Question: I am interested in the 1817 cernsus by Colonel David Stewart. My relatives came from Edridynate and Clockfoldich. Can I use the census to trace their origin? I love your book - Out of Atholl!
James Irvine Robertson, author, historian, genealogists:
Answer: The original is in the National Archive in Edinburgh - but it's transcribed
on the website http://www.jamesirvinerobertson.co.uk/html/archive.html &
click on the Atholl Stewart census.
http://www.jamesirvinerobertson.co.uk/html/archive.html
Question: Can I find my ancestors in the 1817 Stewart census in Perhshire?
Answer: They would have been tenant farmers. But anyone with the name of Stewart in Atholl would have an ancestor who stemmed from one of the great families. younger sons of younger sons of younger sons. David Stewart of Garth said that some 1500 people in Atholl -Im guessing the figure cox I'm too idle to look it up came down from alexander Stewart, earl of Buchan aka the Wolf of Badenoch.
Answer:
Unless your ancestors owned their lands by charter from the duke - ie were
lairds like the Stewarts of Bonskeid - you've little chance. David of
Garth's census is a freaky surviving glimpse into earlier generations of the
ordinary folk of Atholl. Nowhere, though, will there be any way of
establishing a generation by generation descent of your Stewart ancestors
from the lairds of Bonskeid from who they said they stemmed.
Garth also produced a census of the Stewarts in Balquhidder which is much
more useful because there he traced the descent of earlier generations back
to the Royal Stewarts.
Neither Stirnet nor the Stewart society could give you additionalinformation.
The Bonskeid descent means they descended from the Stewarts of Bonskeid, rather than merely lived on the estate. And the Bonskeids came from the Wolf of Badenoch, son of King Robert II.
The great genealogist and antiquarian, Iain Moncrieff rekoned that 30,000 Scots descended from King Robert Bruce and another half million did but couldn't prove it. I'd say you were probbly amongst that 30,000.
Question: But another one of my relatives came from "old Athol family," Can you tell me what that term means? Kent
Answer: I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty certain that it means that they said
they descended from the Stewart earls of Atholl who were predecessors of the
Murray earls.
Garth also produced a census of the Stewarts in Balquhidder which is much
more useful because there he traced the descent of earlier generations back
to the Royal Stewarts.
more useful because there he traced the descent of earlier generations back
to the Royal Stewarts.
.