Starbriggs

[unklee]

In my search for distant relatives in Scotland, I have come across some buried at Fyvie (Aberdeenshire). A kind lady from Fyvie photographed the relevant gravestones for me (I live in Australia and wasn't likely to get there any time soon, I regret to say!).

One of the relatives (James Stephen, c1813-1861) was "sometime farmer in Starbriggs", but I have been unable to find any other reference to Starbriggs. Does anyone know please what it was (presumably an estate or a group of crofts) and where it was? Thanks.

[WilmaM]

Would this be him in 1851?

1851 Census
Piece: SCT1851/197 Place: Fyvie -Aberdeenshire Enumeration District: 2
Civil Parish: Fyvie Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: -
Folio: 185 Page: 13 Schedule: 47
Address: Star Briggs
Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
STEPHEN James Head M M 36 Farm Labourer Aberdeenshire - Fyvie
STEPHEN Isobel Wife M F 34 Labourer's Wife Aberdeenshire - Old Meldrum
STEPHEN Jane Dau U F 4 Labourer's Daughter Aberdeenshire - Meldrum

And before he married [they rounded the ages down in 1841]

1841 Census
Piece: SCT1841/197 Place: Fyvie -Aberdeenshire Enumeration District: 2
Civil Parish: Fyvie Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: -
Folio: 2 Page: 4
Address: Starbridge

Surname First name(s) Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
STEPHEN Ather M 51 Farmer Aberdeenshire
STEPHEN Mary F 75 Aberdeenshire
STEPHEN Elspet F 70 Pauper Aberdeenshire
STEPHEN James M 20 Ag Lab Aberdeenshire
DONALD John M 10 Ag Lab Aberdeenshire
SANDISON Grace F 25 Female Servant Aberdeenshire

The households either side of Starbridge in 1841 were:
Cromblet, Lambhill, Peterwell Jonstone, Cross Jackstown and Cowhill
in 1851 there were a few households at Starbrigg - Arthur being one of them [obviously the Ather as above] and nearby were:
Backhill Easterton, Backhill Jackston, Cross of Jackston, Cromblet, Lambshill and Berrie Brae.

Working on that basis I have found a Cromlet and Lambhill on the current OS Map:
on the A947 just south of Fyvie.
Now to look at the old maps.
Found it on the 1890 - 1905 map and on the 1843 - 1882 one it looks a much bigger concern.

Sadly there isn't any buildings remaining - it's just 1 field north of North Bye Bush farm.

I've centred the map on it - zoom in and out to get the bigger map, and use the slider bar on the left to see the current picture.

I got the census info from Freecen - only 1841 and 1851 for Fyvie as yet.

[unklee]

William, that is absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much. I learnt a lot from that little exercise.

Firstly, I didn't think to use the census to see the adjacent households. That gave really good information. Then I didn't know before that I could get the Ordinance map for 1843-1882 as an overlay to Google maps. But that wouldn't have been easy to use to find Starbriggs/Starbridge without the information from the census.

So yes, I can see Starbridge on the 19th Century ordinance map, and I can see the nearby farms of North Byebush and South Byebush are still there today while Starbridge has completely disappeared.

And it all fits in. James was the elder brother of the ancestor I am looking for (Thomas) and also of Arthur. James apparently stayed around Fyvie as did Arthur, who died at Starbriggs. But Thomas Stephen ended up working at Rothie (a large estate) and then on his own croft at Cottown of Badenscoth in Auchterless, thus gradually moving slightly further west.

Judging by the closeness of these three farms, I'm guessing they were all small farmlets or crofts.

Thanks heaps, it helps me build the picture.

[WilmaM]

It was a pleasure, I love getting a geographical problem to work out and get to play with the NLS maps site.

You may have gathered that Brig[g] is simply Scots for Bridge.

[jgmills]

Hi,
The Royal Commission for Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland have a description of the Farmstead.

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/17 ... tarbridge/

Regards
John

[Currie]

Here's some newspaper references to Starbriggs.

The Aberdeen Journal, Monday, January 13, 1800
List of farms to let includes:
“Half of Tillyeauder, by William Johnston in the parish of New Deer, and Starbriggs in the parish of Fyvie, possessed by John and Arthur Stephen.”

The Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday, March 20, 1850
Report of a ploughing match on the farm of Play-greens of Tulloch, occupied by Mr. Al. Gray. Sixth prize went to James Stephen, servant to Mr. Stephen Starbriggs.

The Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday, January 4, 1865
List of livestock prices at Oldmeldrum market includes: “Mrs. Stephen, Starbriggs, 3 stots, £25 each.”

The Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday, April 23, 1873
(Probably about the time the farm ceased to exist as a separate entity.)

DISPLENISH SALE, AT STARBRIGGS, PARISH OF FYVIE.
On WEDNESDAY, the 30th April current, there will be Sold, by
Auction, at STARBRIGGS,
THE STOCKING thereon, belonging to Mrs Stephen, viz:—
5 Young COWS, newly Calved.
2 Two-year-old QUEYS, in Calf.
7 Fine Yearling STOTS and QUEYS.
3 Do. Two-Year-old STOTS.
5 Young CALVES.
2 Work MARES.
1 Do. HORSE.
3 Box Carts, Single and Double-boarded Ploughs, Harrows, Turnip Sowing Machine, Iron Grubber, Shim Plough, 2 Stone Rollers, Horse Harness, Bait Boiler, Turnip Hasher, Barrows, Ladders, Spades, and other minor Implements; a neat and substantial Three-horse-power Threshing Machine, if not previously Sold by private bargain; Fan, Bushel, Sacks, Sieves; Box Bed-steads; House Fittings; Byre Doors; Forestalls, Bindings, Paling and do. Posts, &c.
KITCHEN FURNITURE and DAIRY UTENSILS. Also, about 400 Stones of HAY, and a quantity of Green-topped Yellow and Swedish TURNIP SEEDS.
Sale to commence at Eleven o'clock A.M.
G. MITCHELL.
Starbriggs,10th April, 1873.


SP has an 1865 Will and Inventory for an Arthur Stephen, farmer residing at Starbriggs.


"Ordnance Survey of Scotland, Books of reference to the 25 inch parish maps of Scotland" can sometimes be useful for finding places. There's also a key to the numbers on the maps with acreage and land use.
https://archive.org/stream/ordnancesurv ... 6/mode/2up

Here's 20 of the 22 relevant volumes. Volumes 52 and 60 appear to be missing.
https://archive.org/search.php?query=co ... publicdate

Hope that helps,
Alan

[unklee]

Hi Alan, I feel very guilty, I realise I didn't respond to that wonderfully informative lot of information, nor to that supplied by John. Thanks very much to both of you, and sorry I forgot to respond for so long.

When I first started on doing genealogy, I mostly just concentrated on getting the names and details, but as I've got into it more I have become very interested in the information that gives a picture of life at the time. This is what you have both given here.

For example, ploughing matches seem to have been quite common round this time, and this isn't the first report of a Stephen being placed in one.

The date of the "displenish" sale may be significant. Arthur Stephen died at Starbriggs in 1865 aged 84 and his son James (presumably the ploughman) died at Starbriggs in 1861 aged 47. No wife is mentioned on Arthur's gravestone, but James' wife lived to 1901 and died at Little Kilblean aged 84. We might guess that James worked for his father at Starbriggs, and after they both died, Mrs Stephen hung on as long as she could, perhaps with a son or brother-in-law, but eventually moved to Little Kilblean with her daughter, who had married (the gravestone shows a granddaughter dying there in 1883) and everything was sold off.

Thanks again.