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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Ross & Cromarty => Topic started by: Julie Carver on Thursday 15 June 17 10:49 BST (UK)
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Has anyone any ideas about where my GGfather may have been buried? He died in the bay at Uig in 1877, presumed drowned according to the coroner. He was a long way from any relatives as far as I can tell and not much information was known about him.
Also does anyone know if there were burial registers for Uig for 1877 still around?
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He would probably have been buried in the cemetery at <a href="http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townmap8762.html">Ardroil</a>, by the Uig Sands. However, it is extremely unlikely - extremely unlikely - that there would be any headstones or markers and I am also sure there would not be any register for you to consult. And, by the way, there is no such thing as a "coroner" in Scotland. A death in such circumstances would be reported to the Procurator Fiscal who would investigate. If there were no suspicious circumstances, he would have the registrar register the death. The Informant column in the entry would then read : Registered on the information of the Procurator Fiscal ...". Drownings such as this one were not uncommon. And you won't find any report in a local newspaper, as there was no "local newspaper" covering the Isle of Lewis until 1917.
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Thank you for replying and clarifying about the coroner. Now I understand about the Procurator Fiscal.
But now I am confused about the location. So the Sands of Uig or Uig sands are not near Uig town on Skye? What are the other two places mentioned on the RCE? Sands of Uig near....
I am hoping to visit in September while in the UK and am interested where he died and may be buried even if there isn't any evidence still existing. Most of my rellies were too poor for gravestones.
thanks for your help
Julie
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Ok next question..
The cemetery at Ardroil that is there now was opened in 1909.
Where was someone buried in 1877?
TIA
Julie
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Hi Julie,
Can you please give details of what's on the actual DC please?
Does it mention his age, wife, his usual residence, occupation?
Was his wife still alive at the time?
Where was he living in 1871 & if he left a widow, where was she by 1881?
Was she at the same residence as in 1871 as this could possibly point to where he may have been buried?
Annie
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William McNab was born in Stranraer Wigtownshire in c1826. (according to 1851 census)
Cant' find him in 1841.
In 1851 he was married to Ann McDonald living in Middle Greenock.
In 1861 he was living in Rickergate Carlisle with 3 children.
In 1871 I can't find him, she is living in Glasgow with just one son, living under her maiden name, her son was William McNab plasterer. No idea where the, by then, 4 girls were, the youngest 2 were born in northern England.
1881 Ann McNab widow was living in Govan Glasgow with 4 girls.
In 1891 she was living in Dundee.
So pinning their locations down is tricky.
Death certificate says Journeyman Plasterer, married to (blank), Married, aged 50 the informant/Witness I have attached. I haven't followed through on this person. But I think it says his employer who lived in Glasgow.
Julie
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Where was the DC signed?
Looks like;
John MacAulay
His present Employer
56 Surrey St? Glasgow
What does it say about William?
What does it say for place of death & does it give a usual residence?
I think it's likely he may be buried in Glasgow?
Have you found any of his children in Glasgow 1871/1881?
Annie
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Place of registration is same as other people on page who died in Uig. But I can't read it.
Do you think it could say "His x Mark Employer"?
can't find his girls in 1871, and in 1881 they are in Glasgow with the widow of William.
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Do you think it could say "His x Mark Employer"?
Yes...should have gone to specsavers ::)
Place name is a mystery but I think ends in 'raig'?
The place name on the RCE after Ardroil looks as though it ends 'view' but can't fathom the beginning?
With no 'Usual Residence' it's difficult to work on possibilities for where he would be buried but for his Employer to sign the death it may have been that the employer was working in the area with his employees?
If there were no papers for Lewis at the time it may have been recorded in a Glasgow paper?
Depending on his religion The Catholic Observer?
The Glasgow Herald?
The Guardian?
Annie
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Thanks Annie for all the suggestions. I have actually found him on the 1841 census! After 15 years of looking on and off. He is living with his mother Agnes Jackson and brother Jackson McNab. William names his second daughter Agnes, and third daughter Annie Jackson McNab.
Having found out more about where he died and his parents from his brothers death cert, I think I may have used up all my luck for today. Common names without useful middle names make the detective work more "indepth".
I will check the newspapers next.
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But now I am confused about the location. So the Sands of Uig or Uig sands are not near Uig town on Skye? What are the other two places mentioned on the RCE? Sands of Uig near....
No. There are several places called Uig (it is from the Norse word 'vik', meaning a bay, and also occurs in other places as Wick, and in Berwick, Lerwick and dozens of other places ending in '...wick'.
The village of Uig on the Isle of Skye is in the parish if Snizort in the county of Inverness.
Uig Sands are on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the parish of Uig, county of Ross and Cromarty. See
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NB0332
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NB0432
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NB0433
If any burial records survive from 1877, they should be in the care of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the Western Isles Council) - see http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/ - but I would not bet on them ever having existed for Uig, never mind them having survived.
The places named in the certificate include Ardroil, which is an anglicisation of Eadar Dha Fhadhail, and the modern map uses the Gaelic version.
I think the next one is something like Fairview, but I can't be sure and I can't identify it. I speculate that it was a croft or cottage with an alien (i.e. English rather than Gaelic) name.
Lastly, the place of registration is Miavaig, which is an anglicisation of Miabhaig.
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But now I am confused about the location. So the Sands of Uig or Uig sands are not near Uig town on Skye? What are the other two places mentioned on the RCE? Sands of Uig near....
No. There are several places called Uig (it is from the Norse word 'vik', meaning a bay, and also occurs in other places as Wick, and in Berwick, Lerwick and dozens of other places ending in '...wick' or in '...uig' or '...aig'.
The village of Uig on the Isle of Skye is in the parish if Snizort in the county of Inverness.
Uig Sands are on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the parish of Uig, county of Ross and Cromarty. See
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NB0332
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NB0432
http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NB0433
If any burial records survive from 1877, they should be in the care of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the Western Isles Council) - see http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/ - but I would not bet on them ever having existed for Uig, never mind them having survived.
The places named in the certificate include Ardroil, which is an anglicisation of Eadar Dha Fhadhail, and the modern map uses the Gaelic version.
I think the next one is something like Fairview, but I can't be sure and I can't identify it. I speculate that it was a croft or cottage with an alien (i.e. English rather than Gaelic) name.
Lastly, the place of registration is Miavaig, which is an anglicisation of Miabhaig.
As for where people were buried, there is an old kirkyard at Baile na Cille. See
http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=73094417
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hi on the first post it states body was viewed by Alexander Maclean of Garynahine,
Garynahne is in uig, Isle of Lewis
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it states body was viewed by Alexander Maclean of Garynahine,
Garynahne is in uig, Isle of Lewis
Dr Alexander MacLean
Annie
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1877 August. Night of 18th or Morning of 19th. On the Sands of Uig near Ardroil Farm in the Parish of Uig.
[Cause of Death] Drowning. Dr. Alexander MacLean, Garynahine, saw body after death.
The informant was: John MacAulay, His X Mark, Employer, 56 Surrey St., Glasgow. [And the informant's "signature" [i.e., the "X"] was witnessed by the Registrar, James Macrae. If the informant (or bride or groom) could not write his/her name, the Registrar would write the name and add His Mark, leaving enough space between the two words for the informant to make a cross, and that would serve as a legal signature for the purpose. The Registrar would have to watch as the person "signed", so that the Registrar could describe himself as a witness to the signing]. The spelling of names and places was always the Registrar's spelling ... and not all registrars were competent spellers!
As I said in my original reply to this, burials were not recorded at that time anywhere in Lewis and the incident would hardly merit a mention in the mainland newspapers unless the other family members thought to place a death notice in the paper - and that is unlikely, I would surmise.
If he was the only member of his family in Lewis at that time, he would simply have been buried in the cemetery (plot of land) used by the people in that area at that time and the location in that cemetery would be unmarked (but it would be obvious that there was a body in that spot). Do you really think that family would have been able to afford preparation of the body and transport of the body to the mainland? That would have incurred quite some expense.
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hi on the image 20th august at,
i believe that is miavaig 4km from ardiol
have you considered he may have been
a fisherman and john macaulay was the owner of the fishing boat
there a lot of macaulays in uig
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hi back again this is may be of interest
wherever he came from it looks like the reason
he drowned at uig sands certainly had something to do
with macaulay, near uig sands is Baile na Cille Cemetery,
dates back to late 1600s and is the burial ground for the macaulays,
what is really interesting is a dr Mclean from garynahine is burried there
though it looks possibly the father of the dr that viewed the body,
now to get to the point if the body was nt returned to the familly
theres thats where he ll be close to uig sands, ardoil, and miavaig