Taits of Berwickshire

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Berwickshire, Scotland
Surname/tag: Tait Tate Berwickshire

A place together an overview of the Tait/Tate families in Berwickshire to see how they are connected. The focus is on the Taits of Eyemouth who emigrated at different times to South Africa and perhaps other parts of the world.

Census links:

• 1841 []
• 1851 []
• 1861 []
• 1871 []
• 1881 []
• 1891 []

Eyemouth family

Progenitor James Tait

• James Tait I (abt.1780-aft.1814) & Margaret (Fish) Tait (abt.1792-abt.1871)
  • Samuel Tait, born 14 Jan 1803, bap. 06 Feb 1803, Eyemouth [1]
  • David Tait, born 25 Oct 1808, bap. 6 Nov 1808, Eyemouth [2][3]
  • James Tait, born 25 Dec 1813, bap 28 Jan 1814, Eyemouth [4]

• other concurrent children of a James Tait with mother not named? Likely two more distinct families

Earlston

• • Margaret Tait , possible daughter bapt. 20 Feb 1808 at Earlston [5][6]
  • George Tait, possible son bapt. 17 Mar 1812 at Earlston [7]
  • Agnes Tait possible daughter bapt 19 Oct 1816 at Earlston [8][9]

Gordon

• • Agnes Tait, possible daughter bapt. 22 Jul 1810 at Gordon [10]
  • Isabel Tait , possible daughter bapt. 28 Jun 1812 at Gordon [11]
  • Margaret Tait, possible daughter bapt.12 Jan 1817 at Gordon [12]

David Tait Family group in Eyemouth:

• David Tait (1808-1858) & Rachel (Knox) Tait (abt.1808-1860)
  • Rachel Tait (1830-) Rachel - (bap 29 Apr 1830) [13] m. Sunderland - moved to Wick/Caithness)
  • Margaret (Tait) Mc Ivor (abt.1834-1878) Margaret Knox Tait (b 11 May 1832, bap 27 June 1832 - ) [14] wife of Robert McIvor and mother of two sons with their father's name and two daughters Rachel and Isabella.
  • James Tait (1834-)James Tait (b 30 May 1834, bap 27 July 1834 - ) [15] 2nd son
  • George Tait (1836-) George Tate (b 22 Dec 1836, bap. 10 Feb 1837 -) [16]
  • Mary Knox Tait (bef.1839-abt.1889) Mary Knox Tait (bap 15 Dec 1839 - Nov 1899 ) [17] m ? Smith, m William Cowe 21 Aug 1888 Edinburgh
  • David Fish Tait (abt.1842-) David Tait (b 27 Jan 1842, bap 01 Mar 1842 - ) [18] m in 1893 in his fifties - schoolmaster
  • Jane Tait (1847- ?) not in 1851 census
  • Richard Knox Tait (1856-1911)Richard Knox Tait (1856 - 1911) - physician (North Shields) divorced emigrated to South Africa, remarried. Progenitor of Dennis Maeder Ph.D.

Taits of Langrigg

The Taits of Langrigg farm (Duns/Whitsome) have no proven connection to those in Eyemouth, 12 miles distant. Langrigg farm is located at 55°44'53.1"N 2°14'22.6"W [19] [20]

1-place study The Taits of Langrigg [21] Ownership. Langrigg is remarkable among the Whitsome farms because of its continuity of ownership. In the 1694 "List of Hearths" , the owner is shown as Robert Ruchead. From then until 1945/6,the farm was owned by the Tait family, as follows: (their birth years are shown to give a sense of time since it's not always clear when they died). The farm passed between siblings several times. James (1684), Joseph (1730), Williams (1732), George (1765), James (1769), James (1816), James (1851), David (1855), Margaret (1861). As will be seen, continuity was further maintained by their habit of letting the farm to members of the family.

Tait tree [22]

1776 candidate birth record James Tait

[23]

Name James Tait

Sex Male

Christening Date 27 Feb 1776

Christening Place Earlston, Berwickshire, Scotland

Christening Place (Original) Earlston, Berwick, Scotland

Father's Name Thomas Tait

"Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTYB-L3L : 11 February 2020), James Tait, 1776.

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