Macfie

From the papers of my grandfather, William Macfie, we learn that his great-grandfather, Robert came originally from Rothesay to Kilbride, then to Everton and Mauken Hill, both small farms, the latter situated near Cartsdyke. This Robert Macfie was born in 1680 and died, perhaps in the house of his son William, at the Waulk Mill, near Inverkip in 1749.

On my father's authority, we know that this Robert Macfie's son, William, was settled at the Waulk Mill in 1745, as Robert Macfie, my great-grandfather, was born there in February 1746. He was the third child of his parents and probably there had been some deaths about that time for the tombstone in Inverkip Churchyard has engraved on it these words:

The burial place of WILLIAM MACFIE and MARY RAMSAY who was his wife, and whose relations were well known inhabitants of Greenock ..... 1746

Strangely enough, there is no record on this tombstone of the deaths of either William Macfie or his wife, but from other sources we learn that this William Macfie died "presumably" at the Mill in 1789, aged 79. I should have noted that the wife of the first Robert, who migrated from Rothesay to the mainland, was Mary Lyon.

My great-grandfather, Robert, was married in 1772 to Mary Andrew, whose father was an Ayrshire man and Captain of a ship. It was of him my father used to tell the story of his visit to the Opera House one night in London. He left his watch in his lodgings, and in coming out of the buildings, there was a cry of "stop thief" and a man put a hand on his arm and insisted on his taking a watch which had doubtless been stolen. Mr Andrew's whole family consisted of three daughters, Mary who married Robert Macfie, another who married Mr McEwan and another who married a Mr Khull, a German sugar boiler in Greenock.

Mr and Mrs Robert Macfie had twelve children. The youngest, a son, Thomas, born in 1792, he and three others died in infancy, the remaining eight survived and had all passed their 60th year when they died, except Robert Andrew, who died in Greenock in 1811, in his 33rd year. His wife was Agnes Galt, a sister of the novelist, who survived her husband many years, dying in 1855. Her three children, Jane, Robert and Mary, died in early life.

My grandfather lived at Orangefield on the Inverkip Road. He bought Langhouse from Mr Campbell of Glendaruel in 1798 and ever afterwards spent the winter at Orangefield and the summer at Langhouse, where he died in 1827. His wife predeceased him by 12 years and died at Langhouse. The youngest daughter, Jessie, married Mr William Thorburn of Leith in August 1813 at Langhouse. They settled at Kasen, near Uddevalla, Sweden and had a family of 10, only one of whom died in infancy. As far as we know, the next marriage celebrated at Langhouse, was that of my daughter, Hannah Hutcheson, in June 1900, 87 years after her great-grandaunt's marriage.

Written by Mary Colquhoun Macfie or Fraser (1839-1911)