Booth and Scott Families
The
Booths and Scotts in Aberdeenshire
The
Booths
in Aberdeenshire are fairly common and Scotts even more so.
At this time I have not enquired into the history of those names in the
Black
suggests that Booth is of local origin from residence at a booth and comes from
the Middle English 'bothe' meaning hut or temporary shelter.
Reaney gives a similar account suggesting the name derives from the word
for a herdsman's hut. He says it is
an occupational name for a cowman or herdsman identical with the name Boothman.
Black found the name in several parts of
The
name Scott is even more common and widespread in
The
Booths in whom I have an interest appear to have been employed on the land and
generally as labourers. The same may
apply to some of the Scotts with John Scott, born 1797, being described as an
Agricultural Labour in the 1841 census and James Scott, born 1809, being
described as a Crofter. The earliest
Scott I have identified, William born about 1764, was an exception to the above
being a Wheelwright or Joiner. Also
some of the Scotts living in Turriff seem to have been employed other than on
the land with two in one family being Shoemakers and a wife listed as a Boot
Closer.
Before
1800, and in many parts of the country after that date
Dwellings
throughout rural
The
Aberdeenshire farming country would have been very different from that
experienced by the Gunns in Kildonan and Watten and while the quality of the
land in Watten parish might have approached that in Aberdeenshire the terrain
and the weather would have been somewhat less favourable for livestock and to
work in.
Though
the early families moved around to find farm work their general movement appears
to have been within a parish or the ajoining parish.
The earliest Scotts on one side of the family were from Turriff and those
in the other line resided in Turriff for many years though they moved there from
King Edward parish and may have been born outwith Aberdeenshire.
Turriff
was one of the relatively small number of market towns of some size and
importance from the earliest times. It
had a history going back over a thousand years and served a thriving farming
community as a centre for the sale of livestock and produce.
The
Scotts who worked on the land would have known the town well and those in the
town would have had amongst their customers the prosperous merchants of the town
and the visiting farmers if not their labourers and cottars.
This knowledge of the town would have resulted not only from visits to
take produce to market but also because it was here that a famous 'Feeing'
market took place. This market was
where farm employees were re-engaged for a new term or changed their employers.
Louisa
Scott, born 1843, appears to have
been one of at least seven children all born in Turriff.
Her first Husband, from Turriff, was John Jamieson but he died before
1875 when Louisa married for the second time to Andrew Booth.
Andrew was himself a widower having been previously married to Christina
Gibson. Louisa had a son, who died
in infancy, to John while Andrew already had two sons to Christina.
Andrew later married for the third time to Ursula Malcolmson.
This
Ursula Malcolmson was of Shetland origin and was clearly well accepted by
existing members of Andrew's family as more than one later included her name in
the names of children.
Andrew's
father John Booth, a farm labourer, had
children to his wife, Margaret Dustan or Dunstan, in Udny, Tarves and Foveran.
His grandfather was most probably James or John Booth who was resident in
Ellon 1790 at the time of the birth of his son, Andrew's father.
In addition to Andrew he had three daughters and two other sons all of
whom were born in Ellon parish. By
1841 Andrew himself was a labourer at Fortrie, Ellon.
Ellon
has a role now as a commuter dormitory town for
Margaret Dunstan's ancestors have not yet come to light and neither have
any other members of her family. It
is not clear from whence she originated and her death date is estimated from
census returns. She was married to
John Booth in Ellon and so she probably came from there or at least was working
in that area.
The
name Dunstan is not particularly common and Dustan, almost certainly a
corruption of Dunstan, even less so. Black
says that it is a surname of
Andrew
and his family have been hard to find on any census after 1841 but no doubt a
longer search in the future will throw up something.
It would appear, however, that as
The
move must have taken place about mid-19th century as Andrew was married to
Christina Gibson in St. Nicholas parish in 1863.
At that time he was residing in St. Andrew's Street and by the time he
married his second wife, Louisa, he was still in St. Andrew's Street but at a
different number. Louisa was living
in
In
Aberdeen Andrew worked as a Railway Carter and members of his close and more
distant family had jobs in industry rather than on the land.
Some became Stone Polishers, another
was described as a Granite Polisher and there was also a Plasterer.
Andrew's son, George, the next Booth in the direct line, worked as a
Ship's Steward and it was in this capacity that he arrived in Thurso while
working on boats crossing to the
George
was born at 1701/2 Gallowgate and
with such a precise address I was confident of finding him there on the census
of 1871. However, neither George nor
his family could be found and neither could the house.
The same problem arose 1881 but a further search there and in the 1891
census, which was not available when this part of tree was being researched,
might yet be fruitful.
George
married Williamina Gunn in Thurso in 1917 and they resided first at 5 Sutherland
Cottages, then at 14
10/06/2007