Brae & Smallrigg

[emarbe]

One for the Dumfriesshire experts.

My gggrandfather was born at Brae in Johnstone and his ggrandfather was born in Smallrigg. Would these names have applied to the farms or to the areas?.

Mike

[kojak]

Hi Mike,

Do you ahve any more info on either?  Brae and especially Smallrigg are very common names even for properties in Dumfriesshire.  I will have a look at my old maps tomorrow for you (I have left them at work of all places).

Smallrigg rings bells with me - think I have been there.  Are both in the Parish of Johnstone?

Regards,
Jak

[Jamjar]

Smallrigg is a farm in Lochmaben. You can see the occupants by checking the 1851 census, online. I just typed in smallrigg in the address box.

Surnames are: Family of John Richardson, Murray, Henderson, Graham, Coupland, Broatch Black and Armstrong.

Brae seems to be an add-on to a name, e.g. Sunnybrae, Cleuchbrae.

Jamjar

[emarbe]

Hi Kojak

Thank you for replying. The name Brae is in Johnstone Parish or Johnstone by Lockerbie as it states on the children's birth records. I have a copy of the father, David's, will and it says "farmer in Brae in the Parish of Johnstone", from that I would think it's the name of the village, but I'm not sure.
The only information I have on Smallrigg is that David's father, Walter, was born at Smallrigg, Dumfries, but on his children's birth records it says Johnstone Parish, I suppose he could have moved after he married, but I have no idea where he was married.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Mike

[Jamjar]

Mike,

I can't seem to see where you have given a Surname for the family you are researching.

Also, can you provide a time frame.

I'm off to the Dumfries library today and can check census' births etc. if you are talking 1800s.

Jamjar

[Jamjar]

Hi Mike

Yep, you're right the Dinwoodie's were on Brae in Johnstone in 1851. There are Davids and Walter, William, Agnes', George, Janet, Samuel.

Head of Household was David aged 60, born Johnstone, a farmer of 135 acres. Wife Agnes aged 54, born Lochmaben

All children born in Johnstone.

Jamjar

[emarbe]

Hi Jamjar

Thanks for your interest.
Walter Dinwoodie was born abt 1757 at Smallrigg and died 1828, but I don't know where. He married Margaret Halliday and I have found 6 children, James, Mary, Walter, David, Samuel and Janet. I didn't bother checking the 1851 census for Smallrigg as I knew the parents wouldn't be alive.

David Dinwoodie was born in 1784 (Johnstone Parish) and married Agnes Carruthers in 1817 at Lochmaben, I have all eleven of their children in age order: Walter, Jane, George, Margaret, Mary, James, Samuel, David, Agnes, Walter Matthew and Janet.
I know from David's Will of 1860 (he died in 1869) that he seemed to have quite a lot of property in different areas and bequeathed a house to his wife in Lochmaben, but she died before him in 1865.
I have all of the information from the 1851 census for this family, but it was kind of you to offer a lookup.

I know nothing of the Dumfries area, or whether places like Brae and Smallrigg still exist, so it would be interesting to know what these names referred to.

If you have access to the birth records, I would be interested if you could find Mary Ann Jamieson, born abt 1845 in Johnstone.

Many thanks

Mike   

[kojak]

Hi Mike,

My maps don't indicate a brae farm at all...On the census returns, what other property names are written for adjoining/neighbouring properties?

There are a few Smallriggs in the area.  There could well have been one in Johnstone Parish in teh 19th Century, but there doesnt appear to be one now.  Maybe the old Smallrigg property has gone, or changed its name (there still remains properties called sunnyrig,greyrig, skenrigg, beastockrig,martinwhatrig, kilnpot rig etc)

Again, what other properties are listed on the official 1851/1861 census return?  If we could locate a neighbouring property, it would be easier to locate your Smallrig/brae.

Of course, and as Jamjar says, the Smallrig could be the Lochmaben one, in which case, photos etc can be obtained.

Let me know if you can narrow down the hunt.

www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk have the appropriate censuses to track.

Regards,
Jak :-)

[Reiver]

Hello all
Found Brae in Johnstone parish at NY. 067895 -a couple of miles NNW of Templand.  It appears to be a farm.  It can be found also on www.streetmap.co.uk       Find Templand and work up from that.
Templand is a couple of miles N of Lochmaben.  There is a Smallrigg in Lochmaben parish - as Jamjar said.  I cannot find one in Johnstone. Brae and Smallrigg, Lochmaben are about 5.5 miles apart.

Regards
Reiver