STEWART, Margaret

   Another name for Margaret was STUART, Margaret.^{1 2 3 4}

   User ID: K897.

  General Notes:

"STUART
MARGARET
THOMAS STUART/
F
17/08/1717
157 10 / 130
INVERAVON"

from Births and Baptisms


Old Parish Registers
Inveravon parish Banffshire
Baptisms

"(1717 is not inscribed, but 1718 is, half-way down the page, with the months in order)

Agust (sic) 17
Thomas Stuart hade a Child baptised named Margaret begotten in fornication" ^{3 4}

  Research Notes:

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

Aberlour parish registers, Banffshire has three Margaret Stuarts baptised in 1716, each of whose father is John Stuart. They are:

1 "Febry 14^th 1716 Stuart John Stuart in Carron had his nrall (natural) daughter baptized called Margaret his brother Robert Stuart being sponsor witnesses Alex^r McKondachie & James Kynach there"

2 "Aprile 15^th 1716 Stuart John Stuart in Runnachat had his daur baptized called Margaret witnesses Alexander Stuart in Allachie, John Gordon there & Robert Grant in Boginduy"

3 "July 29th 1716 Stuart This day John Stuart there ("in Carron" noted in previous entry of baptism for the same day) had his daur baptized called Margaret witnesses Patrick McKondachie & John Findlay there"

Carron is about four miles south of Aberlour and about twelve miles north of Drumin in Glenlivet. Many of the Stuarts/Stewarts in the Aberlour registers appear to be Birkenbush Stuarts. A neighbour of theirs was John Gordon in Allachie, mentioned in document 2 "John Gordon there", who had two sons baptised William, one in 1721 who presumably died young, and one in 1725. The latter would possibly be a candidate to be 'William Gordon of Bogfoutain', but as far as is known no son named Robert was born to that family, and William of Bogfoutain was supposed to have had a brother Robert.

The entry after document 3 is a baptism record of daughter, Margaret, of William Gordon in Glenrinnes. This man too might have been a candidate for 'William Gordon of Bogfoutain', who is thought to have lived in Glenrinnes. There are a number of baptisms in the Aberlour parish registers of children whose father is William Gordon, some of them definitely William Gordon in Glenrinnes: Margaret 1716 (definitely William in Glenrinnes), Elspet 1718, Janet 1720, John 1722, Robert 1724 (definitely William in Glenrinnes), Unnamed child 1727 (definitely William in Glenrinnes), Patrick and Marjory twins 1729.

There is no child named William in this list, although the unnamed child might be him, but then 1727 seems a rather late date for the birth of 'William Gordon of Bogfoutain'. This speculation has been developed here because Margaret Stuart and her husband William Gordon may have been neighbours in early life; their families may have been well acquainted.

Aberlour offers many combinations of Stuarts and Gordons. There is a baptism in Inveravon parish register, dated 17 May 1640, for the son of of Johne Donaldsone in Achdregnie called William, where one of the witnesses is "William Gordone in Glenrinnes". He, of course, may not have been of the same family, but it is a case needing further clarification.

The page where document 3 is entered also contains the baptism of a son James, 24 September 1716, to Thomas Stuart in Esquiebuie. The witnesses are James McKondachie in Delmore, and James Grant in Culwhgich (Culquoich). This may, or may not, be the same Thomas Stuart presented here as the father of Margaret Stuart.




BIRTH OUTSIDE MARRIAGE: 'NATURAL' CHILDREN

There are many such baptisms to be found in the Banffshire parish registers. A Rootschat contributor commented:

"T C Smout, in his book A Century of the Scottish People 1830-1950, says

Commentators had little to say on the matter [of illegitimacy] until the 1850s, when the Registrar-General published, for the first time, the statistics of illegitimate births. This showed three salient and remarkable features. Firstly, illegitimacy was on average higher in Scotland than in England and most of Europe. Secondly, it was generally higher in the countryside than in the towns, which was unusual in a European context. Lastly, it was very much higher in some parts of the countryside than in others. In 1861-65, for example, the proportion of illegitimate births was 16.6 per cent in Banffshire compared to 4.2 per cent in Ross and Cromarty; close analysis of the returns for 1855 (the only year for which this exercise is possible) shows that a teenage girl in Banff was more than twenty times as likely to have a bastard as one in Ross, and the risk even for girls in their twenties was between four and six times greater in Banff than Ross. Such extraordinary statistical disparities obviously showed that there were real differences in what was regared as acceptable sexual behaviour among the working classes in different parts of the country. It was easy to see this but difficult to explain it, though many made the attempt."

Statistics, if available, would demonstarte that the norms for 17th and 18th century were similar to those of the 19th century. 'Natural', now meaning 'illegitimate', children were welcomed into families and treated very similarly to 'lawful' children, despite restrictions of law and church. ^{6 7}

Margaret married William GORDON of Bogfoutain, at Auchorachan, Jacobite 1745, son of GORDON and Unknown, on 23 July 1741 in Aberlour parish, Banffshire, Scotland.^{1 2} (William GORDON of Bogfoutain, at Auchorachan, Jacobite 1745 was born about 1719 ⁸ and died in September 1790.)

  Marriage Notes:

"STUART
MARGARET
WILLIAM GORDON/
23/07/1741
145 10 / 248
ABERLOUR"

from Index of Marriages


Old Parish Registers
Aberlour parish Banffshire
Marriages

"1741
23 July
Gordon & Stuart
William Gordon in this parish & Margaret Stuart in Inveraven Married" ^{1 2}