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James Shirran the mystery cousin was born James Brown on 27th March 1873 at Coulterphannie (aka Coulterfanny), a mile sou'-sou'-west of Tyrie. [GROS Statutory Births 1873 248/00 0007] He was the illegitimate son of Mary Brown, a female farm servant, and a paternity suit on 29th July 1873 established that his father was James Shirran, a blacksmith then of Hallmoss, St Fergus (which is just up the coast from Peterhead). At that point Mary Brown was living at Rattray Farm, Crimond (quite near St Fergus).
Register of Corrected Entries for the Parish of Tyrie in the County of Aberdeen.
In the fourth column of Entry no 7 in the Register Book of Births for the year 1873 insert the name of James Sherran Blacksmith Hallmoss St Fergus on the Authority of a Certificate in the form of schedule (F) to the following effect:— In a decree of the sheriff Court of Aberdeen & Kincardine on the 29th day of July 1873 relating to the Paternity of a Male Child born at Culterfanny in the Parish of Tyrie in the County of Aberdeen on the 27th day of March 1873 at the Instance of Mary Brown, Rattray Farm, Crimond, Pursuer against James Sherran Blacksmith Hallmoss St Fergus the above court found that the said child was the illegitimate child of the Parties aforesaid.
Coulterfanny is about a mile sou'sou'west of Tyrie. [GROS Catholic Old Parish Records RCE1877 248 00 001 0010Z]
At the time of her son's marriage in 1893 she was married to a farmer called William Morrison. [GROS Statutory Births 1873 248/00 0007; GROS Statutory Births 1873 248/00 0007 RCE]
James Brown/Shirran turns up in the 1881 census, aged eight years, living at Bridge Street in Strichen, about four miles east of New Pitsligo, with his grandparents William (a farm servant) and Isabella Brown and several other relatives (but not his mother Mary).
He himself had two illegitimate children by Agnes McCombie (daughter of Alexander McCombie, general labourer, and Mary McCombie née Anderson), who was around five years older than him and whom he later married. The first child, Maggie-Ann Shirran, was born at 8pm on 27th December 1892 at 12 Low Street, New Pitsligo, which was evidently where his mother lived, but James, a ploughman, was living and/or working at the farm of Whitecairns in the parish of New Deer, less than two and a half miles sou' sou' west of New Pitsligo, and was not present at the birth. He has signed the registry along with Agnes, confirming his child's parentage as his own father had not done. Registration was delayed until 16th January, despite the registrar being based in the same village as the mother: probably so that James could be present. [GROS Statutory Births 1892 227/B0 0002]
The second child, another James Shirran, was born at 1am on 20th October 1893 at 25 Low Street, New Pitsligo, so his mother was living in the same street as before, but a different house. By this point James was working, still as a ploughman, at the farm of Badnyrieves in the parish of New Deer, six miles south of New Pitsligo. [GROS Statutory Births 227/B0 0056; GROS Statutory Marriages 1893 227/0B 0013] The registration of the birth was delayed until 2nd November, and again James has signed along with Agnes. Farm track two thirds of a mile north-west of Oldwhat © Jim Bain at Geograph On 9th December 1893, seven weeks after the birth of their son, the couple married at 25 Low Street in New Pitsligo: the timing suggests that James couldn’t get away to marry any sooner because he had been fee'd at Badnyrieves until Martinmas. Now, however, he was working at Oldwhat, only three miles south-west of New Pitsligo and a mile and a quarter south-west of Whitecairns, so he could once again walk or ride into town easily: he may well have lived with his new bride and commuted to work. Sadly, however, their son James was to live only five months. He died at 11:40pm on 7th April 1894 at 124 High Street, New Pitsligo, his father being present at the death. [GROS Statutory Deaths 1894 227/B0 0005] This was ascribed to a three-day bout of diarrhoea and to (or as part of) "hereditary syphilis", which tells us that one of his parents was or had been very ill: most likely Agnes, since ploughing wasn't a likely job for anybody not in the peak of condition. In all, the couple were to have at least ten children, of whom numbers two to five all died very young - possibly they were living in poor, damp and/or crowded conditions. They certainly seemed to move around a great deal, which suggests either that they were dissatisfied with their accommodation or that they couldn't pay the rent. A second daughter, Agnes, was born at 1:30am on 21st May 1895 at 44 Low Street, her father being present, but she too only lived five months. She died at 9:30pm on 25th October at 121 the High Street, her father again being present, after suffering from pneumonia for seven days. [GROS Statutory Births 1895 227/0B 0044; GROS Statutory Deaths 1895 227/B0 0013] A second son William Walker Shirran was born at 11pm on 29th September 1896 at 121 High Street, his father being present, but he only lasted four months. God only knows what all these bereavements did to the parents or to the surviving child, Maggie-Ann, who by now was four. William Walker died at 2pm in 1st February 1897 in the house he was born in, his father again being present, of asthma from which he had suffered since birth. [GROS Statutory Births 1896 227/B0 0063; GROS Statutory Deaths 1897 227/B0 0002] Elsie Jane Shirran was born at 3pm on the 19th of April 1898 at 125 the High Street, her father apparently not being present: at any rate it is her mother, unusually, who was the informant. She did a little better, lasting six months before dying at n° 125 at 4am on 29th October 1898, in her father's presence, after convulsions lasting twelve days. [GROS Statutory Births 1898 227/B0 0025; GROS Statutory Deaths 1898 227/0B 0046] She seems to have been the last of the couple's children to die young. It seems an extreme coincidence for the family to lose so many children to apparently different things, but I really don't think their parents were murdering them, for they all died of fairly lengthy and hard-to-fake conditions which were attested to by a doctor. I suspect that either all four dead children had hereditary syphilis, even though it was only diagnosed in one of them, or that hereditary syphilis was a coincidence or a red herring, and that in fact both parents were carriers for some unpleasant genetic disease, possibly cystic fibrosis. Mains of Greens © JThomas at Geograph The children born after Elsie Jane seem to have survived, as did the eldest girl: at any rate I tracked them forwards until they would have been at least twenty without finding any evidence of their deaths. Elizabeth Brown Shirran was born at 10pm on 3rd May 1900 at the farm of Gilkhorn, New Deer, a couple of miles south of Maud, her father being present. [GROS Statutory Births 1900 225/00 0044] Christina Shirran was born at 4pm on 10th June 1901 at 49 Low Street, New Pitsligo, her father apparently not being present. [GROS Statutory Births 1901 227/B0 0015] Robert Shirran was born at 1am on 4th April 1905 at the farm of Tillykeira (now Tullikera) in the parish of Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, his father being present. [GROS Statutory Births 1905 219/00 0014] Up to this point every birth and every death describes James as a ploughman, but from Robert's birth onwards he is described as a farm servant. Since he apparently hadn't been able to be present at the births of Elsie Jane or Christina, it looks as if perhaps he had taken a lesser job so that his family could be with him: or he was no longer able to pay the rent for a home in New Pitsligo and the family had gone into a tied cottage - or even a communal bothy - instead. Maggie-Ann, who was fourteen at this point, may have already left home. Nellie McCombie Shirran was born at 5am on 27th July 1907 at Mains of Greens, Monquhitter, a mile and a quarter east-north-east of Mill of Muirtack, and James, who was present, is described as a farm servant. [GROS Statutory Births 1907 223/00 0025] Jemima Shirran was born at 9am on 19th June 1910 at the farm of Knowhead, just west of Strichen, in the presence of her father who is again described as a farm servant. [GROS Statutory Births 1910 241/00 0027] In the census of 2nd April 1911, James, described as "Horseman on farm", was still living at Knowhead in the parish of Strichen, along with his wife Agnes and his children Elizabeth, ten; Christina, nine; Robert, five; Nellie, three; and Jemima, nine months. [Census 1911 241/00 005/00 002] The family seem to have misunderstood the census form, or their entry is mistranscribed, because it claims that they have had nine children all nine of whom are still living. In fact they had at least ten - Maggie-Ann; James; Agnes; William Walker; Elsie Jane; Elizabeth Brown; Christina; Robert; Nellie McCombie and Jemima - and James, Agnes, William Walker and Elsie Jane had all died by this point. They must actually have counted them up and forgotten one, unless one of them wasn't James's. "James Shirran (formerly Brown)", farm servant, died at 11pm on 22nd September 1948 at Woodend Hospital, Aberdeen, having suffered from haematemesis (vomiting blood) lasting two days, and chronic duodenal ulcer for twenty years [GROS Statutory Deaths 1948 168 01 0360Z]. Agnes had pre-deceased him. Death was registered by his son Robert who was present, and who was living at 10 Claremont Street, Aberdeen. That the mysterious James was a member of the Alexander Shirran/Jessie Tawse branch of the Shirrans is suggested by the fact that he was born at Coulterfanny, a mile west of Muirstone where Alexander Shirran was born, that his father lived near Fraserburgh which is where Alexander Shirran's mother came from, and that his family lived in the same group of New Pitsligo houses as Alexander's sons. His son James died at 124 High Streetin 1894, next door to 122 where William and Annie were living in 1901. His children Agnes and William Walker were born in 1896/1896 at 121 High Street, opposite 122. His daughter Elsie Jane was born in 1898 at 125 High Street, opposite 126 where William was living at the time of his marriage in 1886. The 1871 census however shows that a James Shirran, journeyman blacksmith born in Tyrie and working at Hallmoss - presumably the father of James Shirran/Brown who would be born two years later - was twenty-two, so if this was accurate he was born in 1848 or 1849 [Census 1871 166/00 002/00 003]. There is a James Shirran in the Tyrie-based family who was born in 1848 or 1849, the son of George Shirran and Elspet Lovie and grandson of James Shirran of Craigculter. Confusingly, however, a James Sheran, retired blacksmith, single, died on 11th November 1932 in Maud in the parish of New Deer[GROS Statutory Deaths 1932 225 00 0016Z]. He was the son of Alexander Sheran, crofter, and Jean Hutchison, and was said to be eighty-seven, giving him a birthdate in 1844 or 1845. Either there were two James Shirrans who were blacksmiths, or either the census or the death certificate has the wrong age.
On 9th December 1893, seven weeks after the birth of their son, the couple married at 25 Low Street in New Pitsligo: the timing suggests that James couldn’t get away to marry any sooner because he had been fee'd at Badnyrieves until Martinmas. Now, however, he was working at Oldwhat, only three miles south-west of New Pitsligo and a mile and a quarter south-west of Whitecairns, so he could once again walk or ride into town easily: he may well have lived with his new bride and commuted to work.
Sadly, however, their son James was to live only five months. He died at 11:40pm on 7th April 1894 at 124 High Street, New Pitsligo, his father being present at the death. [GROS Statutory Deaths 1894 227/B0 0005] This was ascribed to a three-day bout of diarrhoea and to (or as part of) "hereditary syphilis", which tells us that one of his parents was or had been very ill: most likely Agnes, since ploughing wasn't a likely job for anybody not in the peak of condition. In all, the couple were to have at least ten children, of whom numbers two to five all died very young - possibly they were living in poor, damp and/or crowded conditions. They certainly seemed to move around a great deal, which suggests either that they were dissatisfied with their accommodation or that they couldn't pay the rent.
A second daughter, Agnes, was born at 1:30am on 21st May 1895 at 44 Low Street, her father being present, but she too only lived five months. She died at 9:30pm on 25th October at 121 the High Street, her father again being present, after suffering from pneumonia for seven days. [GROS Statutory Births 1895 227/0B 0044; GROS Statutory Deaths 1895 227/B0 0013]
A second son William Walker Shirran was born at 11pm on 29th September 1896 at 121 High Street, his father being present, but he only lasted four months. God only knows what all these bereavements did to the parents or to the surviving child, Maggie-Ann, who by now was four. William Walker died at 2pm in 1st February 1897 in the house he was born in, his father again being present, of asthma from which he had suffered since birth. [GROS Statutory Births 1896 227/B0 0063; GROS Statutory Deaths 1897 227/B0 0002]
Elsie Jane Shirran was born at 3pm on the 19th of April 1898 at 125 the High Street, her father apparently not being present: at any rate it is her mother, unusually, who was the informant. She did a little better, lasting six months before dying at n° 125 at 4am on 29th October 1898, in her father's presence, after convulsions lasting twelve days. [GROS Statutory Births 1898 227/B0 0025; GROS Statutory Deaths 1898 227/0B 0046] She seems to have been the last of the couple's children to die young.
It seems an extreme coincidence for the family to lose so many children to apparently different things, but I really don't think their parents were murdering them, for they all died of fairly lengthy and hard-to-fake conditions which were attested to by a doctor. I suspect that either all four dead children had hereditary syphilis, even though it was only diagnosed in one of them, or that hereditary syphilis was a coincidence or a red herring, and that in fact both parents were carriers for some unpleasant genetic disease, possibly cystic fibrosis.
The children born after Elsie Jane seem to have survived, as did the eldest girl: at any rate I tracked them forwards until they would have been at least twenty without finding any evidence of their deaths.
Elizabeth Brown Shirran was born at 10pm on 3rd May 1900 at the farm of Gilkhorn, New Deer, a couple of miles south of Maud, her father being present. [GROS Statutory Births 1900 225/00 0044]
Christina Shirran was born at 4pm on 10th June 1901 at 49 Low Street, New Pitsligo, her father apparently not being present. [GROS Statutory Births 1901 227/B0 0015]
Robert Shirran was born at 1am on 4th April 1905 at the farm of Tillykeira (now Tullikera) in the parish of Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, his father being present. [GROS Statutory Births 1905 219/00 0014] Up to this point every birth and every death describes James as a ploughman, but from Robert's birth onwards he is described as a farm servant. Since he apparently hadn't been able to be present at the births of Elsie Jane or Christina, it looks as if perhaps he had taken a lesser job so that his family could be with him: or he was no longer able to pay the rent for a home in New Pitsligo and the family had gone into a tied cottage - or even a communal bothy - instead. Maggie-Ann, who was fourteen at this point, may have already left home.
Nellie McCombie Shirran was born at 5am on 27th July 1907 at Mains of Greens, Monquhitter, a mile and a quarter east-north-east of Mill of Muirtack, and James, who was present, is described as a farm servant. [GROS Statutory Births 1907 223/00 0025]
Jemima Shirran was born at 9am on 19th June 1910 at the farm of Knowhead, just west of Strichen, in the presence of her father who is again described as a farm servant. [GROS Statutory Births 1910 241/00 0027]
In the census of 2nd April 1911, James, described as "Horseman on farm", was still living at Knowhead in the parish of Strichen, along with his wife Agnes and his children Elizabeth, ten; Christina, nine; Robert, five; Nellie, three; and Jemima, nine months. [Census 1911 241/00 005/00 002] The family seem to have misunderstood the census form, or their entry is mistranscribed, because it claims that they have had nine children all nine of whom are still living. In fact they had at least ten - Maggie-Ann; James; Agnes; William Walker; Elsie Jane; Elizabeth Brown; Christina; Robert; Nellie McCombie and Jemima - and James, Agnes, William Walker and Elsie Jane had all died by this point. They must actually have counted them up and forgotten one, unless one of them wasn't James's.
"James Shirran (formerly Brown)", farm servant, died at 11pm on 22nd September 1948 at Woodend Hospital, Aberdeen, having suffered from haematemesis (vomiting blood) lasting two days, and chronic duodenal ulcer for twenty years [GROS Statutory Deaths 1948 168 01 0360Z]. Agnes had pre-deceased him. Death was registered by his son Robert who was present, and who was living at 10 Claremont Street, Aberdeen.
That the mysterious James was a member of the Alexander Shirran/Jessie Tawse branch of the Shirrans is suggested by the fact that he was born at Coulterfanny, a mile west of Muirstone where Alexander Shirran was born, that his father lived near Fraserburgh which is where Alexander Shirran's mother came from, and that his family lived in the same group of New Pitsligo houses as Alexander's sons. His son James died at 124 High Streetin 1894, next door to 122 where William and Annie were living in 1901. His children Agnes and William Walker were born in 1896/1896 at 121 High Street, opposite 122. His daughter Elsie Jane was born in 1898 at 125 High Street, opposite 126 where William was living at the time of his marriage in 1886.
The 1871 census however shows that a James Shirran, journeyman blacksmith born in Tyrie and working at Hallmoss - presumably the father of James Shirran/Brown who would be born two years later - was twenty-two, so if this was accurate he was born in 1848 or 1849 [Census 1871 166/00 002/00 003]. There is a James Shirran in the Tyrie-based family who was born in 1848 or 1849, the son of George Shirran and Elspet Lovie and grandson of James Shirran of Craigculter.
Confusingly, however, a James Sheran, retired blacksmith, single, died on 11th November 1932 in Maud in the parish of New Deer[GROS Statutory Deaths 1932 225 00 0016Z]. He was the son of Alexander Sheran, crofter, and Jean Hutchison, and was said to be eighty-seven, giving him a birthdate in 1844 or 1845. Either there were two James Shirrans who were blacksmiths, or either the census or the death certificate has the wrong age.
