What was Robb's Land?

[charlotteuk]

An address on a 1908 marriage record in Old Kilpatrick is given as Robb's Land, and (hard to make out) Yoker?

 I was curious to know what this was as it is down for both parties.  The groom, a shipyard labourer would have been recently arrived from Ireland, his bride's occupation is domestic servant.

Would  this be a road name or some sort of lodging house? Just wondered if anyone familiar with the area today could help please

Charlotte.

[bonjedward]

I'm from the other side of the river, in Renfrew, but I'm not familiar with Robb's Land. However it sounds like the name of a tenement, like some of the old tenements named 'something' Land off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

  Land , n.
  8. a. A holding of burgage  land  (normally built up) in a burgh. b. A building or group of buildings erected on such a holding. c. Freq.  land  and tenement, tenement and  land , tenement of  land , in the same applications.

(from a very comprehensive online Scots dictionary, http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/  )

I had a look at The Scotsman's online archive  (  http://archive.scotsman.com  )
and searching for
"Robb's Land" Yoker

it found 1 result - a news item from The Scotsman, on 5th Jan 1909, under the heading
"Electric Cars and Motor Van in Collision"
You have to pay to read the article, £7.95 for 24 hours access, but maybe you could find it on microfilm at a library.

[Debbie in B.C.]

Hi,

I have family in Duntocher, Old Kilpatrick.  And have come across the same thing on several certificates and census - Newlands Land, McKays Land - which became Main Street, McLaughlins Land, which also formed part of Main Street,  Donalds Land, Yates Land... and more!
I always thought it had something to do with the farms and the owners of the land in the area before it was subdivided up into houses by the Council.

[pettsy]

I have Munn's Land on one of my census, and my family were called MUNN.
I would like to know more about it too.
Was it there land?

Pettsy

[runner]

Hi Charlotte

I just had a look at oldmaps.co.uk and on the 1846 map of the area it doesn't show at all. Yoker wouldn't merit the description of a hamlet at that point so Robb's Land must have grown up out of the building soon after of the various shipyard and associated works along that part of the Clyde.

Some of the buildings were named after Foremen and managers in a particular part of the Yard and they rented the bigger flats in the building. Lesser workers had the usual two room flats or single-ends.

David's description fits what happened in the village I live in where someone bought a plot of land and built their house on it and it was called Barr's Land or Lyle's Land and that was effectively their address.
Look for information about the development of the shipyards for clues. There is one book about the Bairds yards but I cannot remember its title - sorry

Russell

[charlotteuk]

on the 1846 map of the area it doesn't show at all. Yoker wouldn't merit the description of a hamlet

Thanks Russell.

I looked at http://www.theclydebankstory.com/ and it seems the area grew up around the developing industry in the last half of the nineteenth century.  I would assume that employees new to the area, were offered basic rented accommodation.

Charlotte

[littlejaffa]

the 'land' refers to people working land belonging  to..ie munn's land is land belonging to the munn estate/family - you'll find most have and address of main street/xxx land - there are a few in and around duntocher where there have never been tennements (even not) so it is def not that.

is it possible your yoker is actually duntocher (often classed as part of/together with old kilmatrick) there's a few different spellings around but anything that sounds like dun-toe-ker is a good guide

[apanderson]

I just checked the 1881 Cencus and there's no sign of a Robb's Land.

Have you tried the 1891 Cencus?  If it's there, that would give you a better ideas of when the building was built.

I tend to agree with the 'lands' as names for tenement buildings or the like. I may be wrong of course but I've never come across the theory of 'lands' being part of an estate or a farm.

The 1881 has 172 entries of individuals being born in Yoker so it must have been recognised at least as a village but there are only 2 single entries for Duntocher. (This is from the Lowlands area only and doesn't include the Highlands)

Have you though about enquiring through local Libraries to see if they hold any maps from around this time? This could perhaps give you an exact location although I've just had a look at www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/map/townplans/townplans.html and this exact area seems not to have been done.

Anne

[littlejaffa]

sorry maybe i wasn't clear when i said it was not a tennament.
I lived in duntocher for years, and still visit regularly - there is nothing now or in the past that could ever be considered a tennament,  that makes me 100% certain anything called xxx land does not refer to a tenament building.

The area was originally farming, then became used for mills and similar (most immigration can be explained by reading the clydebank story) therefor the 'sub-districts' were known by the land name, munn's land, smith's land etc.

i should also mention - be carefull of anything that says Duntocher, in the parish of Old Kilpatrick - this can be deceptive as duntocher and old kilpatrick are a good few miles apart - in my searching i've found it always refers to duntocher, not old kilpatrick.