George and Harry Donald

[enfrance]

Hi MS,

That is hardly a hijack as the info is fascinating  . Firstly that the cottage still exists and secondly that your family lived there. But the movement of the boundaries is a pain not least to anyone trying to find something via the genealogy records.

Your input is yet another small piece in the jigsaw which brings the subject to life, especially as it was so tragic for Horatio's family.

Malky, I agree with MS about the info we get from Rootschat members. Invariably helpful and accurate.

Thanks,

Mike

[enfrance]

I suspect you may already know about this but here goes;

After I posted that last message and for no reason in particular I Googled 'Crombie Cottage, Aberdeen'.

If you look at the 8th result, headed 'A report of the trial etc' you will find, via Google books, a copy of lots of naughty goings on at Crombie Cottage among the 'desperately depraved' inmates    It can be downloaded as a pdf file.  This is the link - sorry about its length 

http://books.google.fr/books?id=KrEuAAAAIAAJ&pg=PR9&lpg=PR9&dq=crombie+cottage,+aberdeen&source=bl&ots=IOYBgLaYWY&sig=fyBzljJu63xkR1XDtHCGS3-ydx4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8gbTT6nkEIeO8gPc7a2rAw&ved=0CFwQ6AEwBw 

My wife is getting worried about the reputation of her family 

Mike

[Flattybasher9]

I was revisiting this thread tonight, due to the fact that Crommie Cottage and Crombie Cottage are probably not the same building. I have been looking at earlier maps, and found Crombiescairn, 3 buildings West of Crommie Cottage as seen in the 1843 to 1882 6inch OS Scotland map. Also checking the origins of Westhill, Crombie Cottage was more likley to be in the vicinity of central present Westhill. It is not on any of the maps that I can find. This may be due to the fact that Crombie Cottage, which Malcolm Gillespie built in 1824-25, was burned down on the 21st/22nd February 1827, and the same Malcolm Gillespie was accused of the arson in an attempt to defraud the insurance company. It transcribed later that George Skene Edwards had set the fire in an attempt to get away from the wrongdoings going on at the cottage. The death of H. Donald at Crombie Cottage in 1855 then throws up another query. Was the cottage rebuilt after the fire, and if so, why is it not on the '43 to '82 map. The Gillespie children were searching for birds nests two months after the fire in the grounds/fields attached to Crombie Cottage and found the stolen property hidden by Edwards, which suggests that they were still living there, perhaps in an unburned outbuilding. So the house may have been rebuilt by the owner of the land, Mr Crombie of Phesdo.
I am intending to dig a little further.

Regards

Malky

[RedMystic]

Thanks as always Malky. You're amazing.

[Flattybasher9]

Another name from Crombie Cottage, Alexander Kellas, b c 1783, d May 7th 1862  farmed at said with his wife Barbara Garrow, b c1785, d October 12th 1857. Both buried at Skene.
As a result of the questions raised by the history of the cottage, I have sent a query to RCAHMS to see if they can come up with anything.

Regards

Malky

[enfrance]

I agree with RM - amazing indeed. 

These are from a Google search for 'Crombie Cottage, Skene, Aberdeen'.;

RootsWeb;

ID: I08698
Name: Alexander Pirie 1
Sex: M
Birth: 2 SEP 1798 in Skene, Aberdeenshire, Scotland 2
Death: 7 FEB 1883 in Crombie Cottage, Skene, Aberdeenshire, Scotland 3 of Paralysis (1 month) (as certified by James Laing M.D.M.R.C.S.)

~~~~~~~~---
Also Googled and part of the website entry for Mary Morrison on Kildrummy Families, another reference to Crombie Cottage;

census
1841 enumerated @ Leddach, Skene with mother, grandparents, aunt/uncles William, Anne and John Williamson and cousin William Peter
1851 enumerated @ Crombie Cottage, Skene with grandfather (widower) and uncles William and John Williamson
1861 enumerated @ Crombie Cottage, Skene (dressmaker) with mother and uncle James Williamson

~~~~~~~~-------------------------------------------------------------

William Blackhall
M, #I83, b. 11 April 1875, d. 12 February 1941

    Father: John Blackhall, b. 1851, d. 24 July 1924
    Mother: Elizabeth England Moir, b. 23 October 1849, d. 06 August 1911

    Birth: 11 April 1875 Mosside, Echt, Aberdeenshire
    Death: 12 February 1941 West Lasts, Peterculter, Aberdeenshire
    Occupation: Ploughman

Family

Marriage 1 : Isabella Anderson m. 10 June 1897 Crombie Cottage, Skene, Aberdeenshire, b. 28 January 1873, d. 27 March 1941

    + John Blackhall, b. 17 May 1897, d. 25 March 1980
    + Christina Jane Blackhall, b. 01 December 1898, d. 28 October 1955
    + Elizabeth Moir Blackhall, b. 05 March 1905, d. 02 July 1978
    + Alexander Anderson Blackhall, b. 01 April 1901, d. 26 January 1973



I sincerely trust that I am not entering a copyright situation having copied this info directly from the websites. I apologise if that is the case.

So what else can be uncovered?

Mike

[Flattybasher9]

I removed the post referring to Crommie Cottage and Crombie Cottage being one of the same, as the location description from the Dying Declaration of Malcolm Gillespie, jus prior to his hanging, stated that the cottage was situated between two roads from the highlands. I may have been in haste, as the book published in 1952 for the Third Spalding Club, "The place-names of Aberdeenshire" contains the comments, "Crombie Cairn, also written as Crommie Cairn", "on the Old Skene road, near Westhill". I have reserved a copy and will get it by Wednesday. I will let you know what I find out.

Regards

Malky

[Flattybasher9]

I managed to get a copy of the book, "The Place-names of Aberdeenshire", but unfortunately, it does not help. It states that Crombie Cottage was a property on the Old Skene road in the early 19th century.
Crombie Cairn, Peterculter. Also written "Crommie Cairn".
Interestingly, there is a death of a Barbara Hunter, nee Stephen at Crommie Cairn Cottage on the 6th July 1896.
There is an out of circulation OS map from 1901 which shows the Old Skene road. Aberdeen City Council archives has a copy of said. I am going to try and get a look at it to see if it can throw up any more information.

Regards

Malky

[RedMystic]

Thanks Malky, I'm backing up my tree right now so can't check to see if I have a Stephan or Hunter but the names don't ring any bells. I will check once my system settles down.

The Bains moved into Crommie Cottage between 1881 & 1891 & lived there until Ann Bain (nee Henderson) died in 1923. From what I can figure, it was a tailoring establishment & shop when they lived there.