Jean Ferrier Farquharson’s father William Ferrier was born 20 April 1750 in the parish of Greenock New or Middle, across the river from Cardross. I covered the William Ferrier (and Mary Fisher) family pretty extensively in the post on Jean Ferrier. THis post focuses on his lineage.
William’s parents were Robert Ferrier and Agnes Morison. They were married 21 May 1743 in Greenock New or Middle. Robert was a cooper by trade. Agnes Morison was born 17 January 1725 to William Morison and Janet Watson in Inverkip, just southwest of Greenock and Cardross on the River Clyde. I will cover the Morisons in another post.
William Ferrier’s Siblings
Robert Ferrier and Agnes Morison had 7 children:
- Mary Ferrier, born 2 January, 1746, Greenock New or Middle
- Samuel Ferrier, born 24 Jan 1748, Greenock New or Middle
- William Ferrier, born 20 April 1750, Greenock New or Middle
- Jean Ferrier, born 16 August 1752, Greenock Old or West
- Agness Ferrier, born 31 October 1754, Greenock Old or West
- James Ferrier, born 14 March 1757, Greenock Old or West
- Janet Ferrier, born 6 July 1760, Greenock Old or West
Robert Ferrier’s Birth
Robert Ferrier was born in Kirktoun Muir (moor) to Janet Salmond and named for his father Robert Ferrier. He was baptized 12 March 1721 in Cardross.
I have not found a marriage record for Robert and Janet, but I did find a second child: Janet Ferrier, baptized 24 August 1729 in Cardross, a younger sister to Robert,
The name Robert Ferrier appears frequently in the Cardross Kirk Session accounts ledger from the earliest records in 1742.
Kirkton
Kirktoun/Kirkton of Kilmahew is a cluster of cottages and Kirkton Farm (now Kirkton House) situated around St. Mahew’s chapel on the northern edge of Cardross. The chapel was built in 1467 (restored in 1955) and stands on one of the earliest Christian missionary sites in Scotland (6th Century). You can read the history of the chapel here. Kirkton Farm was severely damaged by a Nazi air raid in 1940. A detailed account of the bombing from then-owner James Weir, along with a description of the property, can be found here.
Below on the left is an 1860 map of Kirkton in 1860, from the first comprehensive topographic survey of Scotland (view entire map ). In the center is a satellite image of the same land, taken from Google Maps (view in Google Maps). The third map is from the Scottish Assessors Association, which names present day buildings in Kirkton. I believe Kirkton House is the former Kirkton Farm, and my unconfirmed hunch is that is where William Ferrier and Mary Fisher lived and William’s father Robert was born.
George Ferrier & Katharine Glen
The senior Robert Ferrier was born in Dumbarton to George Ferrier and Katharine Glen, and baptized 17 October 1697.
George and Katharine were married 2 March 1689 in Dumbarton.
Robert Ferrier was the middle child, with four brothers. I don’t have a name for one of them:
- John Ferrier, baptized 16 February, 1690, Parish of Dumbarton
- George Ferrier, baptized 20 May 1694, Parish of Dumbarton
- Robert Ferrier, baptized 17 October 1697, Parish of Dumbarton
- [No first name] Ferrier, baptized 10 August 1700, Parish of Dumbarton
- James Ferrier, baptized 22 July 1703, Parish of Dumbarton
There are two records for a George Ferrier born in Scotland between 1553 (when records begin) and 1672 (to make him old enough to be married in 1689). Both were born in Brechin, Angus, one to James Ferrier and Cathrin Mill, baptized 13 June 1657 and the other to Alexander Ferrier and Janet Drimmie, baptized 23 September 1668. Brechin is over 100 miles from Dumbarton, so without more information I would suppose this is not the same family. There are also no births with the Ferrier surname recorded in Dunbartonshire whatsoever, prior to 1690.
The most significant concentrations of Ferriers born in Scotland prior to 1690 were in Glasgow and Dundee, with several born in other parishes. Here’s the rundown:
- Glasgow: 20
- Brechin: 19
- Dundee: 7
- Craig: 5
- Montrose: 4
- Edinburgh: 4
- Auchterhouse: 3
- Tranent: 2
- Forfar: 2
- St Cuthbert’s: 2
In the Histories of Scottish families (1789), there’s a paragraph that reads:
“The extreme east of Cardross parish is composed of the old property of Ferrylands, on part of which is now built the important suburb of Bridgend. It seems originally to have been attached to the ferry between Dumbarton and the point of Cardross parish. In 1512, when Robert Ferrier conveyed Ferrylands to Andrew Dennistoun, the holder was entitled to pasture six cows and one horse upon the adjoining lands of Kirkton. From this branch of the house of Colgrain, Ferrylands passed to another, designated of Dalquhurn, and finally to the parent family of Colgrain, who feued out the lands for building.”
Histories of Scottish families, Book of Dumbartonshire, Vol 2, page 317
The passage implies a previous Robert Ferrier was a landowner in Cardross parish in the early 16th century and he belonged to the Colgrain family which had historical ties to the land.
There’s another passage with a single mention of a James Ferrier, a freeholder who voted for Lord Frederick Campbell in the 1780 election for the seat of Dumbartonshire in the British Parliament. In the 18th century, voting rights in British counties were often restricted to those who owned specific amounts of land. These individuals were called freeholders. James Ferrier’s participation as a freeholder suggests he was likely a person of some standing and property within the county.
In the earliest online records for Cardross Kirk Session minutes, there’s an elder by the name of James Ferrier. George Ferrier’s son (Robert Ferrier’s younger brother) James would have been 24 years old in 1727, which is a bit young to be an elder, although possible. Assuming the birth record for both George and James exists in the Scotland’s People database, there’s one family where both these names appear– The George Ferrier born to James Ferrier and Cathrin Mill in Brechin had an older brother James. That James would have been 83 in 1727, which was rather advanced age for that time. More research is needed to trace this line further.
