Local knowledge of Schoolhill, Macduff, sought.

[Forfarian]

In the 1881 census there are several houses in School Hill, and in the same enumeration district are School Lane (so School Lane is not the same as School Hill), Shore, Market Street, Paterson Street, Crook o' Ness Street, Paterson Street, Nicol's Brae, Gellymill Street and Duff Street - not necessarily the whole of any of these streets.

See https://maps.nls.uk/view/75066610 (zoom in as necessary).

So it is somewhere inside the block bounded by Shore, Crook o' Ness Street, Gellymill Street and Duff Street. I'm not quite sure how it manages to include houses in Market Street but not in Skene Street!

If I were asked to guess where School Hill is/was I'd go for the narrow lane between the 'P' of Paterson Street and the gap between 'S' and 'T' of Crook o' Ness Street.

[JenB]

Not that it help to locate it, but there are many references to people living in Schoolhill in the 'Macduff Roll of Honour, 1914 - 1918' here https://archive.org/details/rollofhonour19141919dick (use the search box top right).

There are no references at all to any one being from School Lane - is that just coincidence?

[Mart 'n' Al]

Thank you all for your help.  I am following all of these.  I see the Slaughter House at the corner of Nicols Brae and Paterson Street is conveniently placed!  I have emailed the church.

GR2, Unconfirmed but highly likely, the parents of James (1790-1873) were James (1754-   ) and Mary (1758-    ).

I'd love to hear about your findings.

Martin

[GR2]

I can't see any other likely Laird gravestones at Doune or St John's Kirkyards.

James senior's death certificate should name his parents. Have you found him on any census to confirm his place of birth?

[Mart 'n' Al]

GR2, until you mentioned him yesterday I'd not really given him a thought, thinking it was too far back to justify the effort although I would love to know about him. However if he was born in the mid 1750s there is a good chance that he didn't survive until 1841. I must also plead ignorance of the procedures for finding out about Scottish ancestors which is something I am trying to correct. He might have had connections with Gamrie.

The only other thing I have, is that James and Elizabeth, who died in the 1870s might have been living in Liverpool in Sparling Street in 1861. I have a James and Elizabeth Laird with James working as a ship's keeper. Birthplace Scotland, the ages seem about right, but it's far from conclusive. Thanks for your continuing efforts. One last thing, the son of James and Elizabeth, the one who erected the stone, had a son born just outside Liverpool in 1872 which strengthens the possibility that his parents were in Liverpool at about the time. I haven't been able to find anything else about them.

Martin

[Forfarian]

I must also plead ignorance of the procedures for finding out about Scottish ancestors which is something I am trying to correct.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=24468.0

Basically everything you need to get started is at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, which is pay-per-view but modestly priced. Scottish civil registration certificates are much more informative than English ones. In particular, a death certificate tells you the full names of the parents of the deceased, including the deceased's mother's maiden surname (assuming of course that the informant knew that).

I see that both James and Elizabeth's deaths were registered in Banff, so if you go to Scotland's People you can instantly download images of the death certificates of Elizabeth in 1869 and James in 1873, which will cost you £3 (£1.50 each).

[Mart 'n' Al]

Forfarian, SP is in my plans, time is my only restriction, but most of all I'd like to know about the first marriage of 1821 James Laird.  His 1864 marriage lists him as widow, but I can not find an earlier marriage.  It is possible it was on an overseas voyage, or even at sea, but I doubt it.

Martin

[JenB]

This is a transcription, so you would have to check this out for accuracy with the original on Scotland's People,  but it looks like the James Laird who died in 1873 was living in Macduff in 1871, with William and Ann Wilson, both of whom are mentioned in the memorial inscription.

1871 census

93 Duff Street, Macduff

William Wilson, head, m, 52, feuar, Gamrie, Banffshire
Ann Wilson, wife, m, 32, King Edward, Aberdeenshire
James Laird, uncle, widower, 80, retired seaman, Gamrie Banffshire

[Mart 'n' Al]

JenB, that is lovely.  I know that he was at Schoolhill, Macduff in 1869, from his will.  Ann is his sister, to whom he left his late wife's bed clothes.  William Wilson is here, clearly Ann's husband.  James's will also mentions 'William Wilson my sister's son'.  What is 'feuar'?  (Ah, Definition of feuar. Scots law. : one who holds a feu.) https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=547811.0

A free and gratuitous right to lands made to one for service to be performed by him; a tenure where the vassal, in place of military services, makes a return in grain or in money
http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/F/23

This does all make me want to visit Macduff. 

I notice that 93 Duff Street, Macduff is mysteriously blurred on StreetView.  You can ask Google to do this.

I wonder why he moved from Schoolhill to Duff Street in his dotage.

Martin