10th-15th Generations
The Hamilton family is one of the most distinguished families of the Scottish nobility. They hold many titles, including the marquessate and dukedom of Hamilton, the marquessate of Douglas, the dukedom of Abercorn, and the earldom of Haddington. They are descended from Walter FitzGilbert de Hameldone, a Norman baron who gave his support to Robert the Bruce in the 13th century.
I start my Hamilton story in 1800’s Bo’ness, the place where my Great Gran was born. They lived in a coal mining community, the community they carried on living in for 5 generations before my Great Gran’s family moved to Buckhaven. This story shows the 200 before then back to the 1600’s
10th Generation
Robert Hamilton and Janet Fergusson
Robert was the 7th and youngest child born to Richard and Margaret Hamilton. Unfortunately, Richard died the year Robert was born, thus Richard grew up without a father. However that didn’t stop him from following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a coal hewer.
Robert married Janet Ferguson in neighbouring Carriden. They had 5 children, all of whom survived into adulthood. This was very rare at the beginning of the 1800’s. At this time approximately one in every three children born did not make it to their fifth birthday.
Robert’s gravestone was erected by his son Archibald Hamilton in Bo’ness cemetery. He shares his plot with his youngest son, Robert who died the year before. Sadly Archibald joined then 2 year later in 1849.
Robert and Janet were living in Grangepans, a part of Carriden, in the 1841 census. By the 1851 census, Janet was a widower living with her Daughter and her family. There were 11 of them in the same household in Bridgeness Village, not far from Grangepans. This was typical of a mining family, with everyone living in 2 rooms. The lack of space and poor living conditions made it difficult for families to maintain hygiene and health, contributing to high rates of disease and mortality. Janet passed a few years later.
11th Generation
Richard Hamilton & Margaret Snaddon
Richard was born, married and died in Bo’ness like many of the generations before and after him.
He was born on the 8th and Baptised on the 15th January 1732 to James and Grizel.
The church building with its belfry can be seen in the centre right of the photograph below. This is where he would have been baptised, and then married 28 years later
Richard married Margaret Snaddon on 6 April 1759. They were only married for 20 years as Richard died aged 47. They had 9 children together
Margaret was from a neighbouring village called Gith, her parents were Walter Snawdon and Margaret Paterson. She lived another 30 years after her husband died.
12th Generation
James Hamilton & Grizel Muir
James was born in 1696 in Falkirk. This is the first person in this family line not born in Bo’ness or Carriden. From then they were all born in that area until my Di was born in Fife in 1931 – 235 years!! Falkirk is less than 10 miles from Carriden, and for this family that was the extent of their travels.
James moved to Bo’ness as he married Grizzel Muir in Carriden on 18th August 1712, and then all his children were registered in Bo’ness.
Grizzel was born on 18th May 1690 in Carriden to James Muire and Jennet Watsone. She married James, a Coal hewer and died aged 61 in September 1751. In a 10 year period they had 5 children. Sadly, only 2 of them – Richard and Eupham made in past infancy. Grizzel has one of the few death certificates that has details from this period. Women and children were listed separately from the men. Women have come along way in society
13th Generation
John Hamilton & Agnes Henderson
It seems that the birth of James, 12th Generation, wasn’t a change of the tide as his father John was infact born in Bo’ness, in 1661, to Johne Hamiltone and Agnes Law.
John married Agnes Henderson on 19th December 1688, it was 8 years until they had my ancestor. I have been unable to find out if James was an only child.
Agnes was born in 1674 to David Henderson and Joan Inglis. This means that Agnes was married at only 14 years old. From the early middle ages girls could get married from the age of 12, and boys 14. In fact, it wasn’t until 1929 that the age you could get married was finally raised, from then both husband and wife had to be at least 16 years old, just as it remains today.
14th Generation and beyond
John Hamilton and Agnes Law
In 1661 John and Agnes had John, then William in 1665, they also had James in 1669. Documentation becomes sporadic in the 1600s, and its increasingly difficult to be able to confirm any documentation I find when I try to delve further back. However, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to assume that this branch of my family have a connection to the Hamilton’s that come from Bo’ness and Carriden. The generations and generations (and generations) show this! how far back the link I do not know.
GRANGE HAMILTON
From 1494 to 1750 This house, named Grange Hamilton, was owned by at least 8 John Hamilton’s as it went down the generations. It was also known as Grangepans, another familiar place for these ancestors.
The barony of Grange lay in the parish of Carriden immediately to the east of Bo’ness. It covered some 350 acres and its north-western boundary is appropriately still marked by a street called Boundary Street. The Grange was sandwiched between the estates of Kinneil and Carriden and in the 16th century was in the possession of a branch of the Hamilton family. This map, of today, shows the area of Bo’ness and Carriden, they are knitted together throughout this family line and very much a part of my history.
Overview
This is 14 generations back for me, in this generation alone I have over 4000 direct ancestors.
If I were to get back this far with everyone of my Di’s ancestors (a quarter of my DNA), I’d have covered 2046 people. I think I have made a good dent in those numbers and covered a LOT of names….. To me these aren’t just names and stories, they are family. Everyone of their lives, some extremely hard lives, are part of who I am today.
Marie's Genealogy 