Feet Up; Time to Think

On 28 January 2011, you may be surprised to learn that King Robert the Bruce of Scotland gained a new "Kindly Tenant of Lochmaben". My uncle, aged 93, had passed away and my brother inherited the title - if that's what you would call it - and a very small piece of land in the South West of Scotland. The area known as the "Royal Four Towns" includes the villages of Heck, Smallholm, Hightae and Greenhill, and is close to Lockerbie where Pan Am Flight 103 exploded on 21 December 1988. The land itself is a small, stony field and I remember standing with my uncle looking over the gate at the brambles. There was no dwelling or homestead, but a pile of rocks suggested there may have been a tiny cottage in the distant past. Firstly, you may be interested in the history of "Kindly Tenants" and how they could exist in 2018. Over seven hundred years ago, in June 1314, Robert the Bruce led an army of maybe 10,000 Scottish soldiers to capture Stirling Castle he...

Valentine's Day is a relatively new phenomenon for New Zealanders. I have no recollection of it growing up as a teenager  in the 1970s. As most of research is based on my local ancestors, that causes a problem. There is no-one who was born, was married or even passed away on 14 February. However, I did inherit my Scottish grandmother's engagement ring in its heart-shaped box and after a few sums, I realise my father's parents, John McMichael and Mary King, probably hold the record for the longest family marriage. Their marriage would be perfect for a Valentine's Day tribute. Firstly, the engagement ring. It is still in its original, tiny leather box lined with cream velvet and satin. Over 100 years later is starting to show its age. The box was originally navy blue, though the colour has faded and the gold tooling has worn off. The little hook on the side is quite bent, yet opens easily. The ring is gold with quite a complicated high chased bridge. Along the ...

Last week I shared the story of my great great grandmother, Mary Kennon. She appears aged one month in a Carsethorn house with probably her mother, Jean and older brother, James. However, the most interesting character is the 50 year old English woman, Agnes Grivie born supposedly in 1791. She was married to an Irish handloom linen weaver named Henry. They were living in a very busy Scottish port at a time of mass emigration close to both England and Ireland. How were this couple related to Mary? There are some tantalising clues: the 1851 census, my great grandmother's birth registration and a headstone. In 1851, Agnes was still living in Carsethorn. She was a widow and her birthdate was then recorded as 1785. This time Agnes had an occupation - she was a sick nurse to an older woman, also a widow. Living in the same house was Mary, a boarder and scholar, then aged 9 years. Agnes, it appears, was looking after Mary but there is no sign in the census of her mother. The next clue...

Under Scottish naming traditions, I am named after my dinner guest, Mary Kennon, my grandmother Mary's grandmother. I've always known of Mary Kennon, but I know very little about her. Firstly the menu - we'd probably have Solway Firth shrimps and flounder as Mary would have caught and eaten these as a girl.  Mary Kennon was born at Carsethorn, Kirkbean on the shores of the Solway Firth in Scotland a month before the first official United Kingdom census, where she is registered with who appear to be her mother, Jean, a brother, James aged two, and an older couple. My first question would be to ask her about her mother, Jane. There is no father present, but that does not surprise me. Kirkbean today is a sleepy little village and Carsethorn is even quieter, but that belies its history as a bustling port. In fact, John Paul Jones, the famous United States naval commander was born close by and Mary is buried in the same graveyard as his father. In 1850 alone, 10,000 people ...