Helen Fraser - Alexander Wilson

[themonkeymonkey]

Helen Fraser (approx. 1755- last census found 1841 Lowercliff Banffshire when she is listed as being 85 years old) married Alexander Wilson January 1790, both were living in Ordequhill.  I cannot find deaths for either of them.  Alexander is not on the 1841 census.  They had 4 children, James (1791-1859) parents listed as deceased,  Alexander (1793-1850), John 1795-1882), William (1798-?).  Helen is on the 1841 census with the wife of Alexander jnr and 2 of their children.  Does anyone have them in their family tree or able to point me in a right direction please?  Thanks.

[Fordyce]

The Fordyce OPR for their marriage shows Alexander Wilson in Fordyce, not Ordiquhill. By coincidence I have just reviewed details of my James Clark in Hoggie in Deskford - he turns up a witness on 10 Jun 1823 to Helen d/o Alexander Wilson (s/o your Helen Fraser) & wife Isobel Shepherd born at Lowercliff - which is in Deskford.

I recommend you check out FreeREG and see if you build your Wilson family picture using witnesses to the baptisms of Alexander Wilson & Helen Fraser's children. A prominent Deskford Wilson family was that of the author of The James Wilsons Diaries. They lived at Knows only a short distance away but offhand I cannot see any connection with then, nor with my Clarks and Reids who tenanted at least one farm where Alexander Wilson & Helen Fraser lived (Ramore) as well as Hoggie, MidSkeith and Swailend, although they do turn up as witnesses once or twice. So maybe Alexander Wilson & Helen Fraser were both new to Deskford - and there are plenty enough Wilsons in Fordyce parish.

Alexander Wilson & Isobel Shepherd seem to have been in Lowercliff since their marriage - suggesting perhaps he was tenant there. Lowercliff doesn't appear in the OS Name Books but it seems to have been adjacent to Hoggie going by 1834's Heads of Households survey.

Hope that helps!

[Forfarian]

In the 1841 census Lowercliff is listed among Skeith, Broadrashes, Hagie/Hogie, Green Hill, Holonbush, Baumhauch, Ordens, Croftgloy etc.

Skeith, Broadrashes, Hoggie, Greenhill, Ordens and Croftgloy are just up the brae from Berryhillock. See https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NJ5160

All of these, plus Hollanbush, are on the first edition of the six-inch Ordnance Survey map, surveyed in 1866. See https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=57.6299&lon=-2.8169&layers=5&b=1 There is only one unnamed building on this map, so if it is not mentioned in the Name Books or on the map, it must have disappeared between 1841 and 1866.

Only Ordens and 'House of Rashers' are named on Roy's map (1747-1752) though there are a couple of unnamed farms. It looks as if some of the other crofts were only taken into cultivation after the middle of the 18th century.

According to the Name Books, all the farms and crofts named in the 1841 census seem to be the property of the Earl of Seafield, so if you really want to know where Lowercliff was, there will be estate plans and rental records in the Seafield collection in the National Records of Scotland.

[themonkeymonkey]

Thank you Fordyce that helps me a lot, that is indeed the son and his wife that your relation was witness at.  I will start trawling through FREEREG and see what I can find out.  You have pointed me in the right direction thanks .
Forfarian thanks I will make enquiries at Seafield collection in the National Records of Scotland .