John Chapman was born and baptised on in the Parish of Dalmeny, in what is now West Lothian. The relevant Parish Register entry dated 4^th March 1787 reads:

James Chapman & Janet Kerr spouses in Auldcathie had a Child born on the 4 March & Baptised this day. John

At the time of the 1841 census, John Chapman was a miller living at Ballancrieff Mill, Bathgate. His age is given as fifty. All members of the household were entered as having been born in the county. A number of amendments by the enumerator appear on the face of the document, in one of which he has given John’s wife’s name as Anderson, scored it out and changed it to Chapman. This removes all possibility that this is not the correct family. The full entry reads:

John Chapman, miller, 50 Elizabeth, 45 Janet, 15 Robert, 11 Thomas, 8 Henry, 6 Elisabeth, 3 Elisabeth Younger, 85 Mary Wardrobe (sic), 20, agricultural servant

In an ‘outhouse or stable’, there resided James Chapman, 25, and Mungo Chapman, 20, both grain dealers, as well as James Bishop, 20, and Robert Davidson, 15, both millers.

In 1851, the family was still at Ballancrieff Mill, Bathgate. The full record runs:

John Chapman, head, mar, 64, miller with 35 acres employing men, born Linlithgowshire, Dalmeny Elizabeth, wife, 59, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Janet, daur, unmarried, 25, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Robert, son, unmarried, 22, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Thomas, son, unmarried, 19, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Elizabeth, daur, unmarried, 14, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate John Wardlaw, servant, unmarried, 25, carter, born Linlithgowshire, Livingston John Wardrop, servant, unmarried, 19, miller apprentice, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Charles Penman, servant, unmarried, 17, miller apprentice, born Stirlingshire, Larbert Edward Potter, servant, unmarried, 16, miller apprentice, born Midlothian, Cramond Janet Potter, servant, unmarried, 17, house maid, born Linlithgowshire, (Alphall?)

John and Elizabeth were still at Ballancrieff Mill in 1861, in premises with three rooms having one or more windows:

John Chapman, head, mar, 74, miller master, born Linlithgow, Dalmeny Elisabeth, wife, mar, 68, born Linlithgow, Bathgate Robert Polock, servant, unmarried, 36, carter, born Linlithgow, Bathgate Peter Watt, servant, unmarried, 17, apprentice miller, born Linlithgow, Whitburn (Elisa?) Howie, servant, unmarried, 21, general servant, born Ireland Margaret Couper, servant, unmarried, 17, general servant, born Lanarkshire

John was designated as a miller on the 1865 death certificate of his wife Elizabeth Anderson.

In 1871, John was still resident at Ballancrieff Mill, although he was now retired and management had passed to his son James. He was a widower aged 84. There were seven rooms having one or more windows. The full entry runs:

James Chapman, head, married, 55, miller & farmer of 75 acres all arable, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Margaret, wife, 57, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Thomas, son, unmarried, 22, clerk, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate James, son, unmarried, 20, banker’s clerk, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Elizabeth, daur, unmarried, 15, miller’s daughter, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate John, father, widower, 84, retired miller, born Linlithgowshire, Dalmeny Elizabeth Douglas, niece, scholar, born Linlithgowshire, Bathgate Marion Kerr, servant, unmarried, 15, general servant, born Linlithgowshire, Torpichen Jane Gentle, servant, 14, dairymaid, born Stirlingshire, Avonbridge Hugh Bell, servant, unmarried, farm servant, born Midlothian, Kirknewton

John Chapman ‘Farmer & Miller (Widower of Elizabeth Anderson)’ died on 23^rd September 1873 at 6^h 30^m am, at Ballancrieff Mill, in the Parish of Bathgate. He was 86 years of age and the cause of death was certified as old age. The informant was Mungo Chapman, his son, of Millburn Cottage, Bathgate.

John Chapman was recalled on his son Mungo’s 1881 death certificate as a master miller, deceased.

Forebears

The names of John’s parents appear as James Chapman and Janet Kerr. Entries in the IGI propose that that James was born c. 1754 and that Janet was born in 1758, in St Cuthbert’s Parish, Edinburgh. As generally tends to be the case, the basis of this information is unclear.

James Chapman married Janet Kerr, as recorded both at St Cuthberts, Edinburgh, and Dalmeny, West Lothian.

The Register of Marriages for St Cuthberts records in an entry dated 26^th May 1780:

‘Chapman

James Labourer in the Parish of Dalmeny, and Janet Kerr Residenter in this Parish, and Lawll Daur of the Deceased John Kerr, Miller in the Parish of Kirkliston, Gave up their Names for Proclamation of Banns Matrimonial.’

The entry in the ‘Proclaimations (sic) & Marriages’ section of the Dalmeny Parish Register (dated the 28^th May 1780) reads:

James Chapman in Auldcathy of this Parish and Janet Kerr in St Cuthberts Parish were proclaimed pro. 1mo this day and married

John’s death certificate identifies his father as James Chapman, a farm overseer (deceased). The informant was however unable to identify John’s mother.

On the evidence of the Dalmeny Parish Register entries for James and Janet’s marriage and for the birth of their daughters Agnes and Margaret and son John, James was living at Auldcathy or Auldcathie throughout the period 1780 to 1787.

Note also that on the evidence of the entry in the Register of Marriages for St Cuthbert’s Parish, Janet Kerr’s lawful father, John Kerr, was deceased by 1780 and had been a ‘Miller in the Parish of Kirkliston’.

Brothers and Sisters

John Chapman was the last of four known children. Mungo was born on 30^th April 1781 and Agnes was born on 10^th September 1783. These two were recorded together in the Dalmeny Parish Register on 14^th September 1783:

James Chapman & Janet Kerr Spouses in Auldcathy had a Child born upon the 10th Curt and baptised this day, called Agnes. These Parents had a Child born upon the 30 April Seventeen hundred & Eighty One years baptised at Abercorn, called Mungo.

The Parish Register entry relating to Margaret is dated 27^th March 1785, again at Dalmeny:

James Chapman & Janet Kerr Spouses in Auldcathy had a Child born on the 19th Currt. and baptised at Abercorn this day. Margaret

‘Abercorn’ in this context refers to the village situated in what is now West Lothian and not to the district of Paisley of the same name.

Mungo is again heard of in connection with the 1851 census, living at Myres in the Parish of Abercorn. The full entry reads:

Mungo Chapman, married, 69, carter, b. Abercorn Agnes, wife, 73, born Linlithgowshire, Kirkliston Thomas Arnot, servant, unmarried, 17, carter, born Abercorn

The occupier of the household immediately following was presumably Mungo’s son:

William Chapman, married, 34, quarryman Ann, wife, 36 Jefsie, daur, 8, scholar Mungo, son, 6, scholar John, son, 5 William, son, 3 Agnes, daur, 1

All members of this second household were born in ‘Linlithgowshire, Abercorn’.