There is an ambiguity on the face of the record concerning the place of William Newall’ s birth. On the evidence of the 1851 and 1871 census records, and of his 1873 death certificate, William Newall was born at Bothwell, Lanarkshire. In 1861, however, his place of birth was given as Airdrie, also Lanarkshire. Whatever the truth of the matter, his birth and baptism were recorded in the New Monkland Parish Register as follows:

Newall –

William Newall Lawful Son of Robert Newall Weaver in Airdrie and Janet Scott was born the 22nd and baptd the 24th June 1807

William’s marriage to Margaret Edgar in 1824 was recorded in the Monkton & Prestwick Parish Register as follows:

‘Newal and Edgar 3 Days

Wm. Newal and Margt. Edgar both in this parish, gave in their names to be proclaimed in order to Marriage the 16th of October, and after being three times proclaimed, they were Married the 5th of Novr. 1824 by Mr Oughterson.’

At the time of the 1841 census, William was resident with his family in ‘Peeble’ (apparently actually Peebles) Street, Newton-on-Ayr. The full entry reads:

William Newall, 30, fisher, born in Scotland but not in the county Margaret, 35, born in Scotland but not in the county Janet, 15 Francis (sic), 13 Robert, 12 James, 10 Margaret, 8 Barbera, 6 William, 2

All the children were entered as having been born in Ayrshire.

In 1851, William, a weaver aged 44, was living with his family living in Main Street, Newton-on-Ayr. William was 44 years of age, and employed as a weaver. His wife Margaret was a sewer aged 46, born in Glasgow.

The movements of William and Margaret subsequent to their marriage can in part be traced through their children’s entries in the 1851 census. Frances, born on 19^th March 1827, was born at Prestwick, Ayrshire. The next four children (Robert, a fisher, 22; James, a weaver, 20; Margaret, a sewer, 17 and Barbara, a sewer, 15) were also born in Monkton, the last of these being c. 1836. The final two (William, an apprentice tinsmith, 12, and John, 8), born c. 1839 and 1842 respectively, were born at Newton-on-Ayr.

Frances, 24, was the eldest of the seven children all unmarried at the time of the 1851 census and was employed as a ‘sewer’. Robert, aged 22, was stated to be a fisher. James, 20, was a weaver. Margaret, 17, and Barbara, 15, were both sewers. William, aged 12, was an apprentice tinsmith, and the last was John, 8.

At the time of the 1861 census, William Newall, a fisherman, aged 52, was living at Back Riggs, Newton Ayr, in a dwelling having one room with one or more windows. On this occasion, his place of birth was given as Airdrie. Living with him were his wife Margaret, aged 56; unmarried son John, a shoemaker, aged 19; and a visitor, William Shearer, aged two, born in Kilmarnock.

The visitor was apparently William Ellis Shearer, who had been born on 24^th October 1858 at six in the evening, in Wellington Street, Kilmarnock. His parents were William Shearer, a cabinet maker, and Margaret Shearer MS Newall. Margaret was William Newall’s daughter who is known from the OPR and the 1851 census. She had married William Shearer at Newton-on-Ayr on 15^th February 1856.

William and Margaret Newall were living at 9, Back Row, Newton Ayr, at the time of the 1871 census, in a dwelling having one room with one or more windows. Most likely this is the same property which they had been living in ten years previously, only the postal designation having changed. William was a fisher aged 63 and on this occasion his place of birth was given as Bothwell. Margaret was 65.

William Newall, a fisherman, married to Margaret Edgar, died on 5^th October 1873 at five in the morning, at Main Street, Newton Ayr. His age was entered as 67. The cause of death was certified as cancer, from which he had been suffering for two years. The informant was Robert Newall, his son.

At the time of his daughter Frances’s death in 1905, William Newall was recalled as a fisherman (deceased).

Forebears

William Newall’s father was entered on his death certificate as Robert Newall, a cotton weaver. Robert was designated in connection with the births of his children, William in 1807; Barbara in 1809 and Margaret in 1813 as a ‘Weaver in Airdrie’.

The name of William’s mother was left blank on his death certificate but his Parish Register birth record identifies her as Janet Scott.

When Robert married Janet is not known but that they were married is not in doubt, since each of their three children was described as ‘Lawful’ in their respective Parish Register birth entries.

Brothers and Sisters

William had two known sisters, for whom birth entries appear in the New Monkland Parish Register. These are, mutatis mutandis, the same as William’s. Barbara was born on 5^th May 1809 and baptised on the 7^th. Margaret was born on 29^th June 1813 and baptised on 4^th July.