Darling of Duns

[JacobeaM]

Hello all,

Has someone got access to the parish records for Duns (about 1685-1720) and be able to confirm some dates and some identitites for me  ?

I've been working on my granddad's family again, this time to see if I can get his Darling ancestors back a bit more. I've got John and Catherine (nee Wallace), who are the earliest I'm sure about, but I'm rather more uncertain about John's forbears. I've searched IGI, but typically, the extracts I need are missing although there are some user submitted ones, the accuracy of which I'd like to try and ascertain.

I believe John's grandparents were John Darling and Margaret Robertson - no idea of their dates or when they married, but it was almost certainly in the Duns area.

Their children are, I believe, William (about 1710), Margaret (about 1712), David (about 1714) and John (about 1716).

The family then appear to have moved away from the area as David apparently married in Ladykirk according to a WorldTree, whose owner I will be contacting, but I suspect they've been using the LDS submitted records.

Cheers all

[excel]

M.I's;
There are none that match your family names in Duns, Chirnside or Bunkle cemeteries but here are some inscriptions from Edrom cemetery. Of course, they may not be yours.
* David Darling 25.6.1872 76yrs, wife Janet Young 15.9.1830 36yrs. 2nd wife Mary Hogg d. at Eccles Tofts 13.7.1874 67yrs
* David Darling d 5.5.1794 79yrs. wife Janet Thomson 14.7.1789 61yrs. Margaret dau. of John Darling their son 2.6.1793 11mths
*John Darling weaver and feuar in Dunse d 16.5.1784 68yrs. spouse Margaret Darling 1.2.1793 77yrs
You will find the christening record of William 1710, Margaret 1712,  David 1714 [Margaret's surname was written Robertsone in this] and John 1716, all chr Duns, on scotlandspeople. If you are lucky the witnesses might be a brother or father of either Margaret or John.
Like you I can't find a marriage.

[JacobeaM]

Hi excel,

Yes, they're all my ones, although I wasn't aware that David Jnr had married twice.

Do you have any idea what a "feuar" is though? Perhaps an old or Scots name for a fuller?

And they may not have married, I guess - wouldn't be the first time in my family! Good to know their children's years are also correct.

Thank you

[excel]

Hi,
Glad to hear that they are yours.
Feuar = owner of a plot of land or property in Scotland.
Scotlandspeople website also has 'unusual words' under their 'Help and Other Resources' tab which you can access for free

[AsH62]

Hi. I know that this thread is a couple of years old but it seems connected to my brick wall. My grt grt grandmother Sibbella/Isabella/Sibbly Wait/Watt was born in Duns in 1819. Her first daughter was given the middle name Darling and I have been told that the Scottish naming tradition means that I am looking for a family called Darling in Duns as her ancestors. Isabella's parents were Mathew Waite and Esther Cumming but I can't find out any information about Isabella despite a year of searching (I am new to this and have only done a year so far).
Can anyone point me in the direction to find a Darling family in Duns that might match this. I will solve this one on day!
Thanks
Alison

[excel]

Hi Alison,
At the moment I don't have time to look into this but will do shortly. Do you have any other information about her parents eg their birthplace, census, marriage?
Rae

[terry h]

There is an Esther Wait at Langton, Duns in 1841 aged 55 b England, also with her is William Wait aged 19 b Berwickshire, Sarah Wait aged 22 b England and Isobel WEATHERSTONE aged 15. Don't know if this is anything to do with your family?

Terry

[AsH62]

Hi. Thank you excel and terry for replying. Sibbella is my biggest mystery and yet we have an oil painting of her and her locket with a lock of hair and a photo in it. You would think that she would be easy to trace. There are quite a few researchers doing this family line on the internet but no one has worked out where she comes from and her family background.
Sibbella was born 1819 in Duns. Her parents Mathew Wait/Watt and Esther Cumming were married 01/12/1814 in Duns. Sibbella married James Hepburn b.1819 on 13/11/1840, he was the factor on the Preston Mains estate at Smeaton, East Lothian owned by Sir Thomas Buchan-Hepburn. They had 10 children
Thomas Hepburn 1841-1912
Esther Darling Hepburn 1843-1907
Agnes Alice Hepburn 1846-1897
Sarah Marion Hepburn 1848-1911
Jane Margaret (aka Jessie) Hepburn 1850-c1892
John Hepburn 1853-1912  My great grandfather
Isabella Cumming Hepburn 1855
Mary Hepburn 1857-1940
James Hepburn 1859-1938
Benjamin Hepburn 1861-1903

James died in 1888 and Sibbella died 1903

I have tried everything I know how to do with no success. I have seen that there are families with these names but I can't link any of them together. The Esther Waite at Langton looks exciting because they married in Langton so I will look this up now. I had decided that I needed to let it go and come back to it fresh in the New Year when I stumbled across this thread and thought there might be someone out there who might be able to make sense of it.
I really appreciate any help to solve this family puzzle, I have learnt a lot in my first year of researching but obviously still have a long way to go.
Alison

 

[barbara13511]

Hi Alison,

The Esther that Terry found for you looks like the right one as she has a William Wait born 1822 living with her (he is head so she is living with him) who in the 1851 census has married and has named his first boy Matthew very probably after his father -following the naming patterns and in the 61 census the second girl - traditionally named after the mother's mother is named Esther.  So this William's parents were Matthew and Esther looking very likely to be Isabella's brother.  There is also a Matthew in the 1841 census living in Spott, East Lothian who  could be another brother.  He married a girl from Spott and they return to the Borders by 1851.  William and Matthew are both born Duns.

I can't see any baptisms for your Isabella or any other children to Matthew and Esther.  Did they use another church?

Barbara