Every large estate had a Home farm, the one mentioned in the previous post is in the parish of Lesmahagow, so not the one where Catherine Clark lived. As also stated, it will be well worthwhile to view the 1855 death certificate as it will contain a list of all known children both living and dead, any spouses living or dead, his place and year of birth if known to the informant and if not born in the parish, how long he has resided there.
Following on from the previous monumental inscriptions at Dalziel burial ground. There is another stone that may be of interest. Homie King had a brother by the name of Alexander. This man was at sea for many years and when he returned, Homie gave him a job in one of his quarries, probably at Windmillhill. Because he worked with stone, he always wore a pair of moleskin trousers and was known from then on as "Moleskin King". (This makes me think that there was more than one Alexander King in the village at that time, so to differentiate he was given this "bye-name" as they called it back then). Anyway, Homie also built a little row of single-story houses at the Calder bridge in Motherwell and gave the row to Moleskin, one house for him and he rented out the others. This row was always known as the Moleskin Row. My grannie had an aunt who lived there and she had a good memory of these houses, with rain barrels outside to catch water from the slated roofs.
Anyway, here is Moleskin's gravestone inscription - "Erected in memory of Alexander King and his wife Marion Boyce. Their daughter Mary McDonal King (wife of William Reid). Their son James died in infancy. Their son Thomas Hamilton King died 21st June 18(..) aged 70 years. (His wife Janet Brownlie died ............. aged 82 years".
According to my copy of the Burial Register for this plot, Janet Brownlie King was interred at a depth of 5 feet in August 1928 aged 92 years. She was interred in the "top" lair, the gravedigger's way of describing which compartment of the plot she was put into. "Top" would have been one of 3 or 4 lairs in the plot. I researched this branch of the King family many years ago for a lady in the USA and, as I never throw anything away, have other notes I made at the time.
The estate papers of the Hamilton's of Dalzell (Dalzell was the large estate, Dalziel was the parish) are now in the safe hands of the archivist at Motherwell Heritage Centre, 500 years of estate records that at one time, any old Tom, Dick or Harry was allowed to rake through. There are "bundles" of rental papers and here are some details, proof that the Kings were in Dalziel parish as far back as the mid 18th century and seem to have been at one time, all living around the area now known as Milton Street, (part of the original village) Milton = Milltown, the Mill was further along this street, situated on the river Calder. It still exists, much modified and rebuit after a bad fire in the late 19th century, it is now a small hotel and pub.
Taken from a bundle of rentals in the black deed box -
Alex King, Milltown paid half-year rent to Martinmas 1808. £27.10/-
William King, Motherwell Mill paid 1 year rent to Martinmas 1808, £75. He also paid property tax of £7.10/- which was deducted from his rent.
James King, mason paid half-year rent and feu to Martinmas 1808. £2.11.3d
Alex King in Milltown paid half-year rent to Martinmas 1811. £29.7.6d.
James King, mason paid 1 year rent to Martinmas 1811. £5.2.6d.
In another bundle of papers -
"2 feus of land near the cross (Motherwell Cross) date as far back as 1778 and 1781. They are granted to James King younger, mason at Kingston, a tack of property in Motherwell Muir is dated 1810".
I remember having a discussion with the lady from the States over "Kingston", she thought it referred to Kingston Jamaica. I wasn't so sure and now can't remember what the outcome was, sorry!
In the same bundle -
"Tack of land, one rood Scots, granted by General John Hamilton of Dalzell in favour of William King, tenant in Motherwell Mill, dated 12th February 1820".
Same bundle -
"Tack, between Archibald Hamilton esquire and James King, mason at Toddelburn, for building of house, 19 year lease. Dated 19th June 1767".
"Toddelburn" = Toadholeburn, was a small stream that ran into the river Calder at Coursington, which is all part of modern-day Motherwell. The Toddleburn was, in my late mother's childhood, a place where there were allotments for growing vegetables and where married men escaped for an hour or three (My grandfather and his elder brother being 2 of them)!
A tod is the old Scots word for a fox.
Same bundle -
"John King, tenant in Motherwell Mill , tack for the lands of Milton dated 17th May 1766".
"Tack between Colonel John Hamilton and John King in Motherwell Mill and William King his son there and Alexander King in Milton of Dalziel also his son, dated 1785".
I will continue in another post.