James Thomson (1796 - 1885)

Born 13 Aug 1796 in Blackwood, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Ann Ferguson — married 20 Dec 1840 in Corstorphine, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 13 Nov 1885 at age 89 in Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alan Runciman [send private message]

Biography

This biography was part auto-generated by a GEDCOM import, supplemented with research by Alan Runciman & others mentioned in acknowledgements, who also provided family photographs. A small number of amendments are pending.

Name

Name: James /Thomson/ ^[1]

Birth

Birth:

Date: 13 AUG 1796

Place: Blackwood, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland^[2][3]

Parents: John Thomson & Christian Goodlet^[4]

Christening

Date: 26 AUG 1796

Place: Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Note: Bulk baptism entries 1804^[5][6]:

"The following are the children of John Thomson Nursery Man at Blackwood house and Christian Goodlet his spouse Registered as follows viz'

a Daughter Born 16 Sept 1786 baptized the 24th of said month named Helen

a son Born 25th Oct 1790 baptized 31st said month named William

a daughter Born 3rd Sep 1794 baptized 12th said month named Margaret

a son Born 13th Aug 1796 baptized 26th said month named James (LDS have 21st)

a son Born 8th Apr 1798 baptized 20th said month named John

a child Born 8th Apr 1800 baptized 10th said month named Lewis

a child Born 22nd Mar 1802 baptized 30th said month named Mary

a child Born 24th Jun 1804 baptized 11th July the next named Catherine

It's not stated on the record whether the children were baptised previously in one or more other parishes, or other (non-conformist) churches within the Lesmahagow parish. The absence of such information may suggest the baptisms were performed in the Authorised Church (ie Church of Scotland). What is known is that the year 1804 when this 'registrated' entry was made coincides with the building of the new church in the parish. Although not stated in this record there is in fact a baptism for their first born child Helen recorded in Mid-Calder in 1786. Mid-Calder is Christian's home parish Church of Scotland so there is no evidence of non-conformity at this point.

After the record date above a further child, Jean (Jane), was born in 1806, so there were 9 children in all.

Childhood

James lived with his parents at Blackwood in Lesmahagow. He was their 4th child and was followed by 5 more, the last in 1806 by which time James was 9.

Father: John Thomson

Mother: Christian Goodlet

Marriage:

Date: Estimated to be 1785^[7]. No record has been found; the estimated date is based on the birth of their first child Helen, which was September 1786.

Family:

Child: James Thomson

Child: Jane Thomson

Child: William Thomson

Child: Lewis Thomson

Child: Helen Thomson

Child: Margaret Thomson

Child: Mary Thomson

Child: Catherine Thomson

Child: John Thomson

No information is known of James' childhood other than it is believed that his father John died in 1808 when James would have been 11 or 12. This information is said to have come from a family bible^[8] without further sourcing. This date is now fairly commonly shown on trees etc but none provides an originating source.

It could be reasonably assumed that on John's death the gardener's accommodation provided at Blackwood would cease to be made available to Christian & the family. It might be conceivable that Christian was given a domestic job with accommodation. The fact there is no evidence of any of James' siblings marrying or working in the Lesmahagow area suggests Christian & family moved away, perhaps closer to her own family back in Mid-Calder outside Edinburgh. To add weight to the hypothesis, a number of her children, as adults, appear around Edinburgh: in addition to James, there are Edinburgh marriages of his siblings Lewis in 1821, John in 1822 and Jean/Jane in 1829.

Early Adulthood

James granddaughter, Maggie (Margaret Thomson Chisholm b1889), learned from her mother, Margaret Thomson, that James had served at the Battle of Waterloo (1815). He would have been two months off his 19th birthday. No written reference to James’ service has been found but research has been confined to simple online availability. Margaret’s own note of the fact is still in the family's possession.

Maggie's note, edited with a cross at 'James Thomson fought at the battle of Waterloo. 1815 Waterloo'

Although this source cannot be regarded as a indisputable it does demonstrate that a story was seriously believed & carried down from James' daughter to her own daughter (James' granddaughter).

Occupation

Occupation:

James was a master gardener specialising in market/nursery like his father before him, who was recorded as a 'nurseryman at Blackwood House' in the family baptisms. There are several references over the years to James’ occupation, such as on his daughter Mary’s marriage -

Date: JAN 1871

Place: Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland^[9]

During the 1830s it is said James worked at Edinburgh’s Botanical Gardens^[10] followed by a position at Corstorphine House gardens.

James Thomson 1796 - 1885. The potted plant displayed on the table follows the Victorian fashion of a suitable placement to symbolise his trade. His top hat is still in the possession of descendants.

Marriage

Husband: James Thomson

Wife: Ann Ferguson

Marriage:

Date: 20 DEC 1840

Place: Corstorphine, Midlothian, Scotland

Note: both in Corstorphine^[11][12][13]

They had the following children:

Janet Thomson

John Thomson

Daniel Thomson

Ann Thomson

Jane Goodlet Thomson

Mary Thomson

Margaret Thomson

Census Records

James & Ann lived through 5 censuses together with Ann outliving James to be recorded in a 6th.

Date: 1841

James & Ann had married just months before the census, with their Banns read in December 1840. They are recorded at Corstorphinehill, just two properties away from his employer William Keith, whose age is rounded down to 45, and Marianne Keith, age 90, whose status is independent.

James’ employer at Corstorphinehill House, William Keith, leads to a point of interest. Since 1726 another Keith line/branch (they may be connected at some point) owned the neighbouring estate of Ravelston at Corstorphine. In 1832 Ravelston’s landlord Alexander Keith died without a male heir. The estate was inherited by his son-in-law Sir William Keith Murray who already owned the estate of Ochtertyre in Monzie, Perthshire. This Perthshire estate is so close to James’ wife-to-be Ann Ferguson & the family home in Lurg that it begs the question whether Ann held a domestic position at Ravelston, either arising through her personal contacts & friendships at Ochtertyre, or perhaps having worked in the Ochtertyre estate herself, she accepted an opportunity to fill a position at Ravelston. In fact Ann’s parents had married in Monzie & it’s not impossible they still had friends or relations in the Ochtertyre estate too. Could these be links which brought Ann & James into the same orbit?

Another interesting poser is thrown up by this census as relationships are not shown. James, 40, & Ann, 25, are recorded as having a George Thomson, 15, gardener ‘L’ (labourer) living in their house. George is not an identifiable relation. The only other information recorded is that ‘Yes’ is entered in the column for ‘Where Born’ ie he was born ‘in the county’. Prompted by James’ age of 44 on marriage is it possible that he had an earlier marriage? There is no prima facie evidence, such as an identifiable parish marriage or a baptism of George with a father’s name James but parish records are famously short of identifying facts. His death registration, with information provided by son-in-law William Cook (husband of Jane Goodlet Thomson), records that James was married to Ann Ferguson. No other wife is mentioned; this was his only marriage. George never appears again in association with James so, for now at least, the garden labourer appears to be ‘just another random Thomson’!

Date: 1851

The census^[14] reports: At Murrayfield Farmhouse, Glasgow Road, Parish of St Cuthbert’s, Village of Murrayfield, outwith the Royal Burgh of Edinburgh, James Thomson, Head, 52, market gardener, born Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, with wife Ann (35) born Comrie, Perthshire and children Janet aged 9, John 7, Daniel 6, all born in Corstorphine, Edinburgh & Ann (3) & Jane(1) both born at Kirkliston, Linlithgowshire. Also living there was a 15-year old female housemaid, Janet Gray born at Ratho, Edinburgh.

The previous named property was at Murrayfield House Gate with two intermediate unnamed properties originally described as ‘Nil’ for the address, scored out & not replaced with any address. In the dwelling closest to the Thomsons was a household named Mason which included a 15-year old son who was a gardener’s apprentice - perhaps an apprentice to James? It was an interesting area in the 1850s. The households on the same page, across the road from Crooks, consisted of the following characters: a William Thomson at Ballingal Lodge who at 42 was a retired wine merchant living with his 38-year old wife requiring 2 servants, one of whom was a groom; then next, at Waltham Lodge there was an 81-year old retired warehouseman looked after by a housekeeper & a cook who helped pay for those comforts by giving room to a retired Navy Captain/ former HM District Paymaster; and next door in Pembroke Lodge lived 2 unmarried Governesses, the elder (aged 30) born England & her 28 year old sister, born Jersey, with 3 boarders being educated there, one born England who was already 20, & two sisters one born Madras, the other Calcutta, presumably sent back to Scotland for their education while the parents were blazing a path out in the Empire, plus a cook & a housekeeper!

Date: 1861

Place: Crooks, Edinburgh St Cuthberts, Midlothian, Scotland

Household : THOMSON: James 64 gardener master b Blackwood, LKS; wife Ann FERGUSON 46 b Comrie, PER; Children: Janet 19, Daniel 15 both b Corstorphine, Edin; Ann 13, Jane 12 both scholares b Kirkliston, Linlithgow; Mary 10 scholar, Margaret 7 both b St Cuthberts, Edin;^[15]

Date : 1871

Place: Crooks, Edinburgh St Cuthberts, Midlothian, Scotland

Date : 1881

Place : Crooks, Edinburgh St Cuthberts, Midlothian, Scotland

Residences

The couple appear in 3 locations, with Ann living in a fourth for a time after she was widowed.

• Corstorphine Hill House
• Kirkliston
• Crooks (formerly Murrayfield Farmhouse)
• 16 Roseburn Terrace (just Ann, at her daughter & son-in-law’s house)

Corstorphinehill House :

Corstorphinehill House^[B] was owned initially by William Keith. The House itself was built in 1793. William does not appear in the 1841 census although his widow Marrianne is living in ‘the big hoose’ together with a son (presumably, no relationships are recorded in 1841) also named William, age rounded down to 45. Corstorphinehill House is somewhat enlarged since the Thomsons' era. The whinstone villa was baronialised and extended in 1891 by Alexander Wood Macnaughtan with stables added separately to the north-west. An interesting series of photographs can be scrolled on the Canmore website, such as the original house with new wing at https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1379506 & the billiard room fireplace at https://canmore.org.uk/collection/1379529.

In the 1830s James in Corstorphine is reported winning prizes at Edinburgh Horticultural Shows in line with his market garden specialism eg carrot, sea kale

James Thomson exhibition entry, 1834

James nephew, the highly-respected William Martin, served his apprenticeship under James. As William was born in 1823 his apprenticeship would have been served in the years leading up to 1840. In 1841 he is recorded as a gardener journeyman at Corstorphinehill House, living with 2 others, a gardener & an apprentice, in a cottage in the grounds next door to the Keith’s house and a close-neighbour of James & Ann^[16]. In his grandson’s biography William is said to have served his apprenticeship under James at Edinburgh’s Botanical Gardens. William emigrated to New Zealand in 1848 and led a very successful career as a well-respected botanist there. Their relationship is discussed in Research Note^[A].

James’ mother Christian Goodlet is likely to have lived with James at his gardener’s cottage in the latter years of her life. Her 1837 burial record states she was ‘aged 73, relict of John Thomson’ and her place of death is recorded as Corstorphine Hill.

After their marriage James & Ann remained at their cottage in the grounds of Corstorphinehill House, until a date between June 1845 when Daniel was baptised in Corstorphine and August 1847 when Ann was baptised in Kirkliston.

Kirkliston :

The move to Kirkliston is indicative of a new position. James’ employment here is not known. There is no evidence of merely a change of churches prompted by hardening religious views. Quite the opposite as the 1851 census confirms that Kirkliston is the place of birth of Ann & Jane Goodlet, so not merely their place of baptism.

Crooks :

Photo shows that in addition to the market garden Crooks provided subsistence & perhaps modest income from a smallholding lifestyle.

During the year or so between late 1849 and early 1851^[17] James set up on his own account as a market gardener, taking on the tenancy of Murrayfield Farm House which fronted onto Glasgow Road in the Murrayfield area of Edinburgh. His nursery extended to about 6 acres and included their family home. The couple renamed it 'Crooks' which is said by descendants to be an acknowledgement of a family tie, although a definite connection has not been made. A credible explanation is that it honours his wife's family – Ann Ferguson’s father was a shepherd all his working days and Ann herself was born & brought up in the shepherd's cottage at Lurg. A shepherd’s crook is engraved on the Ferguson headstone at Comrie Parish Church. However this proposition may never be proven one way or the other.

Crooks, front of house.

Roseburn Terrace :

This was the home of William Cook & his wife Jane Goodlet Thomson after they had moved out from Crooks.

Death

Death:

Date: 13 NOV 1885

Place: Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Note: cert. shows James as 89 gardener marr. to Ann FERGUSON; s/o John THOMSON land steward, & Christina m.s. GOODLET, both dec'd; d. 6:15pm of old age; Inf. William COOK, son-in-law of Oak Cottage Corstorphine, present; Reg. 16th Nov^[18][19]

Funeral & Burial

James funeral took place on 17 November 1885. He was buried in Dalry New Cemetery, Edinburgh, later renamed North Merchiston, in Lair D526. On her death his wife Ann was buried with him & a daughter Janet, who emigrated to New Zealand & died there, is commemorated on the headstone also.

Funeral Invitation from son Daniel.

Thomson Headstone at North Merchiston (then named Dalry New Cemetery).

Family Connections of Interest

James was a descendant of John Potter, the Scottish Covenanter hanged in Edinburgh in 1680 who, after capture, refused to save his life by renouncing his adherence to the Covenants & Presbyterian beliefs. James' maternal grandmother was Margaret Potter. Her direct ancestry to John has not been determined. There is an earlier theory proposed c.1920s by 2 cousins (granddaughters of James) that the connection is from Christian's father John Goodlet, all of which is discussed in the Potter profile.

The leading New Zealand horticulturist, William Martin, born 1823, was apprenticed to James at Edinburgh Biological Gardens^[20] before emigrating to New Zealand.

It was said by Catherine Kirkland a daughter-in-law of Mary Thomson that 'the Thomsons owned Paisleys', a large department store commanding a prime site at Broomielaw on the corner of Jamaica Street & Clyde Street, Glasgow. Some research has since been undertaken without success although it was established that Thomson families did own & operate the business; however no family connection to them was discovered. A research narrative is available at Thomson Outfitters in Glasgow.

Research Notes

[A]. Despite research of baptism records in Lesmahagow no evidence of William’s 1823 baptism is found. That William & James are nephew/uncle would require William's mother to be a sibling of James or Ann & William's father marrying a Thomson, Goodlet, Ferguson or McDougall. Such marriages were found but none with an association with Lesmahagow or otherwise draws the eye. The most meaningful find, although it doesn’t provide a clear solution, is a series of baptisms in Edinburgh to parents Peter Martin & Catherine Goodlet who is an aunt of James mother, being a sister of Christian Goodlet (ie one generation further back). So their relationship with James would be cousins.

It is relevant to note that the informant of the death registration of Christian Fairservice (an unmarried granddaughter of James Thomson) was 'Alexander Martin, cousin'. One of the baptised children is named Alexander and is indeed a cousin of Christian’s mother (as well as to James & the other Thomson siblings). The correct relationship of Alexander Martin to Christian Fairservice is ‘first cousin, once removed’ which for practical purposes would be provided to (or abbreviated by) the Registrar. This subject is worth a revisit.

[B]. The estate of Corstorphine Hill was originally feued by John Dickie in 1720; the name was retained for the west part of the land after Dickie’s feu was subdivided, creating Beechwood in the middle section and Brucehill (later known as Belmont) to the east (Harris 194). The Corstorphine Hill feu was sold to brewer David Johnston in 1768. In 1791 the feu was bought by accountant William Keith, who built Corstorphine Hill House in 1793 (NSA 216). The whinstone villa was baronialised and extended in 1891 by Alexander Wood Macnaughtan with stables added separately to the north-west. Early in the 20th century the owner was John MacMillan of the Melrose Tea company. Further additions were made to the house after its purchase by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in 1912, including alterations by Sir Robert Lorimer in 1913.

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S56 Page: Marr. 1871 James RUNCIMAN and Mary THOMSON, Edinburgh Dist 685/1 pg 9, copy d/loaded Dec 2005
2. ↑ Source: #S3233 Page: Lesmahagow - 649/00 0020 0168 CONT 1796
3. ↑ Source: #S205 Page: Crooks, Edin. St Cuthberts, MLN Reg. 685/1 ED 111 Sched 90, hsehold of James THOMSON & Ann FERGUSON, extracted Nov 2010
4. ↑ Source: #S3233 Page: Lesmahagow - 649/00 0020 0168 CONT 1796
5. ↑ Source: #S3233 Page: Births & Baptisms children of John THOMSON, nurseryman Blackwood House, & Christian GOODLET, from bulk entry in 1804, Lesmahagow - 649/00 0020 0168, copy d/loaded Aug 2013
6. ↑ Source: #S1597 Page: Birth 13 Aug Bap. 21 Aug 1796 James s/o John THOMSON & Christian GOODLET, Lesmahagow, LKS, from Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 batch C11649-4 film 1066597, extracted Jul 2013
7. ↑ Source: #S3222
8. ↑ Arthur Thomson states this on an online discussion (RootsWeb?) in early 2000s
9. ↑ Source: #S56 Page: Marr. 1871 James RUNCIMAN and Mary THOMSON, Edinburgh Dist 685/1 pg 9, copy d/loaded Dec 2005
10. ↑ William Martin biography (detailed source ref available & to be added)
11. ↑ Source: #S56 Page: Marr. 1871 James RUNCIMAN and Mary THOMSON, Edinburgh Dist 685/1 pg 9, copy d/loaded Dec 2005
12. ↑ Source: #S1596 Page: Marr. 20 Dec 1840 James THOMSON and Ann FERGUSON, Corstorphine MLN, batch M116785, extracted Dec 2005
13. ↑ Source: #S55 Page: Marr. 20 Dec 1840 James THOMSON & Ann FERGUSON, Corstorphine, MLN 678/00 0040 0197, copy d/loaded Aug 2013
14. ↑ https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Filing Ref 685/2/29 Pages 1 & 2
15. ↑ Source: #S205 Page: Crooks, Edin. St Cuthberts, MLN Reg. 685/1 ED 111 Sched 90, hsehold of James THOMSON & Ann FERGUSON, extracted Nov 2010
16. ↑ https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ Filing Ref 678/2/3
17. ↑ The 1849 baptism of Jane Goodlet is in Kirkliston. The 1851 census entry records the family at ‘Murrayfield Farm House’.
18. ↑ Source: #S56 Page: Marr. 1871 James RUNCIMAN and Mary THOMSON, Edinburgh Dist 685/1 pg 9, copy d/loaded Dec 2005
19. ↑ Source: #S56 Page: Dth 13 Nov 1885 James THOMSON, s/o John THOMSON & Christina GOODLET, h/o Ann FERGUSON, Crooks, Murrayfield, Edin. 685/01 #949, copy d/loaded Aug 2013
20. ↑ Biography of William Martin's grandson, also named William Martin

• Source: S1596 Title: IGI: Online searches, Subject: Online search: assorted surnames Abbreviation: IGI: Online searches Repository: #R149
• Repository: R149 Name: Family Search (LDS) Address: State: Utah Country: USA Note: http://familysearch.org
• Source: S1597 Title: FamilySearch Labs Record Search (LDS), Url: http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/ Abbreviation: FamilySearch Labs Record Search (LDS)
• Source: S205 Title: 1861 Census for Scotland, Record Type: Census transcripts, Location: Scotland, Record Info: via Ancestry.com Abbreviation: Census: 1861 SCT via Ancestry Publication: 1861 Repository: #R121
• Repository: R121 Name: Ancestry.com Address: Country: USA
• Source: S3233 Title: Old Parish Record Abbreviation: OPR
• Source: S55 Title: Scottish Birth, Marriage, Burial entries (to 1854), Record Type: Scottish BMDB entries (to 1854), File Number: http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/index.php Abbreviation: BDM: Scotlands People entries to 1854
• Source: S56 Title: Scottish Birth, Marriage, Death entries (from 1855), Record Type: Scottish BMDB entries (from 1855), File Number: http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/index.php Abbreviation: BDM: Scotlands People certs from 1855

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Alan Runciman for creating WikiTree profile Thomson-2898 through the import of RUNCIMANAlansPaternal4WikiTreeAug2013.ged on Aug 29, 2013. Research on this Thomson family branch has been undertaken by several descendants. Thanks is due to Margaret Cairns (nee Anderson), Euan Cameron, Deborah Crate (nee Chisholm), Rachel Kelly, Alan Runciman & Stephen West. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Alan and others.