John Carfrae and Helen Walker

[Shona]

From daughter Helen's baptism in July 1779 in Edinburgh.

'John Carfrae, chaise driver, and Helen Walker his spouse, New Grey Friars parish, a daughter born 29th current named Helen baptised in church 31st.'

I've identified two other children born to John Carfrae and Helen Walker:
1 William Carfrae, born in Edinburgh 18 December 1775.
2 John Carfrae, baptised in Edinburgh, 7 November 1777.

The family moved to Inverkeithing, Fife, at some point.

Variant spelling of Carfrae: Guthrie.

[ElizabethHerts]

Variant spelling of Carfrae: Guthrie.

The Scottish alternative spellings leave my head in a spin!
Especially when I learnt that Catto could become Catternach.

[Shona]

It's not just the surnames that change, so do the first names. Here's some I've come across:

Agnes/Nancy - Interchangeable
Ailean - Alan
Aindrea(s) - Andrew
Andra - Andrew
Angus - Can be a female name
Aodh - Hugh
Arailt - Harold
Baby - Barbara
Beasag - Betsy/Betty/Bessie
Beitidh - Betty
Bride - Bridget
Caitir - Catherine
Cathal/Catal - Charles
Ciorstaidh/Crusty - Christine
Christian - Christine
Crisdean - Christopher
Daniel/Donald - Interchangeable
Dod - George
Duncan - Can be a female name
Eachann - Hector
Eck - Alex(ander)
Effy/Euffen - Euphemia
Eion - John
Ellen - Can appear as Helen or Nelly
Ever - Edward
Fionn - Not William Hague’s wife, but a male name. Changes to Fingal or Fingan
Finuel - Florence/Flora
Friseal - Not to be confused with Griseal. Friseal changes to Fraser
Giles - Julia
Gill-easbuig - Archibald
Gille-bridhe - Gilbert
Gille-calum - Malcolm
Gorsal - Grace
Grizel/Girsel - Grace
Hamish - James
Helen - Can appear as Ellen or Nelly
Ian/Ian - John
Ina - Suffix added to a male name to feminise it – Hughina, Jamesina, etc
Iver - Edward
Jane/Janet/Jean/ Jess/Jessie - Interchangeable
Lillias - Lily
Mata - Looks female, but it’s a Gaelic name that became Matthew
Mirren - Marion
Mor/More - Sarah
Moire/Muire - Mary
Muireach - Murdoch
Nicolas - Can be a female name, especially in the Lowlands
Seoc/Seocan - Jock
Seoras - George
Sile/Sileas - Julia/Judith
Tearlach - Charles
Tearlag - Charlotte
Tormond - Norman
Uilleam - William

[kiterunner]

FamilySearch has a James Cafrae born 20 Jul 1782 Edinburgh parish, parents John Cafrae and Helen Walker. Cafrae doesn't seem to come up as a variant of Carfrae on there; it only came up when I searched without the surname!

[kiterunner]

The Edinburgh Canongate Marriage Register gives Carthrae / Carthrea as another variant. And I guess Cathree and Carthree would belong with these.

[kiterunner]

The Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses has this information before the Carfrae entries:

A not very common surname of local origin, either from the lands of Carfrae in the parish of Garvald-Barra, East Lothian, or from the lands of Carfrae in Berwickshire. The name does not occur in any of the old charters or public records. An early record is "Thomas Carfrae in Wyntoune frater (brother) german of quondam John Carfrae in Edmeistoune is recorded in 1635..."

[Shona]

Thanks for those other variants, Kite - it's opened up some new research possibilities. I've now found variants of the name using ph rather than f - Carphrae and Caphrae

Interesting point about those early records in East Lothian.

I'd always assumed the family were Fife-based until fairly recently when I pushed back and found the Edinburgh connection.

As I had thought they were a Fife family, I've got some old notes about Carfrae births in Fife back to the 1630s and 1640s. As the name isn't common, I wonder if the Fife Carfraes popped across the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh and then later on moved back to Fife.

[kiterunner]

Do any of the baptisms of John and Helen's children give the names of witnesses, Shona?

[Shona]

I've only viewed Helen's baptism record on Scotland's People. There are no witnesses named. Looking at the rest of the entries, this appears to be the norm.

[kiterunner]

Scotland's People has a Testament Dative of a William Carfrae, wright in Edinburgh, 7 Oct 1784, who could possibly be John's father if William born 1775 is John's eldest son and named after John's father, but it's rather a long shot!

[kiterunner]

Another variant of the surname, from ancestry - Carthfrae.

[kiterunner]

Scotland's People has a burial for a Helen Carfrae, other surname Walker, 23rd Feb 1830, St Cuthbert's, Midlothian.

[Shona]

Scotland's People has a burial for a Helen Carfrae, other surname Walker, 23rd Feb 1830, St Cuthbert's, Midlothian.

Oh my! What a breakthrough! Thank you so, so, so much.

I bought some credits and viewed the image recording Helen's death.

'Date of death: 23 February 1830, Helen Walker, 70, relict of John Carfrae, 70, 8 Salisbury Street, old age.'

I then found the following record:

'Date of death: 22 May 1837, Mr John Carfrae Senr, bookseller, 59, 8 Salisbury Street, weary,'

The death above fits in with the son of Helen Walker and John Carfrae who was born in 1777.

Here's an account from 'Reminiscences of booksellers and bookselling in Edinburgh at the time of William IV - a address delivered to a meeting of booksellers' assistants, Edinburgh, October 1904'.

Adjoining M'Lachlan & Stewart's was the shop of John Carfrae & Son, who had also a considerable business as booksellers. They had the previous year removed into their present premises from No. 3 Drummond Street, now " Rutherford's," where they had also been book auctioneers, their sales being held at night.

Dr Hill Burton, in his Bookhunter, refers to their auction sales at some length, and I have also heard many one speak of these sales in their student days, and of the strange scenes which were enacted there night after night. Hill Burton says he went many years after to see the place where such occurrences took place in past years, and found it had been converted into a "gin palace."

In 1836 the father and son had quarrelled and separated, the father taking the shop at 8 Nicolson Street, recently vacated by R. Grant & Son, while the son with his son took the premises at 62 South Bridge.

I recollect reading on the lintel wall of the shop, 8 Nicolson Street, that he, John Carfrae, senior, had been thrust out of the business which he had carried on for twenty-five years, and thus appealed to his old customers to continue their business with him.

Mr Carfrae, senior, had a brusque, gruff manner, with a temper somewhat soured by loss of prestige; as a consequence he failed to succeed, and his stock was sold off in little more than a year after he began.

The principal assistant in the son's shop (62 South Bridge) was Mr George Simpson, afterwards and for many years the well-known manager of Messrs Blackwood & Sons.

A short time after, possibly three or four years, the Carfraes went to Australia, and their business was transferred to M 'Lachlan & Stewart, next door.

There is in Robert Chambers's Humorous Essays two articles, entitled " Sale Rooms," in which he gives an interesting account of Carfrae's and other book auctions of a past day.

I've managed to confirm a number of these details looking through old trade directories.

[kiterunner]

Wow, what an interesting story! He sounds a bit like the bookshop owner in the comedy series "Black Books".

The John Carfrae who was Helen's husband must have died before her as she was his "relict", but I'm not sure which death is his. There are 7 John Carfrae deaths in Midlothian 1782-1830 (with surname variants) and 2 of them at St Cuthberts.

[Shona]

I've been reading some more about the Carfrae's book-selling business - it's very Black Books. Even down to descriptions of John Carfrae being dark-haired, liking the sauce and not letting people read his books in the shop.

A memory has been triggered. I have a memory of Dy-Dy (one of my great-grandfathers) saying that my great-grandmother, Robina Moyes (Helen Carfrae, nee Walker, had a daughter named Helen who married David Moyes) had some connection with Robert Burns.