Hugh Barr was born c. 1823. According to the 1861 census, he was a native of Islay. When interviewed in connection with his application for poor relief on 26^th March 1886, he gave his place of birth as Bowmore, Islay. The same source also records that he was baptised in Bowmore by the Rev^d Mr McIntosh.

Hugh Barr was listed in the 1841 census, his age rounded down to 15, an ‘MS’, presumably manservant, in the employment of Robert Dysnock, of Balole Farm, in the Parish of Kilmeny. Hugh was listed as having been born in the county.

Hugh married Jane McGregor and according to the birth certificate of their daughter, Barbara, the ceremony took place on Islay in February 1846. On the evidence of the application for poor relief it emerges that the marriage took place in Kilmeny, Islay, on 29^th January 1846 and that the ceremony was conducted by the Rev^d Mr McDonald.

Hugh and Jane, otherwise known as Jean, had a daughter, Mary, baptised on 26^th July 1847 on Jura. At this time they were associated with Ardfin.

A further daughter, Marion, appears in the 1861 census aged ten and having been born on Islay. Janet, born 1856, was been born in Glasgow.

At the time of the 1851 census, Hugh Barr and his family were living at 27, Castle Street, Paisley. He was listed as an agricultural labourer, aged 27. Jean was 25; daughters Mary and Marion were 3 and 1 respectively. Also living in the household was John Linge, a lodger; he was 28, married, and an agricultural labourer. All five, including Mary, were entered as having been born in Bowmore, Argyll.

It is therefore apparent that the migration to the mainland took place at some time during 1850-51. The list of residences supplied by daughter Marion in connection with her 1868 application for poor relief indicates that a further move, to Glasgow, took place about a year later.

For the rest of his life, Hugh Barr lived at a number of addresses in the Clyde district of Glasgow, seldom remaining at the same address for any great length of time. From this time on, Hugh was consistently designated as carter.

On the evidence of daughter Marion’s application for poor relief, the family’s first year in Glasgow was spent in Main Street, Anderston. Three years in West College Street followed and then, by 1858, five years at 63, Brown Street. (Daughter Jane McGregor Barr was born there in February 1858; it is noted that daughter Janet had been born at 67, Brown Street, in 1856.)

On 3^rd March 1859, Hugh acted as informant on the death certificate of his father, James Barr, who had died on the previous day. Hugh was entered as having been present in the house in which the death occurred.

By May 1860, the family had moved again, to 29, West College Street, and there they remained at least until 1861.

The full 1861 census record for the family runs:

25-31 West College Street (since renamed Crimea Street) Hugh Barr, head, mar., 37, b. Argyleshire, Islay Jane Barr, wife, mar., 33, b. Argyleshire, Islay Mary Barr, daur, unm., 13, scholar, b. Jura Marion, daur, unm., 10, scholar, b. Islay Janet, daur, 5, scholar, b. Glasgow Edward, son, 10 months, b. Glasgow Marion McGregor, visitor, unm., 16, domestic servant, b. Islay Lachlan McKinnon, lodger unm., 23, day labourer, Islay William McKellar, lodger, unm., 50, day labourer, Islay John McCallum, lodger, unm., 19, seaman/ merchant service, Campbelltown

By 1862, however, they were on the move again and were now staying at 37, Brown Street. In 1865, they were at 4, West College Street.

According to the application for poor relief, Hugh spent thirty days in prison during 1868 after being convicted of theft. He had also been imprisoned for fourteen days for drunkenness.

By 1869, the family had moved to 75, Brown Street, and were living in a tenement apartment with two rooms having one or more windows. They were still there in 1871.

The full entry for the household in the 1871 census is:

Hugh Barr, head, mar., 47, carter, b. Argyle, Islay Jane Barr, wife, mar., 42, b. Argyle, Islay Janet Barr, daur, unm., 14, boot & shoe factory, b. Lanark, Glasgow Edward Barr, son, 11, scholar, b. Lanark, Glasgow Jane Barr, daur, 6, scholar, b. Lanark, Glasgow Jessie McCorkindale, visitor, mar., 26, b. Argyle, Colinsay Christina McCorkindale, visitor, 4, b. Lanark, Glasgow

From roughly the end of 1876, Hugh and his family spent two years in a property in Holm Street factored by a Mr Ross, before moving, for one year, to 204, Holm Street, on the corner of Main Street (now Argyle Street), where the factors were Messrs Bertram and Clinton. For the next three years, they were at 3, Union Place, where the factor was Mr Nichol. Thereafter, a further year was spent in Holm Street, on this occasion on the corner of Pitt Street, Mr Robert Anderson factor. Then came two years and five months at 104, King Street, Tradeston, followed by seven months at 45, King Street. A final move came c. May 1887, to 3, Brown Street.

Curiously, these particulars of settlement make no mention of Canning Street, Anderston. The entry in the 1881 census for Hugh and his family is carelessly entered and the address is completely illegible. However, read together with adjacent entries, it has to be Canning Street, probably number 2. There were two rooms with one or more windows. The fanciful spelling of Hugh’s name possibly reflects his accent. The full entry reads:

Haigh Baar (sic), head, married, 56, coal carter, born Islay Jane, wife, 54, born Islay Jane, daur, unmarried, sixteen, shirtmaker machinist, born Glasgow.

At Christmas 1885, Hugh and his wife Jean received a gift of thirty shillings, sent by daughter Marion and her husband William Sproull in Australia.

Hugh had been living at 3, Brown Street, back, one up, left, for ten months when, on 25^th March 1886, at 12^h 45^m in the afternoon, he applied for poor relief. He was visited at home by Assistant Inspector John Cairns at four on the afternoon of the 26^th.

Hugh was then a carter aged 62. He was a Protestant. He was suffering from chronic bronchitis, as certified by Dr Park, and had been ill for eight weeks. He was living in a house of two appartments, which was ‘passably clean but not very tidy’. The rent was £6 per annum. Hugh had no lodgers and was assured in the Prudential Society.

Hugh was granted immediate medical relief. On the 31^st, he applied for outdoor relief. He was offered admission to the poorhouse until the committee could dispose of his case. It is suspected that the committee meeting came too late, for just four days later, Hugh Barr died at 3, Brown Street, Glasgow, on 4^th April 1886, at 2^h 35^m am. His age was entered as 63 years.

The causes of death were certified as chronic bronchitis and acute bronchitis, from which he had been suffering for twenty-one days.

The informant was John L. McIntyre, his son-in-law.

Brothers and Sisters

Hugh Barr was the eldest of four known brothers.

Edward Barr was born on 17^th April 1827, according to the relevant entry in the Kilchoman Parish Register, in the south-west of Islay:

Edward - lawful son of James Barr & Mary Dougherty in Sunderland

There is no record of a baptism. Edward was heard of again in connection with Hugh’s 1886 application for poor relief. It was stated that he had not been heard of for thirty-one years, i.e since about 1855.

William, ‘lawful son of James Barr & Mary Dougherty in Sunderland’, was born on 4^th December 1829 and baptised on 28^th March 1830, again according to the Kilchoman Parish Register.

Neil, a further ‘lawful son of James Barr & Mary Dougherty in Sunderland’, was born on 28^th September 1833 and baptised on 16^th February 1834, again according to an entry in the Kilchoman Parish Register.

At the time of the 1841 census, Edward, an agricultural labourer aged 14, William, 11, and Neil, 7, were living with their parents in Kilchoman.

Neil, an unmarried agricultural labourer, was living with his parents at 22, Newton Street, Paisley, at the time of the 1851 census. His age was entered as 18 (he was actually 17) and his place of birth was given as Ireland. It is likely that the census enumerator has misheard ‘Islay’ as ‘Ireland’. What became of Neil is not known but it may be noted that Hugh made no mention of him at the time of his application for poor relief in 1886.