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Here is the letter, written by my 4xgreat grandmother Jean Proudfoot to the Session at Methven.

“Struie, August 19th, 1836
I send this informing you that I have born a child to John Lawson on the 13th of August. I sent a line to him to come and remove his child or make a settlement with me which he has never made his appearance it will favour me a great deal if you will try him. And if he does not attend to you, or steps must be tried for I do not think that no married man’s child the Law can oblige me to sit under, for I no really for necessity will cause me to lay her down to him, or to you or to the world at large, for I am not able to do.
I will be obliged to you to Read this over to the Session when it meets.
               Jean Proudfoot

This letter sounds desperate, but perhaps more angry than apologetic. The Session eventually found that she had no proof to show that John was the father of her daughter. Jean must have been a strong woman. The letter shows that she could read and write. Her claim in the letter that she was unable to cope with the child may well have been intended to compel the Session to find in her favour. She brought all four of her children up alone, while working as a farm labourer and she was with her daughter Charlotte at the births of her children.

I think the one you mean was part of a BBC series "Seven Wonders of the Industrial World." Hard to find on video, but it's also available as a book.

Hello Bruce, In 1853, the Rev. Mr Walker, in Muthill, wrote a letter to Crieff Kirk Session confirming that he had baptised an illegitimate child, born to Mary Stewart, about four years before, so around 1849. I have looked at the Kirk Session Minutes for Muthill, and searched for a record of baptism on S.P. but haven't found any trace  of this child. It would be really great if you could take a look. All the best, Heather

Hi Monica. Yes, the Mary at Dunning in 1861 seems to be my Mary. I've also found her two sons in 1871 at Buttergash, Cargill. After that, I haven't found William's brother John Cameron. When William married Elizabeth Cameron in 1876 it would seem that his parents were alive, but it also has them as married so it looks like there was a bit of... flexibility with the truth shall we say. When William died only his mother was recorded. I've had a bit more luck with the Madderty families. I found the death record for Janet Foulis' daughter, which proved that she wasn't my Mary, so I have two couples to choose from. Unfortunately, in 1841 neither of their Marys was with her parents. Jean Miller had died, and Duncan had remarried and was living in Crieff.  Alexander Stewart and Ann Neish had moved to Fowlis Wester. By 1851, Ann was a widow. One possibility for Mary in 1871 is a relative living with the Chalmers family at Dunning. Grace Chalmers was born Stewart. The census states that both Grace and that Mary were from Auchtergavin, but I'm not ready to rule her out as the farmer at Buttergash, who John and William were working for, was also a Chalmers and that seems like too much of a coincidence. I have been trying to work out if Duncan or Alexander had any link with the numerous Stewart families in the Auchtergaven area. So you see there are plenty of jigsaw pieces, but its difficult to know which ones are from which picture. This is a puzzle I keep going back to.

Hi, I have spent years now trying to figure out the puzzle of my own Stewart grandmother (3X). It may be that some of the records I've collected might have some information that would help you. My Mary Stewart was born at Madderty, the daughter of either Duncan Stewart and Jean Miller, or Alexander Stewart and Ann Neish. Both girls were baptised on the same day in 1826. (I've ruled out another Mary from Madderty, who was born the following year to John Stewart and Janet Foulis.) In the course of trying to find Mary, I've traced some records of all three families, and also some of the Stewarts at Dunning, who are possibly related in some way. If anyone has any connection to any of these Stewarts, I would be glad to compare information, if only to eliminate possibilities. In particular, it would be helpful if anyone has a death record for a Mary Stewart, born Madderty, as it is impractical to keep buying records of every Mary Stewart born that year. (there are 136 deaths of a Mary Stewart, born 1826, on SP)