Smeatons

[Montana272]

Upon reading a death record for my 3rd G  Grandmother in 1845 it stated that she is buried in "smeatons ground"  This was in Edinburgh.  I have searched on google for such a place.  There is no mention of a burial place called Smeaton.  Has anyone ever heard of this before?  On the list of people buried she was the only one put here.  I did find that there is a place called Smeatons House, and that they did find a grave stone there, when excavating but that stone was to be dated in the 15th century.  This cannot be the same place.   I can only guess that this just was a place where people were buried if they did not have any money.  And that this place is long gone and never was an actual Cemetery.  I was just wondering if anyone else had come across something on that line? 

Montana

[apanderson]

Hi Montana,

Perhaps the Smeaton Family purchased an 'enclosure' or the like in one of the Edinburgh Churchyards - an area a good bit larger than a normal individual Lair/Plot and it became known as Smeaton's Ground (as in Burial Ground/Area belonging to Smeaton)?

Anne

P.S. Have a look here: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/leisure/libraries/explore_your_library/family_history/cec_edinburgh_graves_for_the_family_historian

[Montana272]

Thank you for taking the time to respond, and Thanks for the link.  It is great.  And You are right. 
I did get a response back from ScotlandsPlaces.  And I guess This is actually a place called "Grounds of Smeaton"  The record describes Smeaton house, parish church and an associated graveyard.   Thanks again.  You thought of something I never even thought of.

Montana

[KristinaCameron]

Hello Montana

Did you find the Smeaton's burying ground at all. I too have an ancestor buried in the same grounds but can't find it.

I would appreciate the name of the churchyard please, if you have it.

Kindest regards
Kristina

[Montana272]

Hi, Not really. When was your relative buried there?  I am thinking without looking that mine was buried in 1845  They did have a "Smeaton's house" way back when, but, there is no grave yard there.  It still is a bit of a mystery.  What town was your relative from?  Thanks

[KristinaCameron]

I worked out that Smeaton is near Dalkeith (thats where my ancestor resided) Margaret Cameron died 1835 14 Feb buried 15 Feb 172 DC east of Smeaton's ground. I have an old map that sorts it out a bit so i will send it to you, but it suggests the name has changed from Smithton to Smeaton and Crebarrin is Carberry. The place name of the 'loaning' is referred to 'has not survived'. It suggested that a road led south from Inversk and the the land lay to the EAST of the this in the 'Loaning" (usually a strip of land for moving cattle) would then have led from Smeaton over to the wood of Carberry. Following the west side of this wood, led to a main road running between Haddington and Newbattle. So there must be a stone or something there with our ancestors buried there. Who is your ancestor? http://http//www.oldroadsofscotland.com/Miscmedeastlothian.htm#smeaton

[KristinaCameron]

Her son William Cameron died in 1858 and was buried in Warriston Cemetery and that opened about 1848 (from memory) I am not sure what the DC means after the number 172 DC East of Smeaton's Ground or is it RC as they were Roman Catholic.

[Forfarian]

Upon reading a death record for my 3rd G  Grandmother in 1845 it stated that she is buried in "smeatons ground"  This was in Edinburgh.  I have searched on google for such a place.  There is no mention of a burial place called Smeaton.  Has anyone ever heard of this before? 

I will be very surprised if 'Smeatons Ground' was not a lair that belonged to a family named Smeaton. If you found the burial in an Edinburgh parish register, this will be a lair in an Edinburgh cemetery.

I would suggest that your first line of enquiry should be checking the records of Warriston Cemetery. This Cemetery was open by June 1843, when a relative of mine was buried there The Warriston Cemetery records are very good. They are in the care of Edinburgh City Council. See http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20019/burials_and_cremations/316/burial_records

If you are intent on pursuing a Smeaton somewhere outside Edinburgh, the 'Scotland's Places' Gazetteer finds two places named Smeaton. One in the parish of Inveresk, and one in the parish of Prestonkirk in West Lothian. RCAHMS finds 58 references http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/search/?keyword=smeaton&submit=search&show=all or (map version) http://canmoremapping.rcahms.gov.uk/index.php?action=do_simple&sitename=smeaton&show=all

For the avoidance of doubt, I happen to know Smeaton House in Carberry Road, Inveresk, next to what was originally Inveresk Railway Station, and I can assure you absolutely that there is no 19th century burial ground there. The house is one of a row of Victorian villas on the west side of the road from Inveresk to Dalkeith. They are not shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey six-inch map, published in 1854.

There is also Smeaton Park nearby, and Smeaton Dairy, Colliery, Shaw and other features a mile or two south-west. They are all on http://maps.nls.uk/view/74426707 but I have not found any indication of a burial ground there. This is now marked as Home Farm on the maps, and is described by RCAHMS as Dalkeith Home Farm, though it is still in the parish of Inveresk.

Then there is Smeaton Hepburn, further away, in the parish of Prestonkirk, East Lothian, and various other even more distant places, some of which are tagged Smeaton because they were designed by the engineer and bridge-builder of that name.

[Montana272]

Thank you.  Her name is Anne Gibson, but I have not been able to find anything on her maiden name. I don't even know if she was born "Anne" or just called that.  The census in 1840 only list her once as she died in 1845, her date of birth is confusing because the death record has a 43y on it, and not sure if that means her age, but it is a 10 year difference from the census record. Unless it was transposed by mistake and meant 34y instead.  So confusing.  I know it is her for sure, and it just says buried "Smeaton's Ground"  I was hoping  Smeaton was a family name and a plot of land.  It is sad when you come to a dead end when trying to find out information on family history.  I was grasping at straws trying to find anything else, but the road has stopped. I am going to keep searching for any connection with a family named "smeaton"  in hopes that I can find out who her parents were.  They were really poor, because after her death, I saw the boys Robert, and James in the Dalkeith poor house.  The father Daniel Gibson, seemed to vanish with no death record, but I know he survived until 1858 when his daughter (Margaret) was married because it says that her father was alive.