John Morrison, showman

By Kay Mcmeekin. Originally posted in 2017

 John Morrison was born on 12th April 1829 in Old Cumnock (according to all censuses) and baptised on 26th November  1829 in Kilmarnock, the natural son of Elizabeth Grier and John Morrison.  Elizabeth went on to marry Donald or Daniel Stewart in 1833 in Kilmarnock.

John was living with the Stewarts in 1841 in Kilmarnock but by 1851 census he was an "equestrian" living in Paisley with his wife Mary McNab of Renton.

In December of 1852 he was charged with wife assault in Cullen, Banffshire and is a showman from Kilmarnock. She clearly forgave him as she paid his fine and they went on to have nine children together. (9 children according to his obituary. I've only found 8)

Published: 7th Dec 1852 
Newspaper: Banffshire Journal and General Advertiser

In November 1858 John and Mary were in court again but this time they were the victims of an assault by Sheriff Officers in Cummingston on the Moray coast near Burghead.

Their children were born all around the country; Kilmarnock,  Ayr, Aberdeen, Golspie, Lossiemouth, Echt, Charlestown. Many of these are seaside places.

In 1861 census he is a shoemaker living in 34 Shuttle Lane Aberdeen with Mary and 4 children.

In 1871 census he is a photographer living in a caravan on South Green Dunfermline with Mary and 7 children.

In September 1877 he is a showman and shooting gallery proprietor from Dundee in trouble for setting up with out permission. Found guilty.

Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser - Friday 21 September 1877

Mary died in Dundee in 1878 and he married Sarah Stratton in 1880. This marriage was short lived. More later.

 In 1881 he is back in Kilmarnock with his mother now the widow of William Richmond and half brother William Stewart. He is a joiner.
West George Lane, Kilmarnock
Elizabeth Richmond 79
John Morrison 51 son journeyman joiner
William Stewart 16 son
Ann Goudie 61 visitor

Meanwhile 3 of his children Jessie, Hugh and Helen are living with their stepmother Sarah in Dundee.

In 1885 he was in court again in Perthshire.

Dundee Courier 
Friday 10 April 1885

He was sinned against in 1885 when his second wife committed bigamy. His address was Euclid Crescent Dundee.

Dundee Evening Telegraph 
Tuesday 02 June 1885

Things seem to have gone downhill for him after that.

In 1891 he is in a lodging house in Dundee. At 20 Bruce St Lodging House

Occupation Pedlar age 67

It was reported in the Dundee Courier of Thursday 02 June 1892 that he was drunk and disorderly at the Model (lodging house) and he was fined 5 shillings or five days' (imprisonment)/

In 1895 he featured in a series of articles in the Caledonia magazine written by Donald J Jolly. I wasn't sure at first it was the same man as he claimed to be born on 7th April 1819 but his obituary ties in with some of his claims.
Caledonia

1901 at  97 Overgate St Lodging House (Patrick Rock's)

Occupation Pedlar age 75

He died of chronic bronchitis in October 1903 in Perth Poorhouse age 74, consistent with his birth record.

Reports of his death appear some weeks later and he is described as a centenarian born 1801 in New Cumnock.  He performed at the coronation of George IV in 1821 before he was born! I wondered if this refers to his father who was described as a labourer in 1829 and a tile maker on John's death certificate. Interesting reading though. He was known as "Shooting Johnny"; a clown called Caldebratis; the original Ord.

Aberdeen Press and Journal - Friday 25 December 1903

Cumnock Connections tree

* His place of birth is consistently Old Cumnock in the censuses and his mother was from there.

John McTurk Gibson

Born in 1827 in Hillhead, Ochiltree John McTurk Gibson left home for America in his youth. He married and settled in Marengo, Iowa. 

During the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, better known as the Colorado Gold Rush he left hiswife and children at home and set off with some friends  on the Oregon-California trail in April 1857 to seek his fortune.  Both he and his companion John Powell kept a diary and his great great grandson Weldon Hope has published both accounts here    https://wjh.us/journal/copyrite.htm       

Scotch Drapers in Liverpool

By Elaine Corbett

This is a story of a family sticking together and helping out with motherless and orphaned nieces and nephews.

Two Sloans (children of Peter Sloan and Mary Gall of Roughside and Knockterra) married two McMillan siblings (born in Minnigaff). 

First Alexander Sloan married Jeannie McMillan in Liverpool in 1880 and then in 1882  his sister Margaret Sloan married Jeannie’s brother James McMillan at Knockterra. Both men were drapers in Liverpool. Jeannie was already dead by the time of her brother's  wedding in 1882 , leaving a baby Peter Sloan.

Margaret Sloan

Alexander and Jeannie are in the census of 1881 at 9 Brownlow Street, Liverpool. He is a travelling draper age 28. Travelling drapers went from place to place selling items from a pack.

Other household members are baby Peter Sloan, and a three-year-old niece Elizabeth (Lizzie) Susan Clive.       Lizzie was the daughter of Jeannie’s sister Margaret McMillan who had died in January 1878, aged 40, three months after the birth of Lizzie.  Her widowed father a mason in Old Luce was looking after her brothers, while another sister was with their Aunt and Uncle on a farm in Old Luce.    

Ten years on in the 1891 census James McMillan and Margaret (Sloan) are living at 16 Brownlow St. along with Alexander, Lizzie Clive, and Peter Sloan,  as Jeannie had died in November 1881 when her son Peter was only 9 months old.

As well as the McMillan/Sloans, Brownlow St. appears to have several families in the drapery trade in 1891. They are:

Caroline Bentham draper’s Assistant aged 20,

William Alexander draper aged 45 (from Auchinleck) on Cumnock Connections tree

Mary Mitchell Alexander wife aged 43 (from Tarbolton)

Robert Alexander aged 19 assistant draper

Samuel Mitchell aged 29 draper

James Warrener aged 71 draper (from Pudsey)

Thomas Pagan aged 42 (from Scotland)

Jane his wife aged 37 (from Scotland)

William Morgan aged 45 Draper

William Rae aged 45 draper (from Scotland)

 

Two years later Peter’s father died, and Peter, at the tender age of 12, continued to live with his aunt and uncle.

In the 1901 census, the McMillan sons are listed as being school age, but Peter Sloan, aged 20 is a civil engineer. His cousins would later be taken into the family business that seems to have gone from strength to strength. Peter chose a very different path.

By the time of the census in 1911, the only drapers on Brownlow St. are the McMillans.

The 1921 census refers to the McMillans as ‘credit drapers’. This means that they sold goods ‘on tick’, payment in instalments with a premium added. Usually aimed at people in the poorer income bracket, some sales could make 100% profit for the draper. It was an early example of the credit card, and not universally approved of, being seen as temptation to the spendthrifts of the lower classes. The company was referred to as McMillan and Sons. James McMillan died at Wh

The term ‘Scotch Drapers’ refers to the travelling salesmen, who although in the early days had been predominantly Scots, they then evolved into drapery businesses employing travelling salesmen working on their own account, and from more diverse ethnic groups. The salesmen had to pay into the business, and act as tallymen, collecting dues from customers who bought goods ‘on tick’.

Peter Sloan however had received his education at the Liverpool Institute and served his apprenticeship with Messrs C. S. Wilson & Co of Regent Road, Bootle. He joined the White Star Line two weeks after the completion of his apprenticeship and served on various vessels both in the Atlantic and Mediterranean routes. He was shown serving as an electrician aboard the Cretic in October 1905, his ship prior to that being stated as the Celtic; at this time his address was listed as 103 Vine St. Liverpool.

Peter married Annie Blair, a Belfast girl, in August 1908 and they set up home together in 14 Newcastle Rd. Wavertree, Liverpool. Peter was a Marine Electrical Engineer by this time.

A year later Peter had risen to the position of Chief Electrician. It must have been with great enthusiasm that he signed up for his next assignment in Southampton.

Peter Sloan

The ship he signed up to was RMS Titanic. 

In April 1912, Peter set sail from Southampton, leaving Annie in Liverpool. They had no children. He was part of the crew that kept the ship’s lights and systems running.

When the Titanic hit the iceberg, electricians like Peter were among the heroes who stayed at their posts to keep the lights on so passengers could see to escape.

Peter Sloan’s body was never recovered, but his story became part of Titanic history — a reminder that sometimes the greatest legacies aren’t in money or business, but in courage.

 

The Adamson Sisters

By Lindsay and Anne Adamson

The Adamson Sisters– a short story of two Cumnock-born women:

Helen 1879-1922 and Marjory 1882-1935

 

Helen Scarlett Adamson, oldest child of the Reverend Alexander Adamson and his wife Janet (ms Duncan), was born on 17^th May 1879 in the Free Church manse on Ayr Road, Old Cumnock, Ayrshire. 

 

Old Free Church, Ayr Road (a)

 

    Her sister Alice Marjory Adamson (known as Marjory, with the chosen spelling Marjorie in adult life) was also born in the Free Church manse on 25^th March 1882; however, before Marjory was even 1 year old, the family moved from Cumnock when their father took up a new ministry at Chapelshade Free Church in Dundee.

    Younger brother David Lindsay Adamson was born on 16^th June 1885 at 16 Albany Terrace, Dundee, and it was in Dundee¹ that all three children had their schooling. There is archival evidence for David and for Marjory, though not for Helen, however it is likely that all three children attended The High School of Dundee, a private school with both primary and secondary departments. Indeed, from the school’s prize giving records, we can see that Marjory won a prize for freehand drawing in 1888 when she was in the 2^nd grade (age 6). Incidentally, The High School of Dundee, founded in 1239, continues to the present day and is a prestigious Scottish co-ed independent school offering an all-through (3-18) education.

    In 1883 in Scotland the school leaving age was raised from 13 to 14 years; though this was of little consequence to the Adamson sisters as both were determined, and no doubt encouraged by their father, to stay on at school and to pursue further education. As well as the normal range of academic subjects studied at school, including Latin which was required for university entrance, girls at that time also studied needlework, music and art. Knowledge of and a facility with some or all of these arts was almost a prerequisite for any well-brought up middle class young woman of this time, and there is evidence that as adults both Helen and Marjorie continued to enjoy both drawing and painting. 

     In 1899, Helen, aged 19, took up a place at the University of St Andrews. Since 1886 the university had provided halls of residence for women students, and it may well be that Helen lived there during her first year in St Andrews, however the university archive² records her final year term-time address as 13 Wellington Street, Dundee.

    Helen must have been very academically clever, as at the end of her second year at university, she was recognised as the top student in one of her subjects and was awarded the “Class Medal for Moral Philosophy (1900-01)”.  

 

  Class Medal for Moral Philosophy (1900-01)

         St Andrew’s University Coat of Arms (b)

   

    Helen graduated with a 2^nd Class Honours degree, MA in English in 1903. She continued studying and fulfilled the necessary requirements to be awarded a professional qualification, the Cambridge Teachers’ Certificate, as she embarked on her chosen career in education.

    Although we do not know where or when Marjorie studied, we do know she also went on to become a teacher. In fact, both sisters eventually became headmistresses, but more of that later.

    In August 1897, eighteen-year-old Helen started keeping a scrapbook. Many of its entries date from her student days but she was still adding to it up until 1912. Throughout the Victorian era and continuing till at least the mid 20^th century, scrapbooking was a popular pastime for women of means. Scrapbooks were often keepsake albums for a woman’s own sketches and verses; as well as for those drawn and written by friends and others. Looking through Helen’s scrapbook today (poems and epigrams in many different handwriting styles; watercolour paintings, drawings and sketches; a musical score and even a couple of political cartoons by different artistic friends & family) is dipping into a treasure trove and catching the merest glimpse of her thoughts and memories from that time. 

    Here is just one example of Helen’s artwork and an illustrated poem contributed by her sister Marjorie.

(c)

(c)       

                                                                                                                                                                                        

    At different dates both sisters left the family home in Dundee and moved to Edinburgh to pursue careers as schoolteachers. Much of the hard information we have about this period of their lives comes from the 5-yearly Edinburgh property Valuation Rolls³, the 10-yearly national Census³ returns and advertisements for private schools from the archives of The Scotsman⁴ newspaper, but sadly some of the most significant dates cannot be found or verified.

    We don’t know exactly when, though most probably it was in 1903 or 1904, that Helen first moved to Edinburgh, nor do we know where she first lived there; however we do know that it was sometime during that first decade of the 1900s that Helen started her own school in rented premises at 1 Rothesay Terrace, a pleasant town house in Edinburgh’s New Town. This school offered a primary education to girls, though there may also have been some boys enrolled in the kindergarten class.

    We know little about this small school Helen started; however, we can deduce it must have been successful as the 1915 Valuation Roll for 1 Rothesay Terrace shows that the tenants then were Miss Gamgee & the sisters Misses Clark Stanton, also teachers. This is further confirmed by a brief mention in a book, ‘Crème de la Crème: Girls Schools in Edinburgh’⁵, which says that a school continued at this location after Miss Adamson sold it. Advertisements⁴ show that Miss Gamgee & the Misses Clark Stanton were already operating a small school, ‘Home School for Girls’ in a house in nearby Rothesay Place; when they took over the tenancy at 1 Rothesay Terrace; they then advertised their school under the name ‘Rothesay House (Home School for Girls)’. We will never know, but it does make one wonder if perhaps Helen’s school was simply called ‘Rothesay House School’. 

    The 1911 census shows Helen, age 31, as a Boarder at 2 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh with her occupation listed as Headmistress of Private School. The Head of the Household is listed as Elizabeth B. Somerville, age 65, whose occupation is listed as Principal of Private School.  Altogether 7 people are listed as living there; as well as Helen, there are two other female Boarders, whose occupations are listed as German Governess and Governess, and three female Servants.

    This house at 2 Randolph Crescent was also the premises for a private school, St Elizabeth’s School for Girls. Advertisements from 1906 indicate this was a day school, but by 1911 it was a day and boarding school for both primary and secondary age pupils. Miss Somerville was, and had been for many years, the school principal; and at some date between 1909 and 1911, she had recruited Helen to be its headmistress. This addition of Helen to St Elizabeth’s staff likely coincided with an expansion of numbers in the school roll and a wish by Miss Somerville to be able to offer a more academic curriculum to senior girls.

 

Whole school photo in the garden at Randolph Crescent (d)  

  Now an informal one ie hats OFF!  (d)     

     On the date this 1911 census was taken, Marjorie (age 29) was living at her parents’ house in Dundee; and although no specific occupation is listed for her, a very close friend later recorded that what Marjorie saw as her duty at this time was to help her father by working with the poor families in his congregation.

William Murdoch, Inventor

 by Roberta McGee

William Murdoch, the inventor of gas lighting, was born at Bello Mill, Lugar in 1754, the third child of John Murdoch and Anna Bruce. 

Father John was born in 1725 at Skerrington Mill, Cumnock. In 1747, when he married Anna Bruce, whose brother James was a land agent for the Dumfries Estate, John was in Orchard farm, Auchinleck. According to a Cumnock Chronicle report of 1975 he had previously joined the army  and fought in Flanders during the Austrian Succession War (1740-1748). He most likely would have fought at Dettingen under Lord Stair. Dettingen was the last time a British monarch led his troops into battle. Dettingen Wood, on the Dumfries Estate, commemorated this great battle of 1743. John also supported the Government Forces during the Jacobite Rebellion.

John and Anna and their family moved to Bello Mill, Lugar in 1754. They were tenants of James Boswell's Estate in Auchinleck. 

John was a farmer, millwright, miller and inventor, who, in 1760, invented the first iron-toothed pinion gear wheel to be made in Britain. Also, with the assistance of his son William, who showed signs of mechanical genius at an early age. 'made a wooden horse on wheels, on which, by the assistance of propelling poles, he used to visit Cumnock' (Source: The New History of Cumnock, John Strawhorn, p58) This pre-dated Kilpatrick MacMillan's first bicycle by about 75 years.

William Murdoch - Image wmgaz.pl

William Murdoch was schooled firstly in Cumnock and then in Auchinleck. He excelled at mathematics and the principles of mechanics under William Halbert, a well respected author of an arithmetic text book. He also assisted his father working in metal and wood. In addition he carried out experiments in coal gas using coal heated in a copper kettle in a small cave by the River Lugar near his father's mill. 

Entrance to Murdoch’s Cave - Image Wikimedia 

In 1777 he (purportedly) walked 300 miles from Lugar to Birmingham to find work at the Soho Works of James Watt and Matthew Boulton. James Boswell, the Murdoch's landlord, had made several visits to the Boulton and Watt factory and most likely gave him a letter of introduction. At first they were reluctant to employ him but then Boulton noticed his wooden hat made on a lathe of his own design. They were so impressed that they gave him a job. So began his career with Boulton and Watt who manufactured steam engines which were used to drain Cornish tin and copper mines. He moved quickly from making patterns for machine parts into fitting and erecting steam engines and also repairing and refining the ones which the company had installed at various pits and factories.  

In 1779 Murdoch was sent to Redruth in Cornwall as their agent and leading engineer where he was responsible for the erection, maintenance and repair of Boulton and Watt steam engines in the Cornish tin mines to make them more efficient at pumping water out of the mines. He was kept busy travelling around the area and, after being met with some hostility initially, because he had also been engaged by Boulton and Watt to make reports against competitors to determine whether patents had been infringed, he became very well respected there. 

On Christmas Eve 1785 William Murdoch married Anne Paynter at St. Mewan, Cornwall. Sadly, it was a short marriage as Anne died five years later following the birth of their son John. 

Whilst based in Redruth Murdoch spent his spare time at his home, Murdoch House, in Cross Street,working on an idea for a 'horseless carriage' known as The Murdoch Flyer. In 1794, in order to see properly, his spare time being in the evening, he illuminated his house with a gas that he had extracted from coal, also putting a lamp outside, thus making Cross Street the first street in the world to be lit by artificial light. The coal gas was generated in an iron retort at the bottom of his garden, then piped into his house, where he lit the rooms with a variety of burners. 

He built several working models of The Flyer, and it is said that he used to travel from mine to mine in a full-sized version which had a portable gas lantern. 

The Murdoch Flyer from original oil painting by Gordon Grogan

In 1795 he demonstrated methods for producing and storing gas at Neath Abbey, South Wales. Back in Birmingham he lit up the Soho factory in 1802 during the celebrations for the signing of the Treaty for  the peace of Amiens, and in 1816 he lit up his newly-built house at Sycamore Hill by gas supplied from the Soho factory. 

Throughout his time in Redruth and Birmingham Murdoch had made many inventions and improvements to the basic steam engine designs used by Boulton and Watt, who took the credit, their excuse being that Murdoch was their employee so whatever he invented while employed by them was, by rights, theirs. In 1786 Murdoch attempted to patent his steam carriage but was talked out of it by Boulton. His employers did all they could to discourage and hinder Murdoch from pursuing his experiments and, it has been argued, by removing evidence of the origin of some of the inventions they patented. Murdoch, however, was entirely loyal to their interests and he proved an invaluable help to Watt, becoming his right-hand man. 

In 1799 Murdoch invented a much simpler and more efficient steam wheel. This was an early version of the steam turbine. It allowed steam pressure to turn a wheel directly. By this time, Murdoch's contract had changed, and he could patent the device himself. 

Image - IQSdirectory.com

Murdoch is best known for being the inventor of gas lighting and inventing the first steam engine carriage in Britain. However, he had many other strings to his bow. Some other examples of his genius are: -

• Sun and Planet Gear and D slide valve. The 'Sun and Planet Motion' which is included in Watt's patent of 1781 was contrived by Murdoch (Lives of Boulton & Watt 1874 p245)
• Oscillating cylinder steam engine
• Steam gun and steam cannon
• Developed the pneumonic tube message system which worked by using compressed air to propel a message in a cylinder through a tube to its intended destination. It became used in big department stores.
• Worked on one of the first British paddle steamers to cross the English Channel.
• Iron cement used to fix and harden the joints of steam engines.
• A special type of paint for ships' bottoms.
• From 1784-1795 built working models of steam engines.
• In 1795 he developed a replacement for isinglass which was used in the clarifying of beer to remove impurities. 
• The bell crank engine
• Making stone pipes (patent 1810). Sold to Manchester Stone Pipe Co. to supply the City with water.
• Stone and wood borers
• In 1807 designed and built the engine for the North River Steamboat, the first steamboat on the Hudson River.
• In 1815 designed and installed the first modern gravity fed piped hot water system at The Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa.
• In 1817 he moved into a large new house which he had built in Sycamore Hill, outside Birmingham. The house had many innovative features such as gas lighting, a doorbell which worked with compressed air and an air conditioning system.

In 1808 Murdoch was awarded the Rumford Gold Medal, which bears the inscription Ex Fumo dare lucem, which translates as 'to give light from smoke'. This was for 'both the first idea of applying, and the first actual application of gas to economical purposes'.

In 1882 the National Gas Institute founded the Murdoch Medal which is awarded periodically to the authors of useful inventions connected with gas making. 

The town of Redruth holds an Annual Murdoch Day in June. In 2007, they had a parade and the first public journey of a full-sized working copy of Murdoch's Steam Carriage. The whole day is dedicated to the legacy of his creativity and innovation. Thousands of people flock into the town for the festival with street entertainment, workshops, food, street stalls, steam engines, a traditional fairground and the Murdoch Day Parade. (Source: Celebrating Murdoch Day - Discover Redruth)

William Murdoch died 15 November 1839 at his Birmingham home and was buried in St Mary's Churchyard, Handsworth, Staffordshire, England near the graves of Watt and Boulton. There are statues of him at the Wallace Monument, Stirling and in Centenary Square, Birmingham. In 2019 William Murdoch was added to the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame. A truly remarkable man.

Gilded bronze statue of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch in Centenary Square, Birmingham
Image - Wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution License

William Murdoch on the Cumnock Connections tree

The Killing Times

by Kay McMeekin

The Ayrshire countryside was the site of a violent and bloody religious persecution in the 17th century. The Covenanters were a group of simple people who refused to follow King Charles II's instructions on religious matters. Many were hunted down and arrested in the hills and glens for holding illegal religious services. The captured rebels were then taken to Edinburgh for trial. The trial verdicts were mostly foregone conclusions, and many of the covenanters were hanged in the Grassmarket area of that city. Others hid in the hills for many months, but were eventually discovered by the King's soldiers and shot where they stood, for refusing to recognise the King as the head of the church. 

The hardcore of the Covenanting movement was in the radical south-west of Scotland. Several Cumnock men were involved in the Pentland Rising; the Covenanting march from Dumfries via Mauchline, Ochiltree and Cumnock to the debacle of the battle of Rullion Green in 1666. This was followed by repression, and two local men were amongst those who paid for insurrection. Patrick McNaught was indicted in 1667, and George Crawford, a Cumnock weaver, was executed in December 1666. 

Further unrest in 1678 brought a billeting of some of the Highland Host* in the parish. An armed uprising followed, which ended disastrously with the Covenanters' defeat at the battle of Bothwell Brig. Two Cumnock men, John Gemill and James Mirrie, were taken prisoner, incarcerated in Edinburgh. The prisoners were held in the Greyfriar’s Churchyard, Canongate and Edinburgh Tollbooths (prisons) and Heriot’s Hospital. In November 1679, these unfortunates were led on to a ship in Leith, the Crown of London, with 257 prisoners, where they were to be transported to British plantations in America to become slaves. They spent 12 days in port, confined in a small space below deck, said to be so crowded that many fainted and some almost suffocated. They were given little to drink or eat which only exacerbated their already bleak conditions.

The captain's planned course is unknown, but the ship’s first port of call was Orkney, where, on 10 December 1679, she sheltered from a storm off Scarvataing, a headland in the parish of Deerness, a mile or two from the sheltered bay of Deer Sound.

In gales typical of the season, the ship was driven onto rocks after her anchor chain snapped. The captain and crew escaped the doomed vessel by hacking down the ship's mast and clambering across it to reach land.

The prisoners, however, were not so fortunate. They had been confined to the hold and the hatches were battened down under the captain’s orders. The reasoning behind this act was simple - the captain would be paid for the number of slaves on board the vessel and recompensed for those who died on the voyage. He would receive nothing for an escaped prisoner. So, when the ship left port, the captain took steps to make sure none did. One member of the crew did attempt a rescue by breaking through the deck with an axe. His valiant efforts meant that around 50 prisoners escaped and made it to the Deerness shore.The remainder perished as the ship broke up and sank. It is said that over the following days, bodies washed up over three miles of the Deerness coastline. Over 200 drowned. Of the 47 or so prisoners who escaped to shore, most were recaptured and shipped to slavery in Jamaica or New Jersey.

The people of Orkney were told that the prisoners were rebels fleeing from justice, but some are said to have escaped capture. Tradition has it that some survivors made it to Stromness, where they found passage on a ship to Holland. Local tradition also dictates that some were permitted to settle in Orkney. The 46 known survivors were possibly reshipped to Barbados, Jamaica or New Jersey as slaves. However, some were reported to have escaped to Ulster, Ireland. Additionally, the families of Muir and Delday, on Orkney, claim to be descended from survivors.

A monument for the Covenanters was erected in Deerness in 1888, three hundred yards from the spot where the ship went down. 

* The Highland Host refers to the deployment of a large force of troops, mainly from the Scottish Highlands, into the Lowlands of Scotland in 1678. This event was a form of military coercion authorised by the Scottish Privy Council to enforce religious conformity and suppress dissent against the established Episcopalian Church. 

Sources

Historic Cumnock, burgh survey 

see also 

https://www.orkney.com/news/covenanters-memorial

https://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/ships/crown.htm

Rev Alexander Kennedy

 By Ron Sharpe

Rev Alexander Kennedy 1804 to 1892  New Cumnock,Trinidad  and Canada

Alexander Kennedy was born at Farden Farm, New Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, on Sunday 12 May 1804, the third child and the first son of tenant farmer and miller, James Kennedy and his wife Mary Young. As the first born son, Alexander was almost certainly named after his grandfather, in keeping with the Scottish naming tradition. Around 1809 the fledgling Kennedy family moved from Farden to another farm nearby at Dalricket Mill.

According to the Old Parish Records for New Cumnock, Alexander seems to have been part of a mass christening of the Kennedy children which took place on Wednesday 28 May 1817.  Alexander would have been 13 years old at the time. Quite why this came about is unknown. The family were deeply religious, and it seems totally improbable that James and Mary would have raised their children to an age, where adulthood in some cases was only a few years off, before having them baptised. It may have been an early administration error in the fact that it wasn't documented at the time, and the minister corrected this error by noting all the children in a mass entry on the same day. Although little is known about Alexander's day to day childhood, it seems to have been happy, although he would have been expected to work at the many jobs around the farm from a young age. But most of all it was definitely deeply religious. Religion in the Kennedy farmhouse formed the mainstay of family life, and James was known to have given religious instruction to all his children around the fireside at Dalricket Mill in the evenings. James was an elder of the Secession Church in the Tanyard area of Old Cumnock, and it's said that he and the minister of the time, the Reverend David Wilson, were chief among the early influences that helped to form Alexander's character.

            In 1860 and 1861 Alexander wrote a series of articles for the Canadian United Presbyterian Magazine entitled "Memories of Scottish Scenes and Sabbaths of Forty Years Ago" Although it concentrates mainly on religious life it still gives us an insight into the Kennedy families day to day existence in the early part of the nineteenth century

Alexander describes life on a typical Sunday of the 1820s in the quoted passage below,

In the home of my youth the Sabbath day was wholly reserved for religious exercises, except so far as works of necessity and mercy claimed attention. On other mornings the household were up betimes and busily engaged in the varied employments of the farm, in the house and out of doors. On the Sabbath the inmates did not rise quite so early, but were up in good time to attend to the needs of man and beast and prepare for going to church which was five miles distant. It was necessary that some remain at home to look after the house and the cattle, but those that could be spared "Got ready for the Kirk" and set out the young and vigorous mostly on foot, while the guidman and the guidwife with perhaps an aged neighbour and some of the younger children would ride in a cart.

Alexander also writes about the occasions when the “guidman" went to church without his "guidwife"*

The guidman would ride to church on his hardy little Highland pony, Donald, a beast that was as docile as a lamb when to their cost." The lang man on the wee powny" was a somewhat conspicuous figure on the road, and attracted notice and remark. His master was on his back, but by no means so gentle when some other was in charge, as some occasionally found 

 The terms ;  Guidman and Guidwife are terms in the old Scots language meaning husband and wife. Lang, wee, and powny are again terms in Scots for long, small and pony  

Alexander describes the quiet roads going towards Old Cumnock and how as the family approach the town the roads become busier with the farms and cottages off the road releasing great swathes of humanity in search of redemption, salvation and Christian comfort. By the time they reached the confines of the town the road was "thickly dotted with individuals and little groups all going the same way"

At that time Old Cumnock only had two churches, the Parish Church in the square, and the Meeting House, in the Tanyard. Alexander was quite scathing in his condemnation of both the Parish Church and its minister Dr. Miller. He described the Kirk as capacious and dingy and Dr. Miller as moral, but feeble minded and a dreary preacher. The Parish Church enjoyed the patronage of many of Cumnock's worthy families including the Marquis of Bute and the Laird of Logan

The Meeting house had a membership of over 700 and the Sabbath day services, which were all day affairs with a break for lunch, would have been well attended. Alexander tells us that people, many of them elderly travelled ten or fourteen miles on foot to attend this house of God. Poor weather didn't put people off either. Alexander recalls that in twenty years he could only remember two occasions when his family were trapped in their home by the weather. He wrote of one of these instances, when unusually heavy snowfalls and drifts covered the land and travel was impossible. He described the snow thus,

I have never witnessed a snowstorm in Canada that equalled in blinding bitterness what I have often seen and felt in the land of my birth

Alexander speaks of being taken by the hand by a parent or elder sister (probably Jane) when he first entered the Church and saw the figures 1777 painted on a partition behind the pulpit. The year 1777 was the year of the establishment of the church and was of course significant in its history, but it came very close to not being built at all. The local landowners and aristocracy would not sell any land to the Secession and they were not in any way helpful or sympathetic to their cause. This negative attitude was prevalent in many parts of Scotland and those residing in Cumnock had every obstacle placed before them in order to prevent the building of the Church. Alex speaks of a conversation he had with an elderly church member who could remember all of this happening. It seems an unnamed female, who was herself a member of the Established Church, felt pity for the congregation and either gifted or sold them a small piece of land at the "Toun Fit" (Townfoot or end of the town). It was at the meeting point of the two rivers, the Glaisnock and the Lugar.

Now that the congregation had the land the building work on their church could begin, but once again they were to be refused the raw materials by the people who didn't want the church built. All the quarries in the local area were closed to them, and all building materials had to be transported from the neighbouring parish. Building work began and as the labourers started digging out the foundations a quantity of sand was discovered. This sand was removed and allowed them to make the mortar. However it was a limited supply and after the walls had reached a height of about two feet the sand ran out and building work had to stop. It seemed as though they were going to have a long wait and incur great expense to get further supplies of sand. The masons looked out over the river close by and saw a sand bank that had been created by the drought of the summer. Even though it was so close Lord Dumfries claimed the channel and all its contents. He had already refused them any land and he was certainly not going to sell them any sand. All building work stopped for some time and it seemed as if they would have to pay a great deal of money for sand in order to continue. However at this point providence stepped in and lent a hand. A great rain fell and caused the two converging rivers to overflow and the excess waters filled the low walls of the fledgling church. When the flood waters receded it was found that great deposits of sand had been left within the building, enough sand in fact to complete the entire building. Regardless of your religious views you can see why many people would see this as a great miracle and an act of God.

Church singing was unaccompanied by any form of music and no choirs were used, it comprised purely of only the human voice. The singing was conducted by a precentor, he read out every line with "musical monotony" prior to the congregation singing it. It's thought this was to allow the people who couldn't read an opportunity to take part in the service. Alexander describes the singing as "usually of a very cordial character though perhaps not distinguished for the sweetness of its melody" however he frowned upon people who he says took part in "the sinful fashion of sitting mute in Gods house while his praises were being sung" Alexander it seems, was not a man to mince his words, and he was already showing early signs of the strong-willed personality that would manifest itself many times in religious discussions in far off Trinidad.

In order for the children to read and understand the bible it was extremely important for their future and religious well-being that they received some form of an education. James and Mary must have been aware of this and tried to ensure that they all had a working knowledge of the three Rs.  One factor that may explain why they were so well educated is that Mary Young’s father was supposedly a teacher, and given that this is true, Mary had possibly learned enough from him to give her own children some basic tuition. It's also known that travelling tutors toured the countryside in the early part of the nineteenth century giving lessons to country children, and James and Mary, regardless of the cost, may well have used the services of these people. Much later a school for country children was established at Daleagles, about a mile from Dalricket Mill farm. It became the place where the next generation of Kennedy children would receive their basic education. An education that was so thorough, that many of these children would leave this small country school for university, and onwards towards a professional life.

In 1827 at the age of 23, Alexander Kennedy went on to study the arts curriculum at Glasgow University under the tutorage of Sir Daniel K Sanford, a noted Greek scholar. He successfully graduated with an Arts degree in the classics, quite an achievement for a son of the soil. It was while Alexander was studying in Glasgow that he shared a room with David McCowan who was another Cumnock student. Both Alex and David's mothers sent provisions to the two men every week by carrier. Student life seems to have changed very little, only now we just send money. David would go on to become a hugely successful businessman and a great benefactor to many causes including the Greyfriars Mission Board. On his passing his obituary described him as  “one of Cumnocks worthiest sons”. 

Alexander’s listing in the year book reads:

12039  Alexander Kennedy   'Filius Nath Maximus Jacobi Agricol in com de Ayr.

 From the Latin this reads as;

Alexander Kennedy  ' First born son of James, Farmer, in the county of Ayr

After completing his studies and passing the relevant exams, it was thought he would continue to study at Glasgow University towards obtaining an MA in Classics, as his marks were high in all his subjects. But it seems he felt the expense he would incur in travelling and living costs would be too high. Alexander had decided his future lay in missionary work, and he travelled to Edinburgh where he entered the Divinity Hall of the Secession Church at some point around 1831.

With his ministerial training completed at the Theological College of the United Presbyterian Church, Alexander offered himself for service in the foreign mission field and made an application to the Greyfriars Mission Board in Glasgow. He was accepted and offered the position as the first missionary to Trinidad. Presbyterianism had only arrived in the island the previous year, mainly due to the majority of the British settlers being Presbyterian Scots. A Trinidad Presbyterian Association had been formed in order to petition the Governor to acquire a minister for them. The Missionary Society of Greyfriars Original Secession Church were to provide for this much requested spiritual need. Being the first missionary to be assigned to Trinidad would have meant that a considerable amount of time and effort would have to be spent preparing for a journey into an almost unknown land. He was quickly ordained by the presbytery of Glasgow on 30 September 1835, and was told to prepare for the voyage to the Caribbean. 

Greyfriars

Shortly before embarking on the long voyage to the West Indies, Alexander married Mary the 28 year old eldest daughter of John Dalziel, a well to do Glasgow merchant. The couple were married in Govan, Glasgow on the 1st of October 1835.  After their marriage they had about eight weeks to prepare for their departure, and would have put some time aside to visit their respected families to say their goodbyes. Around the sixth of December 1835 the newly married couple left Scotland aboard the brig Penelope and passed their well-being into the hands of the ship’s master, Captain Spencer. The voyage to this unknown land that they had read and heard so much about was not an easy one. They encountered many uncomfortable days at sea as the little ship fought a seemingly constant battle with high winds and rough seas, finally arriving in Trinidad on 25 January 1836. The voyage had lasted around fifty days.

On their safe arrival in the islands capital, Port of Spain, Alexander quickly wrote a letter home, in it he wrote;   

We gladly record our gratitude to Almighty God for preserving us amidst the dangers of the deep and upholding us amidst much personal affliction.  Not many days after sailing, Mrs Kennedy was taken dangerously ill, so that for several weeks we scarcely dared to cherish the hope, that she would survive so long as reach the land whither we went; But he “whose we are and whom we serve” heard our prayers, disappointed our fears, and has now restored her to almost wonted strength. It is God only that can bring back from the gates of death - that can turn the darkness of sorrow and affliction into the light of joy and health.

In 1834 an Act of Parliament had led to the "Abolition of Slavery Act" and on Alexander's arrival the new legislation was proving to be economically disastrous. The islands depended on the sugar trade, which in turn depended on the slave trade. The former slaves, although free, and now paid for the work they carried out, were still treated very badly. It wasn't long until Alexander realised what was happening to the black population and he was veracious in his condemnation of the treatment meted out to them. He believed to the core of his being in the equality of all races and creeds, and that it had been God's plan all along to place him in this land, to ensure the promised freedom of these former slaves. Alexander's eyes were firmly set on the next world, his quest was to save not only the people from exploitation, but to save their very souls. His congregation was mainly made up of white merchants and clerks but there were also many Negroes who fell into his sphere of ministrations. Alexander would undoubtedly have faced vicious opposition to any ideas of change. Former slave owners who now saw what had been, lucrative profits disappearing rapidly, would probably have had little or no time for this interfering Scot. However Alexander, who was known for his strength of will, continued with his mission regardless of any opposition to his views.

The couple’s first home was a hotel in Port of Spain, but soon after this the couple moved into the Cleaver family home on 12 Edward Street. It's unknown if the Cleavers had moved out or the Kennedys were lodgers, but around November 1841 the Kennedys moved into a new manse on Brunswick Square. However as there was no mission hall available, early services were held in the Methodist Hall in the evenings. Although this enabled Alexander to get his mission established it was never really going to be suitable, and on 25 September 1836 Alexander rented a former theatre and had it converted into a place of worship that would accommodate 500 people. Alexander made it known that he didn't believe it was the most convenient building for the praising of God, but he felt it was an improvement on its previous use. No bitterness there then.

The theatre church was never going to be the permanent answer to the missions problems. A stone built church was what was really required and on the 16th of March 1837 Alexander advertised for tenders for the building of just such a church. Plans were drawn up, a plot of land was purchased from the town council for £300, and a fund raising plan was put into action. This proved to be very successful, with just under five hundred pounds being raised from colonists on the island in under a week, and still more from sponsors back in Glasgow. The foundation stone was laid on 10 April 1837 and after ten months of intense labour the Port of Spain Greyfriars church, was completed, and opened as a place of worship on Sunday 21 January 1838. The church was completed for just under £4,900.

By 1840 the couple had been resident in Trinidad for four years and Mary was expecting a child. They were due some sort of a holiday and Alexander petitioned Greyfriars in Glasgow for a temporary replacement. On the 6 April 1840 a ship docked in the harbour, and the Rev George Brodie stepped ashore after a long voyage from Scotland. Alexander lost no time in acquainting George with his duties, but before he left he was called upon by the Anti Slavery Society and presented with this address, and it seems a rather fine snuff box in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the black populous.

 

                                                  REVEREND ALEXANDER KENNEDY

Sir;

      The Trinidad Auxiliary Anti Slavery Society beg leave to express to you their sorrow and deep regret at the loss of their worthy President. They request of you to accept as a small token of their respect and gratitude and not as adequate to your desert, a SNUFF BOX, on which, if the time had permitted, they would have engraven, “Given by the Trinidad Auxiliary Anti Slavery Society to their President, the Reverend ALEX. KENNEDY” Your views have been too enlightened and humane for the generality of our community, and for the strong remains of ancient prejudice; and unhappily your just and intrepid efforts in the sacred cause of liberty have not met with zealous support which they merited. May you, by the Blessing of Divine Providence, safely arrive at Great Britain, the land of Liberty; may you enjoy in the bosom of your family, and amongst those who claim as their ancestors a Wallace and a Bruce, that tranquillity and satisfaction of which you were deprived in Trinidad, by the annoyance and vexation of a selfish faction and a corrupt press.

By order of  The Trinidad Auxiliary Anti Slavery Society

Thomas Hinde

Secretary

Trinidad, Port of Spain, 14 May 1840

The society must have gave this presentation as Alex and Mary were running up the gangplank as the couple left that same day. They sailed for Greenock on the west coast of Scotland and close to both their respective families aboard the ship “Helen” under the care of Captain Nicholls, It was perhaps just as well, that they left when they did, as they avoided the storm of protest from the editor of the Port of Spain Gazette. No doubt the voyage home on the “Helen” would not be without its concerns but no record of the voyage has survived.

Back home in Scotland at Dalricket Mill, Mary gave birth to a little girl, Margaret Tannahill Kennedy on the first of November, and she was registered in the local Parish records.                 

Dalricket Mill Kennedy,  Margaret Tannahill, lawful Daughter to Rev Alexander Kennedy and Mary Dalziel,

was born 1st and Baptized 2nd day of November 1840.

The child may have been born premature or was sick as she was christened the next day, which was unusual. It is unknown if she was baptized by her own father, although that would seem to be the most logical conclusion. But being baptized so quickly after her birth, would also indicate that she was a weak and sickly baby and not expected to live long.

Around 6 March 1841 the couple and their new daughter left Scotland, sailing again from Greenock on the Arethusa under the command of Captain Lyons. Although it would be some time before the news reached him Alexander's father James Kennedy had passed away on 16 March. Alexander, and his wife and infant daughter had been on the high seas at the time. They arrived back in Trinidad on 22 April 1841.  Alexander had visited Scotland just in time to see his father for the last time.

 

Safely back in Port of Spain. life returned to normal and Alexander returned to his duties, but some concern were being heard from the board of management about the debt owed on the plans for the new manse and the new church.

It seems that while Alex was on holiday in Scotland, he raised £500 in subscriptions towards the payment of the church. To raise this sort of money was a remarkable feat and would most likely be impossible today.

Alexander had bought the land for his new manse back in 1839 for £250 and had the deed of ownership passed to the Greyfriars congregation in Glasgow in 1841.

Little Margaret was now six months old and would have been thriving, but by the time of her second birthday she was taken ill and subsequently died on the 20th of November 1842.

We don't know the cause of death, but yellow fever and many other tropical diseases were rife in this part of the world. She was laid to rest in the churchyard of her father’s church in The Port of Spain. And a small well weathered headstone to her memory was erected.

Even though infant mortality was high in these days, and death was very much a part of life, we can only wonder as to how Alex and Mary coped with this. Their faith in God is one thing, but how did they justify Gods right to take their only infant daughter.

Alexander and Mary had no further children, which is unusual in itself, as it was common for mothers to become pregnant very quickly after the previous birth. This tends to lead our thinking towards the fact that Mary may just barely have survived the birth of Margaret herself.

By 1843 there was some real concerns about the church debt and it was suggested to both Alex and George Brodie, the other island missionary, that their sermons might be written in such a way as to encourage more donations from the congregation. Taking in all the property including the church itself there was still a large sum of money outstanding.

On 16 September 1846 a group of 197 Portuguese refugees sailed into the Port of Spain harbour. In Trinidad, where freedom of worship and religious tolerance had been decreed in the final year of the reign of George III, they were welcomed by Alexander Kennedy and the already established but small Church of Scotland, Many of the Portuguese would be accommodated by the Scottish community of Greyfriars Church. These immigrants became known as the Presbyterian Portuguese and they eventually built their own church in Port of Spain in1854

Alexander is known to have conducted the marriage ceremony for at least two couples although there were probably more. It's unknown if Alexander learned to speak Portuguese although many of the Scottish ministers did learn the language in future years.

At some point around 1848 Alexander's health started to fail and the couple decided to return to Scotland. Fourteen years of living in a tropical climate had taken its toll on Alexander and he had decided to return to his native climes in the hope that any damage he had suffered would be repaired by the northern hemispheres bracing air.  Alexander wrote to the Mission board asking to be relieved of his charge. There is no transcript of that letter, but a fading letter from the mission board to Alexander survives to this day in the National Library of Scotland, where it can still be viewed, the writing has faded over the last 160 years and certain portions cannot be deciphered. This is the only surviving correspondence between the Mission Board and Alexander.

The following is a partial transcript of a letter sent at some point in 1848 to Alexander Kennedy from the Greyfriars Mission Board in Edinburgh.

Rev. Alexander Kennedy,1848

My Dear Sir,

Now some six months ago the Rev, Dr. King, intimated to us that you wished to demit your charge of the congregation of Port of Spain and to come home. You requested that we endeavour to obtain a properly qualified person to carry on your work. We put an advertisement in the Record but up to this period none has made application. At the last meeting of the mission board, Messrs John Jamieson and Dr. Said Andrews were present and a deputation from the missionary society of Greyfriars congregation stated to us what had been done by them with regard to the congregation of Port of Spain, the cost of the church and the amount of debt (£1376), the condition of the mission in the Port of Spain constituent and the means by .............

............ would assume the charge and the support of the station housing. The individuals in Greyfriars congregation to whom the property belongs and , the impossibility of the debt that is upon you, but with the understanding that the use of Latta church manse be in reasonable terms given that .............

Unfortunately this is all that I could read from the poorly preserved letter.

Continually active in the community Kennedy, and the church, were involved in a variety of projects during his time in Trinidad. A Sabbath school and weekly prayer meetings were established; Greyfriars Congregational Library was founded at a time when there was no public library on the island; the church donated 100 dollars to help those affected by the earthquake in Guadeloupe in 1843; Kennedy personally provided refuge for Portuguese refugees who fled from Madeira, on account of persecution for their Protestant faith; he also regularly contributed to the Trinidadian press writing columns for the Trinidad Spectator and The Trinidadian; furthermore he taught at the first public school inaugurated by Sir Ralph Woodford on the island.

Kennedy was a fervent opponent of slavery: advocating equal rights and criticising the apprenticeship terms imposed after the Abolition Act in 1833. He never shirked his beliefs in the face of criticism or temptation. His commitment and sympathy with the Black population is evident as Kennedy would rise early on the Sabbath and travel to the countryside to preach to free blacks before fulfilling his duties as minister of Greyfriars. On 1 August 1838 – when the first of the apprenticeship terms were officially concluded – Kennedy made direct reference to this, quoting Exodus: ‘Remember this day in which ye came from Egypt out of the house of bondage’ during a sermon. The service was viewed as inflammatory, by some, and he was accused of trying to create tension between the recently emancipated slaves and their future employers. Despite such censure, and some planters’ attempts to win his support he never abandoned his principles and denounced their efforts. He maintained a sympathetic ear to the plight of the black population and according to his biographer, C. B. Franklin, he was reported to have claimed that once, he was governor of the island, for twenty-four hours, when he prevented a planned revolt on account of his good relationship with them.

Alexander and Mary left Trinidad in December 1849 and decided to visit family and friends in Canada on their way home to Scotland. This was to be a momentous decision on Alexander's part and would determine that their future lay in Canada and not back in Scotland as they had first thought. Reading from the book "Past years in Pickering" it seems that Alexander was so unwell that he may well have thought he was dying. The following paragraph is quoted from the book,

But on reaching Canada he found wide doors of opportunity for service and cast in his lot with the church of Upper Canada for whatever years of labour might remain to him. In the bracing northern air he largely recovered from the ravages which the southern climate had made in his constitution and though never what might be called a strong man, he was spared to give many years of earnest work to the Master's cause.

So going home to Scotland now didn't appear to be an option. Alexander had found his calling in Canada and was quite happy to stay and work there. By September 1850, a mere nine months since leaving Trinidad, Alexander was received as a minister with the Toronto Presbytery. On the 3 December 1850 he accepted a charge as minister to Darlington. He remained there until the spring of 1854 when he resigned the post for some reason. He then took a position at the presbytery of Wellington. While he was there he was offered a charge at Brant, and his old congregation at Darlington requested him to return, but Alex declined them all for whatever reason.

Finally in September of 1854 he was called to a charge in Dumbarton which he accepted. He was inducted into his new charge on the 3rd of October 1854, it was to prove the right choice for Alexander and he would remain there for a further 28 years until his retirement.

By 1863 Alexander (59) and Mary (56) were advancing in years and must have felt a huge longing to see home and Scotland one more time. Unlike many of his siblings who never returned to their home shores, Alex and Mary left Canada and returned to Scotland for three months in the summer of 1863.  We know he was back in Scotland and at Dalricket Mill in particular on 21 August 1863. It was here that he officiated at the marriage of his niece Isabella Baird to Robert Cunningham.

Alexander's father, who he always credited as giving him his religious values had died twenty two years earlier, but his 83-year-old mother was still head of the house at Dalricket Mill. It would have been a great meeting but a truly sad farewell when the holiday was over as they would all know that this was to be their last gathering together.

On their return to Canada Alexander and Mary resumed their duties as minister and the equally important ministers wife. By April of 1879 however Alex at 75 years of age was becoming increasingly tired. He had tendered his resignation on more than one occasion in the later years of his ministry, but the congregation had always convinced him to continue. However this time he meant it and he requested that he be released of his charge. The Clerk of Session was John Parker an Ayrshire man and former business partner with Alexander’s younger brother John Kennedy. John Parker read out the following to the congregation,

While regretting very much the loss we will sustain by the pastoral relation being dissolved between Mr. Kennedy and this congregation, yet in the circumstances we offer no opposition to his resignation being accepted, but would petition Presbytery to appoint him stated supply and also as moderator of Session, and if this prayer be granted we promise to pay him the same amount as previously.

Although Alexander wasn't going to be totally retired he would still have a close involvement with the church. This was in the times when no one had a pension and even though he would technically still be retained as a supply pastor and Moderator his duties would be greatly reduced but his salary would be retained.

This arrangement worked well for another three years but by now Alexander was 78 and even the light duties he carried out in his position as "stated supply" was proving too much to bear and he begged to be released of all responsibilities after the last Sabbath of the month. Alexander’s request was finally accepted by the presbytery and he retired from active church life at the end of April 1882. The congregation of course could not let such an auspicious occasion pass without marking it in some way. Alexander was honoured with an address and presented with a purse containing $143 by his close friend and near neighbour Jonathan Holmes. It's thought that the couple left Dumbarton soon after retiring and moved to Newcastle where Alexander could be close to one of his friends, a Mr Drummond, who was the minister there. But Alexander returned to Dumbarton in 1883 when he gave an address at the ordination and induction of his successor, the Rev R. M.  Craig. By this time it appears that Mary was gravely ill and on the 22nd of December 1883, Mary, his wife and companion of 48 years was taken from his side. According to her death certificate Mary had been ill for nine months with what appears to have been cancer.  

After Mary’s passing, Alexander moved from Newcastle to Welland, Ontario where he stayed with his brother-in-law, Mr Cowper. In 1890 Alexander once again returned to his old charge at Dumbarton. This occasion was when the Rev John Chisholm succeeded the short-lived sojourn of the Rev Craig, who had stayed for only a year. Alexander once again gave the address to the new minister.

In his, now new, home town of Welland, he preached twice on 3rd January 1892. During the following week he contacted influenza and although he was in church on the Sunday morning and at a lecture on the Monday evening he was never himself again. Between the 11th and the 18th he was critically ill but by the evening he had rallied and the doctor thought he would pull through. He fell into a restful sleep and awoke twice with a coughing fit. After the last coughing attack he told the attendant who was sitting with him to go and lie down and get some rest. Alexander then placed his hand across his chest and fell into a restful sleep.  When the attendant returned he found Alexander in the same position only this time he was dead. He had quietly passed away.

When Alexander died on the 19 January 1892, at the age of 87 years, he had outlived all of his brothers and sisters in terms of years.

Alexander Kennedy was a man of tremendous faith and compassion, a man who it seems always put others first. As a devoted and conscientious Christian missionary he possessed an energetic and enterprising character, becoming a prominent and well-regarded figure on the island of Trinidad. When he set sail from Glasgow for the Caribbean in 1835, he was akin to one of the great pioneering explorers of the day in many ways. But Alexander wasn't going out from Scotland to plant flags, he was going out to plant ideas, ideas that would help to ensure the total freedom of former slaves, and the rethinking of the idea that one people could claim ownership over another

The following is quoted from the 1899 edition of "The History of Old Cumnock" by Rev. John Warrick M.A.

Alexander Kennedy (New Cumnock) entered the Secession Hall in 1830. He was sent to Trinidad as a missionary in connection with Greyfriars, Congregation, Glasgow. After labouring there for fourteen years, he went to Canada for the sake of his health in 1849, and was called to a charge in Darlington, which he accepted. A few years later he removed to Dumbarton, near Toronto , where he ministered for thirty years. On retiring from active service through old age, he settled in Wellend  where he died on 19th January 1892,at the age of 88. Mr Kennedy wrote a series of articles in the Canadian Presbyterian Magazine, describing "Scenes and Sabbaths in Scotland" in his early days.

"After many days"; a memoir, being a sketch of the life and labours of Rev. Alexander Kennedy, first Presbyterian missionary to Trinidad, founder of Greyfriars church, and its pastor for fourteen years: January 1836-December 1849

Franklin, C. B. 1910.

 

Rutherford, Brian C., ed. Greyfriars of Trinidad 1837-1937: A Historical Sketch of the Congregation of Greyfriars Church of Scotland, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, to mark the 150th Anniversary. Port-of-Spain: Greyfriars Church of Scotland, 1987. 

The Cumnock Chronicle  October 1902

The History of Old Cumnock   by Rev. John Warrick MA 1899

Port of Spain Gazette 1837

Alison Moore Sheffield, for Photographs of Greyfriars Church and memorial tablets in Port of Spain

Other Photographs from family stock.