The Moffat Family from North Shields

[rlpmrb]

I have been researching my families past and have traced their origin to North Shields Northumberland.
Our family is decended from Peter Moffat who had 9 children, one Alexander was my ancestor.
Alexander was born 7/11/1792 and Christened 2/12/1792 his Mother was Elizabeth (Smith).
The only information I have on Peter is from the 1841 Census where his age was given as 76 and noted a birth year of 1765, at the time he was living with his wife in Lights,Low Tynemouth.
I have details of all his children from the Parish registry of the Norfolk Street Associate Cong Or Secession Or Sconoth Shie, North Shields.
He was married 20/6/1790 Christ Church Tynemouth Northumberland.
From my research there seems to be three families of Moffat's in North Shields at this time Peter, Nathaniel and Robert. They all named their children with similar names making me think that they had common Parents or Grand Parents.
The common names are Alexander, Esther, Eleanor,George, Thomas and Elizabeth.
I have traced an Alexander Moffat and Esther who wher married in the 1750's but have reach a bit of a dead end at the moment.
I would appeciate it if someone could help me in my research.

[Squaredancer]

Hello and welcome to the Forums! I’m sure you’ll find the people here very helpful, as I have.

I’m researching the same family.

Alexander Moffat who married Mary Turner in Berwick on Tweed, Northumberland, in 1816 was my great-great-grandfather. I have a family document which I believe was written by him, which lists the details of his family. He states that he was 27 at the age of marriage, which would put his year of birth at 1788/1789. I recently found Alexander’s marriage allegation on Family Search Record Pilot, but he and Mary are both stated as being aged “twenty-one years and upwards” (very helpful!).
Alexander and Mary’s children were:

Robert Moffat
Ann Turner Moffat
Elizabeth Moffat
Alexander Moffat
William Turner Moffat
James Turner Moffat
Mary Moffat
George Young Moffat
Jane Moffat

If anyone would like to see full details of birth & baptism for these, please have a look at my earliest post https://www.british-genealogy.com/for...FAT&highlight=

It’s obvious where Turner came from as Ann, William and James’s middle name, but where did the name Young come from in George’s? I wonder if it could be a clue to Alexander’s parentage? I’m not 100% convinced that his father was called Peter – although the names Robert, William, Alexander and George repeat through the generations, the earliest Peter was born in 1925. I’m keeping an open mind, not putting any father for Alexnder into my tree until I’m sure.

I understand that there were “naming patterns” in use, by which children were named after grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, etc., in a certain order. Can anyone throw any light on what sort of pattern would have been in use in Northumberland in the 1820s-1830s?

There are no Esthers, Eleanors or Thomases anywhere in my branch of the family. There is, however, another Alexander Moffat, who married a Barbara Richardson in Tynemouth in 1816, and he appears in the 1881 census as having been born in 1793 in North Shields, with a daughter Eleanor in the household.

I just thought of another possibility for confirming Alexander’s father – this line of Moffats were Freemen of Berwick onTweed. A person had to be the sone of a freeman, and be aged 21 or over. Peter born 1925 was made a Freeman in 2002, and I have a copy of a piece of paper on which he wrote the dates of our relatives being made Free. Details are:

Alexander 1816
Robert 1838
Hugh 1884
George 1936
Peter 2002

Someone on another forum, some years ago, offered lookups from a book called “Freemen of Berwick Upon Tweed - 1800's”, but the latest query, posted in April of this year, has not been answered. I wonder if anyone reading this has a copy? I am hoping that in the listing of a Freeman some information regarding his father might be given. Clutching at straws, probably…
Susan

[rlpmrb]

My basic assumption has always been the information on Alexander's birth 7/11/1792 contained on the Clan Moffat Website was correct.
The date lines up with the Alexander born in North Shields with his Father being Peter.
When William Turner Moffat was Married in Melbourne he was of the Independent Church this may be connected to the Church Alexander was Christened in in North Shields?.
What I find unusual is Peter has not used his name with any of his sons.
May be he did not like his name or Peter being a Catholic name was not popular at the time when there was a lot of anti Catholic sentiment.

I have uncovered Britsh Naming Patterns of the 18th Century

Males

First-born Son - father's father
Second-born Son - mother's father
Third-born Son - father
Fourh-born Son - father's eldest brother
Fifth-born Son - father's 2nd eldest brother or mothers eldest brother

Females

First-born Daughter - mother's mother
Second-born Daughter - father's mother
Third-born Daughter - mother
Fourth-born Daughter - mother's eldest sister
Fifth-born Daughter - mother's 2nd eldest sister or father's oldest sister

Lots of food for thought.

[Squaredancer]

A few days ago I finally got to the Record Office at Berwick-upon-Tweed!

My line of Moffats were mostly Freemen of Berwick-upon-Tweed, so I searched the records of the Freemen and found out that Alexander Moffat was made free on 12th February 1816. I was amazed to find how easy it is to follow a line backwards, as the records show the date on which each man’s father was made free. Unfortunately Alexander’s record does not give any information about his father, only stating that he (Alexander) was apprenticed to John Knox, carpenter. However, the Berwick Enrolments 1778-1851 show “09/12/1809 Alexander son of Robert Moffat of Berwick Nab, co. Durham, apprenticed to John Knox, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Burg. and Carpenter”.

Alexander is recorded as a cabinet maker in 1817 on his first son Robert’s baptism record, but by 1820 he was an Excise Officer.


The naming patterns in the post above are interesting. They weren’t used exactly in this family, but there’s definitely:
a son named after the father – Alexander
a son named after the father’s father – Robert
a son named after the mother’s father – William Turner
a daughter named after the mother (and her mother) – Mary

and in the next generation my great-grandfather, Robert, named his four sons Robert, Alexander George, William, and Hugh. In the following generation Hugh's son was George and Alexander George's son was Hugh. Not a Peter anywhere until the next generation when George named his son Peter Alexander in 1925!

I am convinced that Alexander’s father was Robert Moffat.

The snag is, I can’t find any other info on Robert, or on his residence in 1809, Berwick Nab. Can anyone help on this, please? Google doesn’t turn up anything about the place.

[moffsta]

My mother was from berwick on tweed, our family name now is Moffett but Mothers maiden name was moffat, her siblings were/are: Albert, David, Kath, Elizabeth. my mother's mother and father were called James and Mary-Ann, my mother taking the name Marian (combination of both) if anyone knows any info i'd be glad of it thank you

[Squaredancer]

Hi Moffsta and welcome to the Forums!

I’m not sure that my lot is connected to yours in any way – none of the names ring any bells with me. Of course, they could be connected further back than I've been able to find. By coincidence, I am looking for a Marion Moffat, but I think she’s probably a bit early to be one of yours.

She appears as the five-year-old niece of my great-great uncle James Turner MOFFAT and his wife Mary Ann nee SMALES, at Barking in Essex in the 1871 census. According to that she was born in Hull, but I can’t find the birth record. The only other record of her that I have found is in the 1881 census at Palmers School, Grays Thurrock, Essex, aged 14.

How far back have you got with yourMoffats/Moffetts?