Cunnison
The Cunnison family of Scotland
1510 - 2008
Contents
Important notes
The beginnings of the search
The origins of the name
Perthshire Heritage
The Jacobite Risings
Highland Clearances and the Potato Famine
Perthshire to Edinburgh
Descendants of John Cunnison (b. Edinburgh 1870), taking us up to 2008
Conclusion
Files
1 Documents found at the Scottish Records Office
1.1 Birth certificate, 1911, Bertha Eliza Cunnison
1.2 Marriage certificate, 1897, John Cunnison to Isabella Clark
1.3 Birth certificate, 1869, John Cunnison
1.4 Census, 1871, 38 New Street, Canongate,
Edinburgh
2 Origins of the name; variations in spelling
2.1 McConish
2.2 Cunieson / Coinneach
2.3 Kinnison
3 Children of John Cunison and Isabella Maxwell (1810–1830)
4 1510–1729
4.1 Murder of John Cunison of Edradour (1510)
– marriage of Jean Cunison to Rev. William Glas of Moulin (1617)
4.2 Marriage of John Cunison to Elspeth, daughter of Thomas Crichton of Polcack (ca. 1620)
– appointment of James Cunison as Chamberlain of Kintyre (ca. 1717)
4.3 Presentation of John Cunison to the Church of Dull (1682)
– death of Elizabeth Cunison (1729)
5 Descendants of Thomas Cunison and John Cunison
5.1 Descendants of Thomas Cunison
5.2 Descendants of John Cunison, Minister deprived of office
6 Descendants of John Cunison (b. 1786)
– christening of John Cunison (b. 1830)
7 Descendants of John Cunison (b. 1830)
8 Descendants of John Cunnison (b. 1870)
External links
The author of this website does not vouch for the authenticity or security of external links referred to in this document.
Important notes
1 Cunison / Cunnison
There are various spellings of the name:
Cunysoun (1474 and 1595);
Cunieson (1606);
Cunnisone (1652);
Cunison (1510–1870)
Cunnison appears first in the census of 1871.
The double 'n' spelling is used thereafter.
For more on Scottish names see
http://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/lowland16/
2 Christian names
Until the early 20th century, names were handed down through the generations.
Understanding these naming patterns can be very helpful when doing research.
Males
First-born son - father's father
Second-born son - mother's father
Third-born son - father
Fourth-born son - father's eldest brother
Fifth-born son - father's 2nd eldest brother or mother's eldest brother
Females
First-born daughter - mother's mother
Second-born daughter - father's mother
Third-born daughter - mother
Fourth-born daughter - mother's eldest sister
Fifth-born daughter - mother's 2nd eldest sister or father's eldest sister
This system can cause families to have two children with the same Christian name, if, for example, the grandparents had the same name. The process also started again if a parent remarried, so it is common to find half-brothers or half-sisters with the same Christian names. Not all Scots families followed this pattern though the Cunison / Cunnison family did, carrying Christian names through until the early 20th century.
When a child died young, it was not uncommon to give the name of the deceased to a child born later.
The beginnings of the search
My mother, Bertha Eliza Cunnison, was born in Edinburgh in 1911. As a teenager in the 1960s, I listened avidly to the things my mother told me about her family, which had originated in Perthshire.
Here are some of the more interesting things I remember:
– everyone in Scotland with the surname Cunnison was related to us;
– we were in some way connected to the Duke of Argyll and the Marquis of Atholl;
– there had been a "scholar" in the family who had got into some kind of trouble with the church. This ancestor had been a Minister who had had to move to the west coast of Scotland.
Though I tried to persuade my mother to do some proper research, she was against "raking things up". It was only after she died in 1984 that I went to see what I could find out. My search started at the Scottish Records Office in West Register Street at the East End of Princes Street.
The information regarding where my mother's family came from was true. My great-grandfather, John Cunnison (shoemaker), was registered as being born in Muirton, Perthshire, as were some of his children. According to the 1871 census, the family lived in one of the poorer areas in Edinburgh, in New Street in the Canongate.
Today, with its proximity to the new Scottish Parliament building, the Canongate is one of "the" places to live. After the original Scottish Parliament moved in 1707, however, the mansions of the Canongate began to fall into decline. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, institutions
and industry (e.g. breweries) began to be built in the area. The Edinburgh Gaslight Company works were built in New Street in 1818; in 1906, these works became the bus depot which remained in use until recently.
http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/aboutus/morayhouse/estates/canongate/index.html
How could my branch of the Cunnison family, living in New Street in 1871, have been descended from a Minister and connected to the Scottish landed gentry?
In wasn't until 2007, when I took up the search again, that I found out more.
The origins of the name
The Scots Magazine (Nov. 1993) had given the origins of the surname Cunnison as deriving
from Conan's son, stating that Conan was the illegitimate offspring of Henry, the last Celtic Earl of Atholl in the 13th century. The same information is to be found on the internet. Though the
information is probably spurious, I have included it in the following link:
While the information in File 2.1 is correct in stating that the family was proprietors of Edradour and Ardgie, the last sentence, The name and the family alike have disappeared, is wrong. There are descendants of Baron Cunnison of Edradour alive today. I was yet to be convinced, however, that my branch of the family had anything to do with this baron. On the other hand, there was that bit of oral tradition which had been passed down. I continued my internet research trying to find out more.
Perthshire Heritage
More googling led me to
http://groups.msn.com/Kintyre/carradalechurchhistory.msnw
and to http://www.perthshireheritage.co.uk/research.html
where I found some interesting information about a minister of the church, one John Cunison.
I decided to write to Perthshire Heritage.
From: Isobel
To: Perthshire Heritage
Dear Perthshire Heritage
I came across your website while doing research into my mother's family and see that you are interested in Perthshire families.
My mother was born Bertha Eliza Cunnison in Edinburgh on 25 March, 1911 (d. 1984).
According to research I have done at the Scottish Records Office, Bertha's father, John Cunnison, was born in 1870, also in Edinburgh. Of his six siblings, Mary (b. 1852), Margaret (b. 1863) and Thomas (b. 1865) were born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire.
I have a copy of a census done in 1871, which gives the father of my grandfather as
"John Cunnison, 42 yrs, Shoemaker, born Perthshire, Muirton". This would make the year of his birth 1829 or 1830.
That's as far back as I have been able to go with official records.
Family oral tradition has it that there was an ancestor in the 1600s who was a minister of the church who lived somewhere on the west coast of Scotland. This minister had some connection with the Duke of Argyll and the Marquis of Atholl.
I have now found reference to a minister (John Cunison) in the Carradale Church History website. According to the website, John Cunison was a Covenanter. The website also includes this sentence:
"A native of Perthshire, Cunison was a member of a highly respected Athole family and it was perhaps these Athole connections which led him to view Killean and Kintyre as a fairly safe retreat."
(see http://groups.msn.com/Kintyre/carradalechurchhistory.msnw page 3)
It goes without saying that neithermy mother nor any of her siblings had access to the internet; they all left school at the age of 14 or 15 and none of them went on into higher education. I can only believe that what I have been told about a minister who was connected to my mother's family has simply been handed down through the generations and is true.
I have also found reference on your website to a marriage:
"Crichton of Innernytie – Robert Crichton, 2nd of Innernytie:
Johanna Crichton m. to George Cunison, eldest son and heir of John Cunison, of Edradour, (c/m 15 December, 1583)".
Might George Cunison and Johanna Crichton have been the great-grandparents (or grandparents?) of the John Cunison who went on to become a minister at Kintyre?
According to the Carradale Church History site:
"John Cunison died about 1698, 'an old man and full of years'. Of him it was remarked that 'the frailty of ministers could not be attributed to him for he never canted nor recanted like some of his brethren'. He was buried in Killean graveyard and his lair marked by the name Montgomery. Cunison’s son, James, was made Baillie of Kintyre and latterly, on behalf of the Duchess of Argyll, made Chamberlain of Argyll."
If the Covenanting connection to Perthshire Cunnison family is correct it will certainly be of interest to other Cunnisons who read your website.
I look forward to hearing your ideas on the subject.
Best wishes
Isobel Williams
From: Gordon at Perthshire Heritage
To: Isobel
Dear Isobel
I have been forwarded your recent email to the Perthshire Heritage website.
I have now quickly glanced through records and note that your ancestor John Cunison, shoemaker, aged 42 in the 1871 census would have been born in around 1829/30. With this in mind I have searched the Blairgowrie census return for 1841 and located the following which seems to apply to your family:
Place of Residence: Muirton of Ardblair
James Cunison, aged 54, handloom weaver
Isabella Maxwell, aged 52
John Cunison, aged 11
Margaret Cunison, aged 28.
I have also checked the Blairgowrie Office of Public Records for children born to James Cunison and Isabella Maxwell and found the following:
1 John Cunison christened on 9 September 1810, and died young;
2 Margaret Cunison, christened on 9 February 1812;
3 James Maxwell Cunison, christened on 13 February 1814;
4 Mary Cunison, christened on 1 May 1817;
5 Thomas Cunison, christened on 22 April 1821;
6 John Cunison, born on 28 February, 1830.
Given the residence of the family at Muirton, by Blairgowrie, and the year of birth of John coinciding with his age given in the 1871 census, there is a very high probability that this John, born to James Cunison and Isabella Maxwell, and your ancestor are one and the same person.
Further information could be obtained but for accurate results statutory records would have to be consulted and for such costs are incurred which we have to pass on to those wishing us to undertake research on their behalf. If this of interest to you, let me know and I would happily perform the research on your behalf.
With regard to the Cunison Ministers, there were several in the 17th century all descended
from the Cunison family of Edradour. I will check my notes and get back to you shortly with the information I have on them.
Best wishes
Gordon A. MacGregor
From: Isobel
To: Gordon
Dear Gordon
Thank you for your reply and for doing the research on my ancestor, John Cunison. I look forward to hearing about anything you might come up with on the Cunison Ministers and any connection that one of them might have to my branch of the family tree.
I am still puzzled as to how my mother could have known about the connection with a minister after all these centuries but I suppose it just shows the power of the oral tradition!
I can see that further research is going to be necessary.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes
Isobel
PS You have surely heard the theory that the name originated in the 13th c. meaning
Conan's son, Conan being an illegitimate offspring of Henry, the last Celtic Earl of Atholl. What do you think of this idea?
From: Gordon
To: Isobel
Dear Isobel
It is surprising what has been preserved in the oral tradition. Some stories may not be entirely accurate but on many occasions the tradition has a large element of truth which just leaves the researcher to sift through the facts and put everything into its proper order.
I don't imagine there would be too much work involved. I will dig out the information I have on Cunison ministers and send it to you very soon.
Best wishes
Gordon
PS I have also read several variations on the origins of the name Cunnison and, as much as there was a Con (or Conan), son of Henry, Earl of Atholl, the descent cannot be from this individual as he left one son, Ewan, and daughters who carried off a good deal of their father's lands at his death.
The Christian name of Con appears elsewhere in early Atholl documents and it has seemed convenient for some (Cunnison) researchers to grasp at the most illustrious possibility rather than admit that there are several possibilities. There simply is no evidence yet at hand to settle the matter satisfactorily.
What is clear is that the Cunnison family is of very old standing in Atholl and of some significance.
From: Gordon
To: Isobel
Dear Isobel
I've now managed to locate some Cunison information in my notes. As you can see, the Argyllshire Ministers were descended from the Perthshire Cunisons. I have more on the family of Edradour and Ardgie within my notes which I will dig out. I hope you find this of interest.
CUNISON
John Cunison of Edradour, who was murdered by William Robertson of Struanat Moulin on 9 May 1510, and was father of,
Hugh Cunison of Edradour, living in 1521 and had issue,
John Cunison of Edradour, succeeded his father and had issue,
1 George Cunison of Edradour, m. to Johanna, daughter of Robert Crichton, 2nd of
Innernytie, (contract of marriage dated 15 December 1583,);
2 John Cunison, of Ardgie (see below).
John Cunison of Ardgie, married in around 1590 to Isobel, daughter of George Oliphant, 5th
of Ardchailzie and Bachilton, and was father of,
1 John Cunison (see below);
2 Jean, m. to William Glas, Minister of Moulin, (contract of marriage dated 16 August 1617).
John Cunison, presented to the Church of Dull on 25 March 1624, and d. in 1681/2 aged 86. He married Elspeth, daughter of Thomas Crichton of Polcak and had issue,
1 Thomas Cunison, who resided at Pitnacree and m. to Elspeth Reid.
He d. in September of 1697 and had issue (see below, John Cunison 1a);
2 John Cunison, educated at St. Andrews where he graduated (M.A.) in 1644. He was admitted Minister of Killin prior to 8 October 1650;
later removed to the Parish of Kilbride, on the Isle of Arran, and to which he was presented in June of 1655. He was deprived of this office by Act of Parliament and a Decree of the Privy Council on 1 October, 1662, and was granted an indulgence to be admitted to Killean and Kilchonzie on 3 September, 1672. He d. in around 1698 and was father of,
2a} Alexander Cunison, ordained Minister of Kilfinichen and Kilveochan on 12 June 1706.
Alexander Cunison caused himself to be bled to death on account of having been bitten by a mad dog which had caused the death of his wife and others on 15 November 1717;
2a} Dugald, became a Burgess in Inverary;
2a} James, appointed Chamberlain of Kintyre and acted as executor to his brother Alexander.
1a} John Cunison, (son of Thomas Cunison, above), was presented to the Church of Dull in July of 1682 and d. in August of 1693. He married Beatrix, sister of John Campbell, of Turrerich, (contract of marriage dated 18 August 1682,) and was father of,
1 John Cunison, retoured heir to his father in his property on 12 November 1703;
2 Elizabeth Cunison, m. to David Barlas, in Monzie, (contract of marriage dated 7 June 1711). She was buried on 23 November, 1729.
Best wishes
Gordon
I have put the above information into tabular form.
John Cunison, #9 in File 4.2, would appear to be the minister my mother spoke about.
As we have a lot of details about John and his brother, Thomas (#8), I have put both into two separate tables. John and his descendants lived in Argyll; Thomas and his descendants lived in Perthshire.
With the death of Elizabeth Cunison, grand-daughter of Thomas Cunison, in November 1729, the trail goes cold for 50 years.
When we consider what had been going on in Scotland, and particularly in western Scotland and Perthshire, for the 30 years preceding her death and remember how things were to continue for the next 17 years, it is hardly surprising that no records have been found.
We have to turn here to our history books.
The Jacobite Risings (1688–1746)
The Jacobite Risings, a series of uprisings, rebellions and wars in the British Isles, were aimed at imposing James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, upon the throne after James had been deposed by Parliament and the people during the so-called "Glorious Revolution".
Two important questions concerning the Cunison family during the period 1688–1746 arise:
How was the family affected by the Risings?
Which side were the Cunisons on?
Many of the Highland clans, fighting for the Jacobite cause, suffered heavy losses, e.g. 1689 – Killiecrankie, Dunkeld, 1690 – Haughs of Cromdale).
In 1691 King William offered all Highland clans a pardon for their part in the Jacobite Rising, provided they took an oath of allegiance to the government. By the spring of 1692, the Jacobite chiefs had all sworn allegiance to the king. Nonetheless, in 1714, James Stuart decided to make another attempt at the crown. James enlisted the help of the Earl of Mar. Mar's earldom in north-east Scotland borders on the Atholl lands.
From August till December 1715, there is a lot of activity in Perthshire:
– 27 August, Mar raises the clans;
– 6 September, James Stuart proclaimed sovereign;
– 14 September, Mar's Jacobites capture Perth without opposition;
following this, the Jacobite army grows to about 8,000 men;
– 10 October, Mar's forces leave Perth and begin to march south;
Mar attacks Edinburgh, but is chased away by the arrival of Argyll's forces;
–13 November, Mar's forces are unable to defeat a smaller force led by the Duke of Argyll at Sheriffmuir;
Mar retreats to Perth; the government army builds up;
– December, James Stuart briefly sets up court at Scone.
During this time, James visits his troops in Perth and orders the burning of villages to hinder the advance of Argyll and the government troops.
It is important to remember that the Duke of Argyll fought on the side of the government. Covenanter John Cunison (File 4 and File 5) had removed to Killean under the protection of the Duke of Argyll and his son, James, was made Baillie of Kintyre and latterly, on behalf of the Duchess of Argyll, made Chamberlain of Argyll. We do not know if this Argyll connection brought with it any protection for the family.
What we do know is that, whatever their political affiliations, the Cunison family lived in an area where a civil war was being fought and where documents were either lost or destroyed.
Whichever "side" they were on, people in the area were killed; any who were burned out of their villages by the Jacobite troops may have moved away.
Two more historical events which would have affected the Cunison family should also be taken into account.
The Highland Clearances (1785–1850) and the Potato Famine (1846–1857)
The Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands. These led to mass emigration from the Highlands to the coast, the Scottish Lowlands and abroad.
From around 1725, in the aftermath of the first Jacobite Rising (1715), clansmen had begun emigrating to the Americas.
After 1745, many Highland families living at subsistence level were displaced to make room for new breeds of sheep which could be reared in the mountainous country. 1792, infamously known as the Year of the Sheep, signalled another wave of mass emigration of Scottish Highlanders. The people were moved to coastal areas and were expected to take up fishing or were put directly onto emigration ships.The destinations for these emigrants were Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, the Kingston area of Ontario and the Carolinas of the American colonies.
Apart from the fact that the Highlanders were taking up land which the landlords wanted to put to more lucrative use, there may also have been a religious element in these forced removals, i.e. some of the Highlanders were Roman Catholic. Almost all the very large movement of Highland settlers to the Cape Fear region of North Carolina, however, were Presbyterian. (This is evidenced today in the presence and extent of Presbyterian congregations and adherents in the region. Perhaps someone from the area with a connection to the name Cunnison will respond to this website?)
For many landlords, the potato famine became another reason for encouraging emigration and depopulation.
As in Ireland, the potato crop failed in the mid 19th century. At the same time, a widespread outbreak of cholera further
weakened the Highland population. There were many deaths, particularly of children and old
people. While some men joined the British army, others moved with their families to the growing cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee in Scotland and Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Liverpool in the north of England.
As we know, my branch of the family removed to Edinburgh.
Perthshire to Edinburgh
Here are the last bits of information about the Cunison / Cunnison family.
From: Gordon
To: Isobel
Dear Isobel
I have now conducted research on your family and have some results.
John Cunison, Shoemaker, and husband of Mary Hume died in Edinburgh on 25th December 1901. In his death certificate his parents are given as James Cunison, Farmer, (deceased) and Isabella Maxwell (deceased).
James Cunnison married Isabella Maxwell at Blairgowrie on 3rd December 1809, with the relevant entry reading;
"James Cunnison and Isabella Maxwell, both in this parish."
They had the following children:
1 John, christened at Blairgowrie on 9 September 1810,
and died young;
2 James Maxwell, christened at Blairgowrie on 13 February 1814;
3 Thomas, christened at Blairgowrie on 22 April 1821;
4 John, christened at Blairgowrie on 7 March 1830;
5 Margaret, christened at Blairgowrie on 9 February 1812,
6 Mary, christened at Blairgowrie on 1 June 1817,
I have located James Cunnison on the 1841 Census return and at which time he was residing with his family at Muirton of Ardblair. He was aged 54 and a handloom weaver and his wife Isabella was aged 52. It also states that he was born in the County of Perth. The children then living with him were Margaret, aged 28, and John, aged 11.
I have searched the 1851 census for Blairgowrie but have failed to locate James Cunnison and so it appears that he died after 1841 and prior to 1851.
I have searched the Perthshire Old Parochial Registers for births of a James Cunnison in around 1780–88 and have located three:
1 James, son of Robert Cunnison and Betty Smith, christened at Kirkmichael on 24 April 1785;
2 James, son of John Cunnison and Jean Young, christened at Kirkmichael on 12 June 1786;
3 James, son of John Cunnison and Margaret Culbert christened at Coupar Angus on 13 January 1788.
Looking through the above and the children born to each, nr. 1 could be ruled out on the grounds of the Christian names of Robert and Betty not appearing with those used over the proceeding generations by your family. Similarly nr. 3 in which the Christian name of George appears. Number 3 also has an age concern, as below, which would rule him out.
At this stage if asked for an opinion, I would have little difficulty in opting for nr. 2 as this man's age better matches that given in the 1841 Census return. It is also consistent with the fact that the family knew the father to be slightly older than the mother which, if the date of christening of Isabella Maxwell (2 December 1787) is considered, would be consistent with the slight variation given in the census and indicative of James having been born in 1786. If, however, your James was nr. 3 his age would be given either as identical to, or slightly younger than, Isabella in 1841.
There is also the fact that John (nr. 2) had a brother, Thomas Cunnison, christened at Kirkmichael on 27 June 1790. This appears in your family.
Isabella Maxwell died at Muirton of Ardblair on 18 October 1871 and is then styled as widow of James Cunnison, Farmer. She was a daughter of John Maxwell, Farmer, and Mary Morgan. John Maxwell and Mary Morgan were married at Blairgowrie on 13 June 1785; Isabella's brother seems to have been James Maxwell, a Ground Officer at Muirton of Ardblair.
Best wishes
Gordon
Two more tables.
File 6 starts with number 20, leaving space for 4 (possible) other members of the Cunison family who may have been born in the years 1729–1786.
In an attempt to find out the economic status of the family in the early 19th century, I looked for
information about handloom weavers.
Weaving appears to have been a trade which could provide a good income in the early 1800s. However, with the introduction of steam-driven power looms the cottage weavers soon became redundant.
Not only could the steam-driven looms produce woven goods more quickly and cheaply, it was estimated that one steam-driven loom could produce the work of four handloom weavers. On top of that, it took just one person to operate four steam-driven looms.
The living standards and wages of the handloom weavers plummeted. Weavers who once earned a living wage were soon earning as little as five and eight shillings (25p–40p) by 1840.
(see http://www.scotland-placestovisit.co.uk/weavers_cottage.html)
Although the weaver's cottage referred to on the above website is located near Glasgow, the information about the decline of the trade was true for the whole of the British Isles.
Descendants of John Cunnison (born Edinburgh 1870), taking us up to 2008
To take this website up to the present day, here is my part of the Cunnison family as I know it.
Conclusion
How can we link the Cunison line beginning with Baron John and continuing through to the time of the Jacobite Risings with the Cunnison family of today? The Risings, the Clearances and the potato famine with their related turbulence seem to have swallowed up any evidence for the moment. What we do know is that the handloom weaver, James Cunison (b.1786), John Cunison (b.1830) and John Cunnison (b.1870) were Bertha Cunnison's great-grandfather, grandfather and father respectively.
Since this website was created in February, 2008 several people have been in touch with more information about the Cunnison family. Please see Updates
Comments and information, please to
williams.isobel "at" googlemail.com
(Please convert the "at" into the @ sign and join the whole lot up to make the email address.)