Ayrshire deaths pre 1800

[Josh Swann]

Wow  this is fantastic news I’m shocked that you found it I had no idea.....I wish I knew what he worked as and why living out there in a ruined house 

[Forfarian]

It probably wasn't a ruin in 1706, which is the date on that baptism - the Ordnance Survey Name Books and the old map are from the 1850s. Plenty of time for a house to be abandoned and start to fall down.

[loobylooayr]

It probably wasn't a ruin in 1706, which is the date on that baptism - the Ordnance Survey Name Books and the old map are from the 1850s. Plenty of time for a house to be abandoned and start to fall down.

Agree with Forfarian.
It could be that the building hadn't been ruined for that long in 1855/57.

In fact there is a family called Thomson recorded as resident at Bank in Parish of Galston on the 1841 Census. The head of the household is a Janet Thomson aged 40 and a Pauper.
It's the same property as mentioned in 1855/57 Ordnance Survey name book and the map as the enumerators route takes him past neighbouring farms/cottages.

Looby

Looby

[Josh Swann]

Ah I see...... so do you think it is where some of the poor lived ? I can’t imagine it being wealthy people living there so far out of town ?

Also how would I track down a Janet Campbell? Would there be records for women then as sevants...... strange how they had no more children too.

Is there a way to access the Kirk sessions for Galston as i hope that could uncover some information


Thanks again

[Forfarian]

I thin that in 1706 it was a perfectly ordinary smallholding or croft, nothing unusual. There certainly would not have been, at that time, a special place where poor folk lived. Later, in the 19th century, there were poorhouses, but not at the start of the 18th century in rural parishes.

You can probably forget about records of servants. 1706 was long before the census, which is really about the only records you will find of most servants, unless they were in some big house and the wages records have survived - not that I've ever seen anything like that from the early 18th century, but something might exist for the big estates.

The fact that there was someone who was a pauper living there in 1841 is likely not connected with your people in 1706. Until 1845 the responsibility for looking after the poor was on the Kirk Session, and their minutes and accounts often contain detailed reports of the poor who had applied for relief, and of the amounts of money paid out to them or spent on providing for them.

The Galston Kirk Session records are in the National Records of Scotland, and the ones from 1706 have survived. Go to https://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/search.aspx and search for Galston, putting CH2/ in the 'reference' box, and you can see what is available. They have been digitised but are not yet available online. You have to go, or get someone to go on your behalf, to General Register House in Edinburgh or one of a few local archives that have a link to the NRS.

[loobylooayr]

Sorry Josh,

I only mentioned the family at Bank with the Pauper as head of household as evidence that the building was still being used in 1841. It had perhaps already fallen into disrepair in 1841- we will never know.

When your ancestor lived there in 1706 it would likely be a small farm cottage or a cottage connected to Cessnock Castle. I live not far from this area and, in fact, walk this road regularly during spring and summer.

Looby

 

[Josh Swann]

Hi this is very interesting to hear.... do you know the name of the person who lived there in 1841? Just wondering if it’s a relative or somebody’s name I recognise. Do you mean it is connected to Cessnock Castle as in grounds keeper or did they provide food for them ?

Sorry for the delay too when I have a lot of information and ideas all at once I have learnt to digest first and think rarther then to exhaust myself over one clue.

Thanks again

[loobylooayr]

Hi,

The family at Bank in 1841 are the Thomson family - all born in Ayrshire
THOMSON         Janet             F  40          Pauper
THOMSON          William         M 15           Tilemaker
 THOMSON         Jean             F  11
THOMSON          Mary             F  7 
 THOMSON         Elisabeth       F  5
 THOMSON          Marion         F  3   
THOMSON           Flora            F   1

Looby


 
 
 

[Josh Swann]

Maybe a possible connection Possibly friends if that. I know that they all moved on after 1799 because that’s when his wife Christian died and I’m sure he must of died before her as he was born 1706. I know people rented in those days and rarely owned their house so possibly after that it went into disperse?