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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Ayrshire => Topic started by: namac56 on Sunday 19 April 15 06:14 BST (UK)
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I am keen to find out more about William Wallace, born c1781, who died Feb 1851. He was married to Margaret Todd and lived (certainly latterly) at Hawket (or Halket) Park, Henderson, Kilmarnock. He had a son William who appears to be my ancestor but it is proving difficult to make things fit properly!
The elder William seems to have been a wine and spirit dealer in Kilmarnock and to have been quite a successful businessman.
Margaret Todd's father and grandfather were ministers in the kirk and so several generations on her side can be traced through Fasti.
I'd welcome any information others might have about this family to see if this helps me to finalise my links!
Many thanks
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Hi,
from a quick internet search, Halket/Hawket appears to have been occupied post 1851 by the "Misses Wallace". Scotlands people have wills for Jean & Agnes Wallace of Hawket 1892 & 1894
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Hi,
Working from the census returns. In 1841 Hawket Park was occupied by William Wallace, a merchant, b ca 1771 Ayrshire, and his wife, Margaret, born Dreghorn, Ayrshire, also ca1771. They don’t appear to have any sons who inherited the property, or at least wanted to live there. There were three daughters; Agnes and Jean who never married, and Janet who married Col. David Carstairs. Their son, William Wallace Carstairs (William & Margaret’s grandson) was born in India and grew up at Hawket. He became a wine & spirit merchant and died unmarried at Hawket Park in 1893. The informant was his cousin, Isabella Jane B ?? from Glasgow, he also left a will. William’s two maiden aunts, as their testaments on SP show died around the same time. If they had a brother, William, still alive at the time, he would probably be mentioned.
Possibly you already have this information?
Added: William Wallace of Hawket Park who died in 1851, also left a will (15 pages) you can download it for 10 credits http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/Search/results.aspx
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Thank you for the information. I have a copy of William's will and agree that it does not point to a son William.
The younger William was born I believe in 1811 at Kilmarnock to William Wallace and Margaret Todd. I can find an 1841 census listing in Paisley for William (then listed as 35 and born outside the country of Renfrew which would fit for Kilmarnock). I can link to this family. William was listed as a wine and spirit dealer - again this seems to work with William in Hawket Park; son like the father (!?) but by 1851 he is shown as a handloom weaver. I have wondered whether there was some estrangement - disowning perhaps - from the family and he was left to his own devices. Of course, maybe there was another William Wallace who married Margaret Todd in Kilmarnock at around the same time - or maybe there is some other explanation.
I continue to be fascinated by the possibilities and am grateful for your help and information!
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Yes it is fascinating! But during that time a father could never disinherit his eldest/only son because of the law of primogeniture which gave him automatic right to any real estate / immoveable property before female elder siblings. Sometimes, because of this, no mention of the son or any real estate was made in a will, dealing only with the distribution of the moveable property. See: http://www.genguide.co.uk/source/willstestaments-and-inheritance-scotland/70/
Providing your William died after 1855, his death cert will give you his parents, if known by the informant. It’s easier to start with the wife because she will be recorded under both her married and maiden names, again, if known! Looking at the family trees, I think William’s wife was Jean Sim? Doing a ‘free’ search on SP brings up just one Jean Wallace, other name Sim, 1894 Paisley, Renfrewshire, dob 1804. If this is the right one and if she was widowed at the time of death, it will give a time frame and possible location for William’s death.
Regards
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You have it correct: the younger William was married to Jean Sim. She died in March 1894 widowed and aged 90. Her son James Wallace made the notification. I have William with the family in the 1851 census - at 15 Glen Street Paisley. I guess my next step will be to check 1861, 71, etc censuses and try to narrow down when he died - and then search those years. Perhaps that will help me work out the link to William at Hawket Park.
I will hope to visit some of these places when I make a flying visit to Glasgow in June - I live 300km west of Melbourne and was trying to tie up some loose ends in the family tree before my trip. I suspect I'll have to hope that I can firm up some details when I am over!
Thank you for your advice and help.
Neil
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Hi Neil,
Where does William give as his place of birth on the 1851 Census please?
I agree with Br1gau - you need to establish when your William living in Paisley died and hopefully his parents names will be on his death cert.
Hawket Park was situated on Hill Street in Kilmarnock - and after 1894 was purchased by The Sisters of Nazareth and became a childrens home.
http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/KilmarnockNH/
Looby :)
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Hello Looby
The 1851 census gives "Ayrshire Kilmarnock" as place of birth. Other research suggests his age at that time - listed as 40 - is probably a "close to" figure rather than exact although it certainly ties in with the idea that he was born 16 April 1811.
I'm trying to track down death of William but this is also proving elusive - although I have a couple of leads which I hope to follow up soon.
Thanks for the info re Hawket Park - if it is still around, I'll try to drop past in June.
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Just to make a point, the William Wallace, who married Jane Sim, 10/Nov. 1821. Abbey, Paisley. Could not have been the William Wallace, born 1811. Kilmarnock.
Regards,
Jonn.
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Yes it is fascinating! But during that time a father could never disinherit his eldest/only son because of the law of primogeniture which gave him automatic right to any real estate / immoveable property before female elder siblings. Sometimes, because of this, no mention of the son or any real estate was made in a will, dealing only with the distribution of the moveable property. See: http://www.genguide.co.uk/source/willstestaments-and-inheritance-scotland/70/
Regards
Just a point of caution .... As correctly stated the law of primogeniture accepted at the time as standard procedure meant that the eldest son was often missed from any testaments (wills). In addition to this it also meant that in some cases heritable properties passed down only through a male line of descent regardless of how distant.
Given this . one possible scenario is that William had only the three daughters and upon his death the estate went to his grandson as the nearest male relative rather than the daughters.
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Thanks Jonn
I managed to find William's death last night and it confirms that I have been barking up the wrong tree. Dates had always worried me but I felt here were connections to make it worth keeping the link open. Now I start again and can delete the elder William Wallace from my tree! Pity - Hawket Park looks grand!! I do wonder what happened to the boy born in 1811 - must have died young, I guess.
Thank you to everyone for their help with this.
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Thanks - yes, I think you are right ... so it's back to the drawing board for me on this branch!
Thank you for your help!
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DISSOLUTION OF CO PARTNERSHIP.
WILLIAM WALLACE and COMPANY Grocers, Tea, Wine,
and Spirit Merchants, at 55 Portland Street Kilmarnock was dissolved on the 28th day of June 1853 ,
by mutual consent. The Subscriber William Wallace
Carstairs.
I have added a picture of his shop. If your ancestors are from Kilmarnock try the facebook site (Kilmarnock when you were a kid) over 13'000 members someone might be able to help. There is also the Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock that helps with family history .