Author’s ancient backstory makes for interesting reading

A largely forgotten 19th Century Perth writer’s family is the fascinating subject of some extremely thorough research carried out by Perthshire historian Donald Abbott.

Recounting a study he undertook two decades ago on behalf of the Tay Valley Family History Society, the Carse of Gowrie dweller tells Craigie: “I have long been fascinated by stories about Euphemia Gray (1828-1897), daughter of Perth writer George Gray and Sophia Margaret Jameson, and their extended families.

“Effie Gray had first married John Ruskin, but this marriage had been annulled and she later married John Everett Millais, later Sir John Everett Millais, Bart – the renowned artist whose stained glass window can be seen in Kinnoull Church in Perth.

“During visits to his in-laws at Bowerswell, Millais had often painted at Kinfauns, usually on the River Tay, when Kinfauns Castle was occupied by Baron Gray of Gray.

“His family had commenced associations with Carse of Gowrie at Fowlis in a much larger castle than seen today, around and just before the Scottish Wars of Independence, under Robert Bruce. They then moved on to Castle Huntly and Broughty Castle, both built by the Gray family in the mid-1400s.

“The family had built Gray House at Liff around 1714 to the designs of Alexander Mcgill and John Strachan, before moving west to Kinfauns. Separately, the Grays had been much involved with the construction of the lovely late medieval church of St Marnoch’s at Fowlis, and a son of the main family had built Invergowrie House – flatted

today in front of Ninewells Hospital – on the original Invergowrie estate.”

Donald says he uncovered some revealing information while digging into the records held at the Perth and Kinross Council Archive within Perth’s AK Bell Library.

He goes on: “I wondered also about the possibility of kinship between the Gray family of Bowerswell and the principal family of Gray. A seemingly bland box contained a list of wills, etcetera, relating

to the Gray family of Bowerswell and associated relatives, and had tucked away a family record book with details of the Grays of Abernyte, Liff, Benvie, Littletoun, Lochtown, Kirktoun, Cauldstream (near Abernyte) and Ballowleys, with separate papers setting out the provenance of the Grays of Balledgarno, Milnetown and Milltown, Grays of Balbunno (Balbunnoch), Bullion, Millhill, Laurieston and Benvie.

“Utilising these notes only, which appear to date from the early 1900s, the Grays of Bowerswell seem to descend from Robert Gray of Millhill, described in these papers as the seventh son of Patrick, (5th) Lord Gray, and thence via Robert Gray, portioner of East Newton in the parish of Abernyte, born 1620 – Effie Gray, or Lady Millais, being five generations after the last Robert Gray.

“However, he heads a fresh sheet of his own, not tying him specifically with Robert Gray of Millhill, but doing so by implication of the titular heading on an associated page.

“The descent from Patrick, 5th Lord Gray, shows Robert Gray of Millhill to be the seventh son indeed of Lord Gray, and the book records him as having a son Patrick in Millhill, who had died before July 18 1657.

“It makes no mention of Robert Gray, portioner of East Newton – who could have been a later son. It seems significant that all of these papers of the lesser Gray families are held together in one file principally relating to the Grays of Bowerswell. The actual connection between Robert Gray of

East Newton and Robert Gray of Millhill is not proven from this, but merely implied.”

Mr Abbott adds that further papers showing the history of the extended Jameson family from parishes Kincardine, Carnock, Strathmiglo, Dollar, Arngask, Ceres, Leven and Kennoway – formerly ‘Jamison’ – confirm its link to the Grays of Bowerswell. Effie’s mother Sophia Jameson married writer George Gray in June 1827.

Donald concludes: “The ‘Jameson family history’ encapsulates the happenings within this family and the period from the late 1600s until 1832. The Jamesons were later better known in Perth as an integral part of the legal firm Jameson and Mackay.

“As an aside, it is wonderful just what can be found sometimes in our local public archives. The staff at the AK Bell Library are most willing to help with the myriad of well-catalogued documents in their domain, which are sometimes unappreciated by genealogists, historians and the like.”

Craigie fan Nancy Gallcher sent us this photo of the successful footballers from St Clements Primary in Dundee’s Charleston district, back in season 1970-71. She says: “My son is in this picture and his dad was in the team that previously won the Rock Cup in 1939.”

Thanks to Leigh Black for this snap of a hedgehog that has turned up at his Kirriemuir home. “It will be well fed and watered until it decides to go into hibernation,” he says.