothian.  Someone has said it maybe a farm or something in the parish.



Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Mick Dickson
Dumfries -Campbell, Dickson, Glendinning, Grierson, Irving, Jardine, Wells, also Beattie, Brown, Buckham, Charters, Dalrymple, Fell, Ferguson, Fraser, Gibson, Graham, Hutchison, Leivers, Nichol, Mckenzie, Nicholson, Smith, White, McLean
Kirkcudbright - Dickson, Broun/Brown, Shennan
Glasgow-Dickson, Neilson, Thomson, Fleming, Mackenzie, Dennison
Edinburgh- Dickson, Buckham
Ayrshire-McIlwrick, McMurray, Gray, Findlay
Limerick - Shea / O'Shea, Carroll
Kerry - Egan
Sussex - Towner

Offline longshanks

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 111
    • View Profile
Re: John Dickson in Byers, where is Byers?
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 13 November 05 21:33 GMT (UK) »
Byers could be no more than byre - cow shed in which case it would be Byre of the other location, indicating a subordinate farmstead, or the cattle herder's cottage by the Byers of XYZ. At first glance I thought the first place name was Mousewold, but not so sure.  However the name may occur as a place name without habitation as Byers of XYZ where it perpetuates tradition or myth.  Be prepared to find loads of them on a large scale map, but few if any in a place-names gazetteer.
Beattie,Edwards,Hope,Jarman,McLuckie, Meason, Murray, Summers, Welsh, Wilde, Wemyss, Wright

Offline mickdickson

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 52
    • View Profile
Re: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 22 November 05 07:38 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Longshanks,

I had found that Byer could be a cowshed or such but as it said 'in Byers' as other records on the page say 'in Blackshaw' etc I thought it maybe a small place in Caerlaverock that was not gazetted that someone may have come across before.

Its definitely Mouswald or Mousewald as they seem to move to Mouswald and  have a few children between 1773 and 1790 there and the family continued to live in Mouswald Parish, particularily Woodside from census records etc until at least 1938 as far as we can tell when Jacob Dickson, Blacksmith, died there. He was a brother of my great-grandfather.  We will continue our quest.

Cheers

Mick Dickson
Dumfries -Campbell, Dickson, Glendinning, Grierson, Irving, Jardine, Wells, also Beattie, Brown, Buckham, Charters, Dalrymple, Fell, Ferguson, Fraser, Gibson, Graham, Hutchison, Leivers, Nichol, Mckenzie, Nicholson, Smith, White, McLean
Kirkcudbright - Dickson, Broun/Brown, Shennan
Glasgow-Dickson, Neilson, Thomson, Fleming, Mackenzie, Dennison
Edinburgh- Dickson, Buckham
Ayrshire-McIlwrick, McMurray, Gray, Findlay
Limerick - Shea / O'Shea, Carroll
Kerry - Egan
Sussex - Towner

Offline longshanks

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 111
    • View Profile
Re: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 22 November 05 21:49 GMT (UK) »
It would be a good idea to check some map sources. MI (monument inscription) volumes sometimes have a map showing places named on gravestones.  These are useful for obsolete names that might not be available elsewhere, though as early- to mid- 20th century they may not be reliable.  An enquiry through the library in Dumfries (Ewart) might get this info.

William Roy's Military Map of Scotland 1747-55 is in the British Library with only copies in Scotland.  Some Scottish libraries have microfiche copies. Otherwise ask the BL - copies aren't that expensive, and all the need is an area around a findable place name.

Try the National Library of Scotland website which has on line access to some old maps by county, eg 18th to 19th century. These can be very useful.

Do you know anyone who can do a search through the Abridged Seisins in Register House, Edinburgh? There are place name indexes for 1780-1840; intermittently beyond.

Beattie,Edwards,Hope,Jarman,McLuckie, Meason, Murray, Summers, Welsh, Wilde, Wemyss, Wright


Offline JohnBell

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 8
    • View Profile
Re: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 22 November 05 23:43 GMT (UK) »
This page may contain your answer...

http://www.lendingtheway.com/Crocket/Galloway.html

Quote
Not far off, on what later became the B725 still heading south, we spied on our left Caelaverock church, down a track beside Byers Farm.

or this reference...
http://www.clanboyd.info/outsideusa/scotland/wills/wills4/index.htm

Quote
16 Jun 1896 - Farmer - sometime at Bailieknowe - Parish of Caerlaverock - latterly residing at Byers - in said Parish - d. 03 May 1896 at Byers aforesaid - testate - Dumfries Sheriff Court


John
Quote
Bell: Dumfriesshire, Merthyr Tydfil
Laughton: Orkney, Liverpool, NSW

Offline mickdickson

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 52
    • View Profile
Re: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 23 November 05 07:16 GMT (UK) »
Thanks a lot for that, John and Longshanks .  Will check out the maps etc.  The Crocket website is good, if anything it gives me a tour or Kirkcudbright.   We have found something on the Byers Farm, I think one of the census has someone living there but not a Dickson at that time.  At least we may have narrowed it down. 

Longshanks, No I haven't anyone in Edinburgh at this time to check out Register House.  We have found no one on the Dickson side of the family who actually lives in Scotland.  But will keep these sources in mind.

Cheers, thanks again

Mick Dickson
Dumfries -Campbell, Dickson, Glendinning, Grierson, Irving, Jardine, Wells, also Beattie, Brown, Buckham, Charters, Dalrymple, Fell, Ferguson, Fraser, Gibson, Graham, Hutchison, Leivers, Nichol, Mckenzie, Nicholson, Smith, White, McLean
Kirkcudbright - Dickson, Broun/Brown, Shennan
Glasgow-Dickson, Neilson, Thomson, Fleming, Mackenzie, Dennison
Edinburgh- Dickson, Buckham
Ayrshire-McIlwrick, McMurray, Gray, Findlay
Limerick - Shea / O'Shea, Carroll
Kerry - Egan
Sussex - Towner

Offline runner

  • Deceased † Rest In Peace
  • RootsChat Veteran
  • ********
  • Posts: 532
    • View Profile
Re: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 23 November 05 21:16 GMT (UK) »
I have found old-maps.co.uk very useful for small settlements. Some of them have disappeared today and the locals forgotten they ever existed!
Type in Carlaverock and , if you are in luck, they will offer a map from about 1840 -1860.Use the enlarge function the n scan back and forward about ten (mouse)clicks each side. Look for the small roads and follow them to where they peter out in the hills. I found Largerie in Kirkcudbrightshire by this method.
Best of luck with the search

Russell
1941-2016
Oman in Caithness, Reside in Renfrewshire,
Roan or Rowan Kirkcudbrightshire/Ayrshire
Watsons in Kilrenny and Mortons in Edinburgh.

Offline mickdickson

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 52
    • View Profile
Re: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 24 November 05 07:44 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Russell.

Using the info from yesterday's replies and yours, I have located an 1861 map  on old-maps of the Bankend area of Caerlaverock and there is was North of Bankend and just next door to the Church.

Cheers

Mick
Dumfries -Campbell, Dickson, Glendinning, Grierson, Irving, Jardine, Wells, also Beattie, Brown, Buckham, Charters, Dalrymple, Fell, Ferguson, Fraser, Gibson, Graham, Hutchison, Leivers, Nichol, Mckenzie, Nicholson, Smith, White, McLean
Kirkcudbright - Dickson, Broun/Brown, Shennan
Glasgow-Dickson, Neilson, Thomson, Fleming, Mackenzie, Dennison
Edinburgh- Dickson, Buckham
Ayrshire-McIlwrick, McMurray, Gray, Findlay
Limerick - Shea / O'Shea, Carroll
Kerry - Egan
Sussex - Towner

Offline kathgill

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 48
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Dickson Marriage in Caerlaverock 1768, where is Byers?
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 07 January 06 11:35 GMT (UK) »
re your request for information on Byers.  The Byers is a small farm next to Caerlaverock Church.  In fact you have to park in the farm yard to enter the churchyard.  I have loads of ancestors buried in this churchyard, their family name is Craik.  I live in Dumfries and Bankend is only a short distance from here and I often go down to graveyard and put flowers on my grandparent's grave.  If there is any other information you would like me to look for when I am down there then I would only be too pleased to do so.

Hope this is of help.

Kathleen McGill, Dumfries