Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Items of general interest

Moderators: Global Moderators, Pandabean

Post Reply
Senior-IM
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:14 pm
Location: Hampshire

Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by Senior-IM » Tue Jun 09, 2015 5:47 pm

I'm looking for any information on Richard Watt b1808 Edinburgh & Margaret Ireland b 12/9/1809 Ferry-on-the-Port, Fife. I have looked everywhere for Richard and can only find info from the 1851 Census which says that he is a Comedian. He must be because I have been searching for over 20 years for any info on him with no luck. In the 1861 Census of this wife Margaret, she is down as a widow. As for a marriage date. I don't there was one. All searches of various sites & many visits to Edinburgh but to no avail. Any help would be appreciated.

Ian

WilmaM
Posts: 1870
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:46 am
Location: Falkirk area

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by WilmaM » Tue Jun 09, 2015 6:47 pm

welcome to TS Ian,

It may help us to know what other information you actually have and where all you've looked.

For instance, do you have the marriage details of his children? was he down as deceased on those?
Have you his widow's death cerificate? what information is ther of her spouse on that.
The 1861 census - are there other children mentioned on that, to help narrow down a death date.

They seem to have been in St Andrews for the birth of Mgt Jnr - are they on an 1841 census for there?

Questions questions...

I did find the 1851 census entry on Freecen:
Piece: SCT1851/622 Place: Barony -Lanarkshire Enumeration District: 40
Civil Parish: Blythswood Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Blythswood
Folio: 588 Page: 14 Schedule: 49
Address: Rutherford Lane

Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
MCDIARMID Ann Wife U F 37 Pauper Angus - Brechin
MCDIARMID David Son U M 14 Fishmongers Message Boy Stirlingshire - Logie
MCDIARMID Neil Son U M 12 Grocers Apprentice Stirlingshire - Logie
MCDIARMID James Son U M 10 Scholar Midlothian - Edinburgh
MCDIARMID John Son U M 8 Scholar Dunbartonshire - Luss
MCDIARMID Elizabeth Dau U F 5 Dunbartonshire - Luss
MCDIARMID Ann Dau U F 7m Lanarkshire - Barony
WATT Richard Lodger M M 43 Comedian Midlothian - Edinburgh
WATT Margaret Lodger M F 41 Fife - St Andrews
WATT Margaret Lodger U F 9 Fife - St Andrews
WATT Richard Lodger U M 6 Fife - St Andrews
Blythswood is near the city's theatres so that would fit with his stated occupation though it would also mean they moved around a lot, making them harder to track down.

There are a couple of Margaret Irelands in Midlothian on the 1841 census, perhaps that's where she met Richard?
Wilma

nelmit
Posts: 4001
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 11:49 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by nelmit » Tue Jun 09, 2015 7:28 pm

No help whatsoever but Richard was living at Theatre Lane, Carlisle in 1841.

He already had at least 2 children with Margaret Ireland by then, Margaret born 1839 and Elizabeth born 1837. There is a child Elizabeth Ann born to a Richard Watt and Margaret in 1856 at Newcastle but with no mother's surname it could be anybody - at the moment I'm not finding her on a census.

Where was Margaret Ireland/Watt in 1861?

Regards,
Annette

Senior-IM
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:14 pm
Location: Hampshire

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by Senior-IM » Tue Jun 09, 2015 8:02 pm

Hi, thanks for everything so far. Yes I have the 1851 Census information, The children I have are Jean 1836 Fife, Elizabeth Ireland b1839 Glasgow, Mgt b1939 Glasgow, Margaret b1843 St Andrews, & Richard b1845 St Andrews, From this, it looks as if they married before 1836, but no trace. As to the 1861, the family apart from the Father are in St Andrews and it mentions that Margaret is the head of the family. I have already checked the Actors/comedians information but nothing. As all the children were born before 1855, no certs available. Mgt's Dc only says that she was a widow.

AndrewP
Site Admin
Posts: 6152
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2004 1:36 am
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by AndrewP » Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:45 pm

Hi Ian,

A parent search on ScotlandsPeople shows three children born in Glasgow to Richard Watt and Margaret Ireland: Richard (1835), Elizabeth Ireland (1837) and Margaret (1839). Like you, I see no sign of any record of a marriage. That's not to say it didn't take place, only that there is no known surviving record of the marriage, or of the proclamation of banns.

All the best,

AndrewP

StewL
Posts: 1396
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:59 am
Location: Perth Western Australia

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by StewL » Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:49 am

Also, unique to old Scots Law, changed in 2006, there was a marriage of cohabitation and repute, by habit and repute, which may have not resulted in any formal documentation being made, apart from perhaps kirk records, long since lost.
Just a thought mind you.
Stewie

Searching for: Anderson, Balks, Barton, Courtney, Davidson, Downie, Dunlop, Edward, Flucker, Galloway, Graham, Guthrie, Higgins, Laurie, Mathieson, McLean, McLuckie, Miln, Nielson, Payne, Phillips, Porterfield, Stewart, Watson

Senior-IM
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:14 pm
Location: Hampshire

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by Senior-IM » Wed Jun 10, 2015 2:57 pm

Thank you very much for all your help. The mystery goes on.

garibaldired
Posts: 642
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 2:42 pm
Location: Dorset, UK

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by garibaldired » Wed Jun 10, 2015 6:42 pm

Have you discounted the death of a Richard Watt in Glasgow in 1854 found in the OPR records on ScotlandsPeople? There's probably not much information there anyway.

Also have you looked at the page on St Andrew's on Genuki? It may highlight somewhere you haven't searched, including free church records.

Best wishes,

Meg
Main family lines are Harpers from Midlothian, Fife & Kinross-shire, and Dobies/Dobbies from Midlothian. Also Strathearn, Stobie, Layden and Downie.

LesleyB
Posts: 8184
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Scotland

Re: Watt Family in St Andrews, Fife

Post by LesleyB » Fri Jul 17, 2015 4:22 pm

Hi
Just thinking that "Ferry-on-the-Port, Fife" is probably Ferryport-on-Craig, known as Tayport after the railway arrived.

Best wishes
Lesley

Post Reply