James and Anne (McLean) McKenzie: before New Zealand - Cawdor Part 2

I am deeply grateful for the ancestral details, dates and data made available online by distant-McKenzie-cousin Daryl Coup. 

Please feel free to contact me if you can add any further details, or if you think there are errors in any of my details. Note: I have used "James Mann"  to distinguish  between our founding ancestor James Mann McKenzie and any other of his James McKenzie relatives or descendants. 

The Mckenzie clan was traditionally associated with the Scottish Highlands: Kintail in the northwest Highlands and Ross-shire (the historic county abolished in 1890)  which included Inverness-shire and Nairnshire. It seems our McKenzies were Cawdor  (Nairnshire) residents for some generations, although how strong their clan connections were is unknown. 

For further background information on Cawdor in the times of our McKenzies, read this blog post. 

A brief synopsis of our known Cawdor McKenzies:
1768  August 10, Duncan McKenzie, labourer, married Anne Macarthur  at Cawdor Parish Church.  (Either Duncan or Anne was born at Ardclach, Nairnshire.)  They had 5 known children:
- Duncan McKenzie baptised 24 April, 1769 at Andrain. 
- Peter McKenzie, born 1773
- Jean McKenzie, born 3 September 1775, at Andrain
- James McKenzie, born 9 June 1780, at Andrain
- John McKenzie, born 3 February 1787,  at Andrain (See this post for more about him.)

1801 February 17 Duncan McKenzie married Elizabeth Mann at Cawdor. They had 3 known children
- Duncan McKenzie, born 27 November 1801 at Achindown, Cawdor
- James Mann McKenzie, born 14 December 1803 at Cawdor, baptised 7 January 1804 at Cawdor. 
- Hugh Rose McKenzie, born 10 November 1808 at Andrain

James Mann McKenzie is our New Zealand connection. He was the second son of Duncan McKenzie and Elizabeth Mann, and through James Mann and several of his descendants, Elizabeth's maiden name of Mann has been perpetuated.  James Mann was a joiner (as noted in 1841 census) and could have been employed on various famsteads doing building /maintenance work - which could account for the changes of location in their children's  baptism records. 

James Mann McKenzie married Ann McLean (aka Julia Ann/e). Little is know of her background and,  when discovered, will be included in a later post.  

James and Ann had the following children in Scotland, according to parish records : 

Elizabeth (1828 - 1907) born 16th October 1828 at Drum of Clunas, Cawdor

Duncan (1830 - 1896) born 1st March 1830 at Newton of Cawdor  (a farmstead) 

Julia (1832 - 1912) born 8 April 1832 at Piper Hill, Cawdor. 

Hugh Rose (1834 - 1912) born 2nd June, 1834 in Drum of Clunas, Cawdor

James (1836 - ?) born 14 June 1836, at Little Urchany (most likely a farmstead)

Mary Ann (1840 - 1842) born c. September 1840 in Renfrewshire

So, where are these places? Note that some of them could well be the name of farmsteads or villages which have long since disappeared. In Scotland's Places  "Drum of Clunas" (in ruins) is the name applied to the ruins of a farm steading on a cultivated ridge about one mile southwest of Clunas.  It is on the Cawdor estate. 

Here's a link to a more recent map of the area. It is described as "A township comprising nine unroofed buildings, one of which is a long building and another two are T-shaped, four enclosures and a sheepfold is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Nairnshire 1871-6, sheet vii). One unroofed building with an attached length of wall is shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1978)." (See detail below.) 

If I have got my geography correct, it looks as if nothing remains today. The  pointer is where I think Drum of Clunas is/was. (See below.) 

Now that you've got your bearings, see if you can locate all the places mentioned above on this map.   And have a play around with this view of Little Urchany.  I think Little Urchany was a farm. Try this link to see the approximate location of the birthplaces of James and Anne's children in Cawdor.  I've used the walking option for a more authentic appreciation of the distance between locations, though roads or paths may not be the same then as now.  

By 1840 (according to the birth records for daughter Mary Ann), James Mann and his family had moved to the (then) county of Renfrewshire. 

 How did they get there? Did they walk? Did they have a horse and cart? 

Railways were being constructed about this time, but there appear to be none from  the Highlands this early in rail history - and could the family have afforded to travel by rail anyway? Whatever form of transport they took, it would have been a long and difficult journey. 

The distance between Cawdor and Greenock, measured in walking hours -  a huge distance in the 1840s. Note that this may not be the route they took. 

According to the 1841 Scotland Census, James McKenzie, aged 35, was living in Market Street in the County of Renfrewshire in the Civil Parish of Greenock West (564). It confirms he was born in Scotland, estimated year 1803 - 1806, and was listed as a joiner.  Further family details confirms that this is our James Mann: 
Ann McKenzie, age 30,  estimated birth year about 1810, born Scotland;  same address as James.
Elizabeth McKenzie aged 13
Duncan McKenzie aged 12, estimated born 1830
Julia McKenzie, age 10,  born 1832
Hugh McKenzie, age 8

Mary Anne  aged 9 months

It seems baby James (born 1836) must have died before 1841- either in Cawdor or Greenock - or quite possibly somewhere along the way where he may have been buried - as he does not appear with the family in the census or on the passenger list of the Jane Gifford, and I can find no evidence of his death or burial in any available records. 

 
Market Street has since been demolished and King Street was built in its place.

Interestingly, in the Greenock Register of 1841-42,  there is a James McKenzie listed at 27 Market Street, whose profession is given as spirit-dealer.   I wonder if this is our James Mann? It seems outside his previous employment qulaifications, yet an association with spirits appears likely to have been within the McKenzie skill set. It could well be a totally different James McKenzie, but worth a thought. 

Why did James Mann move his family from the country highlands to the city of Greenock?

James Mann and his family could have been affected by, or moved out of their Cawdor location through, the Highland Clearances (between 1750 and 1860)  - although research suggests that the Jane Gifford and Duchess of Argyle migrants were not from the clearances. More on this in next post.   Throughout many areas of Scotland, landlords were having to make drastic changes to maintain or improve their income in a time of significant decline in their revenue. One way was to instigate agricultural improvements, and this ultimately involved moving tenants off their land. Displaced tenants were either relocated into crofting communities where they were offered employment of lesser value  and status, or  they chose to migrate to cities or emigrate - initially to North America but eventually Australia, New Zealand and other colonies. A rise in population numbers created overcrowded and uneconomic crofting communities, and further changes in agriculture prompted many landlords to pay for selected tenants to emigrate to help provide an alternative opportunity. Crop failures during this time further exacerbated the misery and desperation of many Highlanders. 

It is probable that James Mann moved his family to Greenock to look for a better opportunity, either in anticipation of emigrating or to find work in the city - and once there, found information on emigration. Whatever the reason, he was in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications to board the Jane Gifford with Ann and his children to relocate to the other end of the world to a country in its absolute colonial infancy.  And to add to their own family and found a family of descendants which must surely number into four figures by now. 

Background Scottish History for our Naysmith and McKenzie Ancestors

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.