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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Midlothian => Topic started by: Abygail on Sunday 28 October 12 11:54 GMT (UK)
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Hi,
I'm hoping someone with a more intimate knowledge of Edinburgh can provide me with some information about Melville Street at the time of the death of an ancestor in 1839.
I am undecided as to the number of the establishment, it looks like a 9 but given the swirl at the base of the digit it may be a 2.
I think he was living on his own, only guessing as he was unattached and had returned to Scotland after spending all his adult life living in the West Indies. His age at the time of death was 64 years.
Abygail
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Hi,
I'm hoping someone with a more intimate knowledge of Edinburgh can provide me with some information about Melville Street at the time of the death of an ancestor in 1839.
I am undecided as to the number of the establishment, it looks like a 9 but given the swirl at the base of the digit it may be a 2.
I think he was living on his own, only guessing as he was unattached and had returned to Scotland after spending all his adult life living in the West Indies.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/358456
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1953960
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2044870
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/897260
BUT See also http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1809149
I think you need to take a look at a street directory for 1839 and see who was listed as living at No 2 and No 9.
See http://www.nls.uk/family-history/directories/post-office/index.cfm?place=Edinburgh
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Thanks for your information, will need to spend more time working through the postal indexes. So far I haven't found entries for either Melville Street or Gilbert Robertson. Will keep looking, the bit about Bellfield Street changing it's name to Melville Street is interesting.
Aby
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Hi Abygail
Freecen www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl has a great tool for their census transcriptions which lets you go previous/next households on searches which is really useful if you want to check what was nearby a property/family that you are interested it.
If you search for 1841/Midlothian and then search for a 45 year old John TAIT, Advocate & Sheriff Of Clackmn, this will take you to the start of the Melville Street. You can then click on further. No.2 looks to have a number of households, most of the others don't as the area of Melville Street was generally wealthy. I did notice a Lodging House Keeper at No.2, a Helen Stewart, with perhaps a couple of guests and a servant as a possibility?
Monica :)
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...So far I haven't found entries for either Melville Street or Gilbert Robertson...
Melville Street shows here, from the link already provided by Forfarian - www.archive.org/stream/postofficeannual183839edin#page/212/mode/2up This is the directory of 1838-39. Gilbert Robertson died end of 1839? He may not show on any of these types of listings if he was lodging etc.
Monica
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Sorry, meant to post this earlier:
From www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/part2/b.htm
Bellfield Street formerly Melville Street, renamed with effect from 1.4.68 because of duplication with Melville Street, Edinburgh. Named from the adjacent Bellfield House.
Guess you may have Gilbert Robertson's OPR death or burial entry given you have a date and street name at the time of his death? The Melville Street which later in 1868 was renamed Bellfield Street was in the Portobello area of Edinburgh. The Melville Street that we have talked about mostly was in the St Cuthberts parish area of Edinburgh.
Great collection of old maps of Edinburgh are included here http://maps.nls.uk/towns/index.html#edinburgh-city and also here www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_maps/0_maps_thumbnails.htm
Monica
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Thanks Monica,
according to the OPR Gilbert Robertson died 10 Sept 1839, so it is a good possibility he may have missed the records for postal addresses. I really have no idea as to exactly how long he was 'in country' prior to his death. Also given his cause of death was given as 'Decline' (I have an earlier post re my mis reading of this to being 'Weebine'). Being sentimental I'd like to think he had to 'come home' to die. He is buried in St Cuthberts' Kirk and he was a son of the Rev Harry Robertson DD of Kiltearn (died 12 Jul 1815) and grandson of the Rev Gilbert Robertson DD who died at the Criech Manse, Fifeshire Scot on 17 Mar 1774. I'm inclined to think he spent the end of his life in Edinburgh with family or friends - well be nice if he did.
Aby
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You will have noticed in the OPR he has the suffix "Esq.". The use of which at that time was to pay an informal compliment by way of implying gentle birth.
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I noticed that in the 1841 census a relation of mine was living in No 2 Melville Street. Her name was Eliza Robinson and she was living there with her two daughters Maria Louisa and Eliza Skinner. The two girls were born in India where most of my family lived at that time.
Originally this was a family called Robertson but my branch changed its name. I believe you are looking for a Gilbert Robertson. I wonder, given the last name is the same as our original name if they might be related. Do you have any idea?
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From the web site of the Church of Scotland, it appears Gilbert Robertson was a Minister. Might it be possible to determine whether he had a charge at the time of his death? This might help to clarify which of the Melville Streets was the place of death. The parish church in Portobello was located on Melville Street.
Referring to the previous post, Gilbert Robertson did have a sister by the name of Elizabeth. She married a Samuel Sandbach.
Ian
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Hi Ian,
Now you have me puzzled, I know the Robertson family contributed many members to the Church of Scotland over several generations. This Gilbert's paternal line his own father, grandfather and cousins were Reverends as were his maternal grandparents etc. I would be very interested in following this thread further, are you able to provide a web address for me to view?
This is an avenue I have no knowledge off. I am aware of the connection with the Sandbach and Parker families and a few others as well. There is a good collection at the Liverpool Archives aptly named 'the Parker papers'. This Gilbert Robertson (b1774 - d1839)being a minister is new information.
Aby
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Hi Keith,
again new information. I have no idea if there is a connection. Most of my research for Robertson's has been in Scotland, the West Indies, (Jamaica, British and Dutch Guiana and Demeria). From what I have managed to figure out is that in the mid 1700's at least 2 of Reverend Harry Robertson's brothers, (John and George) were merchants/plantation owners in Essequibo and Demerrie and later in Berbice. They in turn set up business with the Sandbach, Tinnie and later Parker's which was a very successful company for several generations.
I know they had their own ships so it is possible they also had dealings with India as from memory I think there was a few career soldiers in the family as well.
All I can suggest is gather up every bit of information you can re Eliza Robinson (parents, place of birth, baptism of her daughters not easy for India I know but is possible if their father was military) Do you have death records for any of the 3? Later census that may be of help?
Feel free to contact me again. Elizabeth is a common name for the time.
Aby
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Hi Aby,
http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I84821&tree=Fasti
I hope I have copied and pasted this address correctly. If not, try Googling under "Gilbert Robertson, Edinburgh" and this Family Search data base should be one of the hits. It gives you Groups; parents; siblings, etc. Plus you can search other persons that become highlighted. It is not the Church of Scotland site, as I first thought, but the church's records seem to be the source of much of the information.
I hope this helps.
Ian
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A further thought: Gilbert Robertson may not have been a Minister. He might be in this data base as part of the family of a Minister. Perhaps the best way to "get the picture" would be to click on Rev. Harry Robertson on Gilbert's page and that will show Harry's family, including several children.
Ian
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Interesting reading for others at
http://www.spanglefish.com/slavesandhighlanders/index.asp?pageid=192866
and the details on the monument in St.Cuthberts:
834. Upright Monument on Wall divided into three Panels.
Centre (Stone) Panel.
Georgina Omond, born 15th September 1850, died 3rd May 1852;
Emily Traill Omond, born 9th July 1841, died 9th December 1854;
Robert Omond, M.D., F.R.C.S.E., born in Kirkwall 29th December 1806,
died in Edinburgh 13th December 1881; his wife, Mary Eliza Traill,
born in Liverpool 6th June 1817, died in Edinburgh 1st February 1898 ;
their son, Robert Traill Omond, LL.D., F.R.S.E., born 5th June 1858,
died 27th January 19 14; Helen Connley, died 17th January 1879, aged 63.
On Base.
William Robertson Watson, grandson of H. Robertson, D.D.,
Kiltearn, born at Grantit, Orkney, 15th May 1807, died in Edinburgh
20th March 1876.
Left (Red Granite) Panel.
In memory of Jane Mackenlay, born in London 20th January 1775,
died 20th July 1857, widow of George Omond, who died at Kirkwall 1st
February 1813.
On Base.
Gilbert Robertson, second son of H. Robertson, D.D., Kiltearn,
died 10th September 1839, aged 64.
Right (Red Granite) Panel.
M. S. Vxoris Dilectissimae, Matris Optimae, Christianae Traill,
moerens posvit conivx vixit annos LXI. obiit Maii VII. M.D.C.C.C.
XLII.
Conivx ipsi, Thomas Stewart Traill, M.D., F.R.S.E., Med. Lee. in
Acad. Ed. Jac. VI. Prof. Vixit annos LXXX. obiit Julii xxx., M.D.C.C.C.
LXII.
On Base.
Thomas S. Traill, elder son of Professor Traill, died 31st August
1856, aged 37.
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Thank you all for the input. The water had been muddied but has settled back out again. Nothing new to add to what I already knew, it is good to have a subject looked at by fresh eyes as we can miss important facts. Which is why I like to revisit subjects, Gilbert Robertson 1774-1839 appears to have been unmarried and the son of Reverend Harry Robertson (as per the tree in Family search) I agree with this as I have been through books re Scottish ministers, Burke's Peerage for 1700-1800 and have confirmed this data.
There is mention in a listing of BMD for Scots in Latin America that suggests Gilbert married an Eliza Thomas c1814. I haven't found anything much about her. It appears this marriage wasn't recognised outside the Carribean or she had pre-deceased him.
I seem to have located where Gilbert Robertson was residing at the time of his death and will now try to find what I can out about A B Tod esqr WS and his daughter. This may share something additional onto the end of Gilbert's story.
Aby
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Hi Aby,
I saw this post late, the fact that he is buried in St. Cuthberts would I think mean he was from the Melville Street in Edinburgh and not the one on Portobello.
Regards.
Archie.
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Hi Archie,
Thank you for your input, it all helps. I was leaning toward him residing in Melville, Edinburgh as opposed to Portobello as it is closer to St Cuthberts. As well as the folk living in Melville St seemed to be more of the class Gilbert was. (that sounds really snooty, but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say). Must get back to research the family he was staying with at the time of his death.
Aby
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Alexander Bruce Tod b England aged 67 1851 census (living on his personal fortune) died 24th March 1853 - employed in the civil service at Bengal and buried in Capt.Tod's tomb, west ground, east end (St.Cuthberts). Lived with his sister Charlotte Bruer Tod (64) died 16 April 1860 at Clifton (OPR) daughter of Capt Alex Tod R.N. interred on the 25th from St.John's Chapel. N.End of their own Tomb
Description:
http://memorials.rmg.co.uk/Memorial8182.html?Location=7&MemorialPage=2&MemorialID=M564&Full=Transcript
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/t/o/d/Guy-B-Tod/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0826.html
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Thank you for that - just the shove I needed. Aby