Gray's - hall

[RichardB99]

Hi all,  I realise a lot of time has passed since this discussion, but thought it worth sharing my findings.  Thanks to you I pursued the question of Gray's Hall, specifically thanks to Archivos I managed to download the newspaper advert (attached) and thanks to the wonderful National Libraries of Scotland maps, found the Roy military map from mid 18th century which can be found at the link given below (free access). On the map you'll see Ceres (spelt Seerus on this map) and to the south around halfway between Ceres and Largo Law is Grayshall.  The map is not especially detailed but together with the description in the notice it does establish that there was a settlement called Gray's Hall nearby Windygates. I've spent a bit of time looking at the other maps on the NLS site but Roy is the only one that I can find mention of Gray's Hall.

Hope this helps

R

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/roy/#zoom=13&lat=56.2767&lon=-2.9460&layers=roy-highlands

[Archivos]

Fabulous! It's these kind of things that niggle away, so it's great when there's a resolution to them. Farm names are so frustrating, as sometimes their in use for such a short period of time, or are so small they don't appear on maps. Brilliant stuff though!

[hdw]

I looked up Gray's Hall in "The Place-Names of Fife", Volume Two, Central Fife between the Rivers Leven and Eden, under the parish of Ceres -

"GARR HILLS

The Ordnance Survey Name Book describes these as 'small heights on the farm of Hill Teasses', adding 'why they obtained their name is not known in the neighbourhood'. Roy (1753) shows Grayshall in the vicinity, which may be a garbled rendering of the name."

Harry

[Margow]

Possibly connected to the Gray family who owned Teasses estate for most of the 18th century.  The Reverend John Gray, who was minister of Dollar from 1700 until his death in 1745, bought the estate in c.1718.  His entry in Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae makes interesting reading e.g. He made a fortune by acting as a banker; being styled "the Baron".   His daughter Jean (or Jane) Gray (1741-1792) inherited his estates on his death and sold Teasses estate in c.1787.

Margow

[Forfarian]

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/roy/#zoom=15&lat=56.2696&lon=-2.9321&layers=roy-highlands

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=56.2648&lon=-2.9610&layers=5&b=1

https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NO4008

[cunningp]

Hi
Just joined Roots Chat - an excellent forum
I'm researching my family - Cunningham, Cunins - smiths in Hillteasses in the C18th.
Margow, I was wondering where I can find the reference to the c1718 purchase of the Teasses Estate by Rev Gray. I've found a sales advert for the Teasses Estate from 1785, after Miss Jean Gray's passing (The Caledonian Mercury 24 August 1785): it was bought by William Stark.
There are also accounts of Rev Gray's 'banking' activity in the Old and New Statistical Records for Dollar.
Thanks
Peter

[Margow]

Apologies to cunningp for the delay in replying.  I didn't receive the usual notification of this post and only spotted it by chance.

The sasine recording the purchase of Teasses Estate by John Gray from James Holborne of Menstrie is dated 18 November 1718.  John Gray's daughter, Jean Gray (died 1792), put the estate up for sale in 1785.  The advert in the Caledonian Mercury on 24 August 1785 offers it "To be SOLD by private bargain", but it does not appear to have sold on this occasion, since another advert appeared in the Caledonian Mercury on 14 June 1786 offering it "To be SOLD by public voluntary roup".  The purchaser was Henry (Harry) Stark.  Teasses Estate remained in the hands of the Stark (later Stark-Christie) family until the 1870s.

I hope this information is helpful.

Margow

[cunningp]

Thank you so much Margow - really useful information and thanks for correcting my errors. Much appreciated.
Peter

[hdw]

Hi
Just joined Roots Chat - an excellent forum
I'm researching my family - Cunningham, Cunins - smiths in Hillteasses in the C18th.
Margow, I was wondering where I can find the reference to the c1718 purchase of the Teasses Estate by Rev Gray. I've found a sales advert for the Teasses Estate from 1785, after Miss Jean Gray's passing (The Caledonian Mercury 24 August 1785): it was bought by William Stark.
There are also accounts of Rev Gray's 'banking' activity in the Old and New Statistical Records for Dollar.
Thanks
Peter

I was interested to see that you are descended from the Cunningham family of blacksmiths from Ceres parish. One of my aunts, Maggie Watson, married an Alexander Cunningham in 1932. His family can be traced back to William Cunningham and Jane Colville who were married in 1806 in Cameron parish. Their son Wm. Cunningham was a blacksmith and married Margaret Kirkcaldy in 1838. Several generations of the male Cunninghams were blacksmiths.

I got lots of information about the family in 2000 from John Cunningham, former stationmaster at St. Monans, who was a St. Monans Miller on his mother's side. Although John was 29 years older than me we shared the same uncle Alexander Cunningham (uncle-by-marriage in my case).

Harry