The Ancestors of Peter Stewart in Tomnaguie (Tom-na-gaoithe)

The ruins of Riemoraig by Loch Moraig, Glen Fender

According to the Blair Atholl OPR, Peter Stewart in Tomnaguie and Christian Stewart in Tomnaguie, married 13th January 1850.

Christian Stewart was the eldest daughter of Allan Stewart, shoemaker, and Janet Seaton in Balinloan of Shierglas, born 15th August 1828.

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The Family of Peter Stewart and Christian Stewart in Tomnaguie

Peter's death certificate gives his parents as Peter Stewart and Isobel Fraser, but there is no record of a marriage between a couple having these names, so his origins were obscure. Certainly he was not related to the previous Stewart tenants of Tomnaguie who had been evicted by the Atholl Estate Factor, but there were some clues.

When Civil Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Scotland commenced in 1855 the first birth certificates required so much family information that the Registrars insisted on them being simplified in subsequent years. Luckily Peter Stewart had a son William born in 1855, and the birth certificate states that Peter Stewart was born at Black Park, Blair Atholl, which was part of Ceannamoin.

There is no record of any Stewarts being tenant farmers of Ceannamoin after 1803. However the Lude Estate census, 11th October 1822, lists Isabella Stewart, aged 36, with two daughters (Isabella and Catharine) as being the head of a family at Ceannamoin. Normally the head of a family would be male, but the census does not refer to her as widow Stewart, which suggests that Isabella's husband was working elsewhere.

An Isabella Stewart appears in the 1841 census, as head of a family at Riemoraig, which is next to Ceannamoin. Peter Stewart, presumably her son, was farming Riemoraig with the help of a McDonald family who were living in the second house on the property. In addition there were two servants living in the same house as Isabella and Peter. The house must have been fairly large as there were two visitors, James Stewart and Alexander Stewart, presumably father and son. The ScotlandsPeople database have the son listed as 'Alan', but the entry is difficult to read and it actually is 'Alex'.

1841 Census for Riemoraig, Blair Atholl

By 1841 the tenants of Ceannamoin had already been removed to make way for sheep farming, with Cairnbaddie and Riemoraig being cleared soon afterwards. Most tenants were offered alternative properties.

Tomnaguie (Tom-na-gaoithe) had been farmed by a series of Stewart families, but none of them seem to have been related. Patrick Stewart in Tomnaguie, aged 80 years or thereabouts, was called as a witness in 1792, and his sons Peter and John held the lease until 1825. The Factor recorded that the farm was tolerably well managed, but considered the tenants as bad and worthless fellows. Normally this meant that the rent was in arrears, and in 1825 there was a farm roup and the tenants were evicted. The new tenants were Robert Stewart and his wife Elizabeth Scott. They farmed Tomanguie until 1842 when they moved to Clune-beg. The estate records show that the farmhouse was repaired in 1845 and Peter Stewart probably took over the lease at around that time, and was certainly living there when he married Christian Stewart in January 1850. Isabella Stewart does not seem to appear in the 1851 census, but it known that she died at Middlebridge on 2nd June 1864. The informant was her son Donald Stewart in Clachan of Struan.

1851 Census for Tomnaguie

Their son James died in infancy on 20th August 1864. There is a monument inscription at Blair Atholl parish church (O3).

The family were at Tomnaguie until around 1866, after which they moved to Moulin parish where James and Catharine were born.

The family then moved to Blairgowrie where Alexander was born.

And by 1881 they were at Cairney Hill (now part of Bankfoot).

1881 Census for Cairney Hill, Auchtergaven

As stated earlier, Peter's death certificate gives his parents as Peter Stewart and Isobel Fraser, but there is no record of a such a marriage. Not all children were baptised and recorded in the Old Parish Registers, but virtually all marriages were recorded. So the parental names must be in doubt, and likewise the move from Riemoraig to Tomnaguie has no proof.

One point of interest were the visitors, James and Alexander Stewarts, in the 1841 census for Riemoraig. James Stewart was described as 'independent', so he was not a farm servant and having a child with him, but no wife, suggested that he might be a visiting relation. In addition he was the right age to be Peter's elder brother. Assuming that this was the case, and taking into consideration that his father was not a tenant farmer, then one would expect James to be working as a farm labourer near the family home, and possibly marry a local girl. A search of the Glen Fender area showed that there was such a marriage.

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Blair Atholl OPR, marriages
James Stewart in Monzie and Catherine Stewart in Kilmaveonaig, married 9th February 1834.

This looked promising, but there was no record of any children being baptised in Blair Atholl parish. The only possible children were born in Blairgowrie, not Blair Atholl: William Stewart; 5th July 1839 and Margaret Stewart; 23rd September 1841. The 1841 census for Blairgowrie showed that William's mother was Catharine Stewart, and that his father appeared to be absent.

1841 Census for Blairgowrie

Although the 1841 census merely states that Catharine Stewart was born in Perthshire, not Blair Atholl, this information seemed to match James Stewart and 4 year old Alexander being in Blair Atholl, and the 1851 census gave confirmation that this was the same family.

1851 Census 33 High Street, Blairgowrie

The entry giving their eldest daughter as Elizabeth seems to be a clerical error as she is named as Isabella in the 1861 census.

1861 Census (46) Rory Street (became Reform Steet), Blairgowrie

James Stewart, flesher (butcher) married to Catharine Stewart, died at Reform Street, Blairgowrie, on 27th July 1869 aged 65 years. His parents were given as Alexander Stewart, deceased farmer, and Margaret McIntosh, deceased.

So, contrary to expectations, James Stewart was not Peter's elder brother. There is no baptismal record for James in the Blair Atholl OPR but his parents appear to be Alexander Stewart in Baluaine and Margaret McIntosh in Balnacroft, who married 6th December 1799. They had a son John, born 7th August 1802, and a son Alexander born in Moulin parish, 22nd January 1809.

Catharine Stewart was still living in Blairgowrie at the time of the 1881 census.

1881 Census 8 Reform Street, Blairgowrie

Peter Stewart had married Isabella Moncur, 17th September 1837, Blairgowrie, and his older sister Margaret had married James Moncur. It is quite likely that the Moncurs were related.

Catharine Stewart, widow of James Stewart, flesher, died at 12 Reform Street on 14th August 1891, aged 73 years (which was a bit less than the 80 years quoted in the 1891 census). Her parents were given as William Stewart, deceased cattle dealer, and Isabella Fraser, deceased.

So, if Isabella Stewart in Tomnaguie is Isabella Fraser, then things fall neatly into place. Peter Stewart's death certificate said that his mother was Isabel Fraser, which was correct, but his father was incorrectly named. Catherine Stewart in Kilmaveonaig was Isabella's daughter and Peter's sister, and when her husband James Stewart was visiting Isabella in Tomnaguie in 1841, with his 4 year old son, he was visiting his mother-in-law. The fact that Isabella's husband was a cattle dealer may also explain why she was 'head of family' in the 1822 Lude census, and why there was no obvious trace of him in the Atholl estate records. However, William Stewart and Isabella Fraser are mentioned in the Blair Atholl OPR.

Blair Atholl OPR, marriages
William Stewart in Kincraigie and Isobel Fraser in Tirinie, married 12 Feb 1801.

Isobel Fraser was the daughter of Donald Frazer and Ann Stewart who married 20th November 1778. She was born 29th August 1781. Her parents were at Wester Monzie before moving to Tirinie. Her father had been born at Wester Monzie in 1753.

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The Family of William Stewart and Isobel Fraser in Kincraigie

There is a memorial stone to William Stewart and Isabella Fraser in St Brides churchyard, with the Claverhouse vault behind it.

Memorial to William Stewart and Isabella Fraser in St Brides churchyard

"Erected by Alexander Stewart, draper, Aberfeldy, in memory of his father William Stewart who died 10 May 1834 aged 60 years. And his mother Isabella Fraser who died 5 May 1866 aged 54 years. His son Thomas Halliday Young died 5 May 1866, aged 3 months. Also his son Alexander who died 20 January 1872, aged 8 years".

This suggests that William was the son of James Stewart and Grissel McIntosh in Kincraigie, born 21st November 1771.

Mitchell and Mitchell's 'Pre-1855 North Perthshire Inscription' does not list this inscription, but probably it is stone 79. When J.R. Seaton surveyed the churchyard in 1974, he recorded that stone 79 had fallen and was partially covering the two shield-shaped stones mention later.

This memorial stone shows that William and Isabella also had another son, Alexander whose baptism is not recorded in the Blair Atholl OPR.

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Donald Stewart, cattle dealer and farmer

It is worth remembering that Isabella's daughter Catharine (Peter's sister) was living at Kilmaveonaig when she married James Stewart, the butcher. It is most likely that she was living there with her brother Donald and his wife Ann Stewart who came from Auchghoul in Glentilt. Donald's death certificate says that, like his father, he was a cattle dealer.

Blair Atholl OPR, marriages
Donald Stewart in Kilmaveonaig and Ann Stewart in Auchghoul, married 11th December 1831.

The family initially lived at Middlebridge where William and Isabel were born, but moved at Tomkindrochit (Tom of Lude) by the time of the 1841 census.

The two male farm servants: William Stewart (25y) and Alexander Stewart (15y) are almost certainly Donald's younger brothers.

By 1851 Donald was farming 86 acres at Clachan of Struan.

Donald Stewart was still farming Clachan of Struan in 1861, but had improved the farm which now consisted of 100 acres of arable and 20 acres of pasture.

Although Donald Stewart and his wife were still living at Clachan of Struan in 1871, the census records that he had retired.

Retirement doesn't seem to have lasted long as, in the 1881 census, Donald Stewart is described as a farmer of 130 acres at Bruar, but in reality, his son probably was doing the farming.

There is no obvious explanation as to why this census return says that Donald Stewart was born in Ireland. Although his father was a cattle dealer and may have been in Ireland to buy livestock, it seems highly unlikely that he would have taken a pregnant wife along with him. Most probably this is an error by the enumerator.

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The Family of Donald Stewart and Ann Stewart in Clachan of Struan

The memorial stones for Donald Stewart and his family are next to that of his parents.

Memorial to Donald Stewart, 1883, in St Brides churchyard

"Donald Stewart, cattle dealer, died at Bruar 23 April 1883 aged 79 years. Also his wife Ann Stewart who died at West Lodge 15th April 1887 aged 83 years. Also their youngest son James who died at Croftmhor 4th March 1910 aged 61 years. His wife Annie Forbes died 9th November 1924 aged 73 years. Their daughter Margaret died at the County Hospital, Lancaster, 12th April 1940 aged 49 years. Erected by their children."

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John Stewart in Middlebridge

Blair Atholl OPR, marriages
John Stewart in Kincraigie and Christian Robertson in Drumnabechin, married 21st February 1836.

The Family of John Stewart and Christian Robertson in Middlebridge

The family have not been traced in the 1841 census.

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The Family of James Stewart and Catharine Stewart, fleshers (butchers) in Blairgowrie

Census information about this family has been given above.

Blair Atholl OPR, marriages
James Stewart in Monzie and Catherine Stewart in Kilmaveonaig, married 9th February 1834.

The Family of James Stewart and Catharine Stewart in Blairgowrie

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William Stewart, day labourer

In the 1841 census William, aged 25 years, was working as a farm servant at Tom of Lude (Tomkindrochit) for his older brother, Donald Stewart. By the time of the 1851 census he was married.

Blair Atholl OPR, marriages
William Stewart in Bridge of Tilt and Vere Seaton in Aldgirnaig, Moulin parish, married 16th June 1850.

The 1851 census shows William and Vere living at Bridge of Tilt with a 1 month old baby daughter (Helen).

His death certificate gives the following information. William Stewart, day labourer married to Vere Seaton died 23rd September 1871 at Bridge of Fender. Parents given as William Stewart, deceased, cattle dealer and Isabella Fraser, deceased.

The Family of William Stewart and Vere Seaton in Bridge of Tilt

Vere Seaton became the sub-postmistress at Fenderbridge after the death of her husband.

There are two shield shaped memorial stones in St Brides churchyard which relate to this family.

Memorial to William Stewart, 1871, in St Brides churchyard

"In loving memory of our father William Stewart who died at Fender Bridge, 27th Sep. 1871. Also of our mother Vere Seaton who died 9th October 1909. Also of our brothers James, died 1st Nov 1858 (and) Alexander, died 7th Sep 1865".

Memorial to Grace Stewart, 1910, in St Brides churchyard

"In loving memory of Grace Stewart who died at Minto House, Hawick, 30th Dec 1910 aged 56 years. For 17 years the faithful housekeeper to the Earl and Countess of Minto".

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Alexander Stewart, draper in Aberfeldy

In the 1841 census Alexander, aged 15 years, was working as a farm servant at Tom of Lude (Tomkindrochit) for his older brother, Donald Stewart. He has not been identified in the 1851 census yet, but he may have been living in Wester Aberfeldy which was part of Logierait parish.

Logierait OPR, marriages
Alexander Stewart, Wester Aberfeldy, in this parish and Margaret Young, Lockerbie, parish of Dryfesdale, gave up their names for proclamation of the Banns of Marriage, 21st October 1854, and proclaimed 22nd current.

By the time of the 1861 census Alexander and his family were living in Kenmore Street, Aberfeldy, and he had set himself up as a draper. It is quite possible that this was his new profession when he married.

Their son Alexander Stewart was born in 1864 and Thomas Halliday Young Stewart was born in February 1866 but died in May of the same year. The 1871 census records the family living at Main Street, Aberfeldy.

Their son Alexander Stewart died in 1872. William Robert Stewart became a medical student and was living as a boarder at 84 Kings Street, Aberdeen, by 1881. Alexander Stewart and his wife Margaret were living at Bank Street, Aberfeldy, but the whereabouts of Isabella is unknown.

William Robert Stewart was back in Aberfeldy by 1891, living with his mother at Market Street, still described as a student of medicine. He spoke both English and Gaelic.

It is thought that William Robert Stewart was living in St George's Midlothian in 1901.