Relatively Speaking : June 2016

This post is to commemorate the anniversary of the departure of our Naysmith Scottish ancestors from Greenock in the Ship The Duchess of Argyle 174 years ago on 9 June, 1842. Pure coincidence that the date coincides with the results of my sudden urge to do the Scottish research, but too good a coincidence to let pass. [Have also seen it written that it was 8 June, but hey, it's 8 June in Greenock at the moment of posting.]

Both sides of my father's family have Scottish ancestry. The Naysmiths, from Glasgow, arrived in Auckland on the Duchess of Argyle, and the Mackenzies from Cawdor, near Inverness, arrived in Auckland on the Jane Gifford - on exactly the same day in October 1842. I wonder if they met each other as they were starting out their new lives in Auckland. Family members would have perhaps been at the same ship reunions, held regularly for some time.

In order to understand what life was like for these families leading up to their emigration to New Zealand, it is necessary to know something about the history and cultures of their time and their ancestors' times.

Our Mackenzies were from Highlands, mainly Cawdor and surrounding areas in the county of Nairn. The Naysmiths were from Lanark in the Scottish midlands - now called the Central Belt - lying between the Highlands and the Southern Uplands. (See map below. Nairn is the green area left of the capital N, and Lanark is the red area covered by the Lan. Am working on how to label images . . .)

Atlas of Scotland: Being a New Set of County Maps from Actual Surveys Showing the Cities, Towns & Villages, Principal Roads and Cross Roads, the Rivers, Canals, Hills, &c. Edinburgh: Thomas Brown, [1800]

There seem to have been some significantly notable Naysmiths (and variations on that spelling) and McKenzies; however, I can find no direct descent from any of them, although somewhere along the line I guess we share some DNA.

Although we seem to come from "common" and humble origins on both sides of our known Scottish ancestry, our families' lives in Scotland would have been influenced by the political, economic and religious events of their times. Indeed, their lives and livelihoods would have been deeply affected by events far outside their control, which, eventually, would have led to their decisions to emigrate to an unknown life on the other side of the world.

As I discover more about the history of Scotland, and find out more about who our ancestors are and where they lived, I will add further dates and events and make further assumptions about how these would have affected their lives.

Let's start with the Stuarts - a very good place to start... (Comments, clarifications, or more concise and accurate information are always welcome.)

The House of Stuart (or Stewart) had been monarchs of Scotland for a long, long time, with the most well known of them probably Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots.

Queen Elizabeth I

Mary and the infant James

Queen Elizabeth 1 of England was a Tudor, and died in 1603. She named her heir to be her Stuart cousin King James VI of Scotland, and he became known as James I of England as well.

James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was executed for treason on the order of Elizabeth in 1587. James's great-grandmother was Margaret Tudor, brother of Henry VIII and therefore aunt of Elizabeth I.

James VI of Scotland and James I
of England.

James VI of Scotland (I of England) was warmly welcomed by the people and government of England, who were grateful that the transition from the House of Tudor to the House of Stuart came about without any civil unrest. (Hah - little did they know!)

(Cue the next few Stuart monarchs: James's son Charles I (executed) [then Oliver Cromwell / Richard Cromwell], Charles II (restored Stuart monarch), James II (Charles II's younger brother - abdicated, lived on the continent), Mary II and William III - no children, and then Mary's younger sister, Anne, reigning 1707 to 1714 and who had 17 pregnancies but no surviving children!

Because of the Stuart family's ties to Catholicism, legislation in 1701 and 1704 secured the throne for the Protestant House of Hanover, so after Anne's death, George I from the House of Hanover became King, as he was the closest heir to the throne who was not a Catholic.

James Stuart - The "Old Pretender"

James Stuart (The Old Pretender and son of the abdicated James II), and his son Charles (The Young Pretender AKA Bonnie Prince Charlie), had indisputably closer links to the throne, but were denied the right because of their Catholicism. In fact, over 50 other Roman Catholics had closer blood relationships to Anne - and the throne - than George I. Supporters of James Stuart (Anne's half-brother) and his son Charles's claim to the thrones of Scotland and England were called Jacobites.

Therein lies the background of a significant part of Scottish history in the times of our known ancestors.

Queen Anne- the last Stuart Monarch George I of Hanover

Bonnie Prince Charlie

The McKenzie clan were supporters of the Jacobites in 1715, and were divided in their support of Bonnie Prince Charles and the House of Hanover by 1745. I don't know how our own McKenzie ancestors felt about it all, but Culloden was pretty close to their home in Cawdor . . . There was a known Naysmith Jacobite supporter: John Naismith (age 18), a wool weaver from Dundee was transported to Virginia with other Jacobite prisoners in 1747, and several Jacobite McKenzies were transported to the West Indies and Virginia as well.

Some events and dates possibly relevant to our families:

1697 - June 10: Last mass execution of witches in western Europe, at Paisley, Renfrewshire, including Agnes Naismith. I will do another blog post on Agnes, but am thinking her relationship might have been a bit closer to us than other Naysmiths, especially as we have historic Paisley links - and I have a faint memory of witches being mentioned in our family oral history

1707 - Act of Union - abolished the Scottish parliament and gave the Scots instead a proportion of the seats in Westminster, although Scotland's legal system was still safe-guarded.

1714 - George of Hanover succeeds his distant cousin Anne as King George I of Great Britain.

1715 - The Jacobite uprising: The Jacobites, led by John Erskine, 23rd Earl of Mar, take Perth. Prince James Stuart "The Pretender" lands in Scotland and travels to Perth, the headquarters of the Jacobite movement.

1716 - Prince James and Mar leave Scotland for the continent after reinforced government troops force them to abandon Perth.

1719 - Battle of Glen Shiel - Jacobites fail to gain the throne - even with Spanish support.

1720 - Prince James, living in Italy, has a son Charles Edward Stuart "Bonnie Prince Charlie"

1723 - The Society of Improvers in the Knowledge of Agriculture in Scotland is formed to help improve farming methods. Its main aim was to find ways to make the Highlands more economically productive, and was instrumental in the clearances that began later that century.

1725 - "The Disarming Act" forbids Highlanders from carrying arms in public - a long-standing custom.

1730 - The first systematic emigration begins from the Highlands to the American colonies, largely in response to rent increases.

1734 - Jacobite supporter Rob Roy MacGregor dies at his home in Balquhidder Glen.

1746 - Battle of Culloden (not far away from our McKenzie family base in Cawdor), which ended the Jacobite uprising of 1745 - 46.
- Dress Act - made wearing of tartan or kilt illegal (exemption made for wearing kilt in army). Six months imprisonment for first offence, transportation for seven years for second offence.

1748 - A window tax is levied in Scotland.

1755 - The first reliable national census of Scotland is conducted.
- The Lisbon earthquake is felt in Scotland.

1758 - Alexander Nasmyth, portrait and landscape artist born in Edinburgh. (Painted Robert Burn's portrait) (Died 1840)

1759 - Robert Burns born near Ayr.

1762 - Economic crisis; land tenure reform in the Highlands which will evolve into the Highland Clearances

1766 - James Stuart, "The Old Pretender" dies, and Bonnie Prince Charlie becomes the new Stuart claimant to the throne.

1787 - Patrick Nasmyth born - landscape artist and son of Alexander Nasmyth, portrait and landscape painter. (Died 1831)

1792 - "Year of the Sheep" mass emigration of crofters following clearances fro grazing.

1801- First British census - with Scots counts taken by school masters

1808 - James Nasmyth - mechanical engineer - born.

1809 - Paisley canal disaster; pleasure craft capsizes on newly completed canal, with a loss of 85 lives.

1811 - Census

1812 - Brackla distillery built on estate of Cawdor Castle

1816 - Earthquake felt in Inverness - strongest earthquake ever felt in Scotland.

1820 - The "Radical War" in Glasgow. About 60,000 workers - mainly weavers - stop work across central Scotland. James Wilson of Strathaven is singled out as a leader and is executed by hanging and beheading.

1825 - February 1 - Windstorm passes over Scotland with winds of over 140 knots (260 kms/hour).

1826 - Glasgow City Mission founded by David Nasmith, initiating the global city mission movement.

1828 - A steam road coach constructed by James and George Naysmith runs between Leith and Queensferry.

1832 - Edinburgh City Mission opened by David Nasmith.

1837 - 2 years of harvest failure leave many in the Highlands requiring aid.
- Paisley and Renfrew railway opened.

1840s - Paisley Immigration Society established to help send tradesmen, artisans and other suitable emigrants - initially to Canada - but ultimately New Zealand.
- much unemployment and poverty. Many weavers in Paisley suffering hardship.

1842 - 9 June: Duchess of Argyle sails from Greenock, Scotland for Auckland, New Zealand.
18 June Jane Gifford sails from Greenock, Scotland for Auckland, New Zealand.

"Greenock" engraved by F.W.Topham after a picture by W.H.Bartlett, published in Finden's Ports and Harbours..., 1842. Steel engraved antique print with recent hand colouring, good condition. Size 19 x 14.5 cms including title, plus margins. Ref H5195 (Ancestryimages.com)

Duchess of Argyle and Jane Gifford at Auckland, October 1842.

This post is to commemorate the death of founding-father James Mann McKenzie who died 141 years ago today, June 1, 1875.

James Mann McKenzie was born on 14th December 1803 at Cawdor and was baptised on 7 January, also at Cawdor, in the county of Elgin.

The following is from information about the parish of Cawdor from the Statistical Account of Scotland 1834-45. (Published December 1841 and revised March 1842)

Cawdor is the English spelling and pronunciation of the original name Calder (Caladar in Scots Gaelic). In 1796, the "Noble family of Cawdor" were elevated to the peerage, and the then Lord changed the name of the castle, town and clan overnight so it would match Shakespeare's version of the name in MacBeth. John Campbell was the first Baron Cawdor and seldom lived in his castle during the time of our James, residing in England instead and visiting his northern seat occasionally. Interestingly, he, too, died on June 1 - the same day as our James, but in 1821. His son, John Frederick Campbell, was the first Earl Cawdor, and the current earl at the time of the statistics gathered for this information.

John Campbell, first Baron Cawdor.

Cawdor castle

The parish of Cawdor lies south of the Nairn river, with a length of between 3 and 4 miles. Its breadth is less than a mile in some places, between 4 and 5 miles in other places, and southward across the Findhorn river it reaches a breadth of more than 16 miles. At one end, the parish is a cultivated plain, rising towards the south into a range of hills of considerable elevation, but still under cultivation. Above this is a large plantation of wood and above that, wide tracts of brown and barren heath.

River Findhorn

The climate is dry, mild and agreeable, as it is sheltered from the sea winds. In winter, snow is seldom very deep, also because of Cawdor's sheltered position. The soil is light and summer crops often suffer from drought.

In 1841 the population was 1150, with 270 families and 259 inhabited houses. A decrease in the population was confined to the highland part of the parish.

Cawdor parish was the extreme limit of the Gaelic district, with nothing but English spoken beyond its eastern boundary. Both languages were in general use, although the "peasantry" showed a decided preference for Gaelic. The population was rural and engaged in agriculture. The land was not overly subdivided, nor were the farms overly large. Crop rotation was enforced and lime was starting to be used. Improvements in cattle breeding were underway and a Nairnshire Farming Society held an annual event with prizes awarded.

A common labourer's wage was, in winter, 1s 4d, and in summer 2s per day. Tradesmen earned 2s - 2s 6d. This is likely in the area of what James would have been earning as a tradesman.

They were, on the whole, "cleanly in their habits" and their dwellings had been improved in recent years. The general character of the people was sober, regular and well-disposed, with no open vices to any extent and over whom religion exerted a considerable influence.

The church (must be the one in which James was baptised) was built in 1619 - as a consequence of a vow made by the then third laird of Calder. He was in a storm at sea and promised to erect a more convenient church for the parishioners if he should return safe to shore. (Luckily for the parishioners!) It was extensively repaired and enlarged in 1830. The people of Cawdor were all attached to the Established Church, with only one Dissenting family of the parish - who were not "natives" of it.

Cawdor Parish Church

The parish contributed to a Bible and a Missionary Society, and and collected other funds for religious and charitable purposes, with 50 on their poor roll. A clothing society was supported by the Countess of Cawdor, who matched the penny a week was contribution made by each poor person on the list. An amount of 8s 8d per person per year was raised to buy necessary items of clothing at the beginning of each winter. The poor were not entrusted to buy the items themselves . . .

There were four schools in the parish, with children of paupers taught at reduced rates. There were reading and sewing schools taught by females, and, with the exception of a very few old people, all could read and the majority could write. From this, we can assume that James, his wife Ann and their oldest children would most likely all have been literate.

There was a postal service, one inn and two licensed spirit shops. The well-known Brackla distillery - thought to be the only one at the time using the Royal arms and supply the Royal table - has been in operation in the parish for many years.

Two large peat mosses supplied fuel for the "people", and the "better" classes used coal from the sea port of Nairn. (I'm thinking that James and family would have been using the peat moss. . . )