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No I haven’t I have searched and cannot find any

FindMyPast doesn't allow searching the census with a birthplace. Maybe someone with Ancestry can search the 1861 census for a Robert Watt with a birthplace of England? And it looks like 1831 is the most likely birth year. I'm still thinking that Robert may have been married before and not free to marry Mary.

Am sure there are more references to Robert in Newspapers, using different keywords, place names etc. Don't know how many Robert Watts there are, but another artcle below...

Chris :)

CHILD NEGLECT.—At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Monday, Robert Watt, senior, laborzrer, Green Street, Saltcoats, and his wife, appeared on a charge of having, between the Ist June and the 7th October, neglected their four children, aged from 3 to ten...

20 October 1899 - Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald - Ardrossan, Ayrshire


Also notes that Alexander who was informant on Death Cert. seemed to be son of John Watt, Engineer (Kilwinning) several articles April 1871 (after Census taken) John was killed in accident, Eglinton Iron Works.

1871
John Watt Head Married Male 41 1830 Engine Fitter At Works Dunlop, Ayrshire, Scotland
Mary Watt Wife Married Female 43 1828 - Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
Rachel Watt Daughter - Female 16 1855 - Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
Alexander Watt Son - Male 14 1857 Scholar Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
James Watt Son - Male 11 1860 Scholar Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
John Watt Son - Male 9 1862 Scholar Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
George Watt Son - Male 3 1868 Scholar Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland
School Row, 3, Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland


There is also below couple about...

21 March 1874 - Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald - Ardrossan, Ayrshire,

At Crofthead Street, Saltcoats, on the 17th inst., by the Rev. George Pbilp, Robert Watt, to Mary Robertson.


When was Death of Mary?...Robert being Widower 1901...(would the image of 1901 Scotland Census, give anything other than England?, in fact any of Census images from ScotlandsPeople)

(rg, I sometimes try searching FMP, using Birthplace in 'Optional Keywords' box)

Chris :)

As Lindsey has said, Mary died in 1900:

WATT (also listed as Halbert)
MARY
51
1900
615/ 94
Stevenston

After that, the children are not with their father.

The image of 1901 census just says England, as transcribed. So does 1891.
Maybe someone else will be willing to spend credits on 1871 and 1881 - though I expect they will also be as transcribed.

I don't see any English Robert of about the right age in Scotland in 1861, with occupation anything to do with an ironworks.

If he was still in England at that time, there are too many for me to check through at the moment.

Just in case (and gut feeling says it's not him) , I'll post this one in Edinburgh. His occupation is clearly mistranscribed, but I can't find this record on SP at all, having looked for it with each of the names in turn, and allowing for misspelling/mistranscription.

Robert Watt
in the 1861 Scotland Census
Name: Robert Watt
Age: 25
Estimated birth year: abt 1836
Relationship: Lodger
Gender: Male
Where born: England
Registration Number: 685/2
Registration district: St Andrew
Civil Parish: Edinburgh St Mary
County: Midlothian
Address: 52 Broughton St
Occupation: Works On Gens
ED: 45
Household schedule number: 29
Line: 15
Roll: CSSCT1861_126
Household Members:
Name Age
Ann Jenkine 59
Margaret Jenkine 20
Margaret Gaub 16
Robert Watt 25

The 1906 Durham death still feels like a good possibility to me - he may have gone there for work - lots of ironworking there at that time.

Sorry AG, I'd missed that 1900 Death...

Don't really know what Lindsey has researched, and seen actual images of, followed addresses from Certs. etc., or if Mary Halbert and Parents, on Census has been researched, her Birth Cert. details...

Chris :)

There is always the possibility that Robert's death has been missed from the indexes. I have an example of this on my own tree but I did find a burial record for my ancestor which gave me a date of death. I was hoping for his death registration to find his mother's name (he was born and married in Ireland).

In the case of Robert Watt, I would try to find his wife's burial place and find where the cemetery records are held and ask who else is in the same lair.

I have just viewed the Scotspeople death record for Robert watt in 1856 in Kilwinning it is indeed the son of Alexander and Marion from pathfoot. As I have said before I have not found Robert barn in England on any previous census prior to 1881 on Mary’s death record of which I have viewed it gives her daughter Janet Somerville as the informant. I am trying to contact churches in the area of Stevenston to see if I can find out if Mary Watt who died in 1900 is buried there.
Other than that I don’t know where to go from here

I have requested a burial search for Mary, from North Ayrshire Council:

https://tinyurl.com/w2eegbt

They say they aim to reply within 5 working days.



If anyone has a sub to deceasedonline, please can they have a look at this record for the burial of a Robert Watt?
I don't see the death of a Robert Watt in Ayrshire in 1904 on SP. [ EDIT: Yes, I can - it's not him.]

Robert Watt
BuriedOn:
19 December 1904
Recorded in:
North Ayrshire
Date of death
19 December 1904

EDIT:

Oops! Yes, there's this death which will relate to that burial - so not "our" Robert:

WATT
ROBERT
45
1904
598/ 65
Kilmaurs

I was going to ring north Ayrshire council on Monday for the same reason to try and find if Mary has been buried and if Roberts with her

In view of the newspaper articles about this couple, it will be surprising if they are buried together, although stranger things have happened

I agree - and that also reinforces my feeling that he probably finally abandoned his children (and Scotland) altogether after Mary's death.

Unless his death is missing from the indexes as RG suggests, he did not die in Scotland,

It seems unlikely that we'll ever know where in England he was born.

Lindsey, the 1871 census showing Robert and Mary has been posted on the thread. We just haven't found him before then.

?????

1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Reform Court, Gorbals, Lanarkshire, Scotland


First name(s) Last name Sex Age Birth year Birth place

John Watt Male 35 1806 Scotland
Blandina Watt Female 28 1813 England
Blandina Janet Watt Female 11 1830 England
Robert Thos Watt Male 9 1832 England
Margaret Watt Female 7 1834 England
Mary Elizth Watt Female 5 1836 England
Barbara Watt Female 1 1840 England

As there is clearly no marriage between Robert Watt and Mary Halbert, I fear you will never be able to identify his parents.

First name(s) Blandina Jennet
Last name Watt
Gender Female
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1830
Baptism date 06 Jun 1830
Place Truro
County Cornwall
Country England
Father's first name(s) John
Father's last name Watt
Mother's first name(s) Blandina
Mother's last name -
Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Collections from England, Great Britain

WATT, BARBARA DANGAR
GRO Reference: 1839 S Quarter in HEREFORD AND DORE Volume 26 Page 171

This is that Robert Thomas - but I DON'T believe he's the right one:


Robert Thomas Watt
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1970
Name: Robert Thomas Watt
Birth Date: 23 Nov 1831
Gender: Male
Event Type: Baptism
Father: John Watt
Mother: Blandina
Baptism Date: 29 Jan 1832
Baptism Place: Hereford, Herefordshire, England
Denomination: Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion
Piece Title: Piece 0728: Hereford, Berington Street (Count. of Huntingdon), 1813-1836



He's not with his parents in 1851.

First name(s) Blandina
Last name Danger
Name note -
Marriage year 1829
Marriage date 05 Jul 1829
Marriage place St Clement
Spouse's first name(s) John
Spouse's last name Watt
Residence St. Clement, Cornwall, England
County Cornwall
Country England
Record set England Marriages 1538-1973
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Marriages
Collections from England, Great Britain