Symbol; A Clan Crest, & My Search for Our Original Ferguson

The Clan Ferguson of Scotland crest and motto.

The symbol that has the most meaning to my husband and I, is the crest for his clan; the Ferguson clan of Scotland. The crest, as you can see above, includes a bee, on a thistle, all of which sits on a 'chapeau' ( a heraldic term for a cap of ermine). The motto for the clan is 'Dulcius ex asperis', which means 'sweeter after adversity'. This was a motto that my husband and I held close to our hearts, and in our minds, when we struggled with the conception of our first, and then our second child. We faced a fair bit of adversity in getting those buns to bake, with both major surgery and then IVF, but boy! It was a sweet result! We decided to use the name Ferguson in honour of that adversity, and its resulting sweetness.

But from where does the name Fergusson come, and how does it fit into our family's genealogy? In the family there is a series of George Ferguson Grossets. Following this line backwards I knew that I would eventually find a woman with a maiden last name 'Ferguson'. The George Grosset that I wrote about back in February, for the Heirlooms week, was the son of Ebenezer Grosset and Helen Ferguson, the 3x great grandparents of my husband.

George Grosset (1863-1935)

Ebenezer Grosset had married twice. His first wife, Elizabeth Thompson died after just 6 years of marriage, during which time they had 3 children. He would have struggled to manage the children alone, as well as earn a wage to keep their home together, so it's not surprising that Ebenezer married again, fairly quickly after Elizabeth's passing. In 1860 Ebenezer Grosset, at the age of 31, married Helen Ferguson, a 32 year old spinster. Together they had 4 children; Margaret Annie Connell Grosset, George Grosset (as mentioned above), Jane Shields Grosset, and Catherine Morrison Bell Grosset. 

I've been unable to find any birth or baptism records for Helen (sometimes called Ellen) Ferguson (or Fergusson), Her marriage record to Ebenezer states clearly, however, that her father (deceased at the time of her marriage) was George Ferguson, a gardener, and her mother was named Margaret Morrison. In census reports Helen gave her place of birth as Prestonpans, Haddingtonshire, which is now known as East Lothian. And I could make a rough estimate of year of birth from Helen's marriage record. If she were indeed 32 years of age in 1860, when she married Ebenezer, she must have been born around 1828, give or take a year. Armed with all this information I set about trying to find more records relating to George Ferguson and Margaret Morrison. 

First I searched for a record of marriage between a George Ferguson and a Margaret Morrison, in the Edinburgh area, around 1810-1830. It didn't take long. Scotland's People, is the source of all historic records for Scottish genealogical research, and a quick search on their website helped me find a record, where the proclamation of Banns of Marriage were made at St Cuthbert's church, Edinburgh, for George Ferguson, a gardener at Lochrin, and Margaret Morrison, daughter of a shoemaker named James Morrison. At the time, according to the record, they were living at 235 Canongate, Edinburgh. Lochrin was possibly Lochrin House; a grand house in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh about a 30 minute walk from Canongate, where George and Margaret lived. Lochrin House was owned by Michael Edwin Fell in 1816, who had just married his wife, Jane Callander Haig in January of the same year, also at St Cuthbert's. I've been unable to find a picture of the house, and it is long since gone; replaced by a row of tenement buildings (with retail properties on the ground floor) circa 1897, now known as Lochrin Buildings. This old map of the area gives an idea of how much garden in which George might have worked.

Lochrin House can be seen here in the north east corner of the intersection of Gilmour Place and Leven Street/ Home Street.

After having confirmed George and Margaret's marriage I was then able to find quite a few of their children, through parish records. George and Margaret must have moved from Canongate at some point soon after their marriage, as by March 1st 1817 they welcomed their first child; George Fergusson who was baptised at Prestonpans, East Lothian on 25th May the same year. A further 5 siblings followed; Catherine Ferguson (1818), James Ferguson (1821), Margaret Ferguson (1826), Helen Ferguson (1828) and John Morrison Aitcheson Fergusson (1830). There was a sixth baptismal record from 1824, for a child born of George and Margaret at Prestonpans, but the full date of birth and baptism, and the name of the child, was omitted from the record. It is impossible to know if this was Helen's actual birth and baptismal record, since I've been unable to locate her's, or if this was another child who was otherwise unrecorded. 

Prestonpans Parish Church

Prestonpans is now located in East Lothian, but back in the 1820s and 30s the county was called Haddingtonshire. It was predominantly a coal mining town, but maps from the 1800s show that there was plenty of space for gardening work, and George had continued to work as a gardener, as recorded on each and every baptismal record of his children.

Map published 1895, and found on National Library of Scotland.

After the birth of their youngest child, John, the only record I could find relating to George was a death record, dated 31st July 1842. According to the record, he died of consumption (otherwise known as TB), and was buried in the south west corner of the Prestonpans kirkyard. The death record included his age at death; 53. This gave me a rough idea of a birth year, and using this I ran a search for a birth record for a George Ferguson born between 1787-1790. When I saw the results, one entry jumped out to me; William Wright Fergusson and Elizabeth Sheills had a son named George in 1788, who was baptised at St Cuthberts, Edinburgh. It was the mother's maiden surname that caught my attention. One of George Ferguson's grand-daughters, by Helen and Ebenezer, had a middle name 'Sheills' (sometimes spelled Shields); Jane Shields Grosset, born 1865. This was my breakthrough; I now had all I was ever going to find about our original Ferguson. 

Presumably, without the income from George's gardening work, Margaret was forced to return to the nearby city of Edinburgh, where cheap housing was possibly more abundant. The next record found relating to Margaret was her own death record, from 9th February 1848. She had been living at Murdoch's Close, High Street, Edinburgh, which was a tenement at 48-50 High Street. She died of typhus fever; a disease caused by bacteria spread to humans by fleas, and lice. 

Margaret Fergusson (nee Morrison) was 51 at the time of her death; the same age of my husband, her 4x great grandson. George Fergusson was 53; the same age as myself. As I sit in our comfortable home, with heating, hot water, a fridge full of food, and soft, clean comfortable beds I wonder at how so much sweeter our lives are, compared to the adversity filled lives of George and Margaret. 

#Grosset

Tombstone; How a Google Search Led Me to the Plantagenets, & a Royal Tomb

A few years ago I was idling about on Ancestry and on an unexplained whim, decided to Google my grandfather's name. I was rather surprised to find the first site that came up was one called 'The Peerage'. The information listed with his name was all accurate; mother and father's names, father's occupation, and birth date. It was the citation that intrigued me; 

'Marquis Ruvigny, Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal, being a complete table of all the descendants now living of Edward III, King of England: Essex Volume, page 256. Hereinafter cited as Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal: Essex.'

I was so perplexed by this finding I ended up emailing the site's owner to ask if I understood correctly, what I was reading. Was I making a wild generalisation based on what was included on his site, or was I correct in understanding that my grandfather, and therefore, myself as well, were descendants of Edward III? His reply was swift and emphatic; 'Yes he is a descendant- the link is through the Money family.'

I was already aware of the Money family; Maria Rowlanda Money was my 3x great grandmother, who had married Samuel James Gambier in 1830, at Hotel de Charost (the home of the British Ambassador to France) in Paris. But I hadn't yet spent much time researching them. I tentatively started clicking on my ancestors' names, and found my way through their maze, to finally find Edward III and his wife, Philippa of Hainault.

The Essex volume of The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal follows the lineage from Isabel Plantagenet and Henry of Essex.

Still in disbelief, I found myself wanting to see the information from the actual book by Melville Henry Massue, the genealogist who created the book cited on 'The Peerage' website. He created 5 volumes of 'The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal', with the Essex volume (in which my grandfather's name appeared) following the lineage from Lady Isabel Plantagenet and her husband Henry, 1st Earl of Essex. Lady Isabel Plantagenet was the daughter of Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cambridge, who was the grandson of Edward III, and Lady Anne Mortimer, who was the 2x great grand daughter of Edward III.

I found a copy fairly quickly, online, and was amazed to see information exactly as was cited online. Assuming that Melville Henry Massue used accurate records, I could claim descendency from Edward III!

Melville Henry Massue, 1911, assumed the identity of Marquis Ruvigny, in the writing of the Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal.

Edward III was born on 13th November, 1312, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, and succeeded to the throne on 25th January 1327, at the age of 14. His parents, Edward II and Isabella of France had a tumultuous life together, and in 1327 Isabella deposed her husband, with the help of her lover, Roger Mortimer. When Edward III succeeded the throne Isabella, and Mortimer acted as his regents, pretty much ruling the country as they wished. After 3 years of  being effectively handcuffed by the power hungry Mortimer, Edward, with the help of some close friends, managed to overthrow his regents and took the throne as an independent and capable king, at the age of 17.

Mortimer seized by the King, from James Doyle, A Chronicle of England, 1864

I won't bother going into all the details of his reign; there are copious websites and books, movies and TV documentaries where all of that can be found. Suffice to say that Edward III was one of the longest reigning monarchs of England, keeping the throne for 50 years. He was a highly militarized king, and is noted by historians for his military successes. During his reign, Parliament changed substantially. The biggest change was the development of Parliament into the bicameral system we have today; of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. As part of this change the process of impeachment was developed, along with the position of the Speaker.

Sir Thomas Hungerford was the first Speaker of the House, in 1377.

Edward Plantagenet married Philippa of Hainault in 1328 when he was about 16 years old and she was somewhere in her late teens or early 20s. Her father was William the Good, Count of Hainault in Holland, and her mother was Joan of Valois, the sister of Philip VI of France. Together Edward and Philippa had 13 children; Edward the Black Prince, Isabella Countess of Bedford, Joan, William of Hatfield, Lionel Duke of Clarence, John Duke of Lancaster, Edmund of Langley Duke of York, Blanche, Mary Duchess of Brittany, Margaret Countess of Pembroke, Thomas, William of Windsor, and Thomas Duke of Gloucester.

Lionel, Duke of Clarence, as he appears on the side of his father's tomb, was my 20x great grandfather.

Despite their wealth, status, and power, their family were not immune to the Black Death, which was prevalent at the time, or the general health care norms of the day. Daughter Joan, who was betrothed to King Pedro of Castile, died of the plague before the marriage could take place, in her early teens. And likewise, their first son named Thomas died of the plague shortly after his first birthday. William of Hatfield died shortly after his birth and was buried at York Minster, and baby Blanche also died shortly after her birth, and was buried at Westminster Cathedral. The child considered to be the most important to the royal couple was, of course, their eldest son, and heir to the throne; Edward the Black Prince. Edward was a successful military man, like his father, and it was whilst he was fighting the Spanish campaign that he became ill. Some claim that he was poisoned, but it seems more likely that he suffered from the same diseases by which so many of his army were sickened. Edward lived for a further 9 years but he never fully recovered from this illness, finally succumbing in 1376. He was never to take the crown of England.

Edward the Black Prince, gained the nickname after his death, which may have referred to the black armour that he wore.

Philippa, who had ruled the country at times during her life, while husband Edward III had been out of the country, fighting the Hundred Years War, died in 1369. She was given a state funeral in 1370, and was interred in Westminster Abbey.

Edward III died eight years later, and was placed next to her. Their tombs lie opposite his grandparents, Edward I and Eleanor of Castile, on the north east side of the Chapel of Edward the Confessor.

Edward's successor to the throne of England was his grandson, Richard Plantagenet, and son of Edward the Black Prince. He was to become Richard II, whose crown would come to be overthrown by Henry of Bolingbroke, sparking the Cousin's War, better known today as the War of the Roses.

Edward III was succeeded by his grandson Richard II, in 1377.

#Newell

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melville_Henry_Massue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B4tel_de_Charost

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_of_Hainault#

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Black_Prince

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Valois,_Countess_of_Hainaut

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I,_Count_of_Hainaut

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_III_of_England

We Don't Talk About It; The 'S' Word

A few months ago, whilst prepping my research for my post on Nicolas Gambier (Language; An Original Refugee) I came across another Ancestry user, whose doubled barrelled last name included the name Gambier, and appeared to have my 5x great granduncle Robert Gambier in their tree. Curious to chat with another Gambier ancestor, especially one who still uses the name, and share research, I sent them a message, fully aware that the chances of me getting a reply any time soon were slim. Surprisingly I got a reply the very next day, but I was not prepared for the bigger surprise contained within the reply. I was not prepared, but I should have been.

My 5x great grandfather was John Gambier. His grandfather was the Nicolas Gambier mentioned above; a Huguenot refugee, who was born in Caen, Calvados in 1650, and who fled to England following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Gambiers were not the famous silk weaver type Huguenot, but instead were great mariners, and probably arrived in England with some amount of wealth and status. John Gambier's father, James (1691-1745) was Warden of the Fleet, the infamous debtor's prison. This was a nominal position that was generally bought, and which helped to establish a position of status and would have created connections. This endeavour certainly worked, because my 5x great grandfather John Gambier was given the position of acting lieutenant governor of the Bahamas twice. It did not escape me that as a white European male, with wealth, status, and power in the 1700s, he would likely own slaves, but I have to admit that this was one part of my family history I was happy to ignore. And ignore it I did, until I got this reply.
'My 6x great grandfather was an emancipated slave of Captain Robert Gambier. So, he was not a biological descendant at all, rather he was bequeathed with the family name under English law as part of Robert's will.'

This was the wake up jolt I needed. It was time to face the reality of my ancestors' role in the slave trade.
Captain Robert Gambier was a younger brother to my 5x great grandfather John. Whilst John (born 1723) had headed across the Atlantic to the Bahamas, Robert Gambier (born 1727) had headed east, to India, with the East India Company. While in India, Robert was stationed in Bombay, and in 1782 he was a member of the council there, working under the governor at the time, William Hornby.

A Map of Bombay, circa 1782

When he returned to England, he brought with him two men servants; slaves Burkut and Thomas. When Robert died in 1787, in Knightsbridge, Kensington, he made clear plans in his will for these two men.
'Also I give to Burkut and Thomas my Black Servants which I brought with me from India perfect Liberty and be my ffriend Sir Charles Middleton will take them under his Care and Protection. Also I give and bequeath unto the said Burkut the Sum of three hundred pounds to be paid to him from time to time under the disposal and direction of the said Sir Charles Middleton together also with all his Cloaths of every kind and Chests and Boxes to him belonging.
Also I give and bequeath unto the said Thomas the Sum of one hundred and fifty pounds to be paid to him from time to time under the disposal and direction of the said Sir Charles Middleton together also with all his Cloathes of every kind and Chests and Boxes to him belonging.'
The aforementioned Ancestry user, and descendant of Thomas, remarked in a further message that 'Obviously the link to Sir Charles Middleton was significant given his role in the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and then slavery itself in 1833.' This remark piqued my interest, and gave me a further route to investigate. Rather surprisingly, my research into Charles Middleton brought me right back to the Gambiers.
Margaret Gambier was Robert and John Gambier's younger sister. Her exact birth date is unknown; a problem with women in history, even for those of wealthy families. It is estimated that she was born sometime around 1730. Sometime in her teens Margaret was visiting her uncle, Captain Mead (a brother of her mother, Mary Mead) and met a young naval man from Leith, Scotland, named Charles Middleton. Margaret and Charles, so the story goes, fell in love, and despite him coming from lowlier beginnings than her own, they planned to wed. Margaret's parents disapproved of the match. Charles had no fortune and in her parent's minds, wealth and status meant more than love.
Despite her parents' disapproval Margaret was determined; a part of her character that we will see again, in her later life. Instead of complying with her parents' wishes, and societal norms, Margaret cut off ties with her family, and went to stay with her friend Elizabeth Bouverie, at Teston House, in Teston, Kent, until Charles had made his fortune and was considered marriageable by her family.

Teston House, Kent, created by Richard Bernard Godfrey, 1777-1790

Charles meanwhile, had a sparkling naval career. Starting out as a captain's servant, to Margaret's uncle, Captain Mead, he quickly rose through the ranks. In 1761 he took command of HMS Emerald, with whom he captured 16 French ships and several privateers, garnering the gratitude of the Barbadian merchants. This was the source of the majority of Charles' fortune; one large enough for him to return to England and marry the woman he so loved. 

HMS Emerald was a frigate; a sailing warship which were used extensively in the Seven Years War.

Margaret Gambier and Charles Middleton married, finally, on 21st December 1761, at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster. After their marriage Margaret returned to Teston, and Elizabeth Bouverie, and Charles returned to the sea, this time patrolling the coast of Normandy in the frigate Adventure, in which he had command. In 1763 Charles returned to land, and joined Margaret at Teston, where he farmed the land for Elizabeth, and took on the role of country gentleman.

The current building for St Martin's in the Fields was completed in  1726.

When the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, Charles returned to the navy. He rose to become Comptroller of the Navy, and in 1781 he was created a baronet. Whilst still in the employ of the Royal Navy, Charles was elected as a Tory Minister of Parliament in 1784, for Rochester, Kent. He resigned from the navy in 1790, but continued to receive naval promotions, finishing up as First Lord of the Admiralty in 1805, at the age of 79.

Sir Charles Middleton, later Baron Barham, painted by Isaac Pocock

During his time sailing for the navy in the West Indies, Charles had captained a ship called HMS Arundel. The ship's surgeon on Arundel was Dr James Ramsay, who later took holy orders. As Reverend James Ramsay, rather than Doctor, he served the community on an island now known as St Kitts (then St Christopher's). It was on St Kitts that Rev James Ramsay witnessed and was appalled by the treatment of slaves. On his return to England in 1777, Rev James Ramsay stayed with Charles and Margaret in Teston, Kent. He later wrote a pamphlet, published in 1784; 'Essay on the Treatment and Conversion of African Slaves in the British Sugar Colonies'. This publication, apparently had a great effect on Margaret. The character that she showed earlier in her life, when she determined to marry Charles against her family's wishes, was in evidence again.

James Ramsay, by Carl Frederick von Breda

Charles Middleton knew that the road to the abolition of slavery would be a long one; it would take the strength and vitality of a young man to push this through Parliament. William Wilberforce was suggested by Sir Charles, and in 1787 he was invited to Teston, where he met with many other abolitionists, such as the aforementioned Rev James Ramsay, and Thomas Clarkson, who was a founder member of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

William Wilberforce, by George Richmond, 1833

I'm not entirely clear when Elizabeth Bouverie died, but I understand that after her death Charles and Margaret remained at Teston, at first as tenants. Later Charles and Margaret inherited the property, after which they used the name Barham Court for the estate, Charles being then known as the 1st Baron of Barham. Barham Court was used by the Testonites (a collective term used for the group of abolitionists that met regularly at the estate to plan the campaign. Whilst Charles and Margaret were never directly involved in the political machinations that eventually ended the slave trade (in 1807) and in slavery itself (in 1833), they both played an instrumental part in the overall campaign. In fact, according to a few sources, Margaret seems to have been credited with being the backbone of the abolition movement, and was apparently responsible for convincing William Wilberforce into taking on the issue, and staying the course. Hannah More (writer and philanthropist) was also a stalwart member of the Testonites, and in a private letter to Margaret, wrote;
'You have the first title to every prize on the whole slave subject.'

Hannah More, by Henry William Pickersgill

Christian Ignatius Latrobe was a Moravian clergyman, artist, musician, and composer. he spent more than 3 months at Barham Court in 1786, and stated that the 'abolition of the slave trade was... the work of a woman', and continued to say that Margaret Middleton 'was the honoured instrument of bringing the monster within range of the artillery of the executive justice of this kingdom.'
Quite apart from her ability to make friends and influence people, with regards to the abolition movement, Margaret was a talented portrait artist. She wrote to the above mentioned Hannah More, in 1788, to offer her a portrait of either 'the Archbishop or of the Moralist', but Hannah replied, suggesting that Margaret paint a living sitter instead; either Elizabeth Bouverie, Sir Charles Middleton, or even herself, Margaret Middleton. It is thought that this was the encouragement needed for Margaret to paint this self portrait, completed in 1784. 

Self portrait, Margaret Middleton

When I read this, I was reminded of a small portrait painted sometime in the mid 1700s, that my family owns. We know that it was passed down to us from the Gambier side of the family, but have no idea who the sitter for the portrait is, nor who it was painted by, I recall a time when my parents had an antiques expert visit our house. He was interested in the portrait, and said something about it perhaps being painted by a known painter. My memory of this is fuzzy, being only a teenager with many less important things on my mind. Perhaps he was thinking of Margaret Gambier/Middleton. We can only wonder, but after seeing the self portrait of Margaret Gambier/Middleton, some in the family note a similarity between the older Margaret, and the younger portrait we have. Could they both have been Margaret, as a young woman and as an older woman?

Unknown Young Woman, by Unknown Artist; could the sitter and/or artist have been Margaret Gambier?

Margaret, her friend Elizabeth Bouverie, and her husband Charles Middleton were all highly motivated to take pivotal roles in the abolition movement, by their Christian faith. Hannah More wrote of the inhabitants at Teston,
'Nothing can exceed the goodness of the inhabitants whose lives are spent in acts of beneficence... such an enchanted country, such books! Such nightingales! Such roses! Then within doors such goodness, such charity, such piety! I hope it is catching and that I shall bring away some of the odour of sanctity about me.'
Margaret and Charles only had one daughter, Diana, who inherited the baronetcy, but they raised other children, including James Gambier (1st Baron Gambier, my 4x great granduncle, who I wrote about in the Witness to History week.) Margaret and Charles also adopted the eldest son of Charles' older brother; Robert Gambier Middleton.

Margaret's nephew James, who she raised, with Charles, became Admiral of the Fleet, and was the 1st Baron Gambier.

Clearly Margaret's activities had some effect on her brother Robert's ideas about slavery and slave ownership. He died in 1787, fairly early in the Testonites campaign. But what of the emancipated slaves, Thomas and Burkut?
Nothing is known about Burkut, but Thomas' story is fairly well documented. Whilst Thomas was free, his liberated life was not an easy one. He married in 1806, and with his wife Sarah Killingback, he had two daughters, Eliza and Mary. All three, wife Sarah and both daughters died in 1816, possibly as a result of the life of poverty they were destined to live. Clearly the money he inherited, along with his freedom, was not  sufficient for their needs. In 1819 he married Ann Bolton, and together they had 12 children. Thomas died in 1848, outliving 4 more of his children. Of the other 8 children, only 2 lived to, what we would today consider a reasonable old age. His longest living son, William Edward Gambier (who died at the age of 70) lived in poverty all his life; working heavy labour jobs for little pay. Life for Thomas and his descendants was free from slavery, but not free from the prejudices of society, much of which was brought about by the act of slavery.

In a couple of census report, William Edward Gambier was recorded as a drayman. Draymen delivered beer from the brewery, to public houses in the area. It was hard and poorly paid work.

Margaret Gambier/Middleton died in 1792, before she was able to witness the abolition of the slave trade, or slavery itself, which finally came about in 1807, and 1833 respectively. 

This portrait of Margaret was painted by Jeremiah Meyer, and can be seen hanging in the National Portrait Gallery, in London, UK.

When I first suspected that some of my ancestors participated in slave ownership I admit that I actively ignored that part of my ancestry. But when I was forced to confront it, I found this other unexpected story- one of a determined woman, dedicated to making a change. Her actions do not forgive the actions of my other ancestors, by any means, but if I had not confronted the 'S Word' in my ancestry, I would never have found her story. It just goes to show that, no matter how ugly our ancestry is, we should always force ourselves to look. #Newell

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https://www.artwarefineart.com/gallery/self-portrait-lady-middleton-nee-margaret-gambier-1730-1792-artist-abolitionist-anti-slavery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Clarkson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Middleton,_1st_Baron_Barham#:~:text=Admiral%20Charles%20Middleton%2C%201st%20Baron,during%20the%20Seven%20Years'%20War.
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp160505/margaret-nee-gambier-lady-middleton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Middleton,_1st_Baron_Barham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_More
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Ignatius_Latrobe