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Edinburghshire & Lanarkshire branch

This page sets out information that we have found about the Edinburghshire & Lanarkshire branch of Fairholm in Scotland.

So far, we have 171 people on this tree.

 


The early family

Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
The head of this tree is William Fairholm / Fairholme / Farm / Ferm / Ferme* who married Marion Stevenson / Steveson in 1788 at Duddingston, Edinburghshire (later Midlothian, but now part of Edinburgh City), and had five daughters and four sons from 1790- 1807, all in Edinburghshire. The only boy known to have married was their second son, James, who married Agnes Flucker in 1819 at Liberton, EDN, and their only child was Neil Fairholm / Farm / Ferme. He married Marion Pickard / Pickert / Pritchard in 1840 at Carrington / Primrose, EDN, and had three boys and three girls. Of these, James married Annie Weir Forrest at Whitburm, LNL (Linlithgowshire) in 1862. They had four sons and seven daughters, of whom, three daughters died in the USA.

Despite a large number of births, most of the male lines had died out by the1920s, except the one from Neil Farm, also born to Neil and Marion Pickard, in 1852 at Whitburn, LNL. He married Elizabeth / Bessie McMurray in 1875 at St. Giles, Edinburgh, and had 5 boys (but no girls), all in Edinburgh, and with the surname Farm. Three of William and Marion's daughters married members of the Balks, Reid, and Adam families. In particular, after further research, additional evidence has shown that it was their second daughter, that married James Reid on 16 Jan 1820 at Inveresk, EDN, and had nine children. This is a change from the previously stated position, when, along with other researchers we had her linked to a Robert Crookston, born 3 Jul 1780, at Gladsmuir, Haddingtonshire.

*This William is still the best fit at the moment, but we need some extra evidence to be sure, and before we link him and his descendants to another branch.

 

 
Edinburgh

© Base map Corel Corporation

The city is situated on the south side of the Firth of Forth, and as part of the Central Lowlands, was subjected to successive waves of invaders and settlers from all parts of Northern Europe over several hundred years. It is uniquely situated astride two glaciated ridges, separated by a deep trough; an ideal location for its fortified castle and walled town.

From mediaeval times, the town spread along the southern ridge, astride the Royal Mile, that ran from the Castle to Holyrood Abbey. As the population grew, the town walls restricted development, and extra housing had to go upwards. But the overcrowding continued. By 1700, the population of about 30,000 was huddled into large tenements close to the smelly trough, until the area became squalid, and acquired the name Auld Reekie. Various Fairholm families lived there over the years, and some were trades people outside the town walls. At one time, there was a Fairholm Bank in one of the closes or wynds off the Royal Mile.

In 1767 an Act of Parliament approved the extension of the city boundary, which allowed a "New Town" to be built on the northern ridge. This was on a grid-square plan, with wide streets and large Georgian houses. The deep trough was drained, and during the next 80 years, bridges were built across it, to join the Old and New Towns, and some roads were built at two levels. By 1801, the population of Edinburgh, and the adjacent port of Leith, had grown to 83,000. As the population increased during the next 200 years, the City of Edinburgh's boundaries were progressively expanded to take in surrounding parishes and townships in Edinburghshire County, sometimes resulting in changes to place name descriptions in official documents, such as censuses and certificates.

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