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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Fife => Topic started by: James McDougall on Wednesday 02 April 14 16:02 BST (UK)
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Charles McDougall and Jean Mealmaker married in the Murroes,Forfarshire and Dundee in1783.Charles was recorded in the Murroes record as being from Westwater,Fifeshire.I have tried to locate where this is/was.The internet tells me that the surname Westwater may be from a place in Fife of the same name that no longer exists.Any clues please?
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A very warm welcome to Rootschat.
The Fife Herald, 13 July, 1843 has an article about the laying of a foundation stone for a new meeting house at Newport situated "a little above the landing pier". In the meantime the Minister, Mr Nairn, continued to preach " every Sabbath in his temporary church on the West Water".
There's a Westwater Place at Newport on Tay on Google Maps.
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The same paper also mentions a "John Maxwell, Westwater" regarding the Dumfries Agricultural show 1837. This, and my earlier post, are the only 2 references I can find.
Googled "Westwater, Fife" which threw up the Ancestry reference to its link to the name Westwater and mentions it being in the west of the county?
Scottish maps http://maps.nls.uk/
You could try working through the older maps for a possible sighting - slow work and no guarantee of success!!
Best of luck
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ScotlandsPlaces website has a number of references to "Westwater" as both a surname and a location. The most likely one for your searches, James, seems to be a wee river in Forfarshire rather than Fife. The OS Placenames survey in 1857-61 describes it thus:
"“West Water is a small river from the junction of Water of Saughs and Burn of Corscarie; flows in a south easterly direction; forms part of the boundary between the parishes of Lethnot, Menmuir and Strathcathro; leaves the parish at the junction of the Burn of Margie and falls into the North Esk at Strathcathro.”
There is a Westwater Bridge over the river at Edzell.
I guess the Kingdom of Fife in 1783 may have extended a little further than the more recent administrative boundaries of the 19th century?
Regards
Iandj
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Many thanks to hanes teulu and landj for your advice and suggestions.I will look at these and continue sleuthing.
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Here is another location :-
"In passing up the town, he saw James Brown, joiner, another zealous Dissenter, and grandfather of the late Robert John-' ston, merchant, Biggar, standing at his door and gazing on the sky, to discover any symptom of the speedy clearing up of the weather. ‘Weel, Jeemes,’ said Robert, ‘are ye no gaun east the day?’ ‘As there’s nae appearance of the wather rackin’ up, I was thinkin’ about stayin’ at hame,’ said James. 4 Hoot, man,’ replied Robert, 4 Mr Mair wull think mair o’ us if we gang on sic a day as this, than if we gaed on twa or even three gude days.’ So saying, he took his way in the midst of the storm, by Candy, Sandyhill Nick, Slipperfield Muir, and West Water, to Linton."
From :-
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/biggar/chapter12.htm
Regards
Malky
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I'd wondered about that too, Malky, though it is in South Lanarkshire and seemed a bit far to the south-west.
I've also spotted a Westwater Place, which is an old road leading south-westwards out of Newport-on-Tay towards Wormit. The old maps going back to 1855 don't show a Westwater settlement or property along the old road but that doesn't mean one didn't exist before the area was mapped.
Regards
Iandj
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Here is another location taken from a Gazetteer of Scotland 1806.
LANGHOLM, a parish in Dumfries-shire, situated in the middle of the district of Eskdale…..
….Many years ago, a lead mine was discovered on the farm of Westwater, and another on the estate of Broomholm, but neither of them have been wrought....
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I am very grateful for all your ideas.However as the marriage record clearly says Westwater,Fifeshire I shall pursue this line.Although I have tried the Fife archivist without a reply but shall try again.Many thanks for your interests.
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Charles McDougall and Jean Mealmaker married in the Murroes,Forfarshire and Dundee in1783.Charles was recorded in the Murroes record as being from Westwater,Fifeshire.
What is your source for 'Westwater, Fifeshire' ? The Dundee record (OPR marriages 282/130) describes Charles Macdougal [sic] as being 'in this parish' i.e. Dundee. The Murroes record (OPR marriages 313/20) gives no place of origin at all.
Margow
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Hi James,
Did you get any further on this?
Tracing back my ancestors I too get to a full-stop at Charles McDougall of Westwater, born 1760..
Would love to go back further but it sounds as though no history of Westwater exists, which would make tracing old Great (x7) Granddad Charles a little difficult unfortunately.
Best wishes
Lee
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I guess the Kingdom of Fife in 1783 may have extended a little further than the more recent administrative boundaries of the 19th century?
The county boundaries were established well before 1783.
Johan Blaeu's map, published in 1652, shows the shire of Angus 'Angusia Provincia Scotiæ Sive The Shire of Angus', and the West Water is specifically named on it. https://maps.nls.uk/view/108520491
There was some tinkering with the county boundaries in the late 19th century, but this was to remove some of the anomalies where there were small enclaves and exclaves of one county inside another.
Not until 1975 were the boundaries swept away wholesale and then replced by new administrative unist.
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The Waterside was the area along the south bank of the River Tay between Newport and Woodhaven where the ferrymen lived and operated. References found include: the Waterside, East Waterside, West Waterside, East Water, West Water, betwixt the Waters and Mid Waterside.
East Water was Newport, and West Water was Woodhaven, all in Forgan parish.