Alexander Renwick (abt. 1786 - bef. 1862)

Born about 20 Feb 1786 in Knock Knowes, Blyth Bridge, Newlands, Peeblesshire, Scotland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

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Research Notes

This Alexander Renwick appears to have had nine children with Margaret Wilson between 1810 and 1827. However, the paucity of solid data makes it very difficult to attribute a clear biography to him.

Four of his children, Janet (b. 1810), William (b.1814), Thomas (b. 1816), and James (b. 1817) were born in Broughton, Peebles-shire, Scotland. In their birth records in the parish registers their parents were entered as Alexander Rainy and Margaret Wilson. In amongst them, the birth of a daughter Elizabeth (b. 1812) was registered in the parish of Carnwath, Lanarkshire, to Alexander Renwick and Margaret Wilson. Next, the birth of a daughter Ferguson (b. 1820) was registered in the parish of Walston, Lanarkshire, to Alexander Renwick and Margaret Wilson. His last three daughters, Mary (b. 1823), Janet (b. 1825), and Elizabeth (b. 1827) were registered in the parish of Covington & Thankerton, Lanarkshire, to Alexander Rennie and Margaret Wilson.

The obvious question is whether these nine birth records are all from the same two parents. The overall temporal spacing is certainly consistent with that hypothesis. The four parishes, Broughton, Carnwath, Walston, and Covington & Thankerton, are all adjacent, so the idea of the family moving between them is not unreasonable. The different spellings of the surname Renwick are all practical homophones of the same name, and it is likely that Alexander and Margaret were both illiterate, and therefore not in a position to argue the spelling of his name. Lastly, no marriage records have been found on ScotlandsPeople in all of Lanarkshire and Peeblesshire for an Alexander Renwick/Rainy/Rennie to a Margaret Wilson.

As to Alexander's birth, there are no definitive records. Other researchers cite a 1786^[1] birth at Knock Knowes mill, in the hamlet of Blyth Bridge, in the parish of Newlands, Peebleshire, and cite the parents as James Renwick and Jean Cuthbertson. The main argument in favour of this seems to be the total absence of any other plausible birth records. However, it must be noted that this birth took place 4 years prior to the marriage of James and Jean, and moreover does not mention the name of the mother. It appears to use the language "Natural Son", which some take to imply an illegitimate birth, given that none of the other records on the same page use this phrase. There are good records, however, for the post-marriage births of eight other children to James Renwick and Jean Cuthbertson, all registered in the parish of Walston, Lanarkshire. Finally, it is worth observing that James had a sister with the unusual name of Ferguson, a name Alexander also gave to one of his own daughters. These were the only two girls named Ferguson born in all of Lanarkshire and Peeblesshire between 1750 and 1825.

Alexander appears in the Scotland census of 1841^[2] living with his wife and daughter in the hamlet of Legbranock, in the parish of Bothwell, Lanarkshire. This is the last time we have found Alexander in the records on ScotlandsPeople. In his son Thomas' 1862 application for Poor Law relief, both Alexander and his wife Margaret are stated to have been Deceased.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth?: A copy of this birth record can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk - Search on OLD PARISH RECORDS - BIRTHS & BAPTISMS: SURNAME:Renwick; FORENAME:Alexander; YEAR:1786; COUNTY:Peebles; PARISH:Newlands (free registration required to search, nominal fee to download the record).
2. ↑ 1841 Census: 1841 Scotland Census [database on-line], Parish: Bothwell Holytown; ED: 8; Page: 15; Line: 1290; Year: 1841, via Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 9 May 2024 Ancestry uk Record 1004 #49213 (account required, no Free-To-View image available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on CENSUS RETURNS; SURNAME:Renwick; FORENAME:Alexander; YEAR:1841; AGE:50; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Bothwell.