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One hundred and fifty years ago today Janet Mellis Mather was admitted to the Edinburgh Poorhouse as a "lunatic pauper". This was not her first admission to an asylum. She had first been admitted to the Poorhouse on 16 August 1859, before being removed from the poor roll and released into the care of her son, William, 5 weeks later.   Before being admitted to the Poorhouse, she had been living with William at the 101 Rose Street, Edinburgh.
William had been a bookseller and stationer since at least 1848, and continued in that trade until about 1864. He was still living at 101 Rose Street with his mother in 1861:
This didn't last, for just over a year later, on 21 August 1862, Janet was readmitted to the City Poorhouse   This time she was in the poorhouse for 7 months. Less than 3 months after she had been admitted, on 14 November 1862, her son married Elizabeth Letheney in Edinburgh. She was released into the care of her son on 25 March 1863, before being readmitted on 15 June 1864   Her stay was much longer. On 9 October 1866, she was one of 24 patients transferred to St Cuthberts Poorhouse. It would appear that this was a temporary measure, as 13 of these patients were transferred back to the City Poorhouse just over three months later, on 21 January 1867. Conditions in the Edinburgh Poorhouse at this time were highly unsatisfactory, and the Parochial Board had decided to reorganise their arrangements. In August 1866, the Board decided to introduce so-called probationary wards for newly admitted inmates (paupers as well as "lunatics"), and plans were afoot to build a new Poorhouse at Craiglockhart, which would eventually open in 1867. It seems likely that Janet was moved as part of these new arrangements.   Four months later, Janet was on the move again when she was released from the City Poorhouse:   Her brother, William Ferrier Mather, was a grocer, as recorded in the Edinburgh Post Office Directory for 1865-66:  Janet lived on for a couple more years, before dying aged 88 in 1869 in the Canongate. We can only speculate why she was taken in by her brother this time, and not her son, but it may have had something to do with William struggling to support his young family. Some time around 1865 he gave up his bookshop/stationery business. In 1871, he was a shop porter living at 93 North Bridge
By 1881, William was back in Rose Street, living at number 162. His children were no longer living with him. At this point, it's not clear if they had died or were living elsewhere.
William's fortunes continued to decline. By 1891, he and his wife were in the City Poorhouse at Craiglockhart. William was described as having formerly been a jobbing labourer. In 1893 his death was recorded aged 74 in the Colinton district - it seems likely he died in the poorhouse, which was in the Colinton area. His wife died in 1925, again in Colinton. She too may have spent the rest of her days in the Poorhouse, although without checking her death record or the City Poorhouse records at Edinburgh City Archives that cannot be confirmed. Sources:
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Upcoming family history talks and events in Scotland, 8 - 14 February 2016
Note that there may be a small charge for some of these events, and some may be for members only. We will be publishing lists of upcoming talks and events regularly - if you are organising a talk or event relating to Scottish genealogy or history, please let us know and we will be happy to add your events to our list. Monday, February 8 2016, 7 pm The History of the Victoria Cross Alex Hall, Glengarnock Venue: Newton Lounge Cumbrae Historical Society Monday, February 8 2016, 7 pm for 7.30 pm BBC Scotland: Early Years and the Edinburgh Connection Mike Shaw Venue: Drummond Community High School, Bellevue Place, Edinburgh Monday, February 8 2016, 7.30 pm Midlothian Castles Then and Now and Peebles Town History Andrew Stewart Venue: Dalkeith Baptist Church, North Wynd, Dalkeith Monday, February 8 2016, 7.30 pm Open Evening
Venue: Luncarty Church Centre West Stormont Historical Society Non-members: adults £3, concessions £2. (Open discussion meetings at Luncarty are free) Monday, February 8 2016, 7.30 pm National Trust of Scotland Archives Ian Riches, NTS Archivist Venue: Gibson Craig Memorial Hall, Lanark Road West, Currie Currie & District Local History Society As we wander and delight in the gardens, the properties and the landscape who knows what else is held? Ian Richies, NTS Archivist, leads us on a visual trip into the vast archives of the NTS. Monday, February 8 2016, 7.30 pm TBA George Haggarty Venue: Partick Burgh Hall, room 1, 3-9a Burgh Hall Street, Glasgow, G11 5LN Monday, February 8 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm Uncovering a Medieval Transport Hub: Cambuskenneth and its lost causeway and harbour Dr Murray Cook Venue: Alloa Town Hall (Tommy Downs Room) Clackmannanshire Field Studies Society Speaker is Archaeologist, Stirling & Clackmannanshire Councils Tuesday, February 9 2016, 2.00 pm St. Athernase Church & Scottish Churches Trust Roma Roy Venue: Kirkcaldy Old Kirk, Kirk Wynd Tuesday, February 9 2016, 2.00 pm Genealogy of Fishermen Iain Murray Venue: Fife Fisheries Museum, Anstruther Speaker from Fife Fisheries Museum Tuesday, February 9 2016, 6 pm Focus on Built Heritage for Communities: Scotland’s canal buildings, Scotland's Sporting Buildings Nick Haynes Venue: Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, University of Dundee, DD1 4EN Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland Tuesday, February 9 2016, 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm The origin of the Picts? Excavations at Dunnicaer sea stack Dr Gordon Noble Venue: Regent Building Lecture Theatre, Regent Walk, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Dr Gordon Noble, University of Aberdeen, will present this lecture at the Regent Building Lecture Theatre, University of Aberdeen, hosted by the Aberdeen and North East Section of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Tuesday, February 9 2016, 7.30 pm One Small Step for Amphibians, but a Giant Leap for Life on Earth Dr Nick Fraser Venue: Auditorium, Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre, Peebles The evolution of vertebrates from water to land some 350 million years ago is a major step in the history of life on earth. Until recently, there was a worldwide gap in the fossil record but discoveries in the Borders have filled this gap. Dr. Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at the National Museum of Scotland, will explain the significance of these finds and how they provide a fascinating insight into the development of land-living vertebrates. Tuesday, February 9 2016, 7.30 pm The Sixth Earl of Mar Murray Dickie, local historian Venue: Dining Hall, Dollar Academy Tuesday, February 9 2016, 7.30 pm Birdie Bowers of Scott's Antarctic Expedition Drew McKenzie Venue: Largs Library Community Room Largs and North Ayrshire Family History Society Tuesday, February 9 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm Dugald Semple (1884-1964): The Hermit of Linwood Moss and the Idea of Life Reform in the Early 20th Century Steven Sutcliffe Venue: Masonic Halls, Collier Street, Johnstone Wednesday, February 10 2016 Travellers in East Lothian Jess Smith , author and traditional storyteller Venue: Coastal Communities Museum, School Road, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 4JU Wednesday, February 10 2016, 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm Sir Edward Elgar’s Life and Work Paul Bassett Venue: Kincardine Community Centre - Hepburn Room Kincardine-on-Forth Local History Group Wednesday, February 10 2016, 2.15 pm Dundee Afternoon Lecture: ‘Independent and Individualist’ – Art in Dundee 1867-1924
Venue: D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, Tower Building, University of Dundee Wednesday, February 10 2016, 7.30 pm Little Ross Lighthouse: How it came to be built David Collin Venue: Parish Church Hall, St Mary Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4DN Kirkcudbright History Society Wednesday, February 10 2016, 7.30 pm Someone to Watch Over Me: Kirk and Community Margaret Fox Venue: Volunteer Hall, Galashiels Wednesday, February 10 2016, 7.30 pm Kolkota, Scots Cemetery Ian Stein Venue: Smith Museum and Art Gallery, Dumbarton Road, Stirling Central Scotland Family History Society Wednesday, February 10 2016, 7.30 pm Arthurian links with Dumbarton, the Rock and the local area Hugh McArthur Venue: Concord Community Centre (next to the Denny Theatre), Dumbarton, G82 1LJ There is tantalising evidence of King Arthur across Scotland, even at Dumbarton Rock. Hugh has studied the subject for many years and has published his findings. Thursday, February 11 2016 Members' Night
Elie & Earlsferry History Society Thursday, February 11 2016, 4.00pm-6.00pm The Journey to the District Asylum: Royal Asylums, Private Madhouses, and Stirling District Asylum Dr Iain Hutchison, University of Glasgow Venue: A96, Pathfoot Building, University of Stirling The surviving records of Stirling District Asylum, opened in 1869, and known locally as Bellsdyke, were recently deposited with the University of Stirling's archive collection where they have been cleaned, repaired and catalogued in readiness for their use as a valuable research resource. Institutional confinement of people with mental troubles prior to the opening of Bellsdyke and other district asylums was made by "the Royals" - a network of seven asylums that catered for both pauper and private (i.e. fee-paying) patients - in accommodation that befitted their social stations and economic circumstances. The modest fees for lowly paupers were nonetheless too high and "extravagant" in the eyes of some parochial boards administering the Poor Law and this enabled privately-run "madhouses" to offer an alternative. This structure of dual provision began to change following probing investigations in 1855 and the implementation of the Lunacy (Scotland) Act in 1857. The Act resulted in the gradually construction of district asylums, such as Bellsdyke, for pauper lunatics - a development that was to see the Royals direct attention solely towards private patients, and the closure of private madhouses. This paper will trace the roles of the Royals, private madhouses, and district asylums in nineteenth-century Scotland. It will endeavour to gauge inmate experience, with particular reference to Stirling's Bellsdyke Asylum. Iain Hutchison is Research Associate in Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow. He is on the Board of the worldwide Disability History Association and, more locally, he is a member of the board of trustees of Disability History Scotland. He is reviews editor for H-Disability. He has recently been working on the history of Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Sick Children, funded by Wellcome and other bodies; and on the Leverhulme-funded "Matrons to Microbes" project where he has been investigating the history of infection control at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Glasgow Royal Infirmary. However, he is primarily an historian of disability and most recently was the research historian for the HLF-funded "Seeing Our History" project for RNIB Scotland. This event is free and is open to staff, students and members of the public. Thursday, February 11 2016, 7.30 pm Raised from the Ashes - the Levenhall Story Nick Aitken, ranger, East Lothian Council Venue: St Peter's Church Hall, High Street, Musselburgh Musselburgh Conservation Society Thursday, February 11 2016, 7.30 pm Forth Estuary Forum Christopher Cutts Venue: Queens Hall, Charlestown, KY11 3EG The North Queensferry Heritage Trust is a long established group that has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the history and beauty of North Queensferry and the immediate surroundings. It aims to encourage, preserve, develop and improve features of historic, architectural or environmental value. Their role in the future development of the town’s tourist industry is vital. The Trust was originally constituted on 4th May 1988 as a charity, registered in Scotland and is a member of Scottish Civic Trust, Scottish wildlife Trust and the Forth Estuary Forum. James Lawson is Chairman of the trust and will be telling you all about the recent attractions and activities that the Trust have actively been involved with. Thursday, February 11 2016, 7.30 pm Your Local Archive
Venue: MacRobert Hall, The Square, Tarland The Archive Team will be launching the Cromar History Group archive web-site which will give public access to all the material categorised to date. Full of fascinating items – pictures, postcards and artefacts – come and see what we hold and how you can access details and photos of the material in the archive. Thursday, February 11 2016, 7.30 pm Waterloo Uncovered: The archaeology of Europe’s most famous battle Tony Pollard (University of Glasgow) Venue: The Shawl Gallery, Paisley Museum, High Street, Paisley Renfrewshire Local History Forum Speaker is Director, Centre of Battlefield Archaeology, University of Glasgow Thursday, February 11 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm History of Lanark Visitors Centre Ainsley Gough Venue: Johnnie Walker Bond, Strand Street Kilmarnock East Ayrshire Family History Society |
Old ScottishGenealogy and Family History - A mix of our news, curious and intriguing discoveries. Research hints and resources to grow your family tree in Scotland from our team. 
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