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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Stirlingshire => Topic started by: Talia on Thursday 29 December 11 12:59 GMT (UK)
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Merry Xmas to everyone
I have been going over some documents I have relating to my Robertson/Hamilton families in Kilsyth to see if I can move it forward a bit and note that on some of the OPRs they are listed as being from either old town or new town Kilsyth, can anyone advise if this the same place.
Thanks
Talia
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Hello Talia,
yes I can confirm that Kilsyth is only the one town. As my father was born there.
yours,
Wilton Endeavour
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Happy New Year Wilton Endeavour
Thanks for the reply, would you have any idea as to why they would have put old/new on the birth entry (it was in 1826) in the OPR.
Best wishes
Talia
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Hello Talia,
As far as I know it is the same place as previously Kilsyth was called Monyabroch. Not sure why they would be listed as Old and New for Kilsyth.
All my records only have Kilsyth and that is back to 1634 with the Bow family ancestors in Banton Kilsyth although there may have been areas for example Kingston Kilsyth and in some cases, certificates have been listed as Stirlingshire Kilsyth.
Just wondering if your Robertson wasnt related to the Helen Robertson married to John Bow by any chance?
yours,
Wilton Endeavour
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Hello Wilton Endeavour
Thanks for getting back to me. At the moment, I don't have a Helen in the Robertson line, but that's not to say that she may not be related to my Robertson's. I just can't move the line any further than James Robertson born 1826 (my GG Grandfather) - I have only been able to find a birth reg for him which gives his parents as James Robertson Inn Keeper in old town Kilsyth and Jean Goodwin.
Kind regards
Talia
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Talia,
i've sent you a private message with more info on your Robertson line.
Wilton Endeavour
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Happy New Year W E,
I've sent a reply to your PM, many thanks.
Talia.
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would you have any idea as to why they would have put old/new on the birth entry (it was in 1826) in the OPR.
I don't know the area around Kilsyth at all well, but in Scotland the word 'town' or 'toun' didn't always mean a town in the modern sense. It could just mean a farm. Were there perhaps farms in the parish named Oldtown or Auldton and Newtown?
Also 1826 is just at the tail end of the time when it was fashionable for landowners to create new towns (in the modern sense) and villages. These are easy to spot because they always have straight wide streets in a rectangular plan, with the front elevations of the houses along the street. Older towns tend to have a main street that widens in the middle and then narrows again, with the houses on lanes to either side so the gable ends face the main street; they also have twisty wynds and lanes. Is it possible that the town of Kilsyth had been extended by the landowner some time in the early 19th century, and that the population referred to the original village as the 'old town' and the extension as the 'new town'?
I had a look at the 1859 Ordnance Survey Map, and it does look as if there are two parts to it, one with the classic straight streets of a planned village, the rest with the slightly random layout typical of older villages. Unfortunately so much of the town seems to have been obliterated and redeveloped that is it hard to see from the modern map whether any of it has survived.
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Hello Forfarian,
Thanks for replying. I didn't think about it from that angle, it could be the case as the OPR states that he was an Innkeeper, and I do have others who were Portioners.
Talia
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I know we are a few years forward but for those like me who are searching a specific area ie. Kilsyth might find this interesting...
http://www.paperclip.org.uk/kilsythweb/history/kilsyth_scotland_history1.htm
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Hello Myiam,
Many thanks for the link, will have a look. Not researched for a couple of years and thinking of starting it again.
Best wishes
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Hi Talia,
I have quite a lot of ancestors from Kilsyth and Frews married into my family.
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And of course the Murray brothers have Kilsyth origins, if the pits were still open the Murray's might be wielding picks not tennis-rackets? ;D
Skoosh.
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Asking a Kilsyth buddy about the place, Auld Toon was at the north end & the Murray brothers folk were also Kilsyth Robertsons! ;D
Skoosh.
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I’ve just been looking into an ancestor who lived here and I think I’ve worked out the answer.
Old Town which is the north of Kilsyth (or the top end as some call it today) is the original part of Kilsyth. Pretty self explanatory.
New town (known as the bottom end) was built to house “navvies” building the Glasgow - Edinburgh railway line in the 1840’s.
My ancestor John Bamford came over from Ireland to Kilsyth and lived here. His occupation was a general labourer. In that census he lived in the same house as his wife, Helen Currie and his 3 sons, John, David and Thomas and there were also another 6 young men who were also labourers from Ireland living in there and another young woman. I found this strange so looked it up. “Navvies” as they were known, would often live in hut-like accommodation which were over crowded a lot of the time.
Hopefully you found this helpful