4th Great Grandfather
8th Generation
Born - 28th August 1824 - Dalgetty, Fife Scotland
Died - 12 October 1885, Auchtertool Fife ScotlandJames was the first born child to Thomas Rattray and Janet Young Walker in 1824.
He was 16 in the next record I have, the 1841 census. The family had grown in size, he now has 6 youngers brothers and sisters. The older children – James (16) Andrew (14), Thomas (12) and William (10) were all Coalminers. (10 is the youngerst in my family tree so far to be working as a coalminer!) Children from the age of 8 to around 12 would have worked as a trapper. Their job was simple: to open and close the wooden doors (trap doors) that allowed fresh air to flow through the mine. They would usually sit in total darkness for up to twelve hours at a time, waiting to let the coal tub through the door.
This extract shows that the children didn’t all get baptised when they were born – 4 of them got baptised together.
The family were living in Fordel Square in 1841. Fordell Village, which lies about two miles to the north of Fordell Castle and about a mile to the north of Colton, had a population of about 1800, this had doubled in recent yeare due to the coal industry. In 1832 a new lease of coal was taken on the north side of Cuttlehill, and to improve and cheapen transport, the wooden waggonway was replaced by a new line laid with malleable iron rails, completed in 1833. This generated a lot of work for the area.
Crossgates, as it known today effectively incorporates the old settlements of Fordel, Mossgreen and Springhill amongst others.
James married Margaret Campbell 4 years later, in Dalgetty and by the next census, 1851, they were living in Crossgates. I believe they hadn’t moved village only that the name had changed due to growth and joining of the smaller settlements.
In 1861 James and Margaret had 6 children, they were still living in Crossgates and James was still a coalminer. Their eldest son was now 14 and had joined James to also become a coalminer. Records show that most people in this area were coalminers.
By 1871 the family had moved to Townhill, another coalmining village however this one is much closer to Dunfermline. James was 46 years old now and had been working down the pits for 30 years! He still had 8 kids at home, the older ones had moved on and had children of their own however James and Margaret were still having their own children – Johan was only 7 months old at the time of the census!!
It’s amazing that in the 1881 census, another 10 years on, James is still working as a coalminer! 40 years – 40 years working down the pits! That is a lot of grafting for one man!! The family now lived at 29 Oakley Rows, Beath, Fife which is now known as Cowdenbeath.
It’s no surpise that James died the following year of Bronchistis, he must have been a very strong and able man to have lived the life he led.
This was a hard working family, they worked and worked – only 2 of the 8 siblings reached the age of 60!
James’s brother Andrew was also a coalminer. They were both living in Crossgates with their familes in the 1861 census. Andrew lived to 56 year old. Here is a picture of his gravestone of him and his own family.
His brother Thomas was also a miner all his days – he outlived James by 12 years! An extract from his will is below
William, The little boy who was a coalminer at 10 in the 1841 census, unfortunately didn’t live a long life like his brothers, he died aged only 22 in the Cuttlehill Coal pit, an extract from the local newspaper is below.
Alexander also died young, he was only 36. His gravestone is at Wemyss Cemetery. He also died due to injuries from a coalmining accident, although he suffered for 7 weeks.
Alexander wasn’t the only member of this family to die in his 30’s Euphemia and John also did
Daughter – Ann Rattray
Wife – Margaret Campbell
Father – Thomas Rattray
Mother – Janet Young Walker
Marie's Genealogy 