Isaac Robertson - born Kilrenny or Whitehaven

[surfingpiglet]

I just wanted to tell you that I spent a day in Whitehaven Ancestry Centre last week searching through the Parish Records of Holy Trinity Church in Whitehaven (demolished 1949) and found the family, as you suggested, under the surname Robinson. The dates match and the names I knew of are there along with others. I do remember my grandparents pronouncing their name as Robeson, which the Archivist said was Cumbria dialect for pronouncing Robinson.  Therefore the mix up when he married at Kilrenny and was registered as Robertson.  He couldn't read & write so would not know. I'm going back there again soon to spend another day as it is necessary to go through the Christening Directories to find the correct Microfiche for dates before 1837.  The staff were very helpful. I've also been in to the Clan Museum at House of Bruar and was told that if I went back further I may find it reverts back to Robertson, or Robson, Robison, Robeson, or some other spelling as that was very common.  I still retain my Robertson Heritage through my mother's family who were Reids. So I'm not accepting the change of Clan to Gunn quite yet !

[surfingpiglet]

Re your previous information that John Dick. b 1792 in Fife married to Elizabeth Davidson on June 1812 at Inverness & was in the 93rd Regiment of the Sutherland Highlanders at Fort George, I have discovered that the 93rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot was actually raised by Major General William Wemyss on request from the Throne and enlisted recruits from Fife.  See below:

http://93rdhighlanders.com/hist.html

'Major-General William Wemyss of Wemyss raised the 93rd for his 16 year old cousin Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland. Extra numbers were drawn in 1803 from the disbanded Reay Fencibles, Rothesay and Caithness Fencibles, and the Scots Militia'

This answers the question of how he was in the 93rd. 

I plan to visit Fort George on Friday of next week on my way to the Black Isle and will see what else I can glean.

Now working on the connections to the Boyters, numerous Dicks, Wilsons, Scotts & Robertsons from the Kilrenny/Cellardyke/Anstruther East area within my Family Tree. Got back to the 1700s.  There's a Watson in there somewhere too - but I suppose that's not unexpected.

Anne 

[hdw]

I looked up your link and it actually says that the 93rd was the most thoroughly Highland of all regiments and most of the soldiers were native Gaelic speakers from the Highlands. No mention of Fife that I could see.

If you'd like any help with tracing Boyters and other Cellardyke families in your tree I'd be glad to help, either on the open forum or by PM.

Harry

[surfingpiglet]

Thanks for the offer of help with the local Fisher families.  I have found a lot of information about members of family who drowned in the Nancy - off the Isle of May.

Re the 93rd- try this link.  It mentions being in Kirkcaldy in early October 1802. I thought I'd sent this Link.  My mistake..

http://www.theargylls.co.uk/service93rd.php

Anne.

[hdw]

That would be the Nancy that foundered in 1846. An earlier Nancy of Cellardyke was lost in 1805, and the two Scott brothers Alexander and Thomas were related to my 3 x great-grandmother Isabella Scott. It must have seemed like an unlucky name after that.

Militia and fencible regiments were deployed around the country and men might join up anywhere. I had an ancestor in east Fife called William Myles who joined the Dumfriesshire Militia during the Napoleonic Wars but as his wife continued to bear him children in Carnbee parish, he couldn't have gone very far. For a poverty-stricken farm labourer joining one of those regiments must have seemed like a good number, as you got a regular wage, a uniform and food. Especially if you knew you weren't going to be deployed overseas. I had another ancestor from the Borders who joined the Hopetoun Fencibles, raised in 1793 at Linlithgow by the Earl of Hopetoun.

Harry

[surfingpiglet]

Been trying to find reason for Boyter being a middle name.  I've now found Isobel Gardner who was married to the famous David Wilson ( of the Pickle ) had a sister Janet Gardener who married Robert Boyter. 7th December 1816.  I'm back to the late 1600s now - due to there being a lot of Boyter info online, which seems to link to a Wm Watson in some way back in 1693. Birth Certificate for 19th Feb,1693  of a child born to Andrew & Grizella Boyter. Witnessed by Wm Boyter & Wm Watson.  I need to get back closer to my own line again now, but it was interesting to realise how intertwined the local families were back then.

[hdw]

Not just back then.

Harry

[surfingpiglet]

I certainly remember very clearly Wilsons, Dicks, and Scotts being amongst the older visitors to my Grandma Robertson when she lived with us in the 1960s.  Although these names were all from my Grandfather's side the families had obviously all kept in very close contact.

My father was very much the baby of the Robertson family and was quite confused as to how they all fitted into the family.  However he had, while still young & living with his parents, drawn out a chart of the close family on brown wrapping paper.  Having been drawn 75-80 yrs ago the limited information it contains is likely to be correct.  He had done his own research at Markinch Research Library in the '70s.  Much of his research notes are useful, detailed & correct, but there are many question marks.

[hdw]

You'll probably find the answers on Scotlandspeople for a modest outlay.

Harry