William LOWSON or LAWSON, Anstruther Easter, abt 1800

[leccy]

Hi all,

I would appreciate some ideas for sorting out a road block.

I have a William LAWSON (sailor) who married a Margaret ANDERSON in Anstruther Easter in 1801. I would like to try and find out who his parents were. There is one possibility, this being Daniel LOWSON and Margaret LIDDELL, with a birth year of 1765.  However there are a few things to unpick first.

The parish register entry for the marriage simply states "1801. Feb 27. Contracted for Marriage William Lawson and Margaret Anderson both in this parish". I can't see any information about whether there were banns called and if so where, and whether this was a first marriage or he was a widower.

I was thinking maybe a widower because there is also another, earlier, marriage for a William LOWSON of Anstruther Easter - to an Isobel LAWSON in the adjacent village of Pittenweem in 1789. There is also a possible death of Isobel in 1799, but again no corroborative detail (just the mortcloth payment record). I note also that the 1801 marriage date would make him 36 at the time, which seems a little old for a first marriage.

So what I am wondering is -

• Is there likely to be any more detail available on the 1801 marriage?
• Is there likely to be any record of the death/burial of Isobel that might indicate who she was?
• Can anyone find death records for William or Margaret (I can't seem to find them in the 1841 census so I am assuming before then)
• What are the chances of finding any more information at all?

All leads welcomed!

[Forfarian]

Is there likely to be any more detail available on the 1801 marriage?

No.

Is there likely to be any record of the death/burial of Isobel that might indicate who she was?

No. Assuming that you have already tried the Old Parish Register burials, the mortcloth record will be the only record.

What are the chances of finding any more information at all?

Small but non-zero.

Can anyone find death records for William or Margaret (I can't seem to find them in the 1841 census so I am assuming before then)

Some of the 1841 census of Fife is lost - apparently the books were being taken to Edinburgh but the ship taking them was wrecked. So although the Anstruther ones survive, it's not impossible that William and Margaret had moved to another parish whose books were lost.

The first thing I'd try would be the Fife Deaths Index - this is a database of records of deaths before 1855 in Fife, compiled from a variety of sources by the Fife Family History Society. It is available on FindMyPast.

I would also check for a will or wills at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, and I'd try the newspapers just in case. These too can be accessed at FindMyPast.

[leccy]

Thanks, it was worth a punt!

I will do some more digging in the dirt but I suspect this is going to be one of those unsolved mysteries.