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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Stirlingshire => Topic started by: andrew shanks on Tuesday 18 October 05 18:30 BST (UK)
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Does anyone know whether there ever a Provost of Denny with the surname Shanks?
Did a quick search on Google for this but came up with nothing, so hopefully someone will know the answer. :)
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There were three Shanks' Provosts of Denny & Dunipace
Thomas Shanks, born 22nd January 1829, died 27th March 1912.
James Kirkwood Shanks, M.B.E., D.L., J.P., born 20th February 1870, died 3rd November 1957
William Moffat Shanks, C.A., J.P., died 3rd October 1971 (Provost 1956 - 1958)
All buried in Denny Cemetery.
Anne
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Anne
This is great.
My interest in this came about because my father recalls seeing a heavy brass desk set in the home of his aunt that was inscribed 'Provost Shanks, Denny'
We assumed that she had picked it up somewhere as a curiousity but now believe that there may have been a family link.
I guess that what I need to do now is track back the ancestry of the 3 Provosts to see whether I can establish a link with my own family.
Hopefully someone will have some info about their families.
Regards
Andrew
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My pleasure Andrew,
I have a note of the full inscriptions for each stone so that might make things easier for you.
In the meantime, I think I've still got your personal e-mail from the Falkirk Library stuff I sent you. I'll have a rake either tonight or tomorrow and e-mail you the details. If I can't find it (which is more probable than not), I'll PM you and you can send it to me that way.
Anne.
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Hi Anne
Thanks again.
I think that I have found Provost James Kirkwood Shanks, M.B.E., D.L., J.P., born 20th February 1870, died 3rd November 1957 in the 1881 census (SHANKS James K. Son 11 M Scholar Denny, Stirling, Scotland 1302).
His parents were Thomas Shanks and Mary Kirkwood who married in Denny in 1860. Thomas' parents were David Shanks and Janet Black. Interestingly, Mary's parents were James Kirkwood and Elizabeth Shanks.
Unfortunately, with the info that I have at present I cannot see a link with this family. So I guess that I need to look at the other 2 Provosts to see whether anything jumps out. It could well be that they are all related to each other.
Andrew
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Andrew,
Couldn't find your e-mail so here's the inscriptions . . . . I should have just posted them in the first place.
(Centre Stone)
In Memoriam
Ex Provost THOMAS SHANKS, Ironfounder, born 22nd January 1829
Died at Beechfield 27th March 1912
MARY GARDNER KIRKWOOD, wife of Thomas Shanks born 31st May 1831, died 24th April 1909
HELEN KIRKWOOD, THOMAS KIRKWOOD, THOMAS ALEXANDER, who died in infancy
MARY KIRKWOOD SHANKS their daughter, born 28th June 1863, died 31st August 1936.
Cruikshanks and Company Limited, Iron and Steel Founders 1870 – 1985
(Left Stone)
In fond memory of DAVID SHANKS beloved husband of Jessie M.M. Luke
Who passed away at Beechfield, Denny on the 6th July 1915
Also JESSIE MAY McGREGOR LUKE, his widow
Died at Manor Place, Edinburgh 10th February 1935
ALEXANDER CLARK HORSLEY, M.C. husband of Mary T. Shanks
Born 3rd November 1906, died 11th December 1991.
Interred in Shorne
(Right Stone)
Ex Provost JAMES KIRKWOOD SHANKS, M.B.E., D.L., J.P.
Born 20th February 1870, died at Beechfield 3rd November 1957
Also JANE MOFFAT, his widow Born 23rd March 1876, died at Gravesend 5th December 1973
Their daughter MARY K. SHANKS, wife of Alexander Horsley
Born 14th February 1904, died 21st May 2001
~~~~~~~~---------
“Spero Meliora”
In ever loving remembrance of WILLIAM MOFFAT SHANKS C.A., J.P.
Provost of Denny and Dunipace from 1956 – 1958, died 3rd October 1971
Dearly beloved husband of AGNES MILLER died 29th January 1996
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The first two are obviously from the same family, I can't remember offhand whether it's three separate stones or one stone with three sections.
Denny Cemetery is really nice - why don't you have a wee day out there and see for yourself. Its full of people with all the names you are searching!
Anne
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Hi Anne
Well this is very useful and gives me something to work on.
The strange thing is that my gt grandfather Thomas Shanks (who was aunt Nancy's father) came from Glasgow and, as far as I am aware, had no connection with Denny. However, his wife was descended from the Neilson, Allan & Wood families of Falkirk. Her cousin William Wood owned Burnbrae Hse on Camelon Rd in Falkirk and was married into the Stirling family of Denny. I suspect that it is through the Stirlings that there is a link to the Shanks family of Denny as I know that there were marriages between people with these surnames in the Denny area.
The problem is finding that connection! Hopefully the mystery will resolve itself one day!
Andrew
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Hi Andrew
I found this very old link when searching for information on my family tree which includes Bains, Kirkwoods, Gillespies and Shanks from Denny Stirlingshire.
If you are interested please email me then I can invite you to view my tree on Geni and you can see if you can work out a Shanks link. My email is (*)
Yesterday I found a poem online written by James Kirkwood from Garth Denny (great great great Uncle on my Dad's mother's side) called The Patriot. What a fabulous tool the internet is!
Look fwd to hearing from you.
Linda
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The origin of Shanks from my mother's information is German - Baron Von Schink. The name was changed to Shanks.
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Hello Shautzy,
The name Shanks has existed in Scotland and also in Ireland for a very long time, so I can only assume that this was some attempt at anglicizing the name of your family to get away from anti-German feelings - presumably during wartime?
:)
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Thank you for your response. I don't think it was an attempt of anglicizing my family name but anything is possible. The information I have goes back to the time of
George IV and the surnames of Kirkwood and Johnston are also listed. With these names are land areas in Mid Lothian Scotland and farms: Balvormie, Glandersland and Muiravonside. I think this goes back to my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandparents time. (I could be missing or adding a Great)
As it has turned out these are the ancestors on my Mother's side (often forgotten in our historical Patriarchy Society) and the information is lacking. Sadly to say Mom hs passed away and was an only child whose parents Immigrated to Canada in 1919.
If you have any information that may help I would appreciate it.
Regards
Shautzy
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Hello Shautzy,
I am not aware of a farm named Muiravonside, although the parish of that name exists within Stirlingshire.
Balvormie is in West Lothian and I do not have a record of any Shanks families living at the farm - of course, that does not mean that there weren't any, just that I have no information to suggest that there were.
I have a note that a Thomas Shanks was born at Glandersland, Muiravonside in 1885. He was the son of William Shanks and Margaret Shields - presumably, this is your family?
Bye for now
:)
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Hi all
I have many Shanks' in my ancestry and have been contacted by folk all over through Ancestry, Genforum and Genes Reunited, but never logged into Rootschat until now!
I've got info. on many of the people mentioned in this thread and also a few photos.
I have a good Shanks Line document passed on to me by someone in West Canada and it has loads of info.
The farm was called Gillandersland.
I recently met up with the ex-provost of Linlithgow Jim Shanks as I have been working there and learnt a lot of good family info.
Not sure how to pass all of this on but please feel free to ask me questions and i'll see if I can help.
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Hi, i am new to Rootschat, and came across this post when i was looking for info on Balvormie Farm. My family farmed Balvormie for some years until we emigrated to Australia in 1961. Thomas Shanks did indeed live at Balvormie until his death, as i was living with my Father and Mother at Balvormie at the same time. My mothers maiden name was Wilson and her middle name was Shanks. I do have some details for the family tree if i can find it so feel free to email me if you are interested.
Euan..
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Folks, "Black's Surnames" gives the origin as from Shank of that Ilk, an ancient family in Midlothian. A Murdoch Shank had a charter from Robert the Bruce in 1319. So a very old name.
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coonwara, think might have this family in mine. are you on Genes Reunited as someone i am linked to on there may have more information on this side of the family.
T.
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i have gillespies,grant,bain family from denny in my family tree.
I have someone who has contacted me on Genes Reunited which i unfortunately have not been on for some time who has connected the family to the shanks family as he is a shanks family member himself.
If i can help will do. latest i got to on the gillespie family was about June 1847. Bain family is further back than that as my mother did a professional search with a researcher some time back.
do you know of any links with the loney family.?
T.
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The origin of Shanks from my mother's information is German - Baron Von Schink. The name was changed to Shanks.
Not according to G F Black's The Surnames of Scotland. He says that Shank of that Ilk is an ancient family in Midlothian, deriving their name from lands so named there. Murdoch Shank, son of Shank of that Ilk, got a charter from Robert the Bruce in 1319.
So you can be fairly sure that at least some, and I think probably the majority, of the Shank(s) in Scotland are of the home-grown variety!
Wonder where your mother's information came from?
There is a German noble family by the name of von Schenk (107,000 hits in a well-known search engine) and there are also references to von Schink (25,200 hits) so it is entirely possible that in addition to the Midlothian origin there are some families of Shank(s) descended from one of these.
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Hi
I am a relation of the Kirkwood side of the family and had no idea that someone married into the Shanks family. My great grandfather was the poet James Kirkwood, commonly known as "auld Gairt". His son, James, was my grandfather who was a Chief Engineer on ships. Catherine Kirkwood married her cousin James Gillespie and lived at Myothill Farm. I have researched back to 1759 when Andrew Kirkwood was reported to have originated in Linlithgowshire but moved to Denny. I have a lot of documents pertaining to the Kirkwood family, one goes back to the beginning of the 18th century. I would be pleased to hear from anybody who has information about any aspects of the family.
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Hi Linda
My great grandfather was James Kirkwood who was a published poet in his day. My grandfather, James Kirkwood, was a Chief Engineer on ships. Old Gairt, as he was called. was well known. I have never heard my father, or my uncle. talk about Provost Shanks being a relation.