You are welcome Planter. It's very useful to see the source of material and particularly with Irish references, invaluable to know about aural sources. While they may suffer from lapses of memory it has been my experience that most contain at least a grain of truth.
So far as the Gilmerton story is concerned I have researched the Midlothian Pentland families extensively and there is no recorded baptism for a Richard Pentland. There is one Richard Pentland in the 1891/1901 censuses, born in Ireland around 1866 with no connections yet discovered and one further reference, so far uncorroborated, of a Richard Pentland descended from Joseph Pentland, a Scot who married Isabella Fulton White. His father, also Joseph was the son of William Pentleton and Elizabeth Mains both from Ireland according to the 1861 census although when Joseph's birth was registered in 1857 his father had recorded the family name as Pentland.
any information about the parentage of this couple would be much appreciated.
So far I have not managed to find Joseph and Elizabeth Mains in Ireland.
Hello worldly wanderer
I'm having the same problem. I can find information on the Pentlands in Scotland, but not Ireland.
The Joseph who married Isabella Fulton, was my GG Uncle (b. 10th June 1891 Motherwell) his brother William John Pentland (b. 21st Jan 1885 Motherwell) is my GG grandfather.
Their father is Joseph Pentland (b. 15th January 1857 Bothwell) who married Christina Wilson Gillespie (b. 20th October 1859 Old Monkland). Joseph's father is William John Pentland (b. around 1833) who is married to Elizabeth Mains.
William and Elizabeth's marriage seems to have taken place in either August 1855 (as on their son William's birth certificate) or in 1844 (as on their daughter Elizabeth's birth certificate) but they both say County Armagh. All concerned seemed to be illiterate as noted by 'their mark' so I do wonder if the name is spelt in a different way on the marriage certificate as a reason why I can't find it.
All I know of William's parents is that his father is listed as Ralph Pentland, cab driver and Mary McGowan. This is from information on William's death certificate (I made a thread on this subject recently). But, as was pointed out to me, the death was registered by William's son Joseph and the information is probably only as good as Joseph's memory! It is possible that Joseph never even met his grandparents as I have no evidence that they left Ireland or that he left Scotland. I would like to think that the information is correct, but the name Ralph comes out of the blue (I'm afraid my family weren't very inventive when it came to names - it makes it difficult to write about them when they all have the same names!)
I have found nothing at all in my online searches in County Armargh, but I haven't been looking long.
I have done quite a bit of research on these Pentlands (and Rankins, Gillespies, Henrys) in the Motherwell and Hamilton areas if anyone else has a connection
