Thomas Bennet
born 1791
(my
husband's 3rd great grandfather) married Euphemia
Thorburn on 07/08/1829 at Temple,
Midlothian She was born 08/10/1809 and her parents were John
Thorburn and Margaret Dewar. Thomas died 1857 and
Euphemia died in 1864.
Children were:-
Thomas b 1830, Agnes b 1833, Margaret b 1835,
Matthew b 1837, John
b 1839, Euphemia b
1847
Thomas born
13/08/1830 died 1904 -
married Anne Cornwall
born 10/09/1839 died 1906 on 28/06/1859 at Temple,
Midlothian
John born 26/07/1839
married a Miss Douglas
Thomas Bennet and Anne Cornwall
The had 10 known children
Thomas, John, Anne
b 1861, Euphemia, Robert, Matthew, Richard, Margaret, Peter
and David – born between 1857 and
1882.
Anne, born 21 Jun
1861 married George Hunter
on 31 Dec 1886 - they
were my husband's great grandparents
Temple Old Church |
The Thorburns
Robert Thorburn, (John Thorburn 's father), a Cooper from
Cockpen, bought a plot of land in Gorebridge, 120 feet by 60 feet on
24th May 1779.
This land was bought from James Dewar of Vogrie on whose land the
oldest part of Gorebridge was built. In 1819 his son John Thorburn
bought an adjacent block.
On the death of Robert his son John inherited his father's property.
Two-storey shops and houses were built over a period of time and the
last plot was re-sold in 1880.
An inn was one of the first properties built.
John Thorburn was a cooper in the
gunpowder mill in 1841,1851
and 1861 census -Gunpowder Coopers
were well paid.
However Robert Thorburn made his money before the gunpowder mill was
in operation. |
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The
Cornwalls
from West Molesey, Surrey and Temple Midlothian Scotland |
The Cornwall family
were in East and West Molesey, Surrey as follows:-
Richard
Cornwall (my husband's 5th great grandfather) was
born abt 1740 and his wife Mary Smith
was born abt 1744 both
in East Molesey, Surrey. Mary died abt 1815
in West Molesey.
Richard and Mary Smith were married 15/02/1764 in East Molesey
and had six children:-
Mary, born 02/06/1765, Richard, born 23/04/1769,
Sarah, born 1772, William born 25/05/1777,
James born 31/10/1779, John born 22/09/1789
Richard,
born 23/04/1769 married Mary Knight born 1772, on
21/02/1788
in West
Molesey before they moved to Stobbs
Mills near Gorebridge
Scotland having been recruited by Hitchener and Hunter
when they
founded the Gunpowder Mill
there in 1794.the first mill of its kind in Scotland. They
lived at Powder Mill Brae known locally as Black Raw..
On 17/02/1825 there was a
dreadful explosion at the Powder Mill. Richard was killed,
An article from the National Library of Scotland tells the story of the
explosion:-
Dreadful Explosion
Their son Thomas was born abt 1800 in Stobbsmill.
He married Ann Erskine
on 20/07/1825 at
Temple.
She was born abt 1801 at Tranent. Thomas died on 23 Sep 1863 from an
injured spleen.
They had 5
children:-
Richard born 10/04/1826, Thomas born 09/07/1829,
John born 1834, Mary born 1837 and Anne born
10/09/1839
- all at
Temple Midlothian.
Richard
born
10/04/1826
lived at Arniston Mains Farm in 1841. He
married Janet Donaldson (born
on 25 Jun 1829) on 24
Jun 1849.Her parents were John Donaldson and Mary Ramage, who married 25 Nov 1811. Mary's
father was Richard Ramage.
Richard Cornwall died on 16 Dec 1893 - was struck by a locomotive on the viaduct
bridge while working on the line at Newbattle. His residence at that time
was 14 Jane Place, Muirpark, Eskbank, Dalkeith.He is buried in Temple
graveyard lair 115
Anne married
Thomas Bennet
on 28 Jun 1859 at
Temple. (see the Bennets - above)
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From the Rootschat website
The Cornwall
gravestone has the following inscription:-
Erected by
Thomas Cornwall in memory of :-
his Father Richard Cornwall who
died 17th February 1826,
his daughter Mary who died 29th December
---- aged 5.
Thomas' son Thomas died 26th June 1840 aged 11
years.
Thomas' daughter Mary who died 1st August 1856 aged 19 years.
Mary Knight Thomas' mother died February 15th 1858 aged 86
Thomas Cornwall who died 23rd September 1863 aged 63
:
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Temple Village burial ground
in Midlothian Scotland
- the Cornwall grave is beside the seat.
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The Cornwall gravestone |
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The
Origins of Gorebridge |
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In
1794 two Englishmen, named Hitchener and Hunter came North looking
for a valley with a river
and suitable access to the sea. They were to build a gunpowder mill,
the first in Scotland, along
the river Gore from the weir below Harvieston House towards the
"Lion and Elephant gates" of
Arniston estate, stretching for 2 miles. They transported their
goods by road to Edinburgh and then
abroad by means of the Forth and Clyde canal. Their gunpowder was
used in the Napoleonic war. |
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Thanks to
Bob Smith
Flickr pics |
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This all that is left of
the Gorebridge Gunpowder Mills, the first in Scotland. |
Mill
building, looking down
on the structure it looks
like a building within a brick
lined bunker cut into the hillside for safety. |
This short tunnel is on the
site may be part of a Laid water system, |
The end of what looks like a small canal
and "may" be the end of the water channel
that
provided power for the mill.
.
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