Clark Dickson OPR entries, plus general enquiries Dumfries..

[janebromfield]

I've restarted research on my Dumfries family. I was sent a family tree by a distant Australian relative but being the doubting Thomas that I am I haven't taken it as Gospel. A lot has come online and I've been able to prove some of it. I'm now trying to link one generation to another but am struggling.

My GGG Grandfather (William Clark-Dickson) and GGG Grandmother (Mary Halliday) married in Ruthwell in 1846, he was the proprietor of Upper Lochawoods (a farm), she had probably been a maid there. I was always doubtful about this union because from the tree he was born ca 1780 and she was born ca 1819 (quite a difference in ages!). However from the 1841,1851,1861 census I can now prove that this was actually the case - he probably born nearer to 1777!!

This is the point in the tree where I am stuck. The tree says that he was the son of Mary Dickson and Thomas Clark who married 18.7.1774 (an IGI entry) and he inherited the farm from William Dickson his mother's brother as a result of a Tailzie. I don't know why his name was altered from William Clark to William Clark-Dickson maybe it was a condition of a will or something. Anyway I'm trying to find a birth record in the OPR for William Clark (who became Clark-Dickson) born ca 1777 - but no joy. He supposedly had brothers and sisters - Samuel, John, Jean, Mary, Cristiana, Thomas, Agnes - but I can't find any of these births either.

He says in the various census records that he was born in Lockerbie or St Mungo.
If Mary Dickson and Thomas Clark are his parents then his uncles and aunts are:-

William Dickson
John Dickson,
David Dickson the Reverend at St Mungo
Robert Dickson (Minister at South Leith)
Margaret (married John Burnie/Buncie)
Janet (married James McWilliam)
Jean (married Robert Halliday).

So.................I wondered if anyone can help with finding OPR entries to help prove who is parents were.
Also - Is St Mungo a church in Dumfries?
Is there a church still there?
If you know of it - is it a church that should appear in the OPR records or is it a Catholic church? or some other church that might not be included in the OPR entries?
What about in Lockerbie?

If William Clark-Dickson is the son of Thomas Clark then Thomas was a farmer at the 'Mains of Comlongan' - what does this mean?

I've looked around at websites that have transcripts of Memorial Inscriptions but nothing.
William Clark-Dickson died ca 1753 and as far as I know was still farming Upper Lochawoods. Would anyone know what would be the logical burial place for someone who died at the farm?

That's about it!!

Any help would be gratefully received.

[joette]

A Warm Welcome to TS.What an interesting story to start of your research.
I am speculating that as your Ancestor inherited from his Uncle that the Uncle had no living sons to pass it on to.It may have been part of the inheritance that he perpetuate the name or maybe your ancestor decided that he would like to. I have a Great-Aunt who married an only son & he was killed in the Battle of Britain after a few short months of marriage.
She remarried & when they had a son they hyphenated their surname to carry on the first husbands name!I have always thought it such a lovely gesture to make & there was certainly nothing for them to inherit-just out of regard for the in-laws who became surrogate Grandparents to the children.
Have you checked on Scotlands People for any wills-link at sources in the gallery.?
As to Dumfries & the resources of research I will leave that to more knowledgeable souls than myself.

[Russell]

Hi there

I had a look on SP for any possible links through 'Wills' and nothing came up pertaining to the farm Locharwoods.

A quick Google shows that the farm is still in active existence. Organic and with some well thought of beasts winning prizes at shows.

There may be some other hints and names come up if you do a search through some of the other sources that were listed.
The Dickson/Dikson/Dixon name appears quite common around Dumfries and up into Lothian.

Russell

[janebromfield]

Hi Joette & Russell,

Thanks for your replies.

I think I may have mis-led you both - I have actually been researching another side of my family since 2000 but this is the first on this branch and I'm pretty unfamiliar with Scottish records as the other side of my family are from England. I've actually had this tree for several years but was daunted by it - so now I'm tackling it (plus there is a lot more to be had online!!).

I think that you are right about the inheritance of property and goods and the adoption of this name. And I have also read about the farm online - a genealogy friend actually took a photo of the farmhouse there but we believe that it is a relatively new building. Nice to know it's still thriving and not been built over!!

I have a will for a William Dickson who died in 1827 and another for his brother John who died before him (1801). If I can prove the link to Mary Dickson and Thomas Clark being my William Clark-Dickson's parents then William and John are his Uncles (his mother Mary's brothers). John Dickson's will mentions all of his brother and sisters as per my list. The 1827 will mentions some of his Uncles and Aunts that I listed before as some had died. William Dickson senior has no children and leaves his 'moveable estate' to a sister and the children of his other brothers and sisters. See the transcript below (no 1) made of the will from Scotlandspeople (words I can't make out have *'s).

There is an amendment to this in 1826 which recognizes that some of his nephews have died. It actually names a Samuel Clark as the eldest son of Mary Dickson and Thomas Clark but I can't find records of him either. And it implies that Samuel had a brother and sisters - could this brother be my William Clark-Dickson? If I could make the leap of faith that my William is indeed the son of Mary Dickson & Thomas Clark then I think I would have loads of interesting stuff to look up - I just can't find it!

NO 1.
'SECOND, to make payment so **** as the whole funds are converted into money, to Jean Dickson my youngest and only surviving sister, spouse of Robert Halliday Ship Carpenter at Glencaple of the sum of one hundred pounds sterling, which sum I hereby declare shall be in full of all claims and demands which she can legally make upon my money or estate real or personal, by or through my death. THIRD to pay & discharge the whole expenses of any attending the execution of this Trust, and as reasonable gratification to my said Trustees for their trouble and LASTLY to pay and divide equally share and share alike, the whole rest & residue and remainer of my personal funds among such of the lawful children as may be alive at my death, of my eldest sister Margaret, spouse of John Burnie, sometimes residing at Bankend of Carlaverock both now deceased, of my second sister Mary Dickson spouse of Thomas Clark sometime farmer at Comlongan, both also deceased and of Janet Dickson my third sister spouse of James McWilliam in Dumfries likewise both deceased: and to take discharges in full of all demands for the sums paid to the said Jean Dickson, and similar discharges from the children of my deceased sisters above named, and I hereby not only revoke all former deeds of Settlement made by me'.

No 2.
I the before named and designed William Dickson Considering that by the death of two of my nephews, and the execution of that before written Trust Deed and Settlement, Viz Samuel Clark eldest son of Mary Dickson my sister and Thomas Clark her husband and John McWilliam only son of Janet Dickson also my sister and James McWilliam her husband, the distribution of my personal estate should suffer ** alteration to the effect following therefore I do hereby direct and instruct my Trustees before named and the survivor of them and such Trustee or Trustees as they or he may **** into the management that in making **** the state or states of my personal funds & as **** at **** the free balance and residue thereof they shall not adjust the shares which would have fallen and belonged to the said Samuel Clark and John McWilliam under the said Deed as if they had been then alive & that they shall divide among and pay the amount of these two shares to the surviving brothers and sisters of the said Samuel Clark and the surviving sisters of the said John McWilliam and that equally and share and share alike;

[dijaks]

I was interested to read the postings for William Clark-Dickson. My ancestor Thomas Dickson was born in 1814 to a David Dickson and a Janet Dickson at Locharwoods, Ruthwell Parish. His sister Ann Dickson was born two years later in 1816 at Locharwoods. Thomas Dickson and wife Helen/Ellen Borrowman can be found in the 1841 Scottish Census in Ayr, Ayrshire, where they married. By the 1851 Census, he was back in Dumfries, living in Cummertries at Priestside, which I assume is a farm, with his wife and children. They emigrated two years later to Australia and on every child's birth certificate, he states he was born in Ruthwell, but I cannot find a David or Janet Dickson anywhere! Could they have died before the first census? Were they poor relatives of the Dicksons of Locharwoods? The children were named, James, Thomas, Margaret, Elizabeth and John, but no David or Janet!!! There is a Convict named David Dickson of Dumfries, that can be found in Sydney in 1813? Could this be why no child was named David? Caerlaverock is mentioned on his death certificate as his place of birth and David may have been his father's name, according to his widow. Any help would be most appreciated.

[Currie]

Hello Dijaks, and Welcome to TalkingScot.

It’s probably best not to expect too much from the Ruthwell OPRs. For example, you can forget about marriages prior to 1844. http://www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk/pd ... 2to854.pdf

For a more detailed description:

Ruthwell.—B. Prior to 1756, and also 1782-1802, numerous blank spaces occur on the pp. of the Register; and the Record before 1756 is very defective, there being only seven entries bet. 1723 and July 1748. On pp. 9, 14, 17, 24, 25, 28-30, entries have been partially deleted, with ink apparently. M. Exc. One entry for 1807, no record till May 1844. D. Contained on one leaf.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=xic ... CCwQ6AEwAA

Priestside, in the parish of Cummertrees, is described here as “a strip of arable land between the Morass and the Solway Firth. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=4MP ... YQ6AEwADgK

For location on a map input Dumfries, Cummertrees and Priestside here http://geo.nls.uk/os6inch/ About four or five clicks to the left will find the other places mentioned.

In this book, published 1889, there’s a bit about the history of the Locharwoods farm and how it was broken up, and also about the owners (page 163-164) According to it William Clark Dickson was the grandson of the William Dickson who died 1827. http://www.archive.org/stream/borderorr ... ocharwoods

In the 19C newspapers you’ll find descriptions of the various parts of Locharwoods from time to time as they were offered for sale or lease. If you’re living in Australia you can get permanent access via NLA and possibly your State Library http://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/ See here for temporary access. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15443

Hope that’s useful, even though it doesn’t really answer your question.

All the best,
Alan

[dijaks]

Thankyou for your prompt reply and information. I will leave my findings at David and Janet Dickson of Locharwoods, parents of Thomas and Anne Dickson both born at Locharwoods, in 1814 and 1816 respectively. David and Janet are my GGGG Grandparents and quite possibly poor relations of William Clark Dickson. Thomas is described as a fisherman in the 1841 Scottish Census and how he got to Ayr to meet and marry my GGG Grandmother Helen/Ellen Borrowman is a great mystery. How she got to Ayr from Melrose in Roxburgh is a great mystery too! Her father James Borrowman was a well known Dancing Master, last seen living at Traquair House in Peebleshire at the time of the 1841 Scottish Census, but that's another story.