Pre-1855 Deaths in Perth

[Chiad Fhear]

Hi Perthshire RootsChatters

I have a the Perth OPR of Birth for a paternal ancestor James Neilson born 17 September 1777, 'Lawfully Procreated' son of Alexander Neilson and Janet Brough.

A second son, also named James, my 3rd Great-grandfather, was born 14 January 1782 which logically indicates that the first one had died, perhaps at birth, but certainly before January 1782.

Alexander and Janet had other children - John b. 6 Aug 1779; Robert b. 17 Aug 1784; Alexander b. 6 Apr 1788 and Jane b. abt 1790. I know Jane survived to marry and have a family.

Can anyone help with pre-1855 Deaths in Perth/Perthshire?

Regards

Chiad Fhear

[bleckie]

Hi Chiad Fhear

Try this link to the Perth Burial Register
This covers both the main cemeteries in Perth and not the church ones

James  n/a  NILSON  25  May  1795 
PE1/20/1  James  n/a  NILSON  28  January  1806 
PE1/20/1  James  n/a  NILSON  22  January  1807 
PE1/20/2  James  n/a  NILSON  06  January  1838 



http://www.pkc.gov.uk:8082/

Yours Aye
BruceL

[Chiad Fhear]

Thanks BruceL  I'll have a look!

Chiad Fhear

[angelai]

Hi Bruce
Thanks for posting the link to Perth Burial Register. I have found lots of information on my family.Do you know if there is more than one Greyfriars cemetary in Perth? I was there unfortunately it was closed due to the trees down from the hurricane winds. I do know that there is a Alexander Kelt with a headstone in there.

[bleckie]

Hi angelai

There is only one Greyfriars Cemetery in Perth has been closed to internments since about the 1850s
from memory.

There is also Wellshill in Perth

Yours Aye
BruceL

[angelai]

Hi BruceL
From what I remember this graveyard was down in the centre of the village
it was small nicely kept. Is this the same one that you are talking about?I think all these Kelts on the list must have been buried without a headstone. Just having the information is great.
THANK YOU AGAIN for postingthe site.
Angela

[buckhyne]

From what I remember this graveyard was down in the centre of the village

The Fair CITY of Perth? village? pop 45,000+

I used to have my own website and this is what I had written re Greyfriars:
GREYFRIARS
To the left, between a church and some recent housing can be seen the old burial ground of Greyfriars.
This was part of the ground where the Franciscan Monastery stood.
The ground lay derelict for a number of years by which time the graveyard which had surrounded St. John's Kirk became full and the magistrates decreed that the Greyfriars would be the new place of interment.
On the 22nd August, 1580 they paid John Richardson to 'build the burial walls with stone and clay and harl with lime'.
On the 20th December, 1580 it was opened for business when the Kirk Session ordained 'that in all time coming, the yard in the Greyfriars to be for burial'.
The graveyard was in use until the middle of the 19th century when a new cemetery was opened (Wellshill), although burials still took place in Greyfriars, the most recent being 1983.
Now the ground is in a deplorable condition with the walls and tombstones collapsing.
In March 1998 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £276,000 towards the restoration of the burial ground.
The boundary walls will be rebuilt as well as the lifting and resetting of fallen gravestones.
A selection of the more finely carved will be housed in a purpose-built shelter to protect them from the elements.
In July 2001, after restoration, the burial ground is once more open to the public.

I used to go to the Graveyard often and I can say that since it has been restored many of the tombstones have been removed.
Some of them were small slabs let into the grass along the pathways. The grass and the pathways are still there but the slab have disappeared.

buckhind

[bleckie]

Hi buckhind

I am led to believe that a lottery funding was provided to allow Greyfriars to become a natural habitat for wild flowers and butterflies.

First grass cut of the year normally around this time of year with the result if you go in in wet weather you get soaked to above the knees and beyond. next time I am down town I will photograph the board on the entry from taystreet and post here.

Some village
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth,_Scotland
Scotlands Capital once upon a time.

Yours aye
bruceL

[buckhyne]

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for that.

I wrote about Greyfriars 1999/2000 before the restoration of the graveyard.
Then it was in a terrible mess.
BUT, since the restoration I have noticed several gravestones/markers are missing.
As you come into the yard from the main entrance off Canal Street there were two small stones set in the grass.
One simply had the name 'Weekes 1838' and the other was to an Alex Laurie, baker.
Both appear to be gone.
This is what I wrote re Weekes.
WEEKES
Another gravestone here has the simple inscription WEEKES and the date 1838.
Paddy Weekes was a popular Irish singer and comedian who played to packed houses in the Perth theatre.
On the 14th October, 1838 he was travelling from Glasgow to Perth by stage coach when it left the road and overturned, crushing him beneath it.
He was carried to the Star hotel in Perth where he died on the 24th November and was buried in Greyfriars.
He left a widow and six children.
The owner of the theatre, Corbet Ryder, paid for the burial and staged a benefit night for the widow which was billed as 'Weekes Night' raising the not inconsiderable sum of £60.

There is no excuse for them to be removed.
They were just sitting in the grass verge minding their own business.
At the time I was building my website I took several photos of the graveyard and stones and like you I will go there this week and take some more pics and compare them.

buckhind