The Burgar/Burgess families in Shetland
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Distribution of
Charity Bread & Meal - Shetland 1804
Because
of poor harvests in Shetland the population were on very short rations, and help
had to be sent from other parts of the UK. The authorities in Shetland
petitioned the House of Commons for help.
29th March 1804
A House of Commons committee delivered a report on a petition
received from
Shetland. When examined, John Scott of Valey told them that the
harvests and fishing of 1802 and
1803 had been
poor and required the import of £30,000 in meal and bere from Berwick
and the North Country in the prior year. Many cattle had been sold off
to pay it. The inhabitants relied on oatmeal, milk and fish and these
were all in scarce supply, one person having died of want. Relief was
urgently requested in order to have barley, bere and potatoes to sow and
meal to tide them over.
In Dunrossness
3,149 people in Dunrossness received food.
This included the Burgar families below.
Surname |
First Name |
Place |
No. in
Family |
Children |
Landlord |
|
|
|
|
|
|
BURGAR |
ADAM |
LUD & GORD |
6 |
|
Quendale |
BURGAR |
CHARLES |
BREAK |
8 |
|
Quendale |
BURGAR |
DAVID |
Break or Quendale |
6 |
1799 & 1806 |
Quendale |
BURGAR |
GEORGE |
BREAK |
7 |
s.of Adam h.of |
Quendale |
BURGAR |
JOHN |
HILLWALL |
6 |
|
Quendale |
BURGAR |
MAGNUS |
HILLWALL |
5 |
|
Quendale |
BURGAR |
ROBERT |
Hillwell |
3 |
1804 |
Quendale |
BURGAR |
LAURENCE |
Garth |
6 |
1771 |
Quendale |
BURGAR |
ROBERT |
SCORD |
7 |
|
Quendale |
BURGAR |
JOHN |
MAILS & VOES |
6 |
|
Sumburgh |
Who are the above Burgar?
1. Adam Burgar in Lud & Gord
with a family of 6 is believed to be
either:
Adam Burgar (born about 1735) & his wife Margaret Bairnson
plus their son Adam (born 1778 in Gord) and his wife
Martha Smith + their 2 daughters (born in Gord).
Or
Adam (born 1778 in Gord) and his wife Martha Smith + their
2 daughters (born in Gord) + parents or parents-in-law.
2. Charles Burgar in Break with a
family of 8 is:
Charles Burgher (born 1760 in Break and his wife Catherine Arcus + their 5
children born prior to 1802 + another person (maybe a parent?).
Charles was the son of Robert Burgar and Mary Fea who had
many children born in Break from 1754 to 1769.
3. David Burgar in Break with a
family of 6 persons is:
David Burgar
(born 1754 in Break) with his second wife Grizelda Flaws + maybe 4 of
their 5 children born before 1804 mostly in Break.
David was the son of Robert Burgar and Mary Fea who had
many children born in Break from 1754 to 1769.
4. George Burgar in Break with a
family of 7 persons is either:
George Burgar
(born 1769) and his wife
Barbara Irvine + their 5 children born before
1804).
George was the son of Adam Burgar
(born about 1735) and Margaret Bairnson. He was
living in Break when he married in 1793 and his children were born there.
Or
George ( born about 1745) and his wife Helen Leslie
had 4 children born at Brake between 1778 and 1792.
Note. It is possible that the two George are the same
person. Maybe George Burgar married firstly Helen Leslie and then Barbara
Irvine
5. John Burgar
in Hillwell with a family of 6
persons
John Burgar (abt 1740) and Margaret Halcrow had children
born in Hillwell in the 1780s, accounts for the numbers.
6. Magnus
Burgar in Hillwell with a family of 5
persons
Magnus Burgar (born 1746) married Margaret Burgar and had
4 children between 1780 and 1792 in Hillwell.
7. Robert
Burgar in Hillwell with a family of 3
persons
This may be either
Robert (born 1774 at Bacsetter), son of John Burgar and
Margaret Bairnson who was married with one son at the time.
Or
Robert (born 1781), the son of John Burgar and Margaret Halcrow His siblings were born in Hillwell and he was living there when he
married and had a daughter in 1804 in Hillwell.
8. Laurence
Burgar in Garth with a family of 6 persons
Laurence Burgar and Barbara Mainland plus 2 children (born
in Garth between 1771 and 1780). One son, James Burgar, was married in 1802
to Margaret Mouat, so may have been living with his parents.
9. Robert
Burgar in Scord with a family of 7 persons
Possibly Robert Burgar (born abt. 1760) who married Agnes Aitkin and
had 6 children (1793-1805) so 5 children pre 1804.
Not sure where Scord is, but it is possibly Gord or Cour.
Robert was born in Gord and was living there when he married in 1793.
10. John
Burgar in Mail & Voes with a family of 6
persons
John Burgar (born 1748) married first to Barbara Black
and then Katherine Young had 6 children born at Voe between 1775 and 1793. In
1804, 2 of these children were married, so it is possible that the
remaining 4 children were with him.
In Lerwick
Lerwick Town had 12,000 shares of food allotted to 1812
people
GEORGE
2 shares February
GEORGE ‘S WIFE
1 share May
ROBERT's Wife 3 shares February
ROBERT’s MOTHER 1 share May
In Yell
CATHERINE
Burgar 7# shares
LAURENCE Burgar & DAUGHTER
2# shares
NANG Burgar (a poor child)
# share
# means ‘extra ration’
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