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THE NICOL FAMILY |
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The 'Smiddy' at Muir of Breda as it is
today
The house is on the left, with the Smiddy itself seen further on. Smith's Croft, or to give it its more informal name, the 'Smiddy', was located in the Muir of Breda, just a mile or so north of the village of Alford and situated among the many working farms on the Breda Estate, from where the incumbent blacksmith derived his income. The Smiddy was the home of the Nicol family from around 1874 when Harry and Isabella Nicol (nee Tough) moved in with their family of four, a further five were born there. With only the censuses, taken every decade, to work with, I decided to also use the birth certificates of their children to trace their domicile at the times of the births and and thus arrived at 1874. The Nicols were to remain at the Smiddy until at least the 1950s. After Harry's death in 1883, his son Sandy, after finishing his apprenticeship, took over as the blacksmith until he too died in 1928. At one time, around 1912, he appeared to work in tandem with his youngest brother James. The last Nicol blacksmith to practice his trade at the Smiddy was Sandy's son, another Sandy; as more and more farms became mechanised , the need for so many blacksmiths decreased and Sandy too left the trade, on his death in 1954 he was described as a farmer. |
Any musical ability that we as a family may, or may not, have (and that is probably a moot point) has been handed down through the Nicols. Music has filtered down through the generations. The Billy Nicol Band was famous in Aberdeenshire for over 50 years. Billy was the son of Alexander Nicol (Sandy), blacksmith at Muir of Breda and grandson of Harry and Isabella. My cousin Margurita granddaughter of Isabella Nicol also follows the Nicol musical line, she too is a singer: In addition, her mother Bella Cowe, taught music and singing all her life, in addition to being a wonderful pianist. In my own family, my mother played the piano, the lessons being instigated by her mother Elizabeth Nicol, who herself I believe was no mean pianist. As a child, I very half heartedly took lessons myself, but to my eternal regret, when the going got tough, I got going! But I did take singing lessons and spent many of my childhood and teenage years taking part in music festivals, in both singing and drama and appearing in many stage productions. I continued into adulthood and performed in many musicals, both American and British, review and concerts, so it could be said that music has certainly played an enormous part in my life too.
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The order of descent of the Nicols |
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James Nicol and Mary Reid (mid 1700s to c1840s) - my great, great, great grandparents John Nicol (1801-1874) and Jean Horn (1803-1884) - my great, great grandparents Harry Nicol (1843-1883) and Isabella Tough (1843-1932) - my great grandparents Elizabeth Nicol (1880-1958) and William Reid (1873-1960) - my grandparents Margaret Grant Reid (1911-2004) and George Henry Judd (1909-1992) - my parents in fuller detail below
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James Nicol
and Mary Reid Farmers again! I seem to descend from a long line of them on the Reid and Grant side and now the Nicols too. James married a Mary Reid, daughter of a Hary (spelling on the original certificate) Reid, born 27th May 1859 in Auchindoir and Kearn. Mary appears in the census of 1841 still at Birkenbrewl, where she was a stocking knitter and living with her son John. She died between 1841 and 1851. I have not been able to connect Mary Reid with my paternal Reids, but you never know. In addition to my own great, great grandfather John (b1801) I have been able to trace at least another four children to James and Mary and very possibly a further two (information courtesy of Gavin Thomson). NB. The spelling of the name Nicol appears to have an extra 'L on some of the entries Peter Nicoll *
born at Kittyston, Kildrummy, baptised 20.1.1781 Kildrummy (Peter needs
authenticating) * If indeed Peter Nicoll turns out to be the son of James Nicol and Mary Reid, we have acquired yet another minister in the family, as Harry Nicoll, baptised in 1812, and Peter's son. was the Free Church of Scotland Minister at Auchindoir for many years.
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John Nicol
and Jean Horn After their marriage, John and Jean farm at Birkenbrewl (1841 census). By the time of the next census in 1851 John is an agricultural labourer and they are living in Braeside of Clova, but in 1861 they have moved yet again within Auchindoir, and are living in Knappenthillock, where John is a crofter of 3 acres. By the time of the wedding of their son Harry in 1869, John is a sawmiller but they remain at Knappenthillock In 1871 they are still there but John's occupation has changed again and he has reverted to agricultural labourer and crofter, but has gained 1 acre on his croft - farmer, crofter, sawmiller, agricultural labourer - a very varied array of occupations. John died of bronchitis on 28th May 1874 in Braeside of Clova, where the informant of his death, was son William. Jean survived him by 10 years and died of 'old age and goitre' on 21st September 1884 in Braeside of Clova, the informant for her death was John Nicol, nephew, crofter of Parkneuk, Lumsden, Auchindoir. John and Jean had 8 children - Jean, or Jane Nicol b
23.12.1827 in detail below 3) Mary b in 1832, at Birkenbrewl,
but by the 1851 census she is living at Newtown, Kennethmont, where she was house servant.
In the 1861 census she is in Knappenthillock, Auchindoir. Her daughter Jane had two illegitimate children by two different fathers! In 1878 she had a son John by John Souter and in 1886 she had a daughter Mary by John Taggart; both children took their respective fathers' surnames. Jane died 12 February 1890 at Woodside Cottage, Bridgend, Kildrummy, cause of death placenta previa and hemorrhage, I don't know whether the child survived, or indeed who the father may have been. NB - There are two different Souters, David who is Jane's father and John who is Jane's daughter's father. 4) Elizabeth b 22 November 1834 at Birkenbrewl, Auchindoir and Kearn. Elizabeth married George Gibb on 7 July 1855 in Auchindoir and Kearn, who was the son of Alexander Gibb and Isabella Martin and born on 24 November 1833 in Insch. They had 10 children between 1855 and 1876 - Jane, Ann, Alexander, Mary Nicol, John, Elizabeth, Margaret, Barbara, George and James. 5) James b 31 October 1936 at Birkenbrewl, Auchindoir and Kearn.. James married Margaret Reid on 27 July 1861 in Kildrummy. Margaret was born on 16 September 1837 also in Kildrummy. They had 11 children between 1861 and 1882 - James William, Mary Jane, Alexander Robb, Henry John, Margaret Erskine, George Mitchell, Albert, Charles Forbes, Robert Barrie, Hugh Patrick and Isabella. Their 3rd child Alexander Robb married Margaret Anderson in 1894 and had a further 10 children, the 3rd of whom was another Alexander Robb born in 1897, this Alexander married Caroline McHardy and they in turn had another five children, one of which, Caroline, married Frederick Duncan and it is their son Derryck who has provided the detailed information on the Alexander Robb Nicol family - many thanks. 6) John b 1840 in Auchindoir, by 1851 he is in Braeside of Clova. On 4 December 1869 he married Jean Daun, daughter of Harry Daun and Margaret Duncan who was born on 15 November 1834 in Cabrach. They lived around this time at Mill of Lesmoir, Rhynie. John died 9 December 1908 in Strathdon, Jean outlived him, dying on 14 March 1925 in Mortlach, Banff. John and Jean had 4 children - Mary, Jane, Harry and William. NB I don't know whether it is coincidence, but eldest child Mary, who married George Forbes, died in 1909 at Rinmore Croft. 7) Barbara
8) Harry Nicol - my great grandfather (see below)
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Jean Horn's baptism 1804 - 3rd from bottom
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Harry Nicol and Isabella Tough Harry Nicol (my great grandfather) was born to John Nicol and Jean Horn in March 1843 in Crofts of Clova and baptized on 2 March 1843 in Kildrummy Church. In the census of 1851 the property has had a name change to Braeside of Clova, or did it? perhaps it is a separate dwelling. Harry then moves to the area that will become home for the remainder of his life, namely Alford, where he is to be found in 1861 as an agricultural labourer aged 17, at Wellhouse, the head of the household is William Anderson. Around 1866/67 Harry met Isabella Tough, for in September 1867 a daughter Margaret was born to them illegitimately at Isabella's home at Backstone in Kildrummy. Harry is named as the father on the birth certificate and is by now a blacksmith. On 26 June 1869 he eventually married Isabella, who was 6 month's pregnant with their 2nd child Alexander-Tough. The wedding took place in Kildrummy Church and was witnessed by James Nicol (groom's brother) and William Archibald. In 1871 Harry is a blacksmith living in Marionburgh, Midmar and employed by James Baird. But his wife Isabella remains at her parents' home, Backstone in Kildrummy, even though they have now been married for two years and have four children. But they finally live as a family when they move to Smithy's Croft in Muir of Alford, around 1874, Harry is now a master blacksmith and crofter of 6 acres. Here at the Smiddy, they produce a further 5 children. One last daughter, Ann, was born to them in September 1882, just 7 month's before Harry's death. Poor Harry died aged only 40 on 7th April 1883 at home in the Smiddy of pneumonia and Bright's Disease, only having had 9 years living with Isabella in their own home. Isabella Tough (my great grandmother) was born to Alexander and Margaret Tough at Main Street, Auchindoir in 1843. The Tough family moved to Backstone in Kildrummy before 1851. Isabella and Harry finally marry in 1869, but still don't appear to live as a family until they move to Smithy's Croft at Muir of Breda around 1874, where Harry practices his trade as a master blacksmith. After his death in 1883, Isabella remains at the Smiddy until, I believe, 1913. Two events happened during that year; her son Harry dies and leaves a daughter Jean, whilst at the Shannoch, Helen (Nell) marries and moves out of the farm. One has a bearing on the other. The Shannoch is now a male only household, so eldest son William and his wife Elizabeth Nicol, with their family, transfer from Beech Cottage to Shannoch, thus leaving an empty cottage. The Smiddy is fairly crowded, son Alexander is now the incumbent blacksmith, married and the father of four, eldest daughter Maggie is still at home and granddaughter Jean is now living with them. So why not move into the cottage just down the brae from her daughter Elizabeth. It must have seemed an ideal solution, Maggie would move in to help her, now 70 year old, mother and together they would provide a home for Jean. It was this scenario that my mother remembers from her childhood - Grandma and Maggie living at the cottage with Jean. She remembered Jean coming up the brae every morning to Shannoch with her empty milk pail, out of breath after the climb and returning with a pail full of fresh creamy milk, before setting off for school at Gallowhill. Isabella and Maggie remained at the cottage until, aged 88, Isabella died of bronchitis at 5 minutes past two on the morning of April 28th 1932, living for nearly 50 years as a widow, the informant for her death was her grandson Gordon Alexander Reid, who was present. Maggie moved to Sinnaboth, Towie where on her death in 1949, she was described as a retired cook. I don't know what happened to Jean and I have been unable to trace her anywhere, my knowledge of her existence comes from my mother and her sister Bunty's memories.. Isabella had the misfortune to lose 5 of her 9 children before her own death. After burying her husband in 1883, she was to return to the graveyard a year later to bury her 21 month old youngest daughter Ann, followed two years later by another daughter Jane aged 14. Harry follows in 1913, Mary in 1921 and finally her eldest son Alexander in 1928. Unfortunately in those days, death within the family features all too painfully often. We can only imagine poor Isabella's grief and her stoic determination to hold everything together for the sake of her family. I admire this lady greatly and am very proud of our shared *mitochondrial DNA. * mitochondrial is special, as it is only passed on through the egg, this means that everyone has inherited their miDNA from their mother, who inherited it from her mother, who inherited it though her mother - and so on back through time. The remarkable thing is, that this DNA sequence has been passed on with little or no change from our remote female ancestors Children of Harry Nicol and Isabella Tough - Margaret Tough Nicol 1867-1949 (82) in detail below the photograph of the wedding One interesting fact - Isabella lived to a greater age than any of her children.
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This generation of Nicols appear in the front row of this photograph of the joint wedding of Elizabeth and Isabella, also in the photograph is the corresponding generation of Reids from Shannoch |
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Margaret Tough Nicol (Maggie) was born illegitimately on September 4th 1867 at her grandfather Tough's home of Backstone in Kildrummy. (Grandmother Margaret Tough had died in 1849) and educated at Gallowhill School. Maggie was destined to be the eternal spinster, helping her mother in the house to cook, sew and care for her younger siblings, especially after their move to Smithy's Croft in Muir of Breda. In 1913, Maggie and her mother moved out of Smithy's Croft to Beech Cottage, within the curtelege of Shannoch Farm. They provided a home for her brother Harry's daughter Jean, who came to live with the Nicols after her father's death. Harry left a widow - Elizabeth Gordon, I am not sure why she was unable to care for her daughter. Two facts are remembered by the present day family - Maggie insisted on always paying for the milk and butter that she received from her sister Bessie at Shannoch Farm and her mother Isabella, towards the end of her life, would wonder back to Smithy's Croft, forgetting it was no longer home and poor Maggie was always having to walk over to retrieve her. Maggie
lived till 1949, but I don't know for how many years after her mother's
death in 1932, that she stayed on at the cottage. On her death
certificate, she was described as a retired cook and the place of her death
was Sinnaboth, Towie. |
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Alexander Tough Nicol (Sandy) was born three month's after his parents' wedding on September 12th 1869, again at his grandfather's home of Backstone in Kildrummy. His father Harry was not present for the birth, which took place at 2am; it is possible he was serving an apprenticeship with blacksmith James Baird in Midmar. Sandy was educated at Gallowhill School and would have been only 14 year's old at the time of his father's death in 1883, so as yet unable to take over as blacksmith at Smithy's Croft. But by 1891 he has become the blacksmith and is described as a 'blacksmith journeyman'. On July 28th 1899 he married Elizabeth Brown at the Forbes Arms Hotel at Bridge of Alford. Witnesses at the wedding were William Gordon Reid, my grandfather and Susan Duncan, not sure who she was, perhaps she was a married sister of the bride. Elizabeth was the daughter of Elizabeth Wattie and John Brown and was born 1 June 1877 in Upper Burnside of Shiels. Sandy and Elizabeth spent all their married life at the Smiddy, where Sandy died on 15 January 1928 and is buried in the cemetary in Alford. Elizabeth left the Smiddy after Sandy's death to move in with her son William at Millbank, where she was killed only 9 year's later in a cycling accident after crashing into some farming implements outside the Smiddy, she too is buried in Alford cemetary. Sandy and Elizabeth had five children - 1 Their first child, Jessie or Janet Brown, was born illegitimately in 1895 four years before her parent's wedding at Quinach Cottages Cluny. Jessie married Alexander (Sandy) Mitchell on 29 October 1920 at the Forbes Arms Hotel. 2 Next child is another Alexander (Sandy) Nicol born 3 May 1900 at the Smiddy. He was also to become a blacksmith at Muir of Breda. He married Charlotte Easton and they had three children - yet another Alexander, Arthur and Sheila. He left Muir of Breda to become a farmer at Westside of Skene, where he died on 1 May 1954. 3 Elizabeth Nicol, don't have a date of birth, but she emigrated to Cairns of Australia, after living at West Gate, Breda. 4 Harry Nicol was born 26 February 1902 at Muir of Breda. 5 William (Hasie) Nicol born 11 August 1908. Between 1931 and 1980 he followed the family tradition and carried on the trade of blacksmith at Millbank Smiddy, Tillyfourie. In 1932 he married Violet Helena Laing from West Gate Breda at the West Kirk in Alford. William died of a heart attack on 11 May 1980 at Millbank Smiddy and Violet died on 27 January 1997 in ARI, they are both buried in Cluny Church, Sauchen, Inverurie. They had 3 children William McKay, Albert Alexander and Alastair DIckson.
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Jane Tough Nicol was born at her grandfather Tough's home at Backstone in Kildrummy on 2nd October 1871 and educated at Gallowhill School. Jane had a short life as she died at Muir of Breda of tuberculosis on 2 January 1886 aged only 14 after suffering from TB for 5 months. Her death is a little confusing as it is stated that she died at Muir of Breda, but the informant was one James Dickson, who is described as an 'inmate', I guess that she was in a sanitarium and was sent home to die.
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Mary Nicol was born on 2 July 1873 in Braeside of Clova, which was the home of her grandfather John Nicol (still alive, but to die the following year). She too was educated at Gallowhill School and married John M Massie (b 1872), a merchant and son of John Massie and Susan Mitchell at the Forbes Arms Hotel at Bridge of Alford on 16 February 1897, the marriage was conducted by Revd. Peter Adam, minister of the West Kirk in Alford, the Nicol family's church, the witnesses were her sister Bessie Nicol (my grandmother) and George Massie, possibly the groom's brother. On the marriage certificate she is aged 19 and a domestic servant. Mary died on February 7th 1921 at her home, the Commercial Hotel in Insch that she ran with John, the cause of death was a) cellulitis of leg and phlebitis and b) pulmonary embolism. Mary and John had two daughters.
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 Mary Nicol (Massie) 1904 |
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Harry Nicol was born at Muir of Breda on 26 August 1875, the first child to be born in their own home and not that of either of their parents. He was educated at Gallowhill School. Harry did not follow his namesake father into the blacksmith trade, as his oldest brother Sandy had already done so and there would only be room for one blacksmith at the Smiddy. Harry appears to have found work on a farm as an agricultural labourer, at Carnaveron, Alford. He marries Elizabeth Gordon daughter of William Gordon, crofter and Anne Gordon (cannot make out her maiden name) on 23 June 1911 at South Cattieburn, Keig, when he was 32, the witnesses were his youngest brother James (Jimmy) Nicol and Jeannie Gordon, presumably a sister of the bride. They set up married life at the farm where Harry is employed and at sometime over the next couple of year's a daughter Jean is born to them. Harry dies there on March 27 1913 of a gastric ulcer, peritonitis and other causes but the death certificate is extremely difficult to read. He died at home in Northnib Carnaveron, Alford. I have no idea what happened to Elizabeth Gordon, as their daughter Jean is sent to live with her paternal grandmother Isabella. My mother remembers Jean as 'slow witted' to use her expression, perhaps her mother was unable to cope.
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Isabella Nicol, known as Izie with the emphasis on the I, was born at the Smiddy, Muir of Breda on 23 October 1877. She too was educated at Gallowhill School. At the time of her wedding, aged 25, she was a domestic servant at home. This wedding must have been the talk of the village for some time, for Izie married George Hogg in a joint wedding with her sister Elizabeth (Bessie) to William Gordon Reid of Shannoch. The weddings took place on 8th June 1904 and were the first marriages to take place in the newly built 'Public Hall' in Alford, the Revd. Peter Adam officiated and Georgina Grant Reid the other groom's sister and William ?? were witnesses. Izie and George set up home at the Manse Cottage next to the West Kirk in Alford, where George was an officer of the church and Peter Adam was the minister. Auntie Izie provided lunch for her nephew John Reid after he started working at Gordon's shop in Alford, to save him the cycle back to Shannoch every day. George Hogg died 6 November 1954 aged 77, Izie survived him by ten years dying 2 May 1964, the longest living of all Harry and Isabella's children. Izie and George had three children George, Frank (who died as a baby) and Isabella (Bella) b 1911. The third child Bella was close to her cousin Margaret Reid, my mother - they were born the same year. Bella married James Cowe and had one daughter Margurita.
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Elizabeth Nicol (Bessie) my grandmother - for details of Elizabeth, see the Shannoch page.
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James Nicol (Jimmy) was born 18 February 1881 at the Smiddy, Muir of Breda and educated at Gallowhill School. Jimmy was an apprenticed blacksmith in the 1901 census, but by his wedding in 1912 he was fully fledged and appears to be working from the Smiddy at Muir of Breda, I presume that he was working alongside his brother Sandy, this is quite possible, blacksmiths were very much in demand still at this time and this would have been a thriving blacksmiths, situated as it was in the midst of so many farms. He married Mary Jamieson, daughter of William Jamieson and Margaret McPhail Martin, on 7 June 1912 at Bridge of Alford, Tullynessle, the Revd. Peter Adam officiated again and the witnesses were Elizabeth Tough and Alex Davidson. Peter Adam married most of the Nicol family, as he was the minister of the Established Church of Scotland in Alford, the Nicol's family's church, now known as the West Kirk and disused. As farms became more mechanised, the need for a blacksmith necessarily decreased and another source of secure income had to be found. Jimmy solved this by taking over the tenancy of the Glenkindie Arms Inn, back in the village, which Gordon Reid had vacated in the previous century. Jimmy and Mary had five children, Mary (b1915), William, Harry, Edward and Evelyn James. Mary (junior) married James Paterson on 3 July 1937 at the Glenkindie Arms and had 7 children - twins Mary and Margaret, Charles, Elsie Duncan, Edith Littlejohn, Jean Watson and May-Ann. Mary died in 1950 and Jimmy in 26 August 1957 at the Glenkindie Arms.
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Ann Nicol born in 1883 at the Smiddy, Muir of Breda, unfortunately Ann was to live for only 21 months, dying 23 June 1884 of croup, the informant was a John Findlay, who is possibly a servant.
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This concludes the chapter on the Nicol
family - there will be a family tree added in the not too distant
future
Thanks are also due to Derryck Duncan the great, great grandson of James
Nicol, brother of my great grandfather Harry Nicol. Glynis Harper,
great grand daughter of Jimmy Nicol (Glenkindie Arms) and Gavin Thomson, a
descendent of my great, great grandfather John Nicol's older sister Mary
Nicol. It gets very convoluted! |
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