Person:Jean Riddle (1)

Jean Riddle was born around 1782 at Methlick in Aberdeenshire, daughter of Mary Davidson and her husband Archibald Riddle, a farmer. In the early 1790s the family was recorded as living at Arnybogs, a farm about a mile north-east of Methlick village.

Jean’s next sighting is on 4th October 1812, when she was married at Methlick to a farmer called James Wilson. They had a daughter called Elizabeth and a son called Alexander, and likely had other children too, but baptism records have not been found for any of their children.

It is not clear when James died, but by 1841 Jean was describing herself as “Widow Wilson”. The census of 1841 finds Jean with three Wilson children living at Auchencrieve, a farm about half a mile east of Methlick. Jean was described as a crofter at that time.

By 1851 Jean had left Methlick and moved to the Aberdeen area, appearing in the census at Ellon Road in the parish of Old Machar, to the north of the city in the Bridge of Don area. She was described as a cow feeder with 4.5 acres of land. She had her son Alexander living with her.

Jean died on 30th May 1857 at her daughter’s home at 30 Gerrard Street in Aberdeen. She was probably around 75 years old. She was buried back at Methlick.

1. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1841 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh)
   221/1/1, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Auchencrive, Methlick, Aberdeenshire
   Widow Wilson, female, 55 [1781-6], Crofter, born in county
   Alexander Wilson, male, 20 [1816-21], born in county
   Jean Wilson, female, 15 [1821-6], born in county
   John Wilson, male, 9 [1831/2], born in county
   Ann Cowl, female, 40 [1796-1801], Hawker of small wares, not born in county

   There was another Jean Wilson living with a James Wilson in Methlick village, but he was a cartwright rather than a farmer and James Wilson the cartwright died at Methlick in 1860, after the Jean the subject of this page had died described as a widow. There was also a Jean Wilson described as a crofter living at Braikley in Methlick with a number of children, but baptism records for those children can be found with their father’s name given as Thomas.

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 General Register Office for Scotland. 1851 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh)
   168/B 41/11, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Ellon Road, Old Machar, Aberdeenshire [listed after Clover Hill and Middle field of Murcar]
   Jean Wilson, head, widow, female, 68 [1782/3], Cow Feeder (4½ acres), b. Methlic, Aberdeenshire
   Alexander Wilson, son, unmarried, male, 26 [1824/5], Agricultural Laborer, b. Methlic, Aberdeenshire

3. ↑ Deaths register, in General Register Office for Scotland. Civil Registration.

   1857. DEATHS in the District of St Nicholas in the Burgh of Aberdeen
   No. 443
   Surname and Name: Wilson, Jean
   Rank or Profession, and Condition (whether Married or Single, Widower or Widow): Widow of a Farmer
   When and where Died, with Hour of Death: 1857 May thirtieth, 2h30m P.M., 30 Gerrard Street, Aberdeen
   Sex: F
   Age: 78 years [1778/9]
   Parents’ Names, and Rank, Profession, or Occupation: Archibald Riddle, Farmer (deceased) / Mary Riddle maiden name Davidson (deceased)
   Cause of Death, and how long Disease continued.-Medical Attendant by whom certified, and when he last saw deceased: Old Age, 3 months / No Regular Medical attendant
   Burial Place, Undertaker, or other Person, by whom certified: Churchyard of Methlick, As Certified by James Wilson, Grave digger
   Signature, Qualification, and Residence of Informant, if out of the House in which the Death occurred: William Maitland, Inmate, present
   When and where Registered, and Signature of Registrar: 1857 June 2nd at Aberdeen, James Watt, Assistant Registrar

4. ↑ No baptism record has been found for Jean. Her death certificate names her parents as Archibald Riddle and Mary Davidson. That couple had married at Tyrie in Aberdeenshire in 1777. At the time of their marriage Archibald was living in the neighbouring parish to the south of New Deer. They appear to have lived New Deer for the first few years after their marriage, having three children baptised there between 1778 and 1780. Their next appearance in the records would appear to be the baptism of another child in 1792 at Methlick, the neighbouring parish to the south again from New Deer. There is therefore a twelve year gap between 1780 and 1792 in which no baptisms for children of the couple have been found. Whilst the age given on Jean’s death certificate suggests that she was born around 1778, in the 1851 census she indicated that she had been born around 1782 at Methlick. A birth around this time would therefore be in the gap during which no baptisms have been found for Archibald and Mary’s children.