Margaret PRIMROSE b. 1782. Father = ?

[gelin5]

One of my ancestors was Margaret PRIMROSE, born about 1782 in Linlithgow, Cramond (according to the 1851 census).  I suspect she might be connected to the Earl of Rosebury PRIMROSE family because the only other PRIMROSEs in the IGI batch for her marriage were members of the Earl's family. And the name 'PRIMROSE' was not common in the Cramond area except for the Earl's family. But I can't find Magaret's father.

She married Daniel McGregor on Jan 17, 1800 in Dalmeny, West Lothian.

Margaret died 14 Oct 1855 in Canongate, Edinburgh and was buried in the Canongate Church graveyard. According to the death certificate, she was born around 1779. I have a photocopy of her death certificate but only the name of her mother, Janet RANKIN, is shown.

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

[Tricia_2]

Since she doesn't seem to have the same surname as her mother, and you cannot trace her father, perhaps she was the illegitimate daughter of a member of the Earl's family??

[gelin5]

Thanks Tricia. I've thought of that. Besides delving into the personal papers and wills of the Primroses, I wonder how to prove or disprove this possibility.

As well as that, does anyone know if, in such a situation of illigitimacy, the child was usually given the surname of the father in those days? Surely the Primrose family would not have been pleased. And why would Margaret 'rub their noses in it' by marrying in possibly the same church used by the Earl's family - certainly, it was in the same small town, Dalmeny, and the same IGI batch number.

What I think is more likely is this: in the early days of the Primrose presence in the Cramond area (when they were given land there) in the 1600's, poorer, distant relatives of this family were also possibly granted land as tenant farmers by the Earl's family and these distant relatives continued to exist in Cramond. The only trouble is I can't find any evidence of this in the online IGI (there are no Mormon Family Research Centres where I live - Beijing!) Well, actually, I did find one, just one, Primrose mentioned in the area in the 1600's, a person who doesn't seem listed in any family trees of the Earl's family. Maybe he was a black sheep of the family who is not listed in their family tree.

Margaret & her husband, Daniel, were relatively low in social status, being listed as 'servants' in the census. And I think I have possibly found Margaret's mother, Janet Rankin in the 1841 census for Cramond, listed as a pauper in her 80's.

I guess the next step would be to more thoroughly search all the records of the Cramond area going back to the 1600's.

[bertha]

I too have a Margaret Primrose, although mine was born approx. 20/30 yrs after yours but in the same area.
I have read somewhere that the Primrose boys at Dalmeny/Cramond were a bit free with the ladies of the region. Most didn't seem to mind giving their illegitimate offspring their surname.
Mine married a John Ross somewhere between 1830 & 1840 & although I have the names of most of their children & their death certificates, cannot get any further back with either.
At least you have your Margaret's mother's name, I don't even have that
The only clue I have that she came from west of Edinburgh was her daughter Elizabeth born around 1837 who lists her place of birth as Dechmont Linlithgowshire ( West Lothian).  This is not many miles away from the Primrose seat at Dalmeny. 
I myself live not all that far from Dalmeny on the North West side of Edinburgh.
Good luck with your research.
Bertha