Wednesday 21 March 2012

The Ure Family, Calenderers

The grandeur of Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary somewhat overshadows the burial place of
Walter Ure, Calenderer, his wife and family.

Rather than a monument or gravestone, the inscription appears to have been carved on the existing West Perimeter Wall of the ‘New’ Cathedral Burying Ground situated directly behind the infirmary.

The actual lair number is unknown, but will be ‘somewhere’ between 3 - 34.


The inscription on the plaque bears the names of 8 individuals and reads as follows:

The Family Burying Ground of Walter Ure, Calender Master, Glasgow
Interred here
ANN URE died 20th February 1797
ANN URE died 30th December 1800
JANET URE died 8th April 1808
WALTER URE died 19th October 1813
WALTER URE died 22nd May 1817
JANET COLQUHOUN spouse of Walter Ure died 21st February 1821
SUTHERLAND URE died 4th March 1821
ROBERT URE died 4th July 1840

This would appear to be Walter Ure, his wife Janet Colquhoun and possibly their children, but
on searching the IGI (www.familysearch.org) it seems that this may not quite be the case …..


Janet Colquhoun was born in Govan (Parish), Glasgow
28th May and christened on 9th June 1774 (C11646-4)

Daughter of Sutherland Colquhoun and Mary Copland
Who married on 26th October 1767 at Cathcart, Renfrewshire. (M11560-2)

Janet Colquhoun married Walter Ure at Glasgow on 10th November 1794. (M11974-3)

The others listed on the inscription (except Sutherland Ure) remain a mystery.
No corresponding births have been found, so they may perhaps have been stillborn children,
infants who died before christening/baptism could take place
or they may have be Walter Ure’s siblings.
(Births alone were not usually registered, only when a subsequent christening/baptism took place
were they entered into the Parish Register.)

Walter & Janet’s children whose births were registered (with corresponding IGI Batch Nos):

Mary Ure, born 30th July 1795, Glasgow (C 11946-7)
Ann Ure
Margaret Ure, born 23rd April 1798, Glasgow (C 11974-3)
Ann Ure, born 14th December 1799, Glasgow (C11974-4) [Possibly Ann (2) on inscription]
Helen Ure, born 4th July 1801, Glasgow (C11974-1)
James Ure, born 20th September 1805, Glasgow (C11974-1)
Elisabeth Ure, born 1st December 1807, Glasgow (C11974-1)
Janet Ure
Janet Ure, born 7th January 1810, Glasgow (C11974-1)
Sutherland Ure (born 11th November 1811)
Walter Ure
Walter Ure
Robert Ure

The names inserted with no other details are those from the MI
and have been classed as infants.
(apart from Robert Ure whose death is 20 years after the death of Sutherland Ure
Sutherland is known to have been born in 1811 and died in 1821.)

Sutherland Ure (probably named after his maternal grandfather Sutherland Colquhoun)
was born at Glasgow11th November 1811 (Source: S.P. Index)

Presuming that all these named were their children,
Walter & Janet appear to have at least 13 offspring!)


The above image is an entry in The Glasgow Directory (17th Edition)
July 1815 – February 1817
(Directory contains a list of Merchants, Manufacturers, Traders etc., in the City & Suburbs of Glasgow)

The next obvious step – check the early Census Returns!

There were no Walter Ures to be found listed on the 1841 Census of the correct age to be the ‘correct’ Walter,
however, the following brought forth some strong co-incidences ….
(based on transcriptions, not images, so may not be wholly accurate)

1841 Census
Dunoon Kirn Shore, Dunoon & Kilmun, Argyll, 6th June 1841

Catherine Miller, Independent, age 69, born c1772, Scotland (John’s Ure’s Mother-in-law)
John Ure, Calenderer, age 44, born c1797, Scotland
Catherine Ure, age 38, born c1803, Scotland
Walter Ure, Son, age 14, born c1827, Scotland
Catherine Ure, age 12, born c1829, Scotland (28th February 1828, Glasgow, C11974-7)
Janet Ure, born 9th February 1830, Glasgow C11967-1,
Christina (or Christian) Ure, age 9, born c1832, Scotland (10th March 1832, Glasgow, C11974-8)
Mary (Copland) Ure, age 7, born c1834, Scotland (3rd March 1834, Glasgow, C11974-8)
James Ure, age 5, born c1836, Scotland
John Ure, age 1, born c1840, Scotland
(The actual dates of birth were sourced from the IGI - Batch Nos.included above)

John, age 44, Calenderer, born ‘around’ the same time as Walter
and obviously not only sharing the Ure surname, but the also having the same occupation
and in turn, calling one his eldest son Walter.

No substantiating evidence has been found to definitely link Walter Ure to this John Ure.

On checking the IGI, John may have been the son of Walter Ure and Margaret Ferguson,
Born 3rd June 1798, Glasgow (C11968).

John Ure married Catherine Miller at Glasgow 21st August 1825 (M11967-3)
(Catherine’s father is listed on the IGI as James Miller and from the information on the 1841 Census,
her mother would have been Catherine)

Only a few of the births of their children have been sought but they appear to have at least 10.

1851 Census
114 North Montrose Street,
Glasgow (Glasgow St. Mungo), 30th/31st March 1851

John Ure, Head of Household, Calenderer & Packer, age 54, born c1797, Glasgow
Catherine Ure, Wife, age 48, born c1803, Glasgow
Walter Ure, Son, Calenderer & Packer, age 24, born c1827, Glasgow
Catherine Ure, Daughter, At Home, age 21, born c1830, Glasgow
Christina Ure, Daughter, At Home, age 18, born c1833, Glasgow
Mary Ure, Daughter, At. Home, age 16, born c1835, Glasgow
James Ure, Son, At School, age 15, born c1836, Glasgow
John Ure, Son, At School, age 11, born c1840, Glasgow
William Ure, Son, At School, age 9, born c1842, Glasgow
Thomas Ure, Son, At School, age 6, born c1845, Glasgow
Janet Ure, Daughter, At School, age 5, born c1846, Glasgow
(born 31st October 1845, Glasgow, C11975-2)

The above notice appeared in both the Edinburgh Gazette & the London Gazette.

1861 Census


114 Montrose Street, Glasgow
(Glasgow Inner High), 7th/8th April 1861
John Ure, Head of Household, Retired Calenderer, age 64, born c1797, Glasgow
Catherine Ure, Wife, age 59, born c1802, Glasgow
Walter Ure, Son, Retired Calenderer, age 34, born c1827, Glasgow
Catherine Ure, Daughter, age 33, born c1828, Glasgow
Christina Ure, age 29, born c1832, Glasgow
Mary Ure, Daughter, age 27, born c1834, Glasgow
John Ure, Son, Commercial Clerk, age 21, born c1840, Glasgow
William Ure, Son, Commercial Clerk, age 19, born c1842, Glasgow
Janet Ure, Daughter, Scholar, age 15, born c1846, Glasgow

Note that both John and his son Walter are listed as ‘retired’ calenderers.

The following view is towards the eastern part of the ‘New’ Burial Ground.


Glasgow Cathedral









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