VALLELY, Catharine ³

   Cause of her death was gall stones with localised inflammation and peritonitis over seven days.⁴

   Other names for Catharine were CONNACHIE, Catherine,⁵ McCONNACHIE, Catherine,⁴ McCONNOCHIE, Catherine ⁶ and VALLELY, Catherine.⁷

   User ID: L184.

  General Notes:

"VALLELY
CATHERINE
QUIN (mother's surname)
F
1862
655 / 32
SHOTTS"

from Index of Births

Catherine was born in Greenhill, near Cleland, in the parish of Shotts, Lanarkshire, early one late January morning. Her father, Thomas Vallely was recorded as an 'Iron Miner'. It was he who signed the register a week later at Shotts, formally notifying the birth of his daughter. Catherine's mother was called 'Catharine' and her family name was noted as Quin. She and Thomas were married on 28 August 1860 in Dungannon, County Tyrone, in Ireland.

In 1871 Catherine was aged 9 years, living with her family in Greenhill. She was the eldest of five children.

Catherine's marriage certificate in 1884 recorded her as a 'brickworker'. She was 23 years old and resident in Greenhill, a hamlet near the village of Cleland. She was able to sign her name. Her parents, Thomas Vallely and Catherine Queen, were both still alive at that time. Her father worked as a coal miner. A family source records that she was also a pupil teacher in her time.

The 1891 census recorded 'Catherine Connachie' as 29 years old. She had three daughters, aged between 2 years and 5 years of age. Two boarders also lived with them, one also named Connachie. Her husband, Henry 'Connachie', was recorded as a Firestone Quarryman. They lived at 14 Spoutscroft, near Cleland in the parish of Shotts.

The 1901 census for Cleland, in Shotts, parish recorded Catherine McConnochie living with her husband and family at Shotts Road, Greenhill. She was recorded as 38 years old and had been born in Shotts parish. Her six children at home ranged from Mary who was 15 years old to Lizzie who was 1 year old.

Catherine died on 30 May 1906. She was recorded as only 42 years old. Henry, her husband, was left a widower, and a single parent of ten children, the youngest not yet 3 years of age. It was he who notified the registrar at Cleland, William McGill, on the day of Catherine's passing, and made his X mark, as he had done for many of their family before. ^{1 5 6 8 9 10}

  Research Notes:

BRICKWORKS

A number of members of the McConnachie-McGonigal family found themselves at work in the local brickworks in order to supplement the family's income in difficult times. Young women and adolescent boys were no strangers to these conditions when the need arose.

Greenhill Brickwork is listed in the 1881 census for Greenhill, near Cleland. However the parish of Shotts contained large ironworks, tile, fire-clay and brick-works, and quarries, some of which dated from the end of the 18th into the 19th century, when the Omoa works were started by Colonel William Dalrymple. Tile, fireclay and composition brickworks could be found at Auchenlee and Hareshaw as well as Greenhill.

Many other brickworks could be found across the industrial landscape of central Scotland, including, Bargeddie, Glenboig, Hamilton and Pumpherston, as industrialists diversified in order to maximise their profits from the resources they held. Indeed, residual street names continue to testify to their former presence, 'Brick Row' and 'Brickwork Square' among them.

DR JOHN LITHGOW

Dr John Lithgow was a native of Cleland and practised there for forty six years. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1890, and served abroad during the First World War. He died in 1939, just before the outbreak of the second war. A number of the Cleland families in this family tree were patients of his.

'J.M.M.K. writes:
"It was with deep regret that I learned the other day of the death of my old friend John Lithgow. His passing recalls many happy memories of our 'year' of 1890 and Glasgow University in the spacious days of the late eighties of the last century, when the medical curriculum was four years, and few of us worried too much about examinations or were excessively industrious. I can visualise him strolling out of the clasroom into the quadrangle in embryo (what he proved to be in professional life) the embodiment of sound common sense and good humour. Lanarkshire has contributed to medicine a number of most distinguished pioneers and teachers - Cullen, the two Hunters, Smellie. In addition it has supplied for generations a succession of family medical practitioners of great professional repute. Among these must now be included John Lithgow, beloved by his patients and respected by his fellow practitioners. Nor were his interests confined to medicine. What pleasure his successes in breeding hackneys gave him! His friends pay honour to a man of sterling worth and human sympathy." '

from The British Medical Journal June 10 1939 ¹¹

  Medical Notes:

John Lithgow MD certified the cause of Catherine's death.

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Time of birth: at 7.00 am.

2. Time of death: at 5.45 pm.

Catharine married Henry McCONAGHY, son of Michael McCONAGHEY younger, in Annaloist (DNA Linked) and Margaret O'NEILL (DNA Linked), on 10 March 1884 in RC Chapel, Cleland, Lanarkshire, Scotland.^{1 2} (Henry McCONAGHY was baptised on 31 January 1857 in Shankill RC parish, County Armagh, Ireland and died on 20 December 1934 in 74 Biggar Road, Cleland, Lanarkshire, Scotland.). The cause of his death was senility.⁴

  Marriage Notes:

Henry McConnachie and Catherine Vallely were married in Cleland according to the rites and forms of the Roman Catholic Church. Father John Hughes married the couple, and their witnesses were Mary Vallely, probably the bride's sister, who signed the register, and Peter Lynch who made his X mark.

Henry made his X mark, and Catherine signed the register.

Catherine was 23 years old and Henry 28 years old. She worked as a brickworker and he was a quarrier. Both were from Greenhill, which was in the administrative parish of the West District of Shotts.

Henry's father, Michael, was deceased. His mother, Margaret O'Neil, and both of Catherine's parents were still living.

The marriage was registered at Cleland on 13 March 1884, Alexander McGill being assistant registrar.
²