JEWEL AND IAN FAMILY HISTORY
CUNNINGHAM FAMILY
We have a record of the Cunningham family in Ruthven parish over four generations, but the family may go back much earlier as the records start only in 1744, although the parish is much older than that.
At least three generations of the family lived in the farm-town of Balbirnie, just east of the village of Ruthven.
Elizabeth Cunningham, later to marry David McHardie, was born in Ruthven, and baptised on 15 January 1800. She is the only known child of David Cunningham and Jean Crabb, who were married in Ruthven on 16 July 1799.
David Cunningham was baptised on 29/10/1778, the eldest son of David Cunningham and Margaret Anderson. Other children of the marriage were baptised as follows:
William 3 September 1780
John 22/6/1788
Elspeth 2/7/1790
Janet 29/10/1793
Thomas 30/10/1796
The records of the parish from 1781-1788 were removed to stop nosy recruiting sergeants from finding out the names and ages of young men in the parish during the Napoleonic Wars, and were never put back. This explains the gap in the family between William and John. We know from the gravestone of David Cunningham (1745-1816) that there were also a James and an Andrew in the family, and there may have been other girls.
The above David Cunningham (we will call him David Cunningham 2) was baptised in Ruthven on 21 August 1745, son of David Cunningham 1 and Else Marshall.
Other children of the marriage were:
Mart. 28 October 1736 baptised Airlie
Anna 17 September 1738 baptised Airlie
Janet 17 March 1748 baptised Ruthven
Jean 6 March 1754. baptised Ruthven
David and Else were married on 28 November 1735 Airlie.
There was also another Cunningham family in the area, Wm. Cunningham married Margaret Christie on 23 July 1738 in Airlie.
Known children of this marriage were:
Janet 20 May 1739 baptised Airlie
Elspeth 19 August 1742 baptised Airlie
David Cunningham 1 was the son of David who was the son of Andrew Cunningham, who was born about 1677. It is possible that he is a son of David Cunningham and Janet Hay. Did she die in childbirth?
During the period 1744 to about 1753 there were three elders in the Kirk, one of them being William Marshall or Marischall. He may have been the brother of Else. The latter may be the Else Marishall born in Brechin in 1703, daughter of William Marishall and Marjory Wood. David Cunningham was also an elder.
The parish was in an interesting situation at the time of the Jacobite rebellion in 1745, as it is close to the southern edge of the Highlands. On October 6 the following entry appears in the minutes of Session.” This day the minister intimated from the pulpit that by reason of the present Publick Troubles and Confusions, and the Distractions and Divisions among people he was obliged to defer the Celebration of the Said …. for the year.”
The Session records for Ruthven do not record deaths, but there are records for hire of the mortcloth (they call it the morecloath), and we can deduce approximate dates of death for David Cunningham 1 and his wife.
“May 30th 1764 by James Salter for the morecloth at Elspeth Cunningham’s burial One pound ten shillings.”
“May 2nd 1779 “got for the morecloath att David Cunningham’s burial in Balburny 1 shilling and fourpence.”
William Marshall remained active in church affairs well into the 1770’s and for some time was treasurer.
Going forward a generation, Margaret Anderson was born in Alyth, Perthshire, and baptised on 24 February, 1751, daughter of William Anderson and Janet Gilrooth (more often spelled Gilruth, and meaning “servant of Ruth”)
David and Margaret were buried in Meigle, Perthshire, and the inscription on their gravestone reads.
Sacred to the memory of David Cunningham late farmer Balbirnie Ruthven who died 6th Dec 1816 aged 72 also Margaret Anderson his wife 7 March 1824 aged 70 and their son William 27 Aug 1799 aged 19 This stone erected by David James Andrew John and Thomas Cunningham
In the 1841 census of Ruthven there is a Cunningham family living in Balbirnie.
Address: Village Of Balbirne. There were nine households in the village.
Surname First name(s) Sex Age Occupation Where born
Cunningham James M 56 Farmer Angus
Cunningham Mary F 45 Outside Census County
Cunningham Ann F 14 Angus
When we visited Meigle in April 2006, we went to photograph the grave. It had been cleaned up, and was relatively easy to read. Alongside, and clearly part of the same plot, was another stone, very old and lying on the ground face-up. On it was inscribed “Here interred is David Cunningham and his spouse Janet Hay. He was removed by death 24 May 1688 and of his age 58 years and she the 13 October 1676 and of her age 46 years.” Below the inscription are representations of (from left), crossbones, a skull and crossed shovels. Below this again is more writing, but we could not decipher it.
Parish records do not go back this far, but I would estimate that this couple must be three generations earlier.
Returning to the Anderson’s, the siblings of Margaret, (with baptism dates) in Bendochy parish:
John 5 February 1744
Elizabeth 12 January 1746
Gilbert 22 March 1747
Jannet 19 March 1749
Agnes 24 May 1752
Martha 15 January 1758
Parents William Anderson and Jannet Gilrooth were married in Bendochy parish, 6 May 1743
Jannet Gilruth was baptised in Bendochy on 16 October 1719, daughter of James Gilruth and Elizabeth Morice, who had been married in Bendochy on 09 MAR 1708. Children of the marriage were:
Margaret Gilruth Christening: 04 MAR 1709 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
Agnes Gilruth Christening: 07 NOV 1710 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
William Gilruth Christening: 30 JUL 1714 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
David Gilruth Christening: 29 APR 1716 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
John Gilruth Christening: 18 APR 1718 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
Jannet Gilruth Christening: 16 OCT 1719 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
Jean Gilruth Christening: 19 NOV 1721 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
Thomas Gilruth Christening: 01 AUG 1723 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
Bessie Gilruth Christening: 07 MAR 1725 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
Patrick Gilruth Christening: 14 JUL 1727 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
Archibald Gilruth: Christening: 17 JUL 1729 Bendochy, Perth, Scotland
James was probably the one baptised in Bendochy on 19 June 1684, son of James Gilruth and Agnes Gilruth
