David
Help Deciphering Birthplace.....
Moderators: Global Moderators, Russell
Thank you, dear Malcolm, for trying.Malcolm wrote:I tried
Thank you, Jim, you are probably quite right about Lanarkshire as there are lots of FITTONs there. A search of Gazateer for British Placenames produced a place called Thornum Fold, Lancashire, district: Rochdale and I seem to remember finding a suitable Robert born to a John FITTON at Rochdale. I will have to review.
Robert FITTON is THE brick wall in my searches and I've learned to accept that. The 1861 has teased me with another crumb of information and, if I live long enough, I may discover the whole cookie.
An aged, living descendent of Robert FITTON remembers hearing stories about "English Bob", as he was known by his co-workers and friends, but no one seems to know where English Bob was born or when he arrived in Scotland before his marriage into an Argyll family.
Dear Laura
Blackpool is not a natural place for Merchant Sea men. Blackpool was built by the Victorians as a place for pleasure and for promenading. Fleetwood which is just up the way was teaming with Merchantmen. That's where i did my sail training. I thought you might like to know that.
Best wishes
Malcolm
Blackpool is not a natural place for Merchant Sea men. Blackpool was built by the Victorians as a place for pleasure and for promenading. Fleetwood which is just up the way was teaming with Merchantmen. That's where i did my sail training. I thought you might like to know that.
Best wishes
Malcolm
Malcolm, I'd forgotten you were a sailor!
Your thoughts please. How would a young man from Lancashire be in the small village of Cairndow, Argyll in the 1850s? The film of the OPRs shows the marriage of Robert McFITTON, fisherman. I have no idea if the clerk wrote McFITTON because the bride's name was McKellar. As you can see, it's no surprise the census taker put ditto marks for Lanarkshire as these things were done on purpose to aggravate me 1.5 Centuries later.
The newlyweds lived in Argyll for a few years before moving to Glasgow so it wasn't like English Bob was just passing through. Once they were in Glasgow, there were frequent moves within the city, but Robert is always listed as a Harbour Porter or a Lamplighter. This story might make an interesting novel.
Malcolm, I have only begun my searches of the 1861, but Kilconquhar comes up again. No image available, at the moment.
Your thoughts please. How would a young man from Lancashire be in the small village of Cairndow, Argyll in the 1850s? The film of the OPRs shows the marriage of Robert McFITTON, fisherman. I have no idea if the clerk wrote McFITTON because the bride's name was McKellar. As you can see, it's no surprise the census taker put ditto marks for Lanarkshire as these things were done on purpose to aggravate me 1.5 Centuries later.
The newlyweds lived in Argyll for a few years before moving to Glasgow so it wasn't like English Bob was just passing through. Once they were in Glasgow, there were frequent moves within the city, but Robert is always listed as a Harbour Porter or a Lamplighter. This story might make an interesting novel.
Malcolm, I have only begun my searches of the 1861, but Kilconquhar comes up again. No image available, at the moment.
I still recommend that search for place names. Shame I can't use it to find out surnames 
Dear Laura
If I could answer your question as to why folk left one place and reappear in small town Scotland I would be the biggest thing in this game next to DWW. I would love to know why my ggg grandmum, Elizabeth Cockburn left Dunse in the east borders to go to Edinburgh, marry one Alexander Morris from Fife in 1815 and then to return to his tiny place of birth to make boots. How did they get there and why did they go? Was there some sort of dating agency in place?
Back to Lancashire, I used to work this area and know it quite well. I lived in Bilsborough near Garstang. It’s tiny and one day people might ask the same questions of you and me as to why we went to the places we did.
Fleetwood would be to west coast fisherman what Aberdeen is to the northeast. Teeming. It’s just to the north of Blackpool, which is where the hoi polloi from the northern industrial Towns like Manchester and Liverpool went to promenade. They may even have come down from Glasgow. I know that in later years the town would be taken over by the Scots at specific holiday periods. Nowadays it’s all toffee apples and kiss me quick hats.If your man was a fisherman in this area with half an ounce of ambition in him he might have identified an opportunity to earn a good living without having to endure the daily rigours of a bad tempered Irish Sea
Cairndow is at the head of Loch Fyne. This stretch of water is still world renowned for it’s shellfish. If your man were a fisherman from Lancashire he would have known the market and what opportunities existed to feed a growing community of people with fine tastes. The waters would be relatively sheltered, he would never be far from home and could come home to his log fire and a hot meal every night.
I’m getting carried away here. When I don’t know the facts about background material I make them up using whatever social or historical material I can find. I hope it helps
Malcolm
If I could answer your question as to why folk left one place and reappear in small town Scotland I would be the biggest thing in this game next to DWW. I would love to know why my ggg grandmum, Elizabeth Cockburn left Dunse in the east borders to go to Edinburgh, marry one Alexander Morris from Fife in 1815 and then to return to his tiny place of birth to make boots. How did they get there and why did they go? Was there some sort of dating agency in place?
Back to Lancashire, I used to work this area and know it quite well. I lived in Bilsborough near Garstang. It’s tiny and one day people might ask the same questions of you and me as to why we went to the places we did.
Fleetwood would be to west coast fisherman what Aberdeen is to the northeast. Teeming. It’s just to the north of Blackpool, which is where the hoi polloi from the northern industrial Towns like Manchester and Liverpool went to promenade. They may even have come down from Glasgow. I know that in later years the town would be taken over by the Scots at specific holiday periods. Nowadays it’s all toffee apples and kiss me quick hats.If your man was a fisherman in this area with half an ounce of ambition in him he might have identified an opportunity to earn a good living without having to endure the daily rigours of a bad tempered Irish Sea
Cairndow is at the head of Loch Fyne. This stretch of water is still world renowned for it’s shellfish. If your man were a fisherman from Lancashire he would have known the market and what opportunities existed to feed a growing community of people with fine tastes. The waters would be relatively sheltered, he would never be far from home and could come home to his log fire and a hot meal every night.
I’m getting carried away here. When I don’t know the facts about background material I make them up using whatever social or historical material I can find. I hope it helps
Malcolm