Finlay Coutts

Where does Finlay Coutts fit into the picture with other Coutts families in Birse?

From the Birse Parish Registers and the Lists of Inhabitants we know the the following: 

March 12 1792:  Finlay Coutts in the Ennachy a natural daughter Marg. Witnesses John Wilson and William Ross

Birse Kirk Sessions records that on the 12th June 1792, Finlay Coutts, a widower in Ennochy, declared himself to be the father of the unborn child of Margaret Ross "a young unmarried woman in this parish".  They asked to be dismissed from church censure with a Sessional Rebuke and paid twelve shillings Sterling on "behoof of the poor" 

The above "Couts child" is probably the natural daughter of Finlay Couts and thus indicating that Margaret Ross is the daughter of Jean Ross Snr (widow)

November 19 1797:  Contracted Finlay Coutts and Margaret Ross both in this parish and after regular proclamations and no objections made married 26^th do.

On the 26th November 1797 Finlay Couts and Margaret Ross again appeared before the Kirk Session of Birse, this time charged with the sin of antinuptual fornication.  The Kirk Session saw their marriage the week before as the best repatriation and they dismissed them with a Sessional Rebuke after they had paid the sum of fifteen shillings Sterling for the benefit of the poor. 

In 1798 the family group At Little Ennochie becomes:

Finlay Couts

Margaret Ross

Margt Couts (under 7)

John Couts (under 7)

Wm Moir - (may be a servant)

March 1 1798:  Finlay Coutts in the Ennachie had a son baptised John.  Witnesses Will & James Ross

January 5 1801:  Finlay Coutts in the Ennachy had a child baptised Christian. Witnesses William Ross and Jas Wilson

The 1804 listing gives the family as

Finlay Couts,

Margaret Ross,

Margaret, John, Christian (under 7) and Charles (under 7) Couts

(No baptism can be found for Charles.) 

The family is at Ennochie on the 1804 and 1808 lists but have gone by 1812. 

The following observations are made:

• The child Alexander Mitchel (aged between 0 - 9) residing with Finlay Coutts on the 1792 list is not present on any of the other lists.

• The name Mitchel dominates in the Forest of Birse.  Charles Mitchel, residing at Ennochie the same time as Findlay Coutts (on later lists) is of the Forest family.  This family was Roman Catholic.

• Charles Mitchel's father was Peter Mitchel in the Forest of Birse.  Death certificate information from other children of Peter Mitchel indicates that his spouse name was Margaret Coutts. Margaret Coutts does not appear on any of the lists indicating she died pre-1789. 

Could this Coutts connection in the Forest of Birse tie Findlay Coutts to this Auchabrack Coutts? 

Idle curiosity leads one to explore the only other occurrence of the name Finlay Coutts in Deeside. 

Stones in Glengairn kirkyard  (Upper Deeside Monumental Inscriptions pre-1855) read:

DONALD COUTTS farmer Prony, d. 22 Mar 1834 aged 57y, w MARGARET ROBERTSON d. Miltown of Tullich 10 Jan 1881 aged 82y, son DONALD COUTTS d. 11 June 1889 aged 67y, son JOHN COUTTS (w. CHARLOTTE EWAN d. Tullich 12 Feb 1880 aged 62y) d. Milton of Tullich 14 Feb 1902 aged 80y. 

FINDLAY COUTTS, shoemaker, d. Ballater 8 May 1913 aged 76y, wife MARGARET DOWNIE d 26 December 1912 a 67y, bro FRANCIS COUTTS b. 13 Nov 1845 d. Tillycairn, Dinnet 24 June 1917, 1s JAMES COUTTS d 19 August 1938 (s FRANCIS COUTTS d. Paisley 20 September 1944).

FINDLAY COUTTS, late Ballackroask, d. 1797 aged 57y, s JOHN COUTTS d. 1791 aged 19y, JANET COUTTS, d infancy, DONALD COUTTS farmer Prony, d. 29 March 1834 aged 57 years, by wife JEAN FARQUHARSON and sons COLLIN, DONALD, JAMES and FINDLAY COUTTS; COLLON COUTTS, Ballackroask, d. 27 April 1842 aged 77y, wife MARGARET FERGUSON d. 12 May 1848 aged 59y, JAMES COUTTS d. 2 Mar 1853 aged 53y, FINDLAY COUTTS, late farmer Glenbardie, d. 25 November 1856 aged 71y (wife ELIZABETH STEWART d. 17 September 1875 aged 75y, s JOHN COUTTS d. 17 May 1855 aged 25y, s DONALD COUTTS d 27 April 1856 aged 16y, s JAMES COUTTS d. 20 July 1856 aged 28y).

Earliest mention of the name Finlay Coutts in the Glenmuick Parish Register is on 26 April 1747 Phinla Couts in Glengairn and his wife had a daughter baptised called Anne. 

There is a gap in this register so it is not possible to fill in the intervening years, however the fact that Finlay Couts is referred to as "Yonr = Younger" in the following parish register entry suggests that more than one Finlay is alive at the time of John's birth in 1772. 

• 1772 September 9 Finlay Couts Yonr Belashroisk – John

• 1779 May 19  Phinla Couts Balachoisk – James

• 1785 April 3 Findla Coutts Ballachoisk – Janet

• 1789 March 7 Finlay Couts and Jean Farqrson, Ballachoisk – Finlay **

• 1792 August 4^th Finlay Couts and Jean Farquharson Bellachoisk – Margaret

**  Death Certificate (Glenmuick #28) states that Finlay Coutts farmer married on the died 26 November 1856 aged 67 years at Prony Glenmuick.  His parents are given as Finlay Coutts farmer Balachoisk (decd) and Janet Farquharson (decd).  He was buried in Glengairn kirkyard and the informant was his son Finlay Coutts.  (death certificate information courtesy of Mairi Southall)

Spouse of above Finlay Coutts, Elizabeth Stewart's death certificate (Glenmuick #22) states that she died 17 Sept 1875 at Corrybeg Glenmuick aged 75 years.  Her parents are given as Francis Stewart farmer (decd) and Margaret Stewart m.s. Gordon (decd).  Informant was her son Francis Coutts. 

Colin, brother of Finlay also has family recorded in the Glenmuick Parish Registers:

• 1813 Sept 9:  Colin Coutts in Ballachoisk and his wife Margt Ferguson had a daughter born named Jane. 

• 1815 February 1 Colin Coutts in Balachiosk and Mary Ferguson his wife had a son born baptised and named Finlay.

• 1816 November 21:  Colin Coutts in Balachoisk and Margt Ferguson had a daughter named Margaret. 

More to come ....

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