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. 

The Murder of John Mackenzie, 1821

Who was John MacKenzie, farmer of Drum of Clunes,  and is he related to us? 

I found an interesting paragraph in an online extract of a book called Whisky, Wars, Riots and Murder: Crime in the 19th Century Highlands and Islands by Malcolm Archibald  while searching for information about our McKenzie ancestors in Cawdor. I have no proof that it is our John MacKenzie who is mentioned, but there is some reasonably credible evidence that he could be the uncle of our James Mann McKenzie. If he isn't a close relative, he - and the circumstances of his death - would certainly have been known to our ancestors who were living in the area at the time. 

If he is 'our' John McKenzie, this is how he fits in: (See previous post for same information.)

Duncan Mackenzie, labourer, married Anne Macarthur (born in Ardclach, Nairnshire) on 10 August 1768 at Cawdor Parish Church, Cawdor, Nairnshire. They had 5 known children - all born at Andrain (a small farmstead very near to Drum of Clunas and Mains of Clunas farmsteads): Duncan, Peter, Jean, James, and John, born 3 February, 1787.   Our family line is descended from oldest son, Duncan - who is the father of James Mann McKenzie, who brought his family to New Zealand in 1842. 

I have found no further details of John McKenzie/MacKenzie  but have strong suspicions that he could be the same person mentioned in the article below. At the time of his death, he would have been 34 years old -  old enough to have a son capable of accompanying him walking a reasonable distance. The article says he was a farmer at Drum of Clunas, which is the neighbouring farmstead of Andrain, where he was born.  James Mann McKenzie  and his wife Ann (born McLean)  were living at Drum of Clunas by 1828, when their first child, daughter Elizabeth McKenzie was born.  There were also other members of the extended Mackenzie family living in other neighbouring farmsteads.  If John was obviously very involved in the illicit distilling and/or smuggling of whisky, it can be reasonably assumed that other members of the extended family would also have been involved. Somewhere, I found (but cannot locate at the moment) a reference to our James McKenzie in Greenock in 1841 (the census?) with his occupation listed as a spirits merchant - which would seem to fit the extended family's possible connection with whisky (even though he was a carpenter as his 'day job'). 

But first, some background context: 

In 1707, the unpopular English system of customs duties and excise was introduced to Scotland.  Poverty, and a high tax on the essential ingredient of malt, helped spur the proliferation of illegal distilleries - without a licence - and the transport and  distribution of their product. Smuggling (tobacco, wine, spirits - but mostly whisky) boomed as a consequence and was barely regarded as a crime locally, with corrupt officials just as likely to be involved in, partaking of, or benefitting from, the illicit activities to some degree. 

Landseer's painting "The Highland Whisky Still" about 1820 - the time of the murder of John MacKenzie. The painting portrays the illicit Highland distilleries, often hidden away in caves in difficult-to-access areas. Note the entire family involvement.

Government officials tried to suppress the illegal trade, and excise men - or gaugers- were constantly on the lookout for, or following information on, the illegal trade. Excise men received bonuses for the amount of seizures they made; however, it was in their best interests of long-term job security to avoid the complete removal of the whisky trade. It was a dangerous job in an area that was rugged, remote, poorly roaded and sparsely populated, and they were constantly under threat of being attacked. 

Whisky production and smuggling was  usually an entire family or community enterprise, and the women were certainly capable of actively supporting and protecting the industry. It was known that the wives of smugglers sometimes exchanged whisky or farm produce with the wives of excisemen for information on future operations, and some excise men could be bribed.  By early 1800s, illegal whisky distilling was accepted as the only means of paying rent for a farm and was a way of life for many Highland families and communities.  There as a unique code of loyalty in the Highlands - once a man had drunk whisky with smugglers, he would never betray them. 

The illegal production and distribution of whisky had virtually died out by the mid-1800s. The excise men had become more efficient, the cost of licences to distill whisky legally were lowered, and pressure was put on landowners to evict tenants illegally distilling whisky. 

(Note: Peat reek is whisky distilled over a peat fire.) 

Extract from Whisky, Wars, Riots and Murder: Crime in the 19th Century Highlands and Islands by Malcolm Archibald 

Depending on the route taken, Nairn to Drum of Clunas/Clunes is a 2 - 3 hour walk. Drum of Clunes/Clunas is southwest of Clunas, very near the lake (Clunas Reservoir) which was not their in the time of our ancestors (opened in 1972). 

Here's a link to a short film  called "Peat Reek"   about the illicit whisky enterprise and set in the early 1800s in the Highlands of Scotland. It gives a very real portrayal of the place whisky distilling had in the survival of Highlands communities.  It's a delightful movie (26 minutes long) and well worth a visit. 

George Cruickshank - The Highland Whisky Still 

McKenzies, McIntoshes, McLeans, Macarthurs, Manns and Milnes

So many M's in  our McKenzie family tree!

I've been fortunate to find online, through the research and information posted by others, the details of many of our forebears. This has been gathered over time, so I may not have saved the links to all sites I used, and I may not be able to credit everyone whose information I have used or checked against my own details.  Several sites have obviously re-used the same information, and in many cases, I have no verification of its accuracy.  Regardless, it's all interesting stuff, and most of my information here just adds context to the names, dates and places others have already discovered. As always, if you are able to add any verification or further information to anything here, it will be greatly appreciated. 

 I am detouring back in time from our 1842 New Zealand McKenzie founding family of James Mann McKenzie and Anne McKenzie (born McLean) to their ancestors' times. Check out the chart below for some clarification. Our New Zealand founding ancestors, James and Anne  are in yellow. As you can see, there is the most information on James's mother's side of the family. (Click on the image below to enlarge it.)
                     
Note the two Macarthur connections on James's side of the family: his father's mother and his mother's grandmother were both Macarthurs. I wonder if they were related. Anne Macarthur was James McKenzie's grandmother on his father's side and Elspeth (aka Elspat) Macarthur was Elizabeth McKenzie's (born Mann)great-grandmother on his mother's side. 

There seems to be a very strong Ardclach parish connection on several branches of the family. See below - arrow points to Ardclach - and I've included some historic information I've discovered about this area so we can get an idea of what life was like for our rellies. Other place names include Cawdor (see previous blogs), Andrain, Clunas and Drum of Clunas - all within about a three hour walk of each other and all within the parishes of Ardchlach and Cawdor.  
The "Old Military Road"  passes through or near many of the places our ancestors lived, and must have had an impact on their lives in some way - especially as bridges were built as part of the road-building process.  General George Wade was responsible for the road and bridge building to help move troops north to quell the Jacobite uprisings. Interestingly, the areas (further south) where Hadrian's Wall has the most gaps pretty well matches the area where the military road builders had  the easiest job locating rocks . . . 

I wonder if our rellies  lived in the actual village/town of Cawdor, or were they in the outlying farm communities and Cawdor has been referenced as the nearest main centre or area, or the church where baptisms took place? Further research may clarify. 

Arrow shows location of Ardclach in Scotland. 

In 1737, Donald Mckenzie  married Jannet Milne in Cawdor. Jannet was born about 1717, so she was about 20 at the time of her marriage.  Their marriage was in the time of King George II and 9 years before the Battle of Culloden  (16 April, 1846). Culloden is about a four hour walk from Cawdor, so it can be assumed that Donald and Jannet would certainly have been aware of what was happening - if not directly affected by the movements of troops through the district. 

Donald and Jannet McKenzie were James McKenzie's great-grand parents. 

In 1768,  August 10,  Donald and Jannet McKenzie's son Duncan McKenzie (henceforth known as Duncan the first - Duncan I), labourer, married Anne Macarthur  at Cawdor Parish Church.   Anne was born at Ardclach, Nairnshire. Duncan I was born about 1742 - incidentally, about the same year that the last-known wolf in Scotland was shot. . . 

Duncan I  and Anne McKenzie (born Macarthur) are James McKenzie's grandparents. 
Duncan and Anne had 5 known children between 1769 and 1787. Known details (from the baptismal records of their children) suggest that Duncan I, Anne and family lived in Andrain, Cawdor, for at least 20 years. Their known children were:  Duncan II, baptised April 1769; Peter, baptised 1773;  Jean, baptised 1775; James, baptised 1780; and John, baptised 1787.  

Andrain was a one-storey thatched dwelling house with outhouses attached. It is also recorded as "a commodious farmsteading  and dwelling house and also a number of cot houses, the property of the Earl of Cawdor." Records from 1869 - well after Duncan and Anne's time - indicate that the buildings were in a middling state of repair. Andrain had formerly been a separate farm, but by 1869, it was included in  that of Clunas.  Clunas, also known as Mains of Clunas, was  - in 1869 - (after our ancestors' time) a large, slate-roofed farm house, two storeys high, with numerous thatched offices attached. It was still in good repair  and was formerly the seat of one of the Cawdor family. The Earl of Cawdor was the proprietor. By the time of the next survey (1871-1876), Mains of Clunas is recorded as being a farmstead comprising two unroofed buildings, one of which is a long building, two roofed buildings and an enclosure, but these were gone by 1878. The 1871-76 map showed a lime kiln, but in a 1990s survery, there was no sign of any lime kiln left. It was assumed that the lime kiln was associated with the Andrain farmsteading.  Our McKenzies were definitely at the Andrain homesteading  from 1769 until the late 1780s and possibly even longer, so they could well have been associated with working at the lime kiln. Although there is no record of McKenzies living at Mains of Clunas, James and Anne (born McLean) McKenzie were definitely at the very nearby Drum of Clunas farmstead of which nothing remains today.  Drum/druim means ridge, and Mains  means the main farm (but not the manor) and is derived from the French demesne. 

Duncan McKenzie II married Elizabeth Mann at Cawdor 17 February 1801 and had 3  known surviving children: 

- Duncan McKenzie III, 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

The bridge at Achindown
Des Colhoun via Wikimedia Commons

Duncan II and Elizabeth McKenzie (born Mann) are the parents of James McKenzie. 

See the map below for an idea of the locations of some of the places mentioned above or in future. 

The road to Mains of Clunas by Des Colhoun 

Parish church at Ardclach 

Ardclarch Church from a different angle. 

The church was remodelled after the time of our ancestors, and the building has not been used as a church since 1958. It is classified as being in poor condition with a moderate risk level.  

Ardclach

Ardclach Church on Google Earth   Check out its street view. 

Dulcey  Bridge over the Findhorn River on the Old Military Road. 

Information from the Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791-99  and from "A Survey of the Province of Moray" in 1798.

Ardclarch means stony high ground. It was a parish south east of the town of Nairn and divided by the Findhorn River - impassable except at the Dulsie bridge. There were about three boats which ferried people across the river, but this was a highly dangerous manoeuvre and numerous people lost their lives. The area was hilly and mountainous, covered with heath and woods.

The area produced grain, and there were poor yields in 1882-83, but "none perished from want". Other crops were black and white oats, Scotch bear, rye and potatoes.  The soil was stoney and shallow and crops were exposed to frost. It was thought that lime could improve the quality of the soil, but the tenants were generally too poor to afford it. Farming methods had remained unchanged for centuries, and farmers used small Scotch ploughs  drawn by horses and "black cattle".  The tenants were dependant on black cattle and and a little land was considered improvable for corn. Having no leases, the tenants "feel no permanent nor steady interest in the soil."  Rents had been increased in several parts of the parish. 

Other industries were plaid making - supposed to be the best in the country - and a coarse tartan. Growing flax had been unsuccessfully attempted. 

There were five licensed distilleries, supplied with barley and malt from the low country. It seems that the abundance of distilleries had no significant negative impact on the morals of the locals; in fact, it seems that they actually helped keep "smuggling" in check and the people had become more noticeably sober than usual.   The nearest inn was at Dulcey (Dulsie) Bridge (and, one wonders, did its proximity to the river contribute to the number of drownings?) 

The wages of domestic menservants was 5-6 pounds a year, and for women servants, 1pound 16 shillings - 2 pounds a year. Day labourers received 8 pence a day plus victuals, which was a recent rise from 6 pence a day. 

The air was healthy and many lived past 70 years; some lived past 80 and 100 was not unknown.  The population was about 1186, and many had emigrated from the parish to the American colonies shortly before the American War of independence.) there were no uninhabited houses. 

Saint Anthony's Fire (erysipelas) was a disease peculiar to the area, with small pox frequently proving fatal. Inoculation was expensive and it was thought that the people would be more willing to accept it if it were paid for them. 

The church was believed to have been built in 1626 and rebuilt in the mid-1700s. All the parishioners  (1186 souls) were members of the national Church. 
With 35 on the poor roll - and more who could be considered - there was no funding for them except weekly collections which totalled 3-4 pounds annually. 

The "Society for Christian Knowledge" supported one school  of about 40 students and a parochial school also had about 40 scholars - both schools seemed to be open only in winter, or that was when  attendance was at its greatest. The Society also contributed towards a spinning school under the patronage of Miss Brodie of Lethan. 

Most Highland families lived in small townships,  in a collective or joint tenancy farm - with maybe up to one hundred people or more who were often family or related. Buildings were often substantial and were made of clay and wattle, or thickly-cut turf - with or without rough sones - and wth roofs thatched with heath, broom, bracken, straw or rushes. 

In April 1842, the Rev. Hugh MacBean, minister of the Parish of Ardclach, wrote this  about his parish:  

“The state of the parish as it at present exists, as compared with what it was, very much within the remembrance of persons living, is striking in the extreme. Till a period comparatively recent, the peasantry and small farmers, forming the body of the population of the district, were in a most miserable condition. They lived in hovels, the entrance to which was used promiscuously by themselves and their cattle, one end of the dwelling being possessed by the latter, and the other by themselves. The dung of the animals was cleaned out at long intervals, - the work being performed by means of a hand-barrow, such as is used by masons, and requiring two able-bodied men to accomplish it. The midden or dunghill was invariably in a large hollow, made for the purpose, at the very door. The dung was carried to the fields not in “coup-carts”, but in “kellachs” of basket or wicker work.

The horses were left unshod; and scarcely any use made of iron in their implements of husbandry, except for coulter and sock, and harrowtines, which last were not unfrequently made of wood, and for the iron sockets which pointed their dung-forks. To draw their ploughs they used four oxen or cows, and two horses; or sometimes, six or eight black cattle, without horses. In the long winter evenings, their only light was moss fir, split into small slips, -lamps being unknown, and a tallow candle so rare, as to be known only as “a - 240 - white candle”, in contradistinction to the “fir candle”, which they ordinarily used.

This state of things no longer exists. The people, though many of them in poor circumstances, are, generally speaking, moderately comfortable, and many of them thriving, and rapidly acquiring both increase of knowledge, and the means of independence. They are becoming intelligent in their mode of farming, rearing better crops, doing more justice to the land, and very many of them inhabiting substantial and comfortable dwellings.

The causes which have contributed to this amelioration are various. The country has been opened up of late by the formation of roads; encouragement has been given to the tenantry, and even to the cottars; they have been taught, and have experienced, the benefits of liming their land, and maintaining a proper rotation of cropping, and the evils of the wretched system which they formerly pursued; farming societies are establish in the neighbouring town and villages, at whose competitions they are encouraged to attend; and premiums are given, partly by societies and partly by the landlords, to the tenants and farm-servants, for good ploughing, and to cottagers for the neatest and cleanest cottages.

With all this, a great deal remains to be done; but, improvement having been once commenced, and the people being fairly alive to several of the main causes of their improved conditions, the prospect for the future is sufficiently encouraging.”

Here's a link to a very interesting book  about Ardclach called "The Natural History of a Highland Parish"    by Robert Thomson and published in 1900.  It gives the history of the area, many legends and other historical stories, details of locations, and much natural history of the area. 

This is a link to the Ordnance Survey of Ardclach in 1870 - after the time of our emigrating ancestors, but still interesting information.  

Where to find out more: 

- Auckland Library has The Parishes of Nairnshire pre-1855 burial records from old parish registers. 


Research on historic sites 
Information about sit of Andrain Bridge 2005
Information on Mains of Clunas 2005 
Information on lime kiln at Mains of Clunas 
Scotland's Places 


 

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.