Notes |
- 1861 Census
Portnahaven Islay
Octofad Farm House, Hugh Stevenson head, age 37, Manager of Farm, born Renfrewshire Neilston, house with 7 windows (all the others on the page had 1 or 2)
Elizabeth Stevenson, wife, age 37, manager's wife, born Renfrewshire Eastwood .
2 domestic servants listed both born Islay and John Craig serv, age 26 unmarried occ, Miller, born Dunbarton. Cardross.
1881 census.
Dwelling: Laggan
Census Place: Bowmore, Argyll, Scotland
Source: FHL Film 0203561 GRO Ref Volume 536 EnumDist 11 Page 4
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Hugh STEVENSON M 57 M Neilston, Renfrew, Scotland
Rel: Head
Occ: Farmer Of 700 Acres Of Which 300 Arable Employing 5 Men 4 Women & 3 Boys
Elisabeth STEVENSON M 58 F Eastwood, Renfrew, Scotland
Rel: Wife
Occ: Farmers Wife
Maggie STEVENSON U 15 F Bowmore, Argyll, Scotland
Rel: Daur
Occ: Farmers Daur
Catherine MC LELLAN U 30 F Kilchoman, Argyll, Scotland
Rel: Serv
Occ: Dairymaid (Dom Serv)
Flora FERGUSON U 31 F Kilchoman, Argyll, Scotland
Rel: Serv
Occ: Gen Serv (Dom)
Catherine FERGUSON U 20 F Kilchoman, Argyll, Scotland
Rel: Serv
Occ: Gen Serv (Dom)
Mary CAMPBELL U 19 F Kildalton, Argyll, Scotland
Rel: Serv
Occ: Gen Serv (Dom)
Archibald MC ARTHUR U 18 M Kildalton, Argyll, Scotland
Rel: Serv
Occ: Shepherd
Farmer Laggan Islay Argyll.Died leaving large estate 7000 pounds which included furniture farm stock implements & over 1580 pounds in the bank.
I also looked at Hugh Stevenson, Laggan's will, but for some reason I can't yet get it printed or saved to anything I can reopen, but the gist was that he left £600 to Jane Dunlop or Ping, married to Albert William Ping, Inland Revenue Officer, Auchtertool, Fife, and as far as I could see the remainder to his wife and daughter margaret. (I hope that John D did not just marry her for her money, I wonder why he wasn't mentioned in the will) Also no mention, as far as I could see of Hugh's Carswell or Stevenson relatives.Johan
Then I went on to look at the Islay Stevensons, one of them, John was married to a Keith. His father was William his mother Robina Simpson (can't find them)
The other was Hugh, and his death in 1884, age 61, confirms his father was Hugh Stevenson and his mother was, yes you have guessed... Margaret Carswell. His nephew John Dunlop was present. Hugh was married to Elizabeth Stewart, and their farm was at Laggan. I haven't copied the documents to you. You can have copies when you visit.
Cheers
Johan
His total estate was actually £7000. As well as what you saw, he had 2 bonds for property in Glasgow for £600 each and £1800 in a Woollen Manaufactures in Tillicoultry, so he was smart.
I think Jane Dunlop would have been John D's sister, I can't understand why John D didn't inherit anything in the will.Johan.\
Dear John,
Thanks for the site, haven't found anything yet, but maybe one day I will.
I went back to the Clydesdale Stud Books, here are 2 entries relating to John Dunlop, perhaps I sent them to you before, sorry, I just find them quite interesting. My mother has said that her great uncle John McKay went to Islay every year when she was young. I wonder if he went horse dealing.
1888 Edition which will interest you:
Mare: Darling of Laggan: light brown, white stripe on face, near hind leg white, foaled 1875. Bred by the late Wm Carswell, Craig of Neilston (Renfrewshire)( He was uncle of Hugh Stevenson): property of (1) Hugh Stevenson, Laggan (2) John Dunlop, Laggan, Islay; Sire Prince of Renfrew, dam by Campsie.
This mare had a colt in June 1885 King of the Isles, breeders, J Dunlop; H Brackenridge; T McLaughlan, Brussels, Ont.
Also an entry in 1890 edition which reads:
Stallion: Hopetoun Lad, light bay, white star on face, little white on pastern. Foaled (born) July 1886.
Bred by John Fleming, Old Crookston, Hurlet, Paisley (about a mile from Barrhead).
Property of John Dunlop, Laggan, Bowmore, Islay.
Sire, Lord Hopetoun, Dam (mother) Maggie of Crookston, by Prince of Renfrew.
I had hoped to connect to that John Fleming above, but you sent me the 1881 Census, so I had to discount that.
Ah well, such is life
Cheers
Johan
Thank you for your e,mail of 14Jan. and thank you for offering to send me a page of the will. I have not received it so far.The reason that young Jean Dunlop has appeared in Hugh's will I can understand. Her whole family all 8, were left orphaned in 1862 in Fenwick.Local Dunlops refused help so their mother Jean Stewart's brother and sister each adopted the two young ones. Jean Dunlop aged 8 and Janet aged 3 went to Islay. Jean went to Laggan Farm to live with her mother,s twin sister now Mrs Eliz.Stevenson and her husband Hugh Stevenson in a very comfortable home. while Janet went to her uncle Alex. Stewart and his childless wife only two miles away in Corrary Farm
Sorry I have taken so long to reply,but I have been rather under the weather with a bronchial cold.
On the mend now I hope.
Regards Sheila.
P.S. Is this name of interest ? Mrs Mckay of Crossmill Farm
Barrhead .
Dear Johan, 19-3-2006
Thankyou for your email on 7th March with regard to old family photographs etc.It maybe a week or two yet before my daughter in Edinburgh has copied and scanned and sharpened them. I refer to the photograph of Hugh Stevenson which is very pale and the 3 portraits which vary in quality. When they come I'll send you two prints of Hugh Stevenson. Do you wish two of each of the Laggan portraits?
The painter of the portraits was Alexander McArthur,son of the local blacksmith in Islay. The portraits were left in the care of the aunt and cousins at the Bakery when the Dunlops emigrated to Canada for my mother who was expected to return to Scotland quite soon to be married but in fact it was eleven long years before she could leave after her mother died.Two of the pictures hung in our parents home all our childhood. My father's family were rather artistic and his brother was a painter so he was always finding fault and criticising these rather large and amateurish works.
Sorry to say there was never any mention of RL Stevenson.
But I did read an article in a paper or magazine some months ago about the RLS family background and I was struck by the mention of some earlier connection with Ayrshire and possibly Neilston area.I wasn;t tempted to start researching back two hundred years. While I have been writing this I got a phone call from Valerie saying that
she would be starting on the photographs this weekend.
When I receive them I will also include as an extra a family tree of the Dunlops/Stevensons so that you can count how many more distant cousins you have in Canada
Sorry, I have often been accused of having a warped sense of humour.
PS.Thank you for the information re -David Stevenson Barrhead. I am beginning to see the connection to my grandmother at last. Best wishes
Sheila.
Did you know that Hugh Stevenson of Laggan was paraplegic for the last four or five years of his life. He fell from his horse one dark night returning home riding across the long 8mile sandy shore to Laggan His dog returned home alone to Laggan and the men set out to find him lying injured, There are more tales about Hugh for another time but judging from his financial success he was a very astute farmer Sheila.
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