Aitken of Kirknewton

[Boongie Pam]

Hi Cindy,

A very warm welcome to Rootschat.  I wonder if Janet is related to the Listonsheilds Aitkens.  These are the "other" family other than my Pathhead Aitkens that I can find in Kirknewton.

Do you have any of your family in 1841?

I'll have a look at my records when I get home tonight to see if I can see anything.

Pam
 

[azzcinders]

Hi Pam.
yes i did find them in the 1841 census living in Edinburgh.
Janet Aitken and her husband James Brown only had 3 children that i can find.
James born 1827 St Cuthberts Edinburgh.    Janet c1833 and Elizabeth  c1836 cant find a birth /christening but the 1841 census states they were born in Midlothian.

Also listed with them in the census is a Alexander Gillies aged 18yrs born Midlothian and Mary Gillies aged46yrs born Midlothian.
I am sure my Janet is mostly likely daughter of James Aitkens and Margaret Brown unless i can be proved.
 wrong. The only Janet Aitken in the IGI from Kirknewton/east Calder is daughter to James Aitken and Margaret Brown.
In the 1851 census Edinburgh Janet listed her birthplace as Kirknewton.
cindy 

[Boongie Pam]

Good news for you.

I've just popped into the National Archives before getting my butty and I have information on your family.

Are you familiar with the ScotlandsPeople website?

They have downloadable wills.  I suggest you need to download the will for James Aitken dated 29th December 1843.

This is the James Aitken of Listonshields.  He is on the 1841 census which you can find at FREECEN.

This is a great will by the way, about 5 or 6 pages long with lots of information.  Primarily for you it names his wife as Margaret Brown or Aitken.

To further solidify the connection he names his children...

Living at Canongate in Edinburgh is Janet Aitken or Brown AND Margaret Aitken or GILLIES (she might be in Portobello?).  He names more children than that but I didn't note them all.

This will confirms your IGI connection to the 1841 family.  I didn't get long enough to read it all so I still don't know if it connects to my family down the road at Pathhead!

Wills cost £5 to download but I think this will gives you so much info it is worth it.

All the best,
Pam
 

I think this is the house... it's near Balerno postcode EH14 7JL so you can find it on multimap.  I'm not sure if it is in the parish boundary fro Kirknewton though so it may not be!  Need to check an old map.

[azzcinders]

Hi Pam,
Thanks a million. Thank you for doing that for me.
I have once, gone into that website but realise you had to pay per view.
I have a problem though i dont have a credit card. Is there another way i can get the will by slow mail. Do you know the address where i can send a letter and pay for it.   
I am not  sure what muti map is? Is Balerno a place/suburb of Kirknewton? 

thanks again Cindy

[Boongie Pam]

Balerno is a small village in the parish of Currie which neighbours Kirknewton parish.

I'm not sure about snail mail wills I can see what I can find.

Cheers,
Pam

[azzcinders]

Thanks Pam,
I have to ask you a question, i have this feeling that my Janet Aitken and her husband James Brown maybe cousins. I know that Brown is a popular surname but James parents being John Brown/Margaret Carfrae and Janets parents being John Aitken and Margaret Brown and the area being Currie.
My question is did cousins marry alot in those days?
Cindy

[ADP]

... Is Balerno a place/suburb of Kirknewton? ...

Listonshiels is on the edge of the Pentland Hills (290m / 900feet above sea level). Presumably it is a farm.

On looking at different ages of old maps, it can be seen to change parishes. Originally it was in a detached portion of Kirkliston Parish, quite a few miles from the main body of the parish, and across a county boundary. On later maps it is in Currie Parish. It probably changed parishes in about 1891-1892 as a result of the Local Govenment (Scotland) Act 1889 that tidied up the detached parts of parishes and counties, and parishes that straddled county boundaries.

On reading the 1840s Statistical Accounts for Scotland - Kirkliston Parish, Listonshiels is described as follows. "There is a portion of the parish, entirely separate, named Liston Shiels, lying on the slope of the Pentland Hills, which was annexed quoad sacra, many years ago, to the parish of  Kirknewton. This portion of the parish is bounded on the east and south-east by Pennicuik; on the north and north-east by Currie; on the west by Midcalder; on the south by Linton, lying in the county of Peebles." (their spelling of Penicuik, not mine)

So, in terms of civil parish (quoad civilia), Liston Shiels was originally in Kirkliston, then Currie. But in terms of church parish (quoad sacra) it was annexed to Kirknewton.

Go to www.streetmap.co.uk and enter the postcode EH14 7JL as given in one of the posts above to see it on a current map.

ADP

[Boongie Pam]

Thanks for that ADP - I was getting a wee bit confused as it seemed to be in a border zone.

P

PS Cindy, I'll PM you about the will.

[Boongie Pam]

Hi Cindy,

Another snippet for you.  I'd forgotten about this.

26/03/1790 - This day James Aitken farmer in Listonshields son of Thomas Aitken parish of Newlands there of Peebles and Margaret Brown his spouse had a son baptised named Thomas witnesses: Thos Bell & Alexr Aitken

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,9235.0.html

I posted it ages ago, gets you back a generation!

All the best,
Pam