Hi Rootschat friends,
Attached is a transcript of a Quarrier record for Henry Gilchrist:
Record from Quarrier Archives :
P234
Date of Admission 30 Jan 82 Henry Gilchrist on 15 May /82 Age 4
Person Recommending Child Ins.(pector) Berry, Turnkey P.O.(Police Office)Greenock
Illeg’t child of Mary G. who although only 27 has been going awrong for over five years. Her mother lives in Raukine’s Laud, (could be Rankine’s Land), Baillieston but father died many years ago. The boy was with her a short time but the mother removed him to Greenock where she stayed with a Mrs. Fullarton, 6 Dalrymple St who keeps a large catring and has this and other three girls leading an immoral life. M. was induced to go into a House of Refuge and wld have remained but Mss D. persuaded her to join her again and the poor little fellow was dragged though all this life of infamy and shame. Cessnock
Sent to Canada 22 March 82
Nov 83 with John Beaton Tatlock v (visited) by R.W. (Watch?). A very nice little fellow, too small to go to School so Mr. B who is an old teacher is training him at home. He was at his lessons when I called and he read out of the Testament which Mr. B uses as a text book very well. They speak in the highest terms of praise of him.
R.20 5/87. R.54/8/88. 68/43. 78/89. 42/26. 87/46. 8/73. (the meaning of these numbers unclear…either visits or measurements of child)
21 Nov 1891 Letter from matron Greenock House of Refuge asking about him. The mother is there at present. Some time ago she was in Dalbeth Refuge and Mr. McLachlan R.C.lawyer wrote several times asked that he be returned to !(the exclamation mark is in the Record)
1914 June Mc(
) Berry, Mayfield High Township Nr Greenock writes about Harry. Mother said to be in Dalbeth.
A search of the 1881 Census of Scotland found Mary Gilchrist in the Greenock House of Refuge, 9 Upper Ingleston, Back of Land, Greenock. She was said to have been born in Holytown, was aged 25 and described as a washer.
Elizabeth Fullarton in the 1881 is described as a widow aged 52 and employed as a 'broker'. In the same house (presumably at 6 Dalrymple St ) is a daughter, niece and two female servants. Broker is an ironic euphemism for madam!
Mary appears to have been in Dalbeth House of Refuge on more than one occasion. This seems to have been run by the Catholic Church and was fairly near where her mother was living in 1882. The entry of 21 November 1891 which refers to a RC lawyer asking for Henry's return, possibly refers to an argument and subsequent court case against William Quarrier when he was accused of taking Catholic children and raising then as Protestants. The case was found in William Quarrier's favour and it was subsequently made clear to whoever was responsible for placing a child in the OHS that the child would not be raised in the Catholic Faith. William Quarrier was a Baptist and invited all other Protestant denominations to preach in the Village Church. The Homes were never affiliated to any particular church.
Henry appears to have been admitted to Cessnock Emigration Home known as a Training Home for Canada on 30th January 1882. As the main part of the Quarrier organization at Bridge of Weir was operational by that date, it must have been intended that Henry be sent to Canada from the start. His mother must have agreed to this and perhaps saw it as a chance for her son to have a better life than she could ever provide for him. Children going to Canada from the Orphan Homes of Scotland were provided with a trunk containing a supply of clothes, a bible and a copy of Pilgrims Progress. Henry’s birthday book may therefore have been given to him by his mother either at Christmas or on the day before he sailed to Canada. Families were always notified of the child's emigration and were invited to say their farewells in the week before departure.
At an amazing interactive website
www.iriss.ac.uk/goldenbridge on Quarriers role in child migration and commissioned by Quarrier's from Strathclyde University, the Narrative of Facts for 1882 gives touching details of Henry's Quarrier story at pages 8;12 and 26-31.
Having brought you all up to date on my news, I need help now using this information to:
Find her mother
Find her father’s death
Find her birth c1855 Holytown
Try and track that family through the censuses
See if we cannot find where she was a maid at 22 before she went “awrong”
Verify Fullarton in the 1881
Look for Mary in various Houses of refuge in later censuses 1914 Dalbeth? Mayfield High Township
Look for Mary’s remarriage/death
Any lookups and leads would be most welcome! Thanks very much, Lumber-Jack
