William Sinton (abt. 1778 - 1841)

Born about Jul 1778 in Wilton, Roxburghshire, Scotland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Isabel (Scott) Sinton — married about 1803 in Wilton, Roxburghshire, Scotland [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 12 Aug 1841 at about age 63 in Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lorna Henderson [send private message]

Biography

William Sinton was born around July 1778 in Roxburghshire (1841 census & death). (See Research Note)

In the absence of of finding a baptism in parish records his assumed parents are George (Sintone) Sinton (1737-1806) and Margaret (Beaty) Sinton (1741-). It would have been at Hawick or Wilton, Roxburghshire. (See Research Note)

William married Isabel Scott definitely between 1800-05 (ie after age 21yrs), but probably by 1803. The location was probably Wilton or Hawick. (See Research Note regarding William's parents) At the time of his marriage William was a coachman although he later became a roading contractor.

Between 1806 and 1819 six children (all boys) appear in parish records: James (1806); William (1808); John (1810); Thomas (1813); Andrew (1816); and Adam (1819). An earlier one (George) is assumed born around 1804. (See Research Note regarding William's parents)

Son James was baptised in Jan 1806 at Ancrum, a village 3 miles (5km) north-west of Jedburgh. William's grandson George writes that the family were living at Lanton at the time. Lanton is a village about 2.3 miles north-west of Jedburgh and slightly further from Ancrum. William's father George died there in Feb 1806, but his body was interred 8 miles away in Hawick where he had lived.

All William and Isabel's subsequent children were all born in Jedburgh.

Not particularly typical for an established medieval town, the layout of Jedburgh at this time was cruciform, which followed the undulating contours of the landscape. There were three main roads in and out of the town, with the main one being a thoroughfare over the border into England. The width of the town at its greatest point was 380 yards and the length just over half a mile. The three main streets were known as Canongate, the High Street and Townhead, which terminated in the area of the same name to the south. There were two castles in the town – Jedburgh and Ferniehurst – although neither of them functioned as centres of power at this time. The manufacturing of wool and woollen garments had always been the mainstay of the town’s economy, but this was in severe decline by the 1830s. The one exception was the production of stockings, for which the area was starting to build a reputation... Bread, unusually, was a profitable Jedburgh export... Jedburgh was the only market town in the parish, which increased its already important status as a royal burgh, county town and circuit court station. ^[1]

Jedburgh Cannongate (Castle St) from the jail and museum

In the 1831 pre-census William Sinton was a roadman at Jedburgh. Address - Town Head. ^[2]

This was an exciting time in Scotland as Macadamised roads were replacing the dirt cart tracks. John Loudon McAdam had developed a system whereby successive layers of stone chips were rolled together using a binding material, the forerunner to our tar sealing.

In 1841 at age 62 William was noted as a labourer. He was living with his wife Isabella, age 62, at Castle Street, Jedburgh. ^[3]

Typical house in Castlegate/Castle Street, Jedburgh

William was buried 15 August 1841 at Jedburgh Abbey Cemetery. His headstone indicates he was a road maker and died on 12 August, aged 63. On the same headstone are details of his the passing of his wife Isabella Scott on 10 April 1849 at age 70.

Research note

1/ Parents of William Sinton - In the absence of his baptism in parish records his assumed parents are George (Sintone) Sinton (1737-1806) and Margaret Beaty. It would have been at Hawick or Wilton, Roxburgshire. Here are the reasons:

William was born in Roxburgh (1841 census). His birthdate from June 1841 census (62yrs) and August 1841 death (63yrs) indicates he was born between 7 June and 12 August 1778.

William’s wife Isabel/Isabella was born at Wilton, hence it is reasonable to assume the couple were married there or in neighbouring Hawick (Wilton was essentially a suburb of Hawick). They could have been married in a non-conformist church as all their children were baptised in one at Jedburgh. Isabel Scott’s baptism concords with the given age at 1841 census and age at death.

They had both turned 21 by the end of 1799. Hence, the couple could have married anytime from the beginning of 1800 and Feb 1805 (10 months before the baptism of James). Hence, there could have been up to 5 births prior to James, and could have been in accordance with traditional Scottish naming pattern (not always followed).

The assumed parents, George and Margaret were married in 1766 at Wilton and their only child in parish baptism records was baptised 5 years later there. The only other child attributed to them died in 1790 at Hawick implying the family moved there from Wilton after 1771. That the father was named in her record indicates she was a minor (birth 1770-90).

The names of William and Isabel’s first sons fit with the ancestry of George Sintone. In relation to William they are: Presumed first son George (bc1804) (Wm’s father); James (maternal grandfather); William (himself); John (paternal grandfather); Thomas (brother & father-in-law). In addition the name George is found among the sons of William and Isabel’s first three sons (James, William, and John). Note that there have been no records clearly identifying George (the son) either in 1804 or subsequently.

The reason a birth for William (1778) in Hawick or Wilton may be missing: Hawick birth records - ‘irregular entries are frequent after 1770’ ^[4] Wilton - the town is basically a suburb of Hawick. The (existing) church was built in 1762. ‘There is a draft of the (birth) record December 1756–February 1783’ ^[5]

2/ DNA

yDNA results from two different lines of direct male line descent from William have an exact yDNA match at y37.

They also match, GD6 at y111, 3 BigY tested descendants of James Sinton b. abt 1730, Southdean.

Nov 2021 update: A descendant of William has now BigY tested: haplgroup R-BY113535 ^[6] and the three BigY testers from the above James Sinton are on a sub branch: R-BY103089

Keep an eye on time and sub branching estimates at yFull and FamilyTreeDNA but do also check out the ranges for the estimates. Henderson-2297

If you are a direct male line descendant of William married Isabella Scott and interested in exploring this, please get in touch Henderson-2297 02:28, 6 August 2020 (UTC)

Sinton Surname DNA project

Sources

1. ↑ https://maps.nls.uk/townplans/background/jedburgh.html
2. ↑ https://www.findmypast.co.uk
3. ↑ https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10979-1373963/william-sinton-in-1841-scotland-census
4. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Hawick,_Roxburghshire,_Scotland_Genealogy
5. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Wilton,_Roxburghshire,_Scotland_Genealogy
6. ↑ with 4 private variants with potential to refine this should another tester be found

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 08 August 2017, 10:26), entry for William Sinton(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LZFH-FMF); contributed by various users.