We were delighted to receive this email today from Peter John Mclean Roberts. John moved (through business) from Liverpool to West Yorkshire in 1983. Maybe you remember the family, or have family history, information, stories and photographs of your own you’d like to share – we’d be delighted to post them on the site (and Facebook page) – just get in touch! (email link at bottom of article).
The photograph above was taken in 1906 outside Rose Cottage, Wellington Street, the Stott family home, showing from the left Elizabeth Robb , nee Stott, and son James; Housemaid, Jane Stott nee Mclean (1842-1927); my great grandmother, Marion (May) Stott; Janet (Jenny) Stott and nephew Martin Hutchison.
“I was very excited and interested to find your recently launched website as Caerlaverock and Glencaple in particular is my family ancestral home and thoroughly enjoyed ‘ A Glencaple History’.
My great grandfather James Robb (1840-1898) was the local schoolteacher and registrar in Glencaple. He married Mary Anne Taylor Hunter (1849-1907) and they lived at Bakehouse, Wellington Street (1891 Scotland Census). Many of the Hunter side of the family were seafaring and emigrated to Canada.
My grandfather Capt John Robb (1873-1933) married Elizabeth Stott (1867-1965) at Caerlaverock Church in 1901 and although they moved to Liverpool, where my grandfather sailed mainly to the West Indies, they holidayed at their country cottage ‘Ettrick’ a couple of cottages from the [old] Post Office in Glencaple. During WW2 Elizabeth, her daughter Jean Roberts and granddaughter Maureen, evacuated Liverpool to live in the cottage for the whole of the war. They became very good friends with the Wilson (Joiners) family and Maureen is still in touch with Cathy.
Jane Mclean (1842-1927) lived at Conheath Lodge, in Kelton, which I’m pleased to see still exists to-day as holiday cottages. She married Charles Stewart Stott (1840-1919) who became a publican in Dumfries then a Wine and Spirits merchant before retiring to Glencaple.
On the Mclean side of the family I have traced my ancestry back to my fourth grandfather George Mclean (McClean) 1722 – 1818, who was born and died in Greenmill. Both the family graves of Mclean and Stott reside in Caerlaverock church graveyard with inscribed gravestones.
As shown on his gravestone George lived to 96 years of age, incredible during that time and I would love to find out his occupation. The Mcleans, one of the oldest highland clans, fought alongside bonny Prince Charlie and we believe after the Jacobite invasion some settled in the borders.
I have done a lot of research into my family history and posted it on to the ancestry.co.uk website – it is called appropriately ‘Stott of Caerlaverock’ and is open to view – quite a story.
Our family have spent many enjoyable holidays at the cottage in Glencaple and my father, Les Roberts, who was a shipping agent in Liverpool, is famed for having the Nith dredged and brought back into use for shipping sometime in the 1960/70’s for a period.
I hope this has been of some interest to you and are able to share it in some way with the Caerlaverock community.”
Many thanks to Peter John Mclean Roberts for this fascinating information!
Does anybody have any knowledge or information they could share to help John discover the occupation of his fourth grandfather, George Mclean?
Do you have some information of your own we can add to the history section? Do please get in touch at: caerlaverockcommunity@gmail.com