Mary Laidlaw born 1831

[andiu12]

I am trying to find out more information on the birth of Mary Laidlaw in or around 1831.  The Census records name a couple of different places of birth - Bellingham and Thorneyburn.  In 1841 she was also living in Longhaugh Shields which I believe was a farm.
I have been to the records office at Woodhorn and looked at the Bellingham parish records and couldn't find anything there.
Could anyone suggest any other parishes that the above places could come under.
Also, I think there may be some family connection to the Ridley family or Tillie family (in 1841 she was living with a Thomasin Tillie).
Many thanks

[pete ash]

Hi andiu 12, From 1818 Thorneyburn had its own parish church and also Presbyterian records.

  Pete

[Matilda1]

Hi

The Northumberland County Council's Farm Index includes Longhaugh Shield, a farm in the township of Charlton East, Parish of Bellingham, which matches with the info you have from the 1841 census.  http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1667

Do you have any more info on Mary, e.g. who she married?  I have picked up some snippets of info about various NBL Laidler/Laidlaw families in the course of my search for my own family and wondered whether I could assist, but a bit more context would help.  Most rural NBL Laidler/Laidlaw families I have come across have been Presbyterian, though increasingly 'lapsing' as the 19th century progressed, particuarly when they moved to town.  Illegitimate children tend to have been baptised in the C of E however.  The shepherds, hinds & ag labs were very mobile and of course moved back and forwards across the Border.

Good luck

[andiu12]

Thank you, Pete and Matilda

Matilda - that is really interesting about the Laidler/Laidlaw families you have come across.

The Mary Laidlaw in my family tree was born in approx 1831.  Haven't been able to find her birth or parents.  Have so far looked in the Bellingham Parish Registers at Woodhorn.  Have also looked at Thorneyburn on the Online Bishops Transcripts but there seem to be a lot of gaps in these.

She had 2 children that I know of who were baptised (in the Bellingham Parish Registers).  She never married.  Her two children were William b1855 and John b 1859.  In 1861 they were boarding with William Ridley at what appears to  be "Fell Houses" in the Coldwell and Swinburn Area.  William went onto become a tailor but I have read that this is not uncommon for fatherless children to be taught a trade so that they weren't a burden on society.  John went onto work for the Railways.  What is interesting here is that at the time of the 1881 Census John started to call himself by the surname of Ridley and said that he was the son of William Ridley.  I was thinking that the likelihood is that William Ridley was the father of both of Mary's children.

In 1841 Mary was living with a Thomasin Tillie at Longhaugh Shield and also there was a William Mole who was about 12 years old at that time. 
In 1851 she was a servant in Elsdon
In 1861 she was visiting a John Ridley(b 1821) in Thorneyburn.  Interestingly the same John Ridley was living with Thomasin Tillie in 1851
In the 1871; 1881 and 1891 Census records she was living as General Domestic Servant with a William Ridley in Dilston - the same Ridley with whom her children had been brought up by.
After William died, in I think 1894, Mary went to live with her eldest son, William in Elswick, Newcastle and she died in 1902.

That is about all that I know, but I would dearly love to find out who her parents were.

Many thanks for your help
Andrea

[Matilda1]

Hi Andrea

Unfortunately I have not been able to find your Mary Laidlaw born abt 1831 in any of the notes I have picked up.  I am conscious that if you are able to visit Woodhorn that the staff there will be able to give you much better advice about where to look than I can (never having set foot in Northumberland!).

However particularly as you have already looked at Bellingham parish records, I would be very tempted to look at local Presbyterian congregations.  This is suggested not only by the Laidler/Laidlaw surname but by the possible connection to Thomasin Tillie, whose name also suggests Scottish connections at some point.   www.genuki.org.uk will give you pointers, however looking at a modern map, possibilities include the congregation Pete mentions in Thorneyburn; the Presbyterian congregation in Bellingham itself; and maybe even Falstone or Otterburn were not too far to lug a baby.  People would travel some distances to have their children baptised by the minister of their preference. 

You may wish to see if you can find out more about the other members of the 1841 household, particularly Thomasin Tillie.  One possibility is that she is the grandmother of one or more of the children, so perhaps looking for her as well as Mary might pay dividends.  Can you find out her maiden name and if she had any children?   Burials are likely to show up in parish (i.e. Church of England records) and in theory marriages also, prior to 1837.  However your family could have married in Scotland.  If they were shepherds/ag labs etc moving back and forth across the Border, the children could have been baptised away from their birthplace, possibly in a different country.  I have come across families where every child has a different birthplace and Scottish and NBL births are interleaved.  Having said that I think you are right to start close to the information provided in the censuses as that works most of the time and there are plenty of these local possibilities still to explore.

I will continue to keep an eye out for Mary - this is an interesting family! 

Just checking whether you have seen this site http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk

Good luck,

Matilda

[andiu12]

Dear Matilda

Thank you very much for checking your records.  I was really hoping you would find something. 

I haven't checked Presbytarian Records so I will make sure I do this when I am next at Woodhorn.  I had checked Falstone on the Bishops Transcipts online but I never thought about Otterburn.

I will also follow up the Tillie connection.  I had tried to follow it up on Ancestry but I think she had died after 1851 so it is really backwards that I need to go so it will really have to be a trip to Woodhorn to follow it up properly.

Thank you for the links.

I log in to Rootschat regularly so thank you for offering to let me know if you come across her.

Many thanks
Andrea

[Catherine Wait]

Hi Andrea, I came across your emails and I know it was a while ago that this was posted and I have spent time mulling over this and the oral history of my family which slots into your research a bit, so this is what I have been told:- John Ridley (C1830 - I think a bit earlier) was a ag lab on the farm Longhaugh shields, Charlton East, district Bellingham.  He married Elizabeth Turnball and their son William (Bob) Ridley was born 20/12/1859.  John Ridley was my 2x great grandfather.  There is indeed a marriage on the 24/10/1846 between John Ridley and Elizabeth Turnbull in Thockrington.  Births for Ridley on GRO with MMN of Turnbull reg in Bellingham Union (?) include: Thomasine 1849, William 1851, William 1859, Elizabeth Thomasine 1853.  Interesting that William born 1859 goes to South Africa to work on the Natal Gov Railways. 

Regards
Catherine

[SelDen]

Given the connections it is interesting to note the various census entries (in case it helps someone unravel how everyone fits together):

1841 Census
Township: Charlton East Gr Poss Longhaughshield
Thomasin Tillie 60 Y
John Elliott 20 Ag Lab Y
Thomas Turnbull 14 Coal Miner Y
William Mole 12 Y
Mary Laidler 10 Y

1851 Census HO107/2417 folio 144 p43
Longhaughshields
Thomasin Tillie U 77 Pauper formerly house servant born Northumberland Clews
John Ridley Lodger Married 30 Agricultural Labourer born Northumberland Hillhead
Elizabeth Ridley Lodger married 29 born Northumberland Green End??
Mary Ridley Lodger 4 born Northumberland Longhaughshields
Thomasin Ridley Lodger 2 born Northumberland Longhaughshields

[There is a baptism of a Thomasine 7 August 1774, daughter of David Tilly, (abode) Clews, Baptisms, Bellingham parish]

[two pages & a few households later from the above 1851 census entry]
p146
Green End
Thomas Turnbull Head Unmarried 42 Agricultural Labourer born Northumberland Bellingham
Mary Turnbull Sister Unmarries 46 Housekeeper born Northumberland Bellingham
Mary Ann Turnbull Niece 7 born Northumberland Bellingham


1851 Census HO107/2423
Township of Elsdon
Dunshield
Joseph Patterson Hd Wid 71 Farmer of 630 acres emp 3 lab born NBL F_deugh
Joseph Patterson son Unm 32 Farmer’s son NBL Dunshield
Rebecca do dau Unm 29 born do
John do son Unm 17 born do
Mary Laidlaw Unm 19 House Serv NBL Longhaugh Shields

1861 Census TG9/3868
Charlton East
Longhaughshields
John Ridley Hd Widr 40 Ag Lab NBL St John Lee
Mary Ridley dau 14 NBL Bellingham
Elizabeth Ridley dau 7 born do
Isabella Ridley dau 4 born do
William Ridley son 1 born do
Mary Laidlaw Visitor Unm 30 House Serv NBL Thorneyburn

1861 RG9/3864 folio 73
NBL Coldwell & Swinburn
Fell Houses
William Ridley Hd Widr 47 Ag Lab NBL Kirkwhelpington
Mary dau 15 Dairymaid NBL Corbridge
Elizabeth dau 11 NBL Humshaugh
Isabella dau 9 do
William Laidlaw boarder 5 NBL Bellingham
John Laidlaw boarder 2 Bellingham

1871 Rg10/5144 folio 65
Dilston, Ecc Dist - Corbridge
Dilston
William Ridley Hd Widr 57 Ag Lab NBL Hartburn
Mary Laidlaw Unm 40 General Serv NBL Bellingham
John Laidlaw Boarder 12 Scholar born do

1881 Rg11/5102 NBL
Dilston West Cottage
William Ridley Hd Widr 66 Ag Lab NBL Hartburn
John Ridley son Unm 22 Ag Lab NBL Bellingham
Mary Laidlaw Serv Unm 50 General Servant Domestic NBL Bellingham

1901 Rg13/4773 folio 68 Newcastle on Tyne, Elswick, St James Benwell
23 Elliott Terrace, 4 rooms
William Laidlaw Hd M 45 Tailor NBL Bellingham
Margaret wife 45 Humshaugh NBL
Joseph son S 21 Labourer in Brass Foundry DUR Gateshead
Willemina dau 15 Bootshop Assistant NBL Newcastle on Tyne
William J son 14 Butcher’s Assistant born do
Frances dau 13 born do
Beatrice dau 12 born do
May dau 10 born do
Pearson son 9 born do
Gertrude dau 7 born do
Hilda dau 6 born di
Mary Laidlaw Mother S 70 NBL Bellingham

The online GRO index has births for John Laidlaw registered M Q 1859 Bellingham & William Laidlaw JQ 1855 Bellingham.

www.familysearch.org has a John Ridley baptised 14 April 1821 St John Lee (see 1861 census entry) son of Wm & Mary Ridley.

Also a William Ridley bap 28 May 1813 Hartburn son of William & Mary (see place of birth in above census entries). Not enough to establish John & William Ridley are brothers but not eliminating the possibility either.

[SelDen]

Some other Bellingham parish baptisms of children living at Longhaughshields:

30 Oct 1822 Elizabeth illegitimate daughter of Barbara Turnbull, Longhaughshields

John & Ann Robson, Longhaughshields, father a Labourer, had a child baptised in 1821. In 1832 a John & Ann Robson of Longhaughshields had a child baptised, John Robson describing himself as a Yeoman & in 1838 as a Farmer. These appear to be the ones running the farm at Longhaughshields in the 1830s and are still there in 1851 when John Robson is described as a Land Proprietor.

Many of the other Bellingham parish baptisms giving Longhaughshields as an abode seem to be illegitimate births.

8 Feb 1819 William illegitimate son of Ann Dixon'
1 Seo 1833 Thomas son of Eleanor Whitman, single
7 Feb 1836 Mary Jane daughter of Margaret Pearson, single
1 Nov 1846 Margaret daughter of Margaret Pearson, single
23 Nov 1845 Robert son of Catherine Mordue, single.

Thomas & Elizabeth Henderson had a child bap in 1838, father a shoemaker, giving Longheughshields as their address.

Also on 21  July 1844 John Ridley son of John & Jane Ellison, Longhaughshileds, father a Labourer was baptised.

Earlier on there is William Tilley illegitimate son of Thomasine Tilley born 23 March 1800 & baptised 7 April 1800, also Bellingham Parish Baptisms