The various BMD and census extracts can provide a fascinating insight into who lived where when and with whom. My father always said that his parents had moved at some stage from Arbroath to Glasgow – ostensibly because of a row in the family baker’s business. But it looks as though this might have been a little embroidered!

It appears that the family once having moved from Arbroath actually lived in different properties in Glasgow, changing their abode quite often. One wonders why – did they need more space for more children, could they not afford the rent,  was it job-related, were they simply given notice to quit by their tenement building landlords, were they moving onwards and upwards each time until the need for downsizing when children had fled the nest?

The date when my grandparents, William Raitt and Helen Scorgie, moved from Arbroath to Glasgow can be pinpointed pretty accurately. In the 1901 census they were living at Helen St, St Vigeans (Arbroath) – William was 29 (a restaurant keeper on own account) and Helen was 24. Their eldest son, William, was born in early May 1901 at the same address, however their second child Annie was born in May 1902 at 33 James Orr Street in Dennistoun in Glasgow. Clearly they made the move between May 1901 and May 1902 at the latest – presumably while Helen was pregnant.

Their third child, Mary, born in July 1903, was also born in Dennistoun - but at 26 Rhymer Street. Fourth child Helen was born in March 1905, also in Dennistoun, but this time at 33 Earlston Avenue. Then there was another move a couple of years later as daughter Alice was born in July 1908 at 130 Taylor St, St Rollox, as was her brother Alexander in Dec 1909. Between 1910 and 1913 they moved back to Earlston Avenue (though to no. 14); however, their last child, David, my father, was born in September 1915 at 85 Garngadhill after yet another move.

It appears that William’s two brothers, David and John, also made the move from Arbroath to Glasgow around the same time, probably together with their mother Mary (nee Purvis) who was living with her elder sister Elizabeth Purvis and son John in Howard St, Arbroath. John was a pastry cook on his own account – did he work in his uncle’s restaurant? But whilst John remained, at least for a while, a baker journeyman in Glasgow, and brother David stayed a house painter, brother William became an assurance agent, having obviously given up the restaurant business.

John got married in Dennistoun in 1902 to Georgina Clark – both were living in 33 Earlston Avenue, where two children (John and Jemima) were born in 1902 and 1904). Since William’s daughter Helen was born at the same address in 1905, the assumption is that the two brothers were living in the same house (i.e. probably tenement) for a while.  

Looking at the births of brother David's children - Edward was born in Arbroath in August 1901, but the next one James was born in October 1903 in Dennistoun at 36 Rhymer St (in July 1903, William’s daughter Helen was born at 26 Rhymer St) as was his sister Margaretta in January 1906. If all the three brothers and their mother went together then the time of the move to Glasgow might be narrowed further, i.e. between August 1901 and May 1902.  It is likely that Mary’s sister Elizabeth also went along too rather than live by herself back in Arbroath.

According to the Valuation Rolls for 1913-1914 William Raitt was a tenant at 14 Earlston Avenue and in the same tenement building was his mother Mary Raitt. It is not known who else lived in the same rooms – but it seems likely that if Mary’s sister Elizabeth moved to Glasgow too, then they would have lived together. In fact, Elizabeth Purvis died in 1919 and her address at the time of death was 14 Earlston Avenue. So shortly after 1914 and before September 1915 when my father was born, William moved his family from Earlston Ave to Garngadhill, a couple of streets over, where they then stayed for many years.

Also living at 16 Rhymer St during 1913-1914 was a Daniel Raitt with occupation painter. This is possibly (probably?) brother David Raitt who was a house painter journeyman.

At some point presumably after 1919 when her sister Elizabeth died, Mary Raitt also moved from Earlston Avenue as she died at 12 Victoria Park Street in 1939 – to where her other son David had moved and where he died in 1934 (David’s daughter Margaretta lived at 20 Victoria Park Street – though presumably later). But whether she moved there before or after he died I don’t expect we will know until someone checks the future censuses!

It should be noted that all these streets – Rhymer St, Earlston Avenue and Garngadhill – adjoined each other, as they do today, although names have changed with Garngadhill become Roystonhill in 1942.

Wednesday, 16 December 2009

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