Ann Hamilton 1931-2021

Ann Hamilton was the godmother of my wife, who heped look after her and her brother after their mother died when they were infants. I put together this tribute to her, which was printed and distributed at the requiem mass held for her at St Anthony’s church in Rye on September 27th. It brings together reflections from close friends, family and colleagues, with other material published about her. It hopes to provide a flavour of the esteem in which she was held, her impact on the lives of those she came into contact, and just as importantly how she was much loved. A short biographical sketch below has also been included about aspects of Anne’s life not covered in the reflections and other material.

Garion owned by Ramsays

Susan Griffiths is one of my Ramsay cousins. We share common Ramsay and Hamilton ancestors. Basically, William Ramsay of Barnton the Edinburgh Banker is my ancestor. Peter Ramsay the Inn Keeper and Stabler is Susan’s ancestor. I think they are the sons of George Ramsay, Merchant and Stabler in Edinburgh who married Agnes Thom, but there is a family tree that shows that Peter and William were the sons of a Peter Ramsay (see more here). Peter the stabler was William the banker’s older brother and I’m not sure, but I think he also ran the family coaching business.

William the banker’s son George married the Hon. Jean Hamilton. Peter the stabler’s son William married Jean’s sister Bethia. They were the daughter’s of Robert Hamilton, 6th of Wishaw and Susan Balfour. I’m descended from George and Jean, and Susan is descended from William and Bethia along with many of her cousins that follow this blog.

Dr Robert Hamilton Ramsay Revisited

Hamish Bain has been in touch with regard to Dr Robert Hamilton being the purebearer to the Queen (see here). He points out that he was actually pursebearer to The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who every year lived in Holyrood Palace while the Assembly was sitting, and enjoyed a sort of vice-regal status. Robert was first appointed while his uncle the 8th Lord Belhaven was Lord High Commissioner but kept the place for more than 40 years. Hamish has sent a photograph from the Wellcome Institute showing Robert in court dress with knee breeches and sword.

Susan Balfour Portrait

Susan Balfour

Just found this portrait of my ancestor Susan Balfour, she was the daughter of of Sir Michael Balfour, 6th Bt. She married Robert Hamilton, 6th of Wishaw, son of William Hamilton, 4th of Wishaw and Bethia Hamilton. She is an ancestor of both the Barnton and Gogar branches of the Ramsay family and therefore my Maitland relatives. Her daughter Hon. Jean Hamilton married George Ramsay of Barnton (George Ramsay Maitland’s grandfather). Her daughter Bethia Hamilton married William Ramsay of Gogar (cousin of George Ramsay of Barnton). Her granddaughter Susan Mary Hamilton married Peter Ramsay (so of William Ramsay of Gogar).

The Nisbets of Carfin Connection

I’d recently written to Mark Nesbitt of the Nesbit/Nisbet Society. I explained that I was trying to find out more about my Nisbet ancestors having discovered that I’m connected to Nisbet family through Alice Anne Nisbet who married George Ramsay Maitland in September 1848. Mark has kindly sent me a number of pointers including an extract from The Nisbets of Carfin by John A. Inglis (1961), and I’ve included the relevant ancestry below.

The Marjoribanks Connection via the Ramsays and Maitlands, and on to Castle Gogar

I’ve been trying to work out how I’m connected to the Marjoribanks family and realised that George Ramsay Maitland married Alice Anne Nisbet in September 1848. She was born around 1825 in INDIA, and was the daughter of Josiah Nisbet, of the Honourable East India Company’s Civil Service (HEICCS), and Rachael Marjoribanks.

Rachel was the daughter of Sir John Marjoribanks (1st Bart of Lees, Lord Provost of Edinburgh) and Alison Ramsay (daughter of William Ramsay of Barnton). This means that William Ramsay of Barnton was the great grandfather of both Alice Anne Nisbet and her husband George Ramsay Maitland (see table below).

Ramsay’s revisited 3 (amendment)

Whoops turns out I’ve made a mistake about the Ramsays. Peter Ramsay ran the White Horse Inn, in St. Mary’s Wynd, Edinburgh. Boswell seems to have frequented the Inn and Dr Johnson even stayed there. His death was recorded in the Scottish Register on Jan 1st 1794 (from Edinburgh Old and New: Volume II):

At his son’s house of Gogar, Co. Edinburgh, Peter Ramsay, Esq., formerly an eminent innkeeper at the Cowgate Port, in which station he acquired upwards of £30,000. He has left one son, William Ramsay, jun., Esq., a banker in Edinburgh, and one daughter, the widow of Captain Mansfield, of the South Fencible Regiment, who lost his life in Leith in 1779, when attempting to quell a mutiny.

This makes William Ramsay (junior), the cousin rather than brother of my ancestor George Ramsay of Barnton. Interestingly, they ended up with the same son-in-law.

Ramsays revisited part 2

As mentioned, in my previous post on the Ramsay Family (Ramsays revisited part 1), the first Ramsay ancestors I can trace are a a Mr Peter Ramsey, a vintner at Cowgate Port, and his brother William, “the first proprietor of Barnton” I’m descended from William and there’s 3 children I’ve traced so far. They all seem to get married in 1791.

more dead-ends on The Peerage site

I’ve found a whole host of dead-ends today on The Peerage site, starting with Jean Hamilton: my 8th Generation ancestor who links me to the Hamilton families (see more here). I’ve included a few castle photos/prints just in case the genealogical detail and my note taking is of less interest.

Castle Gogar: bought in 1789 for £37,000

I was staggered to find out that my great great great grandfather Lloyd Baxendale bough his way into the landed gentry when he purchased the Greenham Lodge estate for £63,000 in 1873 (see more here). To put this into perspective, only 10% of the population at the time would have earned £100 or more a year. His family made their fortune from the Pickfords removals firm. Another ancestor seems to have trumped this nearly 100 years earlier. William Ramsay of Barnton was an Edinburgh banker, and a director of the Royal Bank of Scotland bought, he bought Gogar House (as it was known then) for £37,000 in 1789.