William Hendry 1847-1919

William was born in Gladsmuir, East Lothian on 1 January 1847 the son of Andrew Hendry and Elizabeth Walker.

He is recorded in the 1861 census as a farm servant living in Gladsmuir and in 1871 as a labourer, still at Gladsmuir.

On 4 December 1874 William married Mary Dobson Duncan at 2 Craigrossie Place, North Leith. By this time he was a railway porter living at 10 Calton Hill, Edinburgh. Mary was a domestic servant living at 9 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh. Her father's occupation was contractor. The witnesses were Thomas Hendry, presumably the groom's brother and Maggie Duncan

Mary was born in Westmorland, England. Her marriage certificate shows her parents to be William Duncan and Margaret Dobson but her death certificate gives her mother's name as Frances Dobson. I believe Frances is correct. (See the Dobson page for more details).

Their two children were born in Edinburgh but their son, Andrew, died aged two.

Lime Kiln Cottages, Longniddry

By 1891 the family had moved back to Gladsmuir and were living at Harelaw Lime Kilns, Longniddry. These Lime Kilns had stopped operating in 1887. William's occupation was given as road surface man which he followed for the next twenty years. By 1911 he was employed by the county council.

Mary died on 3 March 1912 at Longniddry. By this time her daughter and family had moved from Edinburgh back to Gladsmuir and her son-in-law was a master joiner, having inherited the Hendry family's carpentry business.

With the introduction of the tractor the demand for wooden farm carts died out and when his daughter's family moved to 24 Arden Street, Edinburgh, William went with them and became a jobbing gardener. He died on 25 November 1919 in Craiglockhart Poor House, Edinburgh.

Although his father was a joiner in Gladsmuir and some of William's brothers were employed in the business I have found no record of William ever working there.

Children:-

  1. Andrew Hendry born 20 August 1878, Edinburgh

    He died 29 August 1880.

  2. Frances Duncan Hendry born 31 December 1881, Edinburgh.

    According to her birth certificate Frances Duncan Hendry was born on 31 December 1881 at 2 Salmond Place, Edinburgh. Her parents marriage date is given as 4 December 1874 at Leith, father's occupation railway porter, mothers maiden surname Duncan all of which is correct. The informant is her mother Mary Hendry. However her father's name is given as William Wood and mother's as Mary Wood.

    In 1901 Frances was a house maid at 3 Chamberlain Road, Morningside, Edinburgh.

    At the time of her marriage on 3 June 1905 to Andrew Brash Smith she was a domestic servant at 2 Lansdowne Crescent, Edinburgh.

    During the 1920's and 30's Frances used to visit a Dobson family in the Lake District and they would visit her in Edinburgh. The Dobson connection goes back to a marriage in Orton, Westmorland in 1846 between Frances Dobson and William Duncan. The Dobson's have their own page.