Shivaun's Family Tree Website

Craig family

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 Part 1: Robert Craig Sr (? - ?)

Marriage to Janet Andrew

The first Craig that is known is Robert Craig (or Craige), born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The town is located near Glasgow and is known for its abbey, where Robert married Janet Andrew 24 November 1759. The abbey was the location for many family weddings, funerals and christenings. Robert was a weaver. It is quite likely he (and Janet) were involved in the hand loom weaving industry. The town became synonymous in the 19th century with textiles, especially shawls, and gave its name 'Paisley' to the Kashmiri textile pattern of curving shapes found on silk and cotton fabric (which the Paisley weavers were able to reproduce much more cheaply).

Robert and Janet had six children: Robert, Jean, Agnes, Andrew, Anaple and Janet. The family were known to be living in Maxweltown (or Maxwellton) in the 1760/70s. (The area is infamous as the location, less than a century earlier, where six people found guilty of witchcraft had been hanged and burnt.) It is not known when or where Robert and Janet died.

Children of Robert and Janet

More information about Robert (1760 - 1821) appears in part 2.

Jean (1762 - ?) was born 29 May 1762 and baptised the following day. It is not certain if she married and nothing else is known of her.

Agnes (1764 - ?) was born 07 May 1764 and was baptised 3 days later. It is likely she married Allan Buie 17 June 1786 in Paisley Abbey and they had two children: two sons called Robert, born in 1787 and 1788 respectively. It appears the family surname may have changed to 'Bowie' at some point and there could have been two more sons: John (1789 - 1860) and Allan (1792 - 1863). Nothing else is known of Agnes and Allan. 

Andrew (1767 - ?) was born 10 December 1767 and baptised three days later. He might have married Jean Anderson. Nothing else is known of him.

Anaple (1769-1771) was born 27 November 1769 and baptised three days later. (The name 'Anaple' is a derivation of 'Annabel'.) Sadly, she died less than 18 months later. Burial records for Scotland at the time were rarely kept and it is not certain the date Anaple died or was buried. The record acknowledging her death is dated 16 February 1771 and states: 'The Childs Mortcloath to the Corps of Anaple Craig Daughter to Robert Craig lying in Maxweltown. 0 - 0 - 10 [sic]'. People could hire from the parish a hearse (very expensive) or a black sheet to drape across the coffin (known as a 'mortcloth').

Janet (1773 - ?) was born 13 October 1773 and baptised four days later. Nothing else is known of her. [1]

Next: Robert Craig Jr

Footnotes

[1] Parish registers for Abbey, Paisley 1676-1855 (International Genealogical Index [IGI]); Old Parish Records (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk); Ancestry.co.uk; www.paisley.org.uk; http://www.thistleandbroom.com/scotland/paisley.htm