Tag: Lonmay

Five Men Drowned – Connections

PLEASE NOTE: The charts shown on this post have an error. The father of Elisabeth Buchan (b1874) was not a granddaughter of John (Park’s Jockie) Buchan (b1792). Please see the post ‘Five Men Drowned – Connections and Corrections’ for an updated chart and explanation.

In the final post of the series, I mentioned that I had not been able to find any direct link to my family from any of the five men. However, I thought it would probably be a good idea to show the links that are there.

Family chart illustrating the connections between author's family and the victims
How the five men connect to my family (click to enlarge image)

Alexander Ritchie Buchan was my second great-grandfather.

  • Charles Bruce was the father-in-law of Alexander’s brother Peter.
  • Andrew Buchan was the cousin of Alexander’s brother-in-law (husband of sister Jessie).
  • Alexander Strachan and Andrew Strachan were the father-in-law and brother-in-law of Jessie’s husband’s cousin (Elisabeth).
  • Andrew Bruce does not currently have any known connection to my family.

Please note: these are the closest connections as they currently stand. The families of St Combs were so entwined, there are bound to be other ways they link and less distant connections may be discovered in time.

UPDATE: 

Less than a day after posting the above, I was able to connect Andrew Bruce. It turns out that Andrew was actually the nephew of Charles Bruce.

Family chart illustrating the connections between author's family and the victims with new addition
Connection chart updated (click to enlarge)

Apparently though, Andrew is more closely connected to my family via a different route:

Family chart illustrating the connections between author's family and the victims with new addition
Closest Connections to my family (click to enlarge)

 

This can be expressed in many different ways – none of those being straight forward.

We could say:

My second great grandfather’s uncle married the second cousin of Andrew Bruce.

OR

My third great grandfather’s brother married Andrew Bruce’s second cousin.

OR

Andrew Bruce was the second cousin of my third great grandfather’s sister-in-law.

OR

Andrew Bruce was the second cousin of the wife of Alexander Ritchie Buchan’s uncle.

OR…

… (It could go on and on.)

Whichever way, I’m glad a connection has been made and will be sure to update here when closer ones are found.

 

Posts in this series:
Five Men Drowned
Five Men Drowned – Two Recovered
Five Men Drowned – Three Buried at Sea
Five Men Drowned – One Survivor

 

Related posts:

Chiropody at Trentham

Five Men Drowned - Two Recovered

The Will of James Findlay

Five Men Drowned – Three Buried At Sea

Continued from previous post Five Men Drowned – Two Recovered

…two of the bodies that had become entangled with the buoys and lines were washed ashore, but the other three remain unrecovered.
Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser, 16 February 1872, p3, c3

The Three Buried at Sea

Of the five men who drowned when their boat was overturned near Rattray Head on 9 February 1872, the bodies of Charles Bruce (40), and father and son, Alexander (50) and Andrew (20) Strachan, were never recovered.

Charles Bruce

Charles was the son of fisherman Andrew Bruce and Margaret Buchan. He was one of at least eight siblings who grew up in the small fishing cottage of 35 St Combs.

He married Mary Strachan on 23 February 1854 and by 1871, they had at least seven children. They were all recorded living at number 99 (East Row) on the 1871 census.

image of death record
Death record of Charles Bruce

After the tragedy, Mary appears to have remained at no. 99. She was recorded there in the 1881 census with two of their sons, Andrew (13) and William (10), her visiting daughter Jane (24) and infant granddaughter Mary Stephen (4 months). Daughter Mary was working as a servant a few doors away (house 95).

All of Charles’ children appeared to have either worked in the fishing industry, or married fishermen and remained nearby, except Mary, who married printer/compositor James Joss in 1886 and emigrated to Canada c1912.

(A memorial for Charles and Mary was erected by their family in the Lonmay Kirkyard.)

Alexander and Andrew Strachan

Alexander and Andrew Strachan were father and son.

Alexander was the son of Andrew Strachan and Jane Greig. He married Margaret Whyte on 4 October 1846 at Lonmay.

Alexander and Margaret’s son Andrew was born about 1850 and grew up in St Combs with his three younger siblings, Barbara, Gordon and John, before following in his father’s footsteps to become a fisherman.

image of death records
Death records of Alexander and Andrew Strachan

After the deaths of her husband and son, Margaret remained at 85 East Street until at least 1891. In the 1901 census, she was recorded at 19 East Street with her daughter Gordon (yes, daughter!), who had stayed with her mother since the tragic event.

Eldest daughter Barbara married fisherman Andrew Noble in 1875. They lived at nearby Cairnbulg (no 60) with their four children for most (if not all) of their lives.

Youngest son John stayed in the area but did not appear to remain in the fishing industry – he was recorded as a tailor in 1881, a carter in 1891, and a butcher’s labourer in 1901. He had married young Elizabeth Ann Buchan in 1890 and they had a daughter, Maggie Ann.

Next post: Five Men Drowned – One Survivor

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Cairnglass

Further Pedigree Collapse

Emigrating to New Zealand

Five Men Drowned

At about 4 o’clock on a winter’s afternoon, off the north east coast of Scotland, a fishing boat was swamped by a heavy wave while returning home from a day’s work. Of the six men aboard, only one survived.

The tragedy occurred on Friday, 9 February 1872, about three miles from land, just north of Rattray Head. All of the crew were from the village of St Combs, in the parish of Lonmay, Aberdeenshire. As can be imagined, the incident had a devastating effect on the inhabitants of this tiny coastal village.

old map showing St Combs and Rattray Head
St Combs and Rattray Head shown on a map c1894

The sole survivor, James Buchan, signed as informant on the death records for his deceased crewmates – Andrew Buchan (34), Andrew Bruce (24), Charles Bruce (40), Alexander Strachan (50), and Andrew Strachan (20). The cause of death was recorded for all as “Drowning caused by the upsetting of a boat about 3 miles off the shore of St Combs”. “Body not found” was added in parentheses to the latter three, whose bodies were not recovered.

In following posts, I hope to share more about the lives of these unfortunate fishermen, and uncover the links, if any, to my own family.

ABERDEENSHIRE BOAT SWAMPED.
FIVE FISHERMEN DROWNED.
About four o’clock on Friday afternoon a fishing boat belonging to St Comb’s, parish of Lonmay, having on board a crew of six fishermen, while returning from the fishing, was swamped by a heavy sea when about four miles off the land, and five of the crew were drowned. The names of the unfortunate men are Charles Bruce, aged 40; Andrew Strachan, 20; Alexander Strachan, 50; Andrew Buchan, 34; Andrew Bruce, 25; all fishermen residing in St Comb’s. The other man, named James Buchan, succeeded in keeping himself afloat by clinging to the oars until a boat which was also returning from the fishing arrived at the scene and rescued him. Two of the bodies were also picked up by the boat, but both were quite dead. The lamentable occurrence has caused a feeling of depression throughout the whole neighbourhood.
Dundee Courier, 12 February 1872, p2, c6

 

MELANCHOLY OCCURENCE—FIVE MEN DROWNED.—On Friday evening a very melancholy occurrence happened, by which five fishermen were lost at sea. The unfortunate men, who along with another man, had formed a boat’s crew, had been at the white fishing, and were returning homewards when a little to the north of Rattray Head a heavy sea broke over them, and quite overwhelmed the boat. The man who was saved succeeded in keeping himself afloat by means of oars until a neighbouring crew came to his assistance, but the other five, after a struggle in the broken water, were drowned. Some hours afterwards two of the bodies that had become entangled with the buoys and lines were washed ashore, but the other three remain unrecovered. The fishermen all belonged St. Combs, and the following is a list of their names and ages :—Charles Bruce, 40; Andrew Strachan, 20; Alex. Strachan, 50; Andrew Buchan, 34; and Andrew Bruce, 25. Andrew Strachan was unmarried but each of the others has left a widow and a large family. The bodies of Andrew Buchan and Andrew Bruce were taken ashore in the rescuing boat, and the scene of grief which was witnessed when the sad tidings became known cannot be described.
Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser, 16 February 1872, p3, c3

Next post: Five Men Drowned – Two Recovered

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Book 'em Again, Danno

Cairnglass

While trawling through the parish registers of St Combs, I came across a record for a Charles Gordon BUCHAN.  It was quite rare to come across a middle name in this family (as opposed to a tee name) and wondered if it was reference to the mother’s maiden name.

Baptism of Charles Gordon BUCHAN, 1785 – Lonmay parish registers

Alexander Buchan (Skipper) in Cairnglass had a son baptd named Charles Gordon. W[itnesses] John Strachan (*sley) & James Buchan.

It was the first time I’d come across ‘Cairnglass’ and found more about the place in the Ordnance Survey Books:

A superior farmsteading on the estate of Cairness. The property of Jas W Gordon Esqr.

I recall reading somewhere that tenant farmers sometimes named their children after land owners so it’s highly likely that Alexander Buchan of Cairnglass names his son in honour of the owner of his farm.  However, this seemed based on the valuation roll of 1869/70 – 85 years later – so proof would be needed that this property was in the Gordon family for some time.

A search for the Gordon name and Cairness brought up a page for Charles Gordon, 7th of Buthlaw and 1st of Cairness. He lived at the correct time and therefore lends credence to the idea Charles Gordon BUCHAN was named after him.  If anyone knows anything for or against this conclusion, I’d be very interested to hear about it.

 

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Kissing Cousins?

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Girls, girls, girls

Arthur and Martha… I mean, Mary

I mentioned in my previous post that I’d like to know more about Arthur BUCHAN’s next marriage as their children are mentioned in Roy Buchan’s book ‘From Peterhead to Passchendaele’.  He had married his first wife, Christian BUCHAN in 1857 who had died by the 1861 census.
Marriage of Arthur BUCHAN and Christian BUCHAN 1857

I located Arthur and his sons on the 1871 census who were now living with Arthur’s new wife, Mary and their new half siblings – Andrew, Mary and Elspet.

Arthur & sons with new family on 1871 census

A search of the IGI located a marriage between Arthur and Mary BRUCE in 1864 which I then downloaded.  Strangely, Mary’s parents are not listed.

Marriage of Arthur BUCHAN and Mary BRUCE 1864

I would say there’s a whole new story there.A further search of the IGI uncovered the births of their children, Isabella and Peter.  This Peter is ‘Uncle Peter’ who Roy refers to as “a shadowy figure who followed the family to New Zealand, arriving in about 1910”. Auntie Isa was also mentioned in letters written by Roy’s father and uncles during World War I. “a rotter who deserted his wife and children” (Buchan, R., From Peterhead to Passchendaele, 2003, p145).

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Call Me Al

Mystery Grandson Solved

The ALLEN Key