MacLean McLean genealogy

19 August 2006

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Dr G.M.W.Mann.      Baytrees

Burnhams Rd,    Lt.Bookham

Surrey, U.K.           KT23 3AU

geoff.mann@btinternet.com

 

 

 

 

 

5 John MCLEAN c1764-1834

 

 

m Anne BAYNE 1787

 

 

 

 

 

The birthplace of John McLEAN is not known but he lived in Fowlis Wester in Perthshire where he was a ploughman at a farm known as Mains of Gorthy.  An isolated farm of this name is still there today surrounded by fertile fields of grain, which no doubt John once ploughed.

 

 He married a local girl at the parish church of Fowlis Wester in 1787, but when it became evident that a baby would be born sooner than 9 months later, they were hauled before the kirk session and fined 10 shillings for the sin of ante-nuptial fornication.  The baby was baptised a month later, 5 months after the marriage. 

 

Four more children were baptised at Fowlis while they were still at Gorthy.  A last son was probably baptised some 30 miles away at Culross in 1805, but this is unconfirmed; in any event they returned to Ruthven in the parish of Tibbermore, Perthshire, before 1821 as their daughters Helen and Ann married there in 1821 and 1823.

 

Both John and Ann were buried at Tibbermore in 1834 and 1836, and their son George erected a fine gravestone to their memory.

 

 

 

 

 

EVENTS

C=Christened

 

           age

   DATE   JM AB

 

                       EVENT

    c1764     

10Nov1787 23 23

17Fby1788 24 24

16Mch1788 24 24

29Mch1788 24 24

 4Jul1790 26 26

21Oct1792 28 28

13Sep1795 31 31

20Jan1799 35 35

11Aug1805 41 41

18Dec1817 53 53

 3Jun1821 57 57

15Aug1823 59 59

10Aug1834 70 70

10Apr1836    72

John born; Ann born at Fowlis Wester

John & Anne m at Fowlis Wester, Perth

fined 10/- for the sin of fornication

rebuked for antinuptial fornication and absolved from the scandal at Fowlis Wester church

dau Amelia C at Fowlis Wester; in Mains of Gorthy farm

son John C at Fowlis Wester; in Gorthy

dau Ann C at Fowlis Wester; in Gorthy

son George C at Fowlis Wester; in Gorthy

dau Helen C at Fowlis Wester; in Gorthy

? son Peter C at Culross, Clackmannanshire

son John m at Tibbermore, Perth

dau Helen m at Tibbermore

dau Ann m John SIMMIE at Tibbermore

John of Ruthvenpark buried at Tibbermore

Ann of Huntingtower buried at Tibbermore

 

 

 

 

PRINCIPAL RECORDS

 

 

b=born  m=married  d=died

C=Christened      B=Buried

 

BIRTH

 

John McLEAN was married at Fowlis Wester 10Nov1787 and baptised children there while he was a ploughman at a nearby farm.  MCLEAN is not a common name in the Fowlis Wester register however, and there is no suitable baptism of John.  From his gravestone he was born about 1764 which gives a sensible marriage age of 23. The following John MCLEANs were baptised between 1760 and 1767 in the Perth/Flife/Clackmannan/Kinross OPR index:

 

Kenmore        C 15Feb1760 s John MC_LEAN  & Janet MCGREGOR

Auchtergaven   C 14Feb1761 s John MCLEAN   & {Elspet COWAN} {mother's name known from previous marriage}

Little Dunkeld C 27Feb1761 s James MCLEAN  & Janet MCDONALD

Kilmadock      C 24Jan1762 s John MCLEAN   & Florence CAMERON

Killin         C 30Oct1762 s John MCLEAN   & Janet CAMPBELL

Dull           C  8Dec1763 s Donald MCLEAN & Grizel MCFARLAN

Dull           C 16Mar1765 s Dond. MCLEAN  & Elspeth WALLACE

Dull           C 20Oct1765 s Thos. MCLEAN  & Janet ROBERTSON

Weem           C 10Oct1766 s Thomas MCLEAN & Janet ROBERTSON

Dull           C 10May1767 s John MCLEAN   & Janet FORBES

 

From names of his children and the Scottish naming pattern, John should be son of John & Ann; alternative names could be George and Helen.  Amelia and Peter/Patrick come from the BAIN family.  So none of the above parents look promising.

 

John and Ann McGREGOR baptised children from 1755 to 1772 at Dull; John and Anna DRUMMOND baptised children from 1764-1769 at Balquhidder, but no son John recorded in either case.

 

It is curious that three of John's children (John, Ann SIMMIE Helen JUSTICE) baptised their eldest or second son George, as though John MCLEAN were named George.  However no suitable C of George in OPR index.  John’s eldest son John named his child George Ritchie, but no George RITCHIE found in OPR.

 

The Fowlis register records another McLEAN marriage 10 years before John’s marriage.  In 1778, the m was proclaimed of Daniel MCLEAN of Fowlis and Ann COCK of Muthill.  The m took place at Muthill and was followed by the baptism of Peter MCLEAN.  In the Muthill register however, the groom and the father's name was given as Donald, not Daniel.  No other children of Daniel/Donald and Ann are known.  Could Daniel/Donald be a brother of John?  There are several suitable baptisms of both Donald and Daniel in the Perth OPR.  He should be son of Peter, but there are none; however Peter is equivalent to Patrick and there are 3 possible C of Donald to Patrick (none of Daniel):

 

C 31Aug1746 Donald s Patrick_MC_LEAN & Isabel ROSS at Dull

C  8Apl1750 Donald s Patrick_MC_LEAN & Sara MCGRIGOR at Kenmore

C  7Aug1751 Donald s Pat. MCLEAN     & Cat. MCLERAN at Comrie

 

no other baptism to Patrick & Isobel is known, but the other families are:

 

m~14Dec1738 Patrick_MC_LEAN & More_MC_GRIGAR?                              Kenmore

C~28Oct1739 Alasaid_MC_LEAN   d Patrick_MC_LEAN     & Sarah_MC_GRIGAR

C~20Apl1746 John_MC_LEAN      s Patrick_MC_LEAN     & Sarah_MC_GRIGORE

C~~8Apl1750 Donald_MC_LEAN    s Patrick_MC_LEAN     & Sara_MC_GRIGOR

 

Comrie (orange1)

C 17Jul1743 John MCLEAN      s Patrick MCLEAN  & Katharine MCLERAN  married persons in Dalihlathick

C 26Oxt1746 Isabel MCLEAN    d Patrick MCLEAN  & MCLERAN                        "        "

C 13Jan1750 Duncan MCLEAN    s Patrick MCLEAN  & Katherine MCLERAN  in neither Dalihlathick

C  7Avg1751 Donald MCLEAN    s Pat. MCLARAN (sic)  & Cat. MCLERAN his wife in Dorry

C 21Avg1754 Christian MCLEA  d Pat. MCLEAN     & Catharine MCLERAN in Dalchlathaig

C 12Nyv1756 Peter MCLEAN     s Pat. MCLEAN     & Catharine MCLERAN        "

 

Comrie is only 5 miles by a direct road from Muthill where Donald and Ann baptised their son Peter, so this family must be a firm favourite for the parents of Donald of Fowlis who m Ann COCK at Muthill especially as there is no family of Donald at Comrie.  His brother John however was born much too soon to be John-5.  In fact he could be John-5’s father;  if so he would be m c1764 and should have eldest son Patrick.  No family found to fit these criteria; John and Katharine McGREGOR of Kenmore had a son Patrick but were m in 1760 which is too early and no known son John.  John & Ann DRUMMOND of Balquhidder were m right time but no known sons John or Patrick:

 

Balquhidder (orange24)

m 13Jan1764 John MCLEAN & Anna DRUMMOND  contracted, both in this parish

C 29Nov1764 Jannet MCLEAN d John MCLEAN & Anna DRUMMOND  in Caller

C 29Jne1766 Jat. MCLEAN   d John MCLEAN & Anna DRUMMOND  at Caller [Jat is correct and probably short for Janet]

C  6Oct1769 Donald MCLEAN s John MCLEAN & Anna DRUMMOND  in Callermilnhead

 

 

Thus the possibility that Daniel/Donald was a brother of John has not led anywhere

 

The Fowlis register also has David McLEAN, a weaver, baptising both Peter and David in 1790, but I have found no leads from the name David.

 

MARRIAGE

 

The baptism of Helen McLEAN-4 at Fowlis identifies her parents as John McLEAN and Anne BAIN.  The baptism is preceded by the following m at Fowlis Wester:

 

m 10Nov1787 John MCLEAN otp & Ann_BAYNE otp

 

DESCENDANTS

From the Fowlis Wester register

 

C 29Mch1788 Amelia MCLEAN d John MCLEAN & Ann_BAYNE in Mains of Gorthy

C  4Jul1790 John MCLEAN   s John MCLEAN & Anne_BYNE his spouse in Gorthy

C 21Oct1792 Ann MCLEAN    d John MCLEAN & Ann_BYNE his spouse in Gorthy

C 13Sep1795 George MCLEAN s John MCLEAN & Ann_BAYNE his spouse in Gorthy

C 20Jan1799 Helen MCLEAN  d John MCLEAN & Ann_BAYNE his spouse in Gorthy

From the Culross (Clackmannan) register:

 

C 11Aug1805 b 29Jul1805 Peter s John MCLEAN & Anna BAYNE his spouse

 

this is the only MCLEAN in the Culross C index 1687-1819; no burials of any name recorded before 1820; no MCLEAN or BAYNE in burial list 1820-1854; John & Anna were therefore newcomers to the parish and it seems likely that they can be identified with the Fowlis couple of this name because of the continuity in time and the absence of any other references to these parents in the OPR for Perth/Clackmannan/Fife.  If they are the same, they returned to Tibbermore before 1817.  The John who m Helen SMITH at Tibbermore in 18Dec1817 is almost certainly the son of John & Ann from their chidren's names.

 

m 18Dec1817 John MCLANE & Helen SMITH

C 18Oct1818 Ann MCLEAN                 d John MCLEAN & Helen SMITH

C  3Sep1820 George_Ritchie MCLEAN      s John MCLEAN & Helen SMITH

C  2Jun1822 Amelia MCLEAN              d John MCLEAN & Helen SMITH

C  2May1824 Helen MCLEAN               d John MCLEAN & Helen SMITH

 

the Kinnoul 1851 census has a John MCLEAN bc1801 at Fowlis Wester with wife Mary and children born 1834-41 (see below).  He remains a mystery; neither his baptism nor m has been identified in the OPR index or in the Fowlis register

 

 

John & Ann's daughters Helen and Ann m at Tibbermore in 1821 and 1823:

 

m  3Jun1821 David JUSTICE & Helen MCLEAN  both otp proc1:3Jun, 2:10Jun

m 15Aug1823 John SIMMIE & Ann MCLEAN

 

DEATH

gravestone in Tibbermore churchyard:

 

George MCLEAN in Ruthven Park d 3May1871 aged 75 years [b 1796]

father: John MCLEAN d 7May1834 aged 70 years           [b 1764]

mother: Ann BAIN    d 6Apr1836 aged 72 years           [b 1764]

sister: Emily       d 2Sep1850 aged 63 years           [b 1787]

 

from the Tibbermore register:

 

B 10Aug1834 John MCLEAN from Ruthvenpark

B 10Apr1836 Mrs MCLEAN from Huntingtower

 

the discrepancy between the dates of death and burial of John may be explained by an error in reading the month probably on the MI

OTHER

from Fowlis Wester sessions book

 

17Fby1788 compeerd John MCLEAN & Ann BAYNE in Gorthy and owned themselves guilty of the sin of fornication fined 10/-

16Mch1788 appeared in their usual seat and rebuked for antinuptial fornication and absolved from the scandal

 

census

1851 Kinnoul   district 3 Cothouse

 

John   MCLEAN he mar 50 1801 ploughman       Fowlis Wester

Mary   MCLEAN wi mar 48 1803                 Gush{?} Perthshire

Jemima MCLEAN da     17 1834 ag lab          Perth,  Perthshire

Mary   MCLEAN da     14 1837 ag lab          Perth, Perthshire

James  MCLEAN so     11 1840 scholar         F-wl wist{?}, Perthshire

Jessie MCLEAN da     10 1841 scholar         Dunning

 

neither the baptism of John nor his m to Mary can be identified in the OPR index; if his burial at Kinnoul after 1855 can be identified, his death certificate will give his parents

 

 

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