Some Notable Longtown families
George Graham, clockmaker and astronomer
George Graham was born about 1675 in Kirklinton, though not much is known about his origins. In his "Worthies of Cumberland" published in 1875, Henry Lonsdale gives Graham's probable birthdate as 1673, the son of George Graham of Rigg, recorded in the Quaker register, although other sources say he was born at Horsegills in Kirklinton. He was brought up by his brother William, his father having died when he was young.
He travelled to London in 1688, and was apprenticed to a clockmaker named Aske; later he worked for Thomas Tompion, the eminent clockmaker. He was elected into the Royal Society in 1720. Although he started as a clockmaker, his astronomical instruments were those which brought him most acclaim.
When he died in 1751, he was buried in Westminster Abbey in the same grave as Thomas Tompion.
The Blaylock Clockmakers
The Blaylock clockmaking family began working in Longtown in the year 1767. The business was founded by John Blaylock (1) who was born in Caldewgate, Carlisle, the son of John and Mary Blacklock. The family name is written as Blacklock in the early parish registers but all their known clocks are signed Blaylock.
John Blaylock (1) was apprenticed to the clockmaker Archibald Lawrie of Carlisle in 1754 for a premium of £10 and on completion of his apprenticeship it is thought he continued in the employment of the Lawrie family until 1767. On 14th February 1767 John married Hannah Liddell of Burgh by Sands at the church of St. Mary's, Carlisle.
Soon after the marriage the couple moved to Longtown where John commenced working as a clockmaker. It is believed they also had a small grocery business. About the year 1790, two sons, John (2) and William (1) joined their father in the clockmaking business. John (1) died in 1803 and his two sons carried on working in Longtown until they moved to Carlisle in 1817.
The clocks made by the family whilst in Longtown are chiefly longcase otherwise known as grandfather clocks. Both 30 hour and 8 day examples were made. The early clocks have brass dials often with very high quality engraving. Painted dials are fitted to clocks made after the death of John (1) in 1803. A number of watches made by the family in Longtown are also recorded.
John (1), John (2) and William are buried in Arthuret churchyard.
Thanks to John Blaylock for that: he has an excellent site about the Blaylock clockmakers, including some information and pictures of Longtown.
The Edgar family
William Edgar of the famous London Department store, Swan and Edgar, was born in Arthuret in 1791. His brother John Edgar was a grocer in Rickergate, Carlisle, who drowned in the river Petteril in 1834.
There is a website about the Edgar family genealogy.
The Ferguson family
The Fergusons are reputed to have been landowners in the north of Cumberland since the days of Queen Elizabeth I. They are said to have come originally from Galloway and to be a branch of the Fergusons of Craigdarroch. The first that we have named is Adam Ferguson [d. 1642]. He lived at Bush upon Lyne, Longtown, Cumberland and probably moved there from Easton. He was mentioned by name in the Protestation Oath of 1641.
The Fergusons continued to be farmers and landowners in the parishes of Arthuret and Kirkandrews on Esk for over two hundred years. From the 1740s they also started up as cotton industrialists in Carlisle and through their descendants, the Dixons and Chances, continued in that business until well into the 20th century.
They also had an input into the civic and political life of Carlisle and many Fergusons and their descendants were mayors of the city and MPs including:
Sir Frederick William Chance MP KBE, (1852-1932). Mayor of Carlisle 1903-1904.
Sir Robert Christopher Chance KBE DL JP, (1883-1960). Mayor of Carlisle 1929-1930.
Francis Peter Dixon JP, (1849-1927). Mayor of Carlisle on four occasions, the first two being 1883-1884 and 1897-1898.
George Dixon, (1793-1860). Mayor of Carlisle 1842-43 and 1848-1849.
John Dixon of Knells JP, (1785-1857). Mayor of Carlisle 1839-1840-1841.
Peter Dixon of Holme Eden, (1789-1866). Mayor of Carlisle between 1838-1839.
Peter James Dixon JP, (1820-95). Mayor of Carlisle between 1853-1854.
Joseph Ferguson MP of Holme Head, (1788-1863). Mayor of Carlisle 1836-1837.
Chancellor Richard Saul Ferguson MA, LLM, FSA, (1837-1900). Mayor of Carlisle 1881-1882 and 1882-1883.
Robert Ferguson MP FSA, (1817-98). Mayor of Carlisle in 1855 and 1858.
Captain Spencer Charles Ferguson, (1868-1958). Mayor of Carlisle 1912-1914.
James Graham of Knells, (1705-58). Mayor of the Carlisle in 1747.
Thomas Nanson JP, (1801-). Mayor of Carlisle 1865.
This information comes from John Ferguson. He is researching the Ferguson Family and has a lot more information about them as well as their links to other well-known families on the national stage. If you want to contact him, you can e-mail me and I will forward it.
Archibald McIntyre
Archibald McIntyre, son of Peter McIntyre from Scotland and Elizabeth Blaylock from Moat in Kirkandrews, was born on 19 October 1828 at Netherby. Elizabeth Blaylock was the daughter of Thomas Blaylock (1755-1843) a farmer at Moat under Sir JRG Graham and his father for over 60 years, who was in turn the son of Thomas Blaylock (1717-1796) of Riddings and Moat.
Archibald moved at an early age to Warwick Bridge where his father was head gardener to Peter Dixon at Holme Eden, and Archibald served his apprenticeship here. He then worked for a short time with the nurserymen Little and Ballantyne in Carlisle before spending a couple of years as second in command to Mr Burns, head gardener of the Marquis of Aylesbury at Tottenham House, Savernake Forest.
Archibald was appointed head gardener to the Earl of Clare at Mount Shannon, near Limerick in the 1850s. After the death of the Earl, Archibald went to London as outdoor foreman in the Royal Gardens, Kew before becoming head gardener at Pampisford Hall, Cambridgeshire the seat of W. Parker Hammond, which he “transformed from a rough meadow to a place of beauty and where he took a prominent part in getting together and planting the magnificent collections of conifers for which that place is famous”.
Finally Archibald held the post of Superintendent of Victoria and Greenwich Parks in London for about 13 years and became well known in the gardening world as”eminently successful” particularly for the carpet bedding schemes at Victoria Park. He died 4th June 1887.
Thanks to Fay Winkworth for this information: if you wish to contact her I can forward any message.
The Moody Family
Thomas Moody of Longtown was born c1733, and married Barbara Blamire from St Cuthbert’s parish in 1768. They had three sons, Charles, George and Thomas. Charles and George stayed in Longtown, where George was a surgeon.
Thomas emigrated to Barbados where he later became commissioned in the field into the Royal Engineers, ending his career as a Colonel.
His son Richard Clement Moody also became an officer in the Royal Engineers, and was as a Lieutenant the first Governor of the Falkland Islands. Later in his career, he opened up the Western Terminal of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He reached the rank of General, dying in Bournemouth in 1887.
Of the other sons of Thomas Moody:
Thomas got a commission in the 77th Regiment of Foot, and later was a Major in the East Kent regiment.
Hampden Moody also became a Colonel in the Royal Engineers.
James Leith Moody became chaplain to the Forces and later was vicar of St John the Baptist, Enfield.
Reginald Frederick Moody had a long career in the ministry and ended as vicar of Tetley, Surrey.
William James Moody was in the ministry in the West Indies, and ended as Vicar of All Saints, Runcorn in Cheshire.
Clement Moody, the son of George Moody, surgeon of Longtown, also became a vicar, and was at Sebergham before ending up at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Thanks to Bill Anderson for that : he is researching the Moody family and has a lot more information about them. If you want to contact him, you can e-mail me and I will forward it.
The Story Family
The Story family from Justicetown near Longtown included both the famous Quaker Thomas Story and his brother George Story, Dean of Limerick, and chaplain to King William's army at the Battle of the Boyne.
Another brother Ensign Christopher Story of Justice Town was killed in a skirmish in Ireland. For information about the Story family, there is an interesting webpage about Dean George Story.
Thanks to Jack Storey for this information. The website
www.storygenealogy.com has much information about Storys, including the recent Storey genealogy conference held in the Longtown area in 2004.
The Tate and Latimer Families
George TATE (1785 - 1854) of the King's Arms, Swan Street in Longtown married Margaret THOMPSON and they had 8 children. Their daughter Margaret TATE (1821 - 1896) married Robert LATIMER (1812 - 1860). Robert Latimer was with the railway, and his ended his career in Tebay, Westmorland, where he was station master. He was laid to rest with other Latimer family members at the Arthuret Church, Longtown.
Robert and Margaret Latimer had 10 children: 4 baptized at Arthuret, 5 born in Lancaster and the last one born in Tebay, Westmorland. Their 9th child, Andrew LATIMER (1857 - 1912), was my great grandfather. He was chief steward of the Titanic, and perished in that tragedy. Margaret Latimer nee Tate went on to marry a second time to a William JOHNSON, who was also with the railway. They had one child. Margaret was the keeper of a refreshment house at Tebay, putting to practice what she had learned as a child at her father's house. William Johnson also predeceased Margaret, and at that point Margaret went to Newton-Le-Willows, Lancashire where she lived at a house she called Westmorland Villa. In the 1881 census she was listed as a confectioner and the 1891 census she her occupation was listed as a refreshment house, again making use of her childhood training.
My grandfather, George LATIMER (1887 - 1974), came to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1911, so this line has travelled a long way from Longtown.
Contributed by Gayle Mann: grmann@mts.net
William Irving
William Irving, (c1797 -1859) the son of Walter Irving, a painter from Longtown, was a minor portrait painter who started his career in Longtown painting portraits of a number of local people including David Lang, the Gretna "priest". He left the area in about 1824 for London, but died in St Mary's Workhouse in Carlisle in 1859, and is remembered on his family's memorial in Arthuret Churchyard.
His portrait of David Lang hangs in Old Tullie House, Carlisle.
The Traill Family
The Rev James Traill was curate of Arthuret from 1809-1814, and four of his children were born there. Elsie Ritchie has researched this family, and has written an interesting article about them. If you wish to contact her, I can forward an e-mail to her.
Contact me if you know of any more famous Longtown natives!
