Mary Laidlaw born 1831

[andiu12]

Hi Catherine and SelDen
Thanks for your replies.  Can't believe how the time has passed since I first posted this message.  I'm still no further forward on discovering Mary Laidlaw's parents.  I know of a few people also interested in Mary and they have found nothing either.  SelDen - can I ask you where you found the baptisms for Longhaughshields as I have not been able to find them online.
Many thanks
Andrea

[SelDen]

I was looking at a transcript of Bellingham parish baptisms but some should be online if you look at the unindexed Bishops Transcripts for Bellingham on the familysearch website. Hopefully this link works but please remember the online BTs all have gaps. Years are easy to spot but weeks or days can be harder to notice.

https://familysearch.org/search/image/index?owc=9K5M-L29%3A13617901%3Fcc%3D1309819

I didn't see a baptism for Mary Laidlaw but thought a wider approach might throw up some clues. I did wonder if Thomasine Tillie/Tilley etc might have had another illegitimate child, maybe a daughter who married a Mr Laidlaw or a Mr Ridley? Or Mary could have been a nurse child and there is no blood connection?

Hope you find the answer!

As earlier posts mentioned there were also several non conformist congregations in the area it might be worth checking.

[SelDen]

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

Have since found another transcript which adds the detail that John's father William was a Labourer & that they were living at Errington Hill Head. This is also consistent with the place of birth given in the 1851 census entry noted above.

Added: Also forgot to mention www.freereg.org.uk which seems to have some transcriptions for Bellingham parish.

[Catherine Wait]

Hi, thanks so very much for all the info - this going to be a real jigsaw to put these pieces together, but  have a lot more to work on now. Much appreciated.

Regards
Catherine

[SelDen]

Have a couple more bits of info but will start a new thread for John Ridley so this one for Mary Laidlaw does not get hijacked.

[Catherine Wait]

Hi Andrea,  I found some more information regarding David Tilley (Tilly/Tully) - search on RootsChat under Scotland - Roxburghshire. Title: Tilley (tully) family from Rox?? Posted by Gen List Lass.  She is family of David Tilley and they mention Thomasine, maybe they have info in a family tree as to Thomasine's children? Also in 1851 Mary Laidlaw's place of birth is given as Longhaugh shields.
Regards
Catherine

[Gen List Lass]

Hi All
This Thomasine Tilley was a distant aunt of mine. Her parents had their 2 last children at Longhaughshield in 1790 and 1792. Thomasine was their 1st child and she had been born on the east side of Bellingham. However after her parents left Longhaughshield, she stayed on, having her 1st child, William in 1805. He died in 1827 at Longhaughshield, seemingly unmarried. Her 2nd child Mary was born about 1814 and died the next year. I've not found any other children of Thomasine. From then on she lived sometimes as a house servant and more frequently taking in lodgers. There was a large extended family of Tilleys in the Bellingham area who appeared from nowhere when Thomasine was baptised in 1774. After 25 years I still haven't definitely found where they came from.

I have no Laidlaw's in my tree or related Tilley/Ridleys.

From the number of people getting born married and buried from Longhaugh Shield, there was more than one farmhouse, probably several cottages and outbuildings where the farmworkers and their families lived. All of my family who lived there went to Bellingham C of E church for their religious life.
This won't help you with Mary Laidlaw's birth but might give you some background.

One other point, there are two copies of the Bellingham parish registers and there is still a gap of about ten critical years.

Gen in NBL England