Linlithgow - Gilles and Thomson(e) and etc.....

[jennyblain]

Jean and Paula, and anybody else with Linlithgow connections,

OK, here's the story, as far as I can make it just yet..

William Gilles and Margaret Jarden married sometime in the 1660s, and produced lots of children between 1668 and 1682. Nothing definite yet on the parents of either, but I'll go on looking at OPRs, off and on – the witnesses can be interesting.
One of their children was John Gilles, b. 1681 so quite far down the list.

John married Agnes Thomsone on 19 Oct 1707, and they had many children including two sets of twins: Alexander and Susanna b. 1708, Christian 1711, Margaret and Eupham 1713, Janet 1716, William 1717, John 1719, James 1722.

(working backwards now) Agnes was daughter of William Thomsone and Marion or Margaret Lithgow – the birth record of Agnes in Sept 1679 says Marion and the parents' marriage, 25 Aug 1678, Margaret! I don't (yet) have details of either William or Marion's birth. William seems to have been a tenant in a place with a name I'm trying to decipher, and John Balderstone was cautioner for both parties. However, the birth record of Agnes has witnesses James Lithgow, Steffen/Stephen Lithgow and Alexander Thomsone. In particular, 'Stephen Lithgow' seems to be a quite unusual name and I've found an IGI entry (OPR extract) for a Stephen of the right vintage to be the previous generation, in Linlithgow, giving his father's name, so will pursue this via SP.

Back to Agnes and her husband John Gillies:
From the marriage record, 1707, William Gillies the father of John was a currier and burgess in Linlithgow. William Thomson, indweller in Linlithgow, was deceased by the time of this marriage and William Gilles was cautioner for both parties.

Now my line from them:

Eupham Gilles, daughter of Agnes and John, married twice: first to a William Thomson (how confusing!) who was tenant of Kettlestone Mill, then to Robert McCulloch. The second marriage record in 1844 says, 'Robert Mcculloch son of James Mcculloch Landsman in Linlithgow and Eupham Gillies Widow of William Thomson Tenant in Kettlestown mill. He of the parish of Torphichen and She of this parish. Thomas Cowan Weaver in Wookcockdale Cautioner for Both partys In communi forma.'

From the birth records of their children, Robert and Eupham took over the tenancy at Kettlestone Mill – their twins Robert and William (1755, a bit down their family) were born there. I'm descended from this William McCulloch. He was a mason, appears to have gone north to work on Dunrobin castle, and married there in 1789 one Ann Simson, who was probably a servant in the castle and if so could have come from anywhere, even England! I've written to the Dunrobin administrators asking if they have records. This William and Ann returned to Linlithgow, where William eventually became an innkeeper and ran the Bridge Inn (Linlithgow Bridge, just across the bridge into Stirlingshire) which remained in their family until the 1880s.

In the meantime – these OPR scans are fascinating, because they give a picture of what's going on in Linlithgow, and the same family names keep reappearing – I've found other Thomsons, and also Cowans of Woodcockdale, on the pages which have 'my' entries. Only wish I could have copies of the whole lot!

Jenny

[SarahND]

Only wish I could have copies of the whole lot!

Hi Jenny,
I know exactly what you mean! I want to see ALL of the records of an entire parish to try to piece together all the interrelationships This is turning out to be a very expensive new addition to SP for those of us too far from Edinburgh to go scroll through the films

Am interested to hear about your John Gilles, since I was looking at him at one time (along with all the other Gilles, Giles, Geils, etc. in Scotland...) Still haven't figure out which one is mine

All the best,
Sarah

[jennyblain]

Any other clues, Sarah - any connections to the place? There were loads of Gilleses in Linlithgow area, lots of cousins I think!

Jenny

[SarahND]

No connections to the place as far as I know... but then, I don't know much! Just plugging along eliminating people one by one in the hopes that there will be someone left in the end!
I'll let you know if your lot begin to look promising!
Regards,
Sarah

[jennyblain]

I keep finding more Gilleses!

This is quite fascinating. I'm at the stage where I'm not caring desperately whether they are 'my' Gilleses or not (well, they are all likely to be cousins anyway). The little bits of information in the OPR scans can map trades and all kinds of connections. Here's one that may interest somebody: I was looking for somebody else, but it was at the top of the page.

November 24 1695

William Thomsone servant to William Gilles farmer and Elizabeth Aitken servt to David Hendersone farmer Both in this parish The said William Gilles caur (cautioner) for his (abbreviation) servant and Charles Watt caur for the said Elizabeth in (abbreviation, not 'communi') forma.

Both the Thomson and Gilles people mentioned might be related to my ancestors or might be quite different. Just wish I had the time to map out all the relationships around Linlithgow at that time, when it's moving from a farm-based community to a collection of trades and industries...

Jenny

[SarahND]

There are more than one might think! I have an entire "Giles in Scotland" file on my family tree program so far, I note, with 1106 entries
Let me know if you ever come upon a Peter born in the 1760's or 1770's...
I've got the one born in Linlithgow in 1706, son of William Gilles and Marion Duncan I certainly hope he is not the same as the Peter who married Helen Dick in Linlithgow in 1717 (at age 11)

On we go plodding... one Gilles after another
Regards,
Sarah