Who was this boy?

[Shona]

Glencreggan - A Highland Home in Cantire by Cuthbert Bede was published 1861.

In the book, the Revd Edward Bradley (Cuthbert Bede was his pen name) recouunts his stay in Kintyre in Argyllshire in 1859.

The book contains evocative descriptions of how people lived in this remote part of Scotland. An area, where many of my ancestors came from.

He describes Barr school - where many of my family went - as follows:

'The children were about 70 in number...all of the children were bare-footed and bare-legged, to an English eye, a peculiar feature in a parish school.

'Among the scholars was a black boy, who a fortnight before, had arrived from the West Indies, and whose tawny complexion and woolly hair looked very remarkable among the red-headed and fair-visaged Highlands.'

I've tried to identify this boy in the census records, but haven't been successful.

Barr (Glenbarr) is in the parish of Killean and Kilkenzie in Argyllshire.

Can anyone shed some light on this puzzle, please?

[Merry]

There's a boy called Charles A Nancy at Cambeltown (which after much struggling I think is three or four miles away???). He is a boarder aged 13 in 1861 and Ancestry have transcribed his place of birth as Spargh Tom, Jamaica, which I presume is Spanish Town rather than some sort of bolognese sauce!

The trouble is, there are probably other boys in the area who were born in the West Indies, but don't say so directly, having the (probably badly transcribed) name of one of the islands. Having seen many baptisms of black children in London records, I realise the majority have British sounding names, which doesn't help thoe search much. :o

[Merry]

Is this another recipe? The transcription of the occupation of the head of household where Charles Nancy was staying in 1861.

Ratief F Farm Schl Campt Bake

[Shona]

Merry, that's astonishing! Brilliant work finding that record. V impressed. Thank you. Can't be too many Jamaican boys in Argyllshire at that time - campared to say, London, Liverpool or Bristol.

Interesting menu, too - a starter of Ratief F Farm Schl Campt Bake, followed by Spargh Tom and finished off with Suphatert of son :d:d:d

[Shona]

The 1817 slave registers of Jamaica on Ancestry have a Cha. Nancy, 80, colour: negro, origin: Creole. Owner: William Murray.

[Shona]

Btw - C/Town is about 12 miles from Barr/Glenbarr.

[kiterunner]

Charles's surname is Harvey on Findmypast's transcription of the 1861 census.

[Olde Crone]

*Wonders if he grew up to be a samartive beguine bleaner, like one of my Scottish rellies?*

OC

[Uncle John]

*Wonders if he grew up to be a samartive beguine bleaner, like one of my Scottish rellies?*

Now you're just being silly.

[Shona]

Charles's surname is Harvey on Findmypast's transcription of the 1861 census. Ah - explains why I got 'nul point' when I searched FMP for Charles Nancy. I'm so impressed that thanks to GF, we have a name for a boy referred to in a book written in 1859.

Older relatives used to tell me that they were told of a black ('dubh') boy who went to Barr school. As a truculent teen, I dismissed this. Years later, I read that passage in Glencreggan and thought: They were right.

And now I have a name. Thank you again.

[kiterunner]

And now I have a name. Thank you again.

You would need to confirm the surname by viewing the census image or some other way.

[Shona]

*Gets out debit card to buy SP credits*

[Jen Red Purple]

Interesting menu, too - a starter of Ratief F Farm Schl Campt Bake, followed by Spargh Tom and finished off with Suphatert of son :d:d:d

J P V Farmer Of 180 Acres Arom Oleland & Schasine Of The Gragon Of From 1 To 2 Thousano Shelp Employing From 8 Ser To 1500 Acres Outs & Laborers

This morsel is from one of my OH's Skye lot. :D

[AndyMitchell]

I know this thread is from many years ago, but if the original posters are still around I can identify the little boy with some certainty.

He was Alexander Clark, born c1843 in Georgetown, British Guiana, and he is still at Barr School in the 1861 census, boarding with the schoolmaster, William Conner.

He married in 1864 in Kilmarnock, which gave his parents as Duncan Clark, wood cutter (deceased) and Cecilia Clark nee Hutton (deceased).

The reason I am sure he is the black boy in 1859 is that one of Alexander's sons was Willie Clark(e), who was one of the earliest black footballers, playing in the early 1900s with Bristol Rovers, Aston Villa, Bradford City and others.

What I haven't been able to do is establish the identities of Alexander's parents. I am guessing that his father, Duncan Clark, was white as there was a recruitment drive for wood cutters to go to British Guiana in the 1840s, and Cecilia Hutton was native Guyanese.

Curiously, one of the previous schoolmasters at Barr School was the Rev Duncan Clark, but he died in Scotland in 1850 and I can be pretty sure he was not the father. Possibly a relative of his, though.

If anyone can shed any light on Alexander's father or mother I would appreciate it.

[kiterunner]

I found this in the London Gazette, by Googling:

PURSUANT to authority granted by His Honor the Chief Justice of British Guiana, dated the 13th day of May, 1853,
I, the Undersigned, Provost-Marshal of British Guiana, in the name and behalf of Alexander Cunninghame, an inhabitant of the county of Demeray, in the colony of British Guiana, in quality as sole surviving executor to the last will and testament of Duncan Clark, deceased, do hereby cite, by Edict, all known and unknown creditors, European as well as Colonial, of the said Duncan Clark, deceased, to appear before the Honourable the Supreme Court of Civil Justice of British Guiana, at the Registrar's Office for the counties of Demerary and Essequebo, in the Public Buildings, in the city of Georgetown, in the colony aforesaid, and there file their claims, properly substantiated and in due form, within the period of one month after notice by me in the Official Gazette of the colony, of the publication of this Edict, in the London Gazette, on pain, in default thereof, as the Law directs.
Marshal's Office, Demerary and Essequebo, this 21st day of May, 1853.
W. H. HOLMES, Provost-Marshal.
N.B. - This being the First Publication.

[AndyMitchell]

Thanks for that. It could be the correct Duncan Clark but of course it is one of those frustrating mentions of a name that has no further information!

[kiterunner]

You might like to try the Guyana / British Guiana Genealogical Society. They have a forum included on their website and maybe someone on there can help. There are various transcriptions on the website too, but I couldn't find a mention of Duncan Clark or his wife in those.

https://gbggs.org/