LYNESS, James ¹

   Cause of his death was bronchitis and dropsy.

   Another name for James was LYNAS, James.

  General Notes:

A 'James Lyness' was born in November 1864 whose mother was recorded as 'Helen Lyness, clipper in a muslin warehouse'. The address given was as Maitland Street, and the registration district as Milton, Glasgow. The child was termed 'illegitimate'. The reason for this appears to have been that although Helen Lyness told the parish inspector she had been married at St Mary's in Abercromby Street, the application specifically mentions that there were no marriage lines seen. The birth registration information was given to the registrar James Smith at Glasgow on January 26 1865 by Helen Lyness, mother. No father's name was given.

Note: Lyness, and its variant spellings was the name of Helen's husband. Her surname when single was Brady. her relationship with her husband James had lasted from at least 1856 and was at the very least a common law marriage, accepted as a marriage in Scotland. The child she was registering was her sixth by her husband. Three of her previous five children had already died by this time, one of the two months before. James Smith registrar deserves to be remembered with shame.


According to the family's Poor Law application in June 1879 James was 16 years old, was an irondresser, and had gone to America six weeks earlier, about the start of May 1879.


In March 1881 when his mother claimed relief, James was said to be 25 years old, single, a moulder, not seen for six months.


James died on December 21 1885, three days after being removed from the Poor House by his mother. His mother, Helen, was present at his death, and notified the registrar, Alexander Dawson, at Glasgow, on 23 December 1885.


His death certificate said James was aged 30 years, and had been by occupation a journeyman Iron Dresser. He was a single man. ^{1 3 4 5 6}

  Medical Notes:

D. MacLean MD certified the cause of death.

Helen Lyness, mother of the deceased who had been present where his died, notified the registrar at Glasgow, Alexander Dawson, on 23 December 1885 and made her X mark.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Poor Law app for relief, 7 November 1885, Glasgow, Scotland. ^{7 8}

2. Poor Law app for relief, 8 December 1885, Glasgow, Scotland. ⁸

3. Poor Law app for relief, 18 December 1885, Glasgow, Scotland. ⁸