Carswell/Cowan local info

Mark Carswell has been in touch with some interesting information which may well be of interest. Mark was researching 14 years ago and “kinda came to a dead end till now when I found your page. Thanks for the great work , Caerlaverock is my ancestral home.“

The article Mark mentioned was about Rose Villa (now Nith View) – it was his Great Grandfather, Robert Carswell’s house, in 1886!  See this link for more (it’s worth a read!):

Dumfriesshire to Let 1886

Mark has a family photo album, which belonged to his Great Grandmother, Robina Cowan (widowed to Jamieson), his second removed cousin has the Carswell Album. Mark has scanned and shared a few photos and interesting pieces of information from his album.

Mark has been to Caerlaverock Parish Church numerous times (where there are Carswell and Cowan gravestones). His grandfather, John Cowan Carswell, left to South Africa shortly after World War I, but Mark came “home” 17 years ago and lives in Edinburgh.

He brought all this back from Cape Town, after his father passed and the remaining history was passed on to him. Mark ends, “so after a 100+ years every thing has done a full circle and come back to Scotland including a bit of family silver“!

Text above reads:

Dumfries and Galloway Standard Newspaper 24th April 1901

The late Mr Carswell

We regret to record the death of Mr Robert Carswell, lately a town councillor of Dumfries, and one of our well known citizens, which occurred yesterday at Kilmarnock, whither he had removed scarcely a year ago. Mr Carswell had reached a ripe old age, being as we understand about 79 years. He had trained to the business of a ships carpenter, which he persued at Glencaple. Then while still in early life, he opened a licensed grocer shop in the High Street Dumfries, in the premises now belonging to John Johnstone, having acquired a competency he removed to Glencaple, where he built himself a pleasant residence on the site of the old ship building yard which is now converted into a convalescent home, and he acquired by purchase the fue duties of the property abutting the shore. He was instrumental among other improvements, in establishing the bowling green at Glencaple as a place for recreation for residents and visitors. A number of years ago Mr Carswell again took up residence in Dumfries, and renewed a connection with various public bodies which he had subsisted while he was in business in the town, by re-entering the town council and becoming a member of the Parochial Council, the successor of the Parochial Board, on which he had formerly sat.

He had also for a lengthened period been an elder in St Michael’s Church. In politics Mr Carswell was an ardent liberal and took a keen interest in promoting the canditure of Sir Sidney Waterlow for the county in 1869. Laterly since the advent of home rule controversy, he had not identified himself with other parties. He was a man who led a life of quiet usefulness and was deservedly resected.

He was twice married and is survived by a widow and family. It was chiefly in the interest of his sons who wished to follow the business of engineers that he removed to Kilmarnock, Whitsunday last.

Main image shows Mark’s Grandfather, John Cowan Carswell.

Does anyone know whereabouts in Glencaple the bowling green was? Can anyone add anything of interest for Mark?

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