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Did your informant tell you where Margaret Thomson died? There are 5 deaths for the name in 1855 - none of them in Wigtownshire and none with the name Hughes attached to them. There is nothing for a Margaret Hughes.

Hi Potty, just came online...re your question. there is a Hughes Margaret Thomson listed in 1855 Kirkcowan. aged 85.. I have been in touch with the person who has this death listed, but no answer as yet... Don't want to purchase it if he already has it... :-S :-S

I can see what you mean tho!!! if she was 60 in 1841 then she should have been around 75 in 1885!! perhaps an error... I'm only guessing this is the one my source has as like you, I cant see any other deaths in Wigtown..
:-S :-S

No wonder I couldn't fine it - age out by 10 years! Had a free credit so looked at the results - two but both for the same person:

1 1855 HUGHES MARGARET IRVINE THOMSON F 85 KIRKCOWAN /WIGTOWN 888/00 0015
2 1855 THOMSON MARGARET IRVINE HUGHES F 85 KIRKCOWAN /WIGTOWN 888/00 0015

this could be her in 1851 - but again the age differs:


1851 Scotland Census
Margaret Thompson
Age:77
Estimated Birth Year:abt 1774
Relationship:Head
Gender:Female
Where born:Belfast, Ireland
Parish Number:888
Civil Parish:Kirkcowan
Town:Kirkcowan
Address:Main Street
Occupation:Pauper (formerly Servant)
Margaret Thompson 77

Ooohh!! definitely looks like her, but as you say age differs. I have come across this with my mams side where gr gr great grandmothers age is not accurate at time of death. I even had a gr great grandfather who knocked off 10 years when he married for the 3rd time...No wonder we cant find them, they made life sooo difficult for us, but I don't think they would have expected their gr gr great grandchildren to be looking them up... Thanks Potty.. I am waiting to hear from the guy who is supposed to have this image.. Many thanks for using up your free credit on my account.. :-D

Please to have helped, Nancy. I was very interested in this search as I live in the area and all the places are known to me. There is another thread running at the moment for the same area (nothing to do with your family), which is great for me.

Please let us know what info you get back.

Just double checked the death for Margaret Thomson (Hughes) and put in the mothers surname as Irvine...And it came up.. At last were getting somewhere Potty.. :-D

Well, you're right about Margaret Thomson being Charles's mother, Nancy.
I've spent some credits and looked at the image of the death cert.

Margaret Hughes, pauper, female, age 85.
Born Belfast; 60 years in "this district".
Parents: James Thomson, labourer, & Margaret Thomson, ms Irvine.
Was married to Charles Hughes, labourer.
Child: Charles Hughes, 49.
Death: 10/11/1855, 10.30am, in village of Kirkcowan.
Cause of death: senectus (old age), as certified by James Gillespie, surgeon, who saw deceased on 9th November 1855.
Buried: churchyard of Kirkcowan, as certified by James McKie, sexton.
Informant: Charles Hughes, son.

So if Murray and Douglas are family names, they presumably come from Mary McKie Hughes's side.

Aww!! argyllgran, a' didna' expect you to use your credits but a thousand thanks... That's put my mind at rest. .a' kin hiv a good weekend now.. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Margaret and Charles Hughes must have married in Ireland then?

She would have been 25 when she came to Scotland!

Pottty!1 argyllgran has kindly got the proof we need re Margaret Thomson Hughes, according to the details she has been in the country for 60 years..So I'm assuming she married in Ireland.. What do you both think???

She could have married in either Ireland or Scotland, but there's no record on SP.

There's also no record of the death of her husband Charles in Wigtownshire 1805-54 - though I guess he died before 1841.


I find this search interesting because of knowing the area, too, Potty. My father belonged to Newton Stewart and we visited relatives frequently.

Dumfries and Galloway FHS have published a booklet with inscriptions from Kirkcowan churchyard - I will see if the library has a copy next time I am in Newton Stewart (we live about 6 miles away, AG).

A lot of Irish people who came over to Galloway married in Portpatrick - know as irregular marriages- and NS library has a copy of a booklet of them. I will look at that as well. I did find it online a while ago, but can't now!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portpatrick

"In the 18th and 19th centuries, when Portpatrick was an important ferry port for passengers, postal mail and freight between Ireland and Scotland, the village was described as the Gretna Green for Ireland. There was a daily packet boat from Donaghadee, and marriages for couples from Ireland were conducted by the Church of Scotland minister in Portpatrick, although according to Brack (1997) he often overlooked the rules about the publication of banns or the required period of residence. It's believed that happy couples could disembark, complete the ceremony, and be back on board within an hour."

All very interesting... Be nice to get the the bottom of it tho!! But I wont build my hopes up too much.. Thanks Potty that would be grand and a HUGE thanks to you both for your input... <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Have a good weekend both of you x

You're very welcome, Nancy - and same to you!

Another thing I have noticed.. Son Charles was 49 when his mother died at aged 85 (making his birth 1806 of course) but that would mean his mother must have been aged 36 when she gave birth to him!!! that's pretty old for a first child, so! either she got married late in life or she had quiet a lot of children and perhaps Charles was the youngest son.


Hi Guys! I cant seem to let this go can I! it just occurred to me (according to her death in 1885 where it says she was in the district for 60 years) that if Margaret Thomson Hughes came to Wigtown in 1795 at the age of 25... and Charles was born in1806. So what did she do for 11 years before Charles was born? Did she come to Scotland with a family already in tow and have some more before Charles?? She would have been 36 when Charles was born isn't that a bit old for a first child?? Perhaps Charles was the youngest son.. ? Oh dear, a glass of wine is called for I think, and an early night before my brain explodes..

:-(

Oh dear I've copied and pasted the above twice.... Definitely an early night for me I think...

Re whether or not Margaret had other children -
it doesn't look as if she did. The death/burial records of other people on the same page of the parish register list several children, but only Charles is listed for Margaret.

We could speculate endlessly! Perhaps she had earlier children, but they died. Maybe she had miscarriages.
Maybe she married relatively late in life, or just hadn't managed to become pregnant.
Who knows?!
Maybe her husband died (or departed) soon after Charles was born, so she didn't have later children - or, again, maybe they died.
Maybe she'd had earlier children whom Charles didn't know about.
Maybe Charles, as informant, just didn't mention any others.
Maybe, maybe, maybe!


If her stated age at death (85) is correct, then, yes, she arrived in Scotland aged 25.
But if her age (60) on the 1841 census is correct, then she would have been 74 or 75 at death, so arriving in Scotland aged 15-ish, and giving birth to Charles when she was about 25..

The 1851 census posted by Potty looks like the right one, with another slightly different birth year.
Maybe she wasn't sure when she was born.

Oh well, thanks again Argyllgran, we could speculate for ever couldn't we... I suppose this is where the line will just have to end. I should be gratefull for what I have, just dead annoying tho. I am gratefull for all you and Potty have done...Well done to you both... Nancy