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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: Alan of Kaslo on Wednesday 23 September 20 02:18 BST (UK)
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Hello.
My grandfather Alexander Boyle in Ayrshire was born in 1783 and in his document it mentions the location/mill that his father Alexander Boyle is from. Could anyone please help decipher what it says? The birth took place in Maybole.
Thanks in advance
Alan
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Hi Alan,
Sorry, this is a very difficult one - and I won't be of much help - but will make a feeble attempt, and bounce it back up the list for someone else to help.
Looks like:
"Jany 7 1783 Alexander Boyle in(?) Ghila (?) ?inzie (?) and Elizabeth Galbraith his spouse had a son in lawful marriage Baptized. Alexander Chisholm."
Word after "Boyle" really looks like "in" (why not "of" if it refers to where he came from....) - next word ??? very difficult - and third one looks like ?inzie - ? another place name. Anyway - good luck with it!
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There is a creek south east of Maybole named Kilhenzie Burn
And on this map, other places including a castle site. A wood. Etc
https://maps.nls.uk/view/74425832#zoom=6&lat=5835&lon=2322&layers=BT
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I think you both have pretty much worked it out.
As I see it, it's a single word split between lines with an = at each side of the split.
On line 2: =henzie / =hinzie
On line 1: ?il=
Can you find a K written in the same hand?
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Description from Ayrshire Ord Survey maps 1855-57
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."
Word after "Boyle" really looks like "in" (why not "of" if it refers to where he came from....) -
It would be worth checking the other entries on the page to compare whether the scribe generally writes 'in' or 'of 'a place.
I seem to remember in Scotland 'in' a place meant the person was a tenant there, and 'of' a place meant they were the owner of that place - ie not just on a lease.
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As Goldie says, in Scotland the following applies:
John Smith of a place owns it
John Smith in a place is a tenant there (sometimes just lives there)
John Smith at a place is there on a more temporary basis
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Good shout Kilhenzie. I doubt if that will be how it's pronounced in Ayrshire though! ;D
The Boyle's are the earls of Glasgow but I'd keep that quiet!
Skoosh.
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Thank you very much for the help!
Here is more of the document to compare:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U69fQQRYBG8prprx0-br5iMmudtdGWm_/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q1_Lm-eTUdxmdG3rmNnkJgT9Y5KwVGsF/view?usp=sharing
I had originally thought it said Miln Hinzie or something similar. Kilhenzie makes a lot of sense! Alexander boyle senior is listed in the documents as a gardener.
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Alan, the first of these URLs doesn't load a document.
The second does load but there's no K in the text.
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Thanks.
Finding it hard to crop a pdf cleanly on my phone. Hope this works... not sure if there is A k there to compare to.
Also, Alexander had a few siblings...i will get their birth docs to compare.
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Thanks Alan. I believe there is a K - the father of the Feb 18 1783 baptism is William McKeath.
I see similarities between this letter K and the capital of your place name.
In my opinion, the long curving line coming down from the top is an artifact and not part of the place name's capital. Once this is subtracted, the capital looks very like the other K.
Others may disagree.
ADDED:
So that makes the top line: Kil=
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All of the kids were born in Maybole , with Alexander being the middle child. I checked after someone mentioned Kilhenzie castle and it is listed as being in Maybole.
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Kilhenzie described
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Kilhenzie valuation from Tax roll
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That's interesting Neale. Thanks for that. I will get the other siblings docs and see if there are any further clues.
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As you leave Maybole heading South-east parallel to the road to Crosshill & Straiton KILHENZIE is on a track on your Left, just a few miles out of Maybole
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A big thank you to all who chimed in. Very much appreciated!
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I found some confirmation on my great Aunt Jane's birth doc from 1786, Alexander Boyle's sister ... much easier to read.
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If anyone has time or talent to track down the marriage of Alexander Boyle (Boil/Boill etc) and Elizabeth Galbraith (Calbreath/Calbraith etc) I would most grateful. I have exhausted myself momentarily from looking... It should be just before first child in 1779
Cheers and thanks,
Alan
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Hi Alan, I could not find that marriage either - perhaps the records are missing.
I did however find an earlier child - Mary baptised in 1771
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Thanks Neale. I go on to have a grandmother a generation down the kine named Mary Boyle... I had wondered if Alexander Boyle sr. and Elisabeth Galbraith possibly married outside Scotland , say England or Ireland. Record could be missing of course also.
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I think it more probable that there are gaps in the parish records - I have the same problem with a number of my Ayrshire ancestors.
At least you know with Mary born 1771 the marriage was more likely to be around 1770, and so the birth of Alexander and Elizabeth probably in the 1740s.