McGONNIGAL, William ^{2 3}

   Other names for William were McGONAGLE, William,¹⁰ McGONEGAL, William,⁴ McGONIGLE, William ⁷ and McGONNIGLE, William.⁵

  General Notes:

William was recorded by the 1851 census for Gorbals parish, Glasgow, living with his parents, his brother John, and a female lodger, at 156 Main Street. He was 1 year old and his birthplace was Glasgow, Lanarkshire.

In 1861 John's parents had found refuge from their poverty in the City Poorhouse in Parliamentary St Glasgow and William was included in that too. He was recorded as aged 11 years and born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire.

William is reputed to have separated from Mary Ann Niven. He went Ireland, possibly Portadown, and formed a relationship with Susan Nisbet. They came back to Scotland and lived in Leith, producing their own family there.

In a parish relief application on behalf of Sarah McGonnigal by her grandmother Catherine Owens, it was stated that William had absconded. The application was for medical relief for Sarah. It also stated that Mary Ann had gone to Newcastle with two of her children. ^{4 7 11}

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Desertion: of wife and children, July 1877, Glasgow. ⁸

2. Apprehension & imprisonment: for desertion & beating wife, Between 1880 and 1887, Glasgow. ⁸

William married Mary Anne NIVEN, daughter of James NEVIN and Catherine OWENS, on 19 September 1871 in St Francis RC Chapel, Cumberland Street, Glasgow, Scotland.¹ (Mary Anne NIVEN was born about 1851 at sea, near Mull of Kintyre, between Scotland and Ireland ^{8 12} and died after 2 August 1887 ⁸.)

  Marriage Notes:

The marriage was celebrated after banns according to the rites and forms of the Roman Catholic Church. The priest was Malachy O'Loughlin and the witnesses were John Dolan and Anne McGraw.

William McGonnigal was an unmarried man of 21 years. He lived 45 Hospital Street Glasgow. By occupation he was a journeyman tailor. Both of his parents were deceased.

Mary Anne Niven, who made her X mark, was an unmarried woman aged 20 years. She lived at 110 Rutherglen Road Glasgow. She worked as a 'skin factory locker'.

The marriage was registered on 22 September 1871 at Glasgow, the registrar being D.G.Macallan


NOTE: definition of a 'locker' was found at http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/l.html
1) Employed in Customs bonded warehouses as a trusted person to keep charge of the elaborate locks [known as the King's - or Queen's] Locks
2) Fed a power driven flat lock machine with knitted fabrics etc
3) Separated and graded locks of fur in the hat trade
4) Cut and folded sheet tin before feeding it into a grooving machine 5) Worker in the mining industry ¹³

William next married Susan NISBET. (Susan NISBET was born about 1850.)