William Begley
Generation 5 - Great, Great Grandfather

Boy has William (and his wife Jane Hill) led me a merry dance.  They were first identified as Ann McKay's (Begley) parents through Ann's birth certificate.  However, their details did not wholly accord with the details found earlier on Ann's marriage certificate wherein her mother was shown as Jane Wilson.  Later Ann's death certificate was also found to have shown her mother as Jane Wilson.  So at that stage, we were confident that we had the correct marriage and death records for Dad's Granny, but uncertain about the birth, although the year of birth was in accord with the age given on Ann's death certificate.

So did we have the correct Ann's birth certificate and was Jane Hill and Jane Wilson one and the same, or was Ann mistaken in naming her mother as Jane Wilson, a mistake compounded by her daughter Barbara McKay when she registered her mother's death.  Or was the birth certificate mistaken?

On searching for a marriage record between William and Jane Hill, we appeared to draw a blank, because the search was made in the period prior to Ann's apparent birth in 1856 and then we had a bit of luck when we started to try and find William on a census or two.  First, we found a William Begley and his wife Jane in the 1881 census living at 1 Chalmers Close, Trinity College Parish in Edinburgh.  William's age was given as 52 which would have made him 27 when Ann was born - a credible age to have been.  But the seeming clincher was that Robert and Ann McKay and their daughter Jane (aged 10 months) was boarding with them.  They would definitely appear to be the correct Robert and Ann as they had given birth to a Jane Baiglie McKay 10 months earlier.  Now the record doesn't state that Ann was William's daughter, but it would surely be too much of a coincidence if she wasn't.  Also living with William and Jane were their children Jane (16), Elizabeth (14) and William (7).  We found young William's birth certificate quickly and discovered that he was born illegitimately, but that the birth had since been legitimised through the subsequent marriage of his parents William Begley and Jane Hill later on 25th August 1873, aged 43 and 42.

!873?  Couldn't be Ann's parents could they?  However further searching revealed other children born to William and Jane, those before 1873 showing no date for the parents' marriage (as Ann's hadn't) and those after 1873 showing the 25th August 1873 as the parents' marriage date.

Next, a real piece of luck, in searching for Jane (Hill) Begley's death we found one for a girl aged 20 in 1889 whose parents were William Begley and Jane Hill.  Her address was given as Morrison's Close, 117 High Street, Edinburgh.  Could this be the same Jane shown as William and Jane's daughter in the 1881 Census.  OK the ages were a little out of kilter, but............??

The 1891 Census clinched it.  We found William Begley and "Jane H" living at 117 High Street, Morrison's Close.  They had to be the parents of the Jane whose death we had discovered and if they were they had also to be Ann's parents.  

This still doesn't answer the question of why Jane Wilson was named on two certificates as Ann's mother nor why William was shown as deceased on Ann's marriage certificate.  The Wilson on the death certificate could easily be explained by Barbara not actually knowing her mother's maiden name and simply got it from her mother's marriage certificate, thus perpetuating a previous error.  If the name on the marriage certificate was an error, why?  Pure speculation, but had Ann fallen out with her parents over their decision to finally marry only three months before her own wedding, thus legitimising other children but not her?  Also we know Ann was illiterate, could that have had something to with it, particularly if her mother wasn't present?  We'll never know.

Key Events and Dates

1829

From the ages assigned to William in his marriage certificates and Censuses, William must have been born in this year and according to the Censuses, was born in Leith (although they disagree on whether it was North or South Leith.

24th November 1831

William's sister Margaret Bigley was born in Davidson's Mains, Cramond. Her parents were Robert Bigley and Margaret Grinton, the same as those named on William's marriage certificate (see below).

20th February 1856

William's daughter Ann Begley was born at 7.10.a.m. at 327 Canongate, Edinburgh.  William was a Labourer at the time.

24th April 1858

William's second daughter, Margaret, was born at Stevenlaws Close, High Street, Edinburgh.  Although Ann's mother is described as "Jane Begley, M/S Hill", no date or place of marriage between William and her was entered (lending credence to their not being married at all).  William was employed as a Quarries Labourer.

13th December 1860

William's son, also William, was also born at Stevenlaws Close.  Once again Jane Begley is given a maiden name of Hill, but no date or place of marriage.  On this occasion William is described as a Stonebreaker.

1861

The census records that William Baigley lived at 11 Stevenlaws Close, Edinburgh with his wife Jane.  William was a Labourer and was 31 years old.  Jane was 30.  Also living there were their children Ann (5), Margaret (3) and William (4 months).

27th August 1861

Sadly young William died from Bronchitis, aged only 8 months, at home in Hasties Close, Edinburgh.  William (the father) was still a Stonebreaker.

1st July 1873

William and Jane had another son they called William, born just out of wedlock, but legitimised 20 days later when William and Jane married.  William was a Road Labourer and lived at 1 Chalmer's Close, High Street, Edinburgh.

19th August 1873

William and Jane Hill were married at the Free Church College on the Mound in Edinburgh.  Unbelievably this was some 17 years after the birth of their first child.  William was aged 43 and his 'new' wife was 42.  William was employed as a Road Labourer and he and Jane still lived at 1 Chalmer's Close.  His parents were cited as being Robert Begley (deceased) and Margaret Grinton (although it looked more like Grunton on the certificate).  Their witnesses were Hugh Walker and Robert Begley (his father, or possibly a brother?)

11th November 1873

William's first daughter Ann Bueglay married Robert McKay at 3 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh.  Her parents were shown as William Bueglay, a Road Surfaceman, and Jane Wilson.  William was described as being deceased when he plainly wasn't and I'm sure that Ann would have been well aware of that.  I assume there had been some falling out, but don't think we'll ever know for sure.

1881

The Census shows William still living at 1 Chalmers Close along with his wife and children Jane (16), Elizabeth (14) and William (7).  Also living there as boarders were Robert and Ann McKay and their daughter Jane (10 months).  So despite having claimed her father was deceased 8 years earlier, here she was living with her parents in the same house that her parents would have inhabited at the time of Ann's wedding!  At this time William was a General Labourer aged 52.  His place of birth was shown as South Leith.

1891

This Census shows William now living at 117 High Street, Morrison's Close, which is the next close up the High Street from Chalmer's Close.  His daughter Elizabeth (22) and son William (17) are still living with he and Jane.  Also living with them is William's granddaughter Jane McQueen, aged 2.  I haven't found Jane McQueen yet, but my assumption is that she was the child of William's daughter Jane.  William was aged 61 at the time of this Census and was employed as a Labourer, Stonebreaker.

6th December 1892

William died at 8.40 a.m. at 1 South Foulis Close, High Street, Edinburgh.  This incidentally, was the same address at which Ann McKay's daughter, Jane Baiglie McKay, later died in 1894.  He was aged just 62.  He is shown as being married to Jane Hill and employed as a Stone breaker.  His parents were named as Robert Begley, a Toll Keeper and Margaret Grinton.  The cause of his death was Plithesus Pulmonalis, Mitrual Stenosis and it was reported by his son William.