| 1851 Census at South Stonehousehill, Cruden.
William Fiddler, head of household, landed proprietor, farming 100
acres and employing 5 labourers.
Born in Slains, c1784. Aged 67. Unmarried (widowed?).
Alexander Sangster, son-in-law, agricultural labourer. Born in
Cruden, c1818. Aged 33. Married (to Ann Fidler).
Ann (Fidler) Sangster, daughter. Born in Cruden, c1827. Aged 24.
Married.
William Sangster, nephew. Born in Cruden, c1846. Aged 5
Ann Sangster, niece. Born in Cruden, c1848. Aged 3.
(Shown below as daughter of Alexander S and Ann Fidler.)
Barbra Sangster, niece. Born in Cruden, c1850. Aged 1.
(Nephew and nieces of who, and who were their parents?)
John Ruddiman, servant, agricultural labourer. British, born in
Sweden, c1776. Aged 75. Unmarried.
Alexander Cruickshank, servant, agricultural labourer. Born in
Peterhead, c1835. Aged 16. Unmarried.
James McIntosh, servant, agricultural labourer. Born in Strichen,
c1839. Aged 12. Unmarried.
Falconer Adams, servant, housemaid. Born in Ellon, c1834. Aged 17.
Unmarried.
Janet Clark, servant, general servant. Born in Cruden, c 1839.
Aged 12. |
|
Or Anne (OPR marriages). Fiddler (deaths register). Re Ann Fidler ;-there's a bit of confusion about her
ancestry. It's possible that her father was known both as William (as on her
death certificate) and as Alexander, who bought the farm of South
Stonehousehill from the Erroll Estates in the early 1800's , thereby
becoming a landed proprietor - owner of the freehold of his land - and then
left it to his daughter - Ann, who passed it over to her husband - Alex.
Sangster, who similarly became a landed proprietor.
The Estate records seem to be quite clear about his name, but so does the
death certificate. You'll have to sort it out among yourselves: I'm too old
. I presume that the latest Alex Sangster was originally an employee on the
farm, and is possibly a better candidate for illegitimacy than Ann, though
the confusion about her father's name may raise some doubts.
The Fidler enigma is appealling. To me, it seems likely
that the Alex. Fidler who was Church Officer to Cruden Parish Church in
1906, and then presumably an Elder of the Kirk until his resignation in1823,
was the man who bought the South Stonehousehill farm from the Erroll
Estates at about that time. Up till then, he had been living at Teuchan, but
since that was in Runrig days he might have had any kind of occupation. That
was before farms were carved out, fenced off - (by turf walls) - and
delivered to single occupancy tenants. I guess, from a faulty memory, that
the first single tenant at Teuchan was the Alexander H/ Agnes Daniel pair,
whose entry would have been financed by their relatively well-off parents.
Then, it seems, Alex. H. left his farm S.Stonehousehill to Ann Fidler,
apparently his daughter, though not according to her Death Cert., enabling
her to marry Alex Sangster, turn over ownership to him, and found quite a
dynasty of Sangsters, including your Gt Grannie.
Probably quite a lot of this history is in the Old Parish Records of
Cruden Parish, based on the Church down in the hollow below Ardiffery. I
don't know where these papers are kept: possibly in the manse at Cruden;
more likely in Edinburgh. The Episcopalian Church - the one on top of the
hill - has its records in the keeping of the Rev, Stranraer- Mull in the
manse of St Mary's on the Rock at Ellon, and they have been very ably copied
and published by A Strath Maxwell. I'd like to see the protestant church
records: Eileen has made use of them, so she probably could guide you.
Such a lot of the foregoing is sheer supposition, and the best source
of confirmation is the Church Records. I guess I'm getting too tired to
follow as enthusiastically as I once might.
TH/GH March 05. |