Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbriggs.

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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby War Baby » Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:41 am

Boxwer 6,
Thanks for taking a walk to look for "Benallan" ... it was good of you to do that. I have had no reply from the library since their initial acknowledgement of my enquiry, so I doubt if I will get one now. However, I was looking at the Valuation Rolls for 1915 for Kirkintilloch, and a William Martin, who is likely to be my grandfather's brother, was living at "Benallan", Glasgow Road - so I now have proof that it was there.

Four other houses in Glasgow Rd seem to have had a name...

Fernbank... Cairnview.... Ashfield.... and Coxdale. ...According to the rolls, Campsie Rd is at one end of Glasgow Rd, and Washington Rd at the other. I think Benallan was third from the Washington Rd end. Fernbank was 1st, Cairnview second, then Benallan third. Are these mansion type houses?
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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby Boxer6 » Thu Feb 21, 2013 7:01 am

Hmm, I was thinking initialy that a couple of those names seemed familiar, but when you mentioned how proscribed the description of Glasgow Road is, it kind of threw me a bit.

My understanding of it is that it extends out to Hayston at the Western end, and Milton Road (as opposed to Campsie Road) at the Eastern end, where it then turns into Kilsyth Road. There are a goodly number of mansion-type houses along from Washington towards Bishopbriggs, but where you're describing is fairly bereft of any kind of houses now IIRC. If I get time this weekend, I'll have another wee daunder along there.
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Re: Benallan

Postby War Baby » Thu Feb 21, 2013 11:16 am

Benallan was near the Washington Road end, and on the Valuation Roll there is a Harvard Place there too.
At the end where the numbers begin with 2, there is Kelvin Row and Campsie Rd. You can see Benallan on the attachment.
....I am just glad to see it in print at last. That will do me fine.
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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby War Baby » Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:49 pm

Just to let you all know that I have just received a reply from Kirkintilloch Library, and they have kindly offered me a photo of Schoolfield Lane, plus a newspaper article from 1989. They also say that they think Benallan was possibly about 19 Glasgow Road, but there is something else there now. They say it was still there in 1989.
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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby Glesga_Steve » Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:44 pm

Judging by various historic OS maps, it does appear that, during the period War Baby is interested in, the only part of the A803 that was called Glasgow Road was the short stretch between Washington Road and Campsie Road. The eastern continuation (i.e. going east from Campsie Road, towards Kilsyth) was called New Road until it reached the crossing of the Luggie Water, from where it was called Kilsyth Road. The western continuation (i.e. going west from Washington Road, towards Bishopbriggs) doesn't seem to have been called anything at that point in time.

It seems that the location of the properties mentioned by War Baby was as circled in the below map (an extract of a 1945 OS map)
Image
Click here to go to 1945 OS map

The line of the main road has changed since those days - I think the parking bays you can see in this GSV image may be on the original line of the road. I would estimate that the site of Benallan was approximately just to the rear of where the car is in centre of this GSV image.

Some of the neighbouring properties to Benallan still exist. This property is almost certainly the one that you can see at the west end of Glasgow Road in the above map - judging by War Baby's info, this would be the property named 'Fernbank'. These buildings are the houses situated on the south side of Glasgow Road in the above map (though I'd think they are addressed under West High Street as that's where their front doors open onto).
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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby War Baby » Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:16 am

I have just received some information from Kirkintilloch Library, and amongst their info is a Blown-up version of the
1967 Ordnance Survey for Glasgow Road, Kirkintilloch. The library says that "Benallan" was at 19 Glasgow Road, and number 19 shows on the map. In fact, the library says that the house is still there. I know exactly where it is now.

It is near the Fire Station, and on that same side of Glasgow Road. On the 1967 map, there are three houses between the Fire Station and Bellevue Road. 15 is nearest the Fire Station, then comes 17, then 19. Number 19 Glasgow Road is BENALLAN, and it is next to Bellevue Road. So that's where it was, and still is, according to Kirkintilloch Labrary, who have helped me a lot.

Boxer 6: ...It may not now be called BENALLAN but is definitely the house three along from the Fire Station, just at Bellevue Road.

Regarding Schoolfield Lane, I will make a seperate post for that one.

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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby Boxer6 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:30 pm

War Baby wrote: Boxer 6: ...It may not now be called BENALLAN but is definitely the house three along from the Fire Station, just at Bellevue Road.
Brian


Yes indeed, I know exactly the house you mean.

This is it, and I passed by it at least twice the day I was out exploring! :oops:

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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby War Baby » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:57 am

Boxer,
That is brilliant! I had been using Earth Google yesterday and wasn't sure if this was number 19, because I didn't see the fire station anywhere near. Without that as a guide, I wasn't sure where I was. As you know, you can be sometimes be looking at google and the number of the house it has on screen isn't the house you might be looking at.

I knew in my bones it was a decent house! Problem solved!

P.S. My g grandfather and wife lived there in 1911, and two of his sons were married from that house, one in 1915, the other in 1922. Both married at St Davids, Kirkintilloch.
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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby -K2- » Tue Nov 22, 2016 1:36 pm

Hi, I realise this thread has been dormant for a few year but it has been a great help to me. I was also looking for the house. My Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather lived at Benallan from around 1860ish to the time your Grandfather moved in.

I have an old photo taken around 1900 of the house, I'll dig it up and scan it.

Very interesting also I have a couple letters written by my Great Grandfather dated 1914 from Benallan. I wonder if there was any overlap in the time your Grandfather was there.
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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby War Baby » Fri Nov 25, 2016 9:57 am

k2,
It is very interesting that your great Grandfather was at Benallan in 1914, because I think my ancestors were there at that time too. Two of my ancestors were living at that house when they were married, one in 1915, the other in 1922.
The following info may or may not bring up a surname that connects with your great grandfather.

My grandfather had several brothers - two of them lived at Benallan. Willie Henry Martin was born 15 Jun 1886 at Barrhill Rows, Twechar, Kirkintilloch. He didn't stay there long but returned to the Kirkintilloch area about 1910 when he was 24, became a Deacon at St Davids Free Church, and is on the 1911 census at Benallan. The census reads:
William Martin, 53; Margaret (Russell)48; WILLIAM HENRY MARTIN, son, 24, and his brother Thomas Martin, 17.

In 1915 Willie Henry Martin was married at St Davids , and his home address is given as Benallan. He married Jane Isabella Reyburn, whose father was the Rev'd Hugh Young Reyburn at St Davids. They moved away sometime during the 1920's. (Willie became Provost of Clydebank, and was in the company of the King & Queen at the launching of the Queen Elizabeth in 1938 at Clydebank.)

On 14 Jun 1922, his brother Thomas Martin married Jean Bunting Christie at St Davids, Kirkintilloch, and he was still living at Benallan at the time. Jean Christie was living at "Brierybank", Kirkintilloch. They moved sometime in the 1920's.

A John Wilson was living at Benallan on the Valuation Rolls of 1916-16. I have Wilsons on my tree but can't see any connection.

Do any of the above surnames mean anything to you? I am wondering if Benallan was a big enough house to be taking in lodgers. If your G/Grandfather was there in 1914, he must have been either a relative, a lodger or a visitor but whichever it is, there DOES seem to be the "overlap" you are asking about.
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Re: Trying to pinpoint my father's birthplace in Bishopbrigg

Postby -K2- » Wed Nov 30, 2016 4:24 pm

Hello,

Sorry for the delay. Yes John Wilson was my Great great grandfather. I have a letter from his son Gordon Wilson, my great grandfather, dated 1914.

Gordon Wilson had an affair with my great grandmother in 1902ish. She was a house keeper working at Benallan. She became accidentaly pregnant and had my grandfather in 1903, which caused some scandal in the Wilson family.

Gordon then went to Mexico to seek a new life and his fortune. He would not accept his son. I am trying to track him down, see where he ended up. My grandfather, father and I took my great grandmothers name Kennedy. She was originally from Lennoxtown.

Funny old world.

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