Scotland 2004

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For years we've wanted to visit Scotland, where Dave's four grandparents were born before emigrating to Canada between 1888 and 1902.

Wed May 26 - Flew from Toronto to Glasgow on Zoom Airlines after a 3-week visit with Lisa and family near Niagara Falls.

Thurs May 27 - Arrived 0615 a.m. on a cool sunny morning, rented a Fiat Clio from Thrifty, and checked into the Travelodge on Hill street, near the heart of downtown Glasgow. Walked around downtown and later explored a few sights by car, driving around in circles for the most part. You really don't want a car in Glasgow! We did find Glasgow Green, apparently the UK's oldest public park, and visited the Winter Garden in the People's Palace.

The Palace was built for poor folk in 1898 and featured reading, recreation and art. Now it houses the Glasgow History Museum and, under the huge glass dome, the Winter Gardens, filled with cacti, palm trees, and exotic and local flowers. With the sun shining, it was very hot in there, and we didn't stay long.

.Fri May 28 - Under cloudy skies and rain spits, visited Glasgow Cathedral in the morning. Impressive but gloomy place filled with memorials to the dead from many wars, including early ones in China, India, and the Crimea. From there, a frustrating search for Fossil Grove on Clyde Bank, which we finally found in lovely Victoria Park after getting directions from the very nice lady where we had lunch.

Victoria Park was a riot of rhodies in bloom, many colours and shapes. The fossil forest, protected in a building, was found when they were creating the rock gardens in the park. It is quite fascinating.

Our sightseeing done, we drove to Dean, Livingston, just west of Edinburgh, and checked into a nice B&B. After dinner nearby, when we poked our heads into the lawn-bowling club across from our digs, we were treated with tremendous hospitality by club members, who had held a tournament that day. What a great welcome.

Sat May 29 - David and cousin Freda (Peden) VanZetten met us at the B&B, and the exciting pursuit of tracking down ancestors began.
We drove in convoy across the bridge west of Edinburgh to Kirckaldy, where we walked the High Street to muse about where Freda's GGG'father James Peden (b. 1790) (also David's GGGG'pa?) lived for a while. Freda had a house number but, of course, all the numbers had changed. We surmised that, because he was a fisherman, he had likely lived in one of the old buildings at the lower end, a short walk from the harbour, which we had explored in the pouring rain earlier.

Then back and around Edinburgh to Prestonpans, East Lothian, on the south shore of the Firth, to meet some of Freda's siblings. Her brother, Fraser, joined us for the afternoon. After lots of Peden talk with Freda's sisters, we drove to Port Seton/Cockenzie where many Peden ancestors lived and fished, and took pictures of three houses where David's Great Grandfather, Sandy Peden (b. 1848), lived, one in which his grandmother, Sandy's daughter Mary Peden Moffat, was born in 1874.

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(Left: Linda, Freda, her brother Fraser, husband David; right the Peterkins at Sandy Peden's former home).

(left: Wemyss Place; right: #5 Hawthorn Terrace, another Port Seton home of Sandy Peden's parents, GGGrandpa William (b.1821) and GGGrandma Margaret Thomson Peden, b.1822)

The delightful Peterkins gave us a cook's tour of Sandy's former home. They took great pride in how they have preserved original features while modernizing the house, and Mr. Peterkin filled us in on how Sandy would have dried his nets by draping them over the roof in back (we saw the cubbyhole upstairs that gave him access to the roof). Finally, we drove to the Eildon B&B at Musselbourgh.

Sunday May 30 - Visited the Seabird Centre at North Berwick, and took a boat tour to Bass Rock, where Sandy "Peden the Prophet" (a Peden ancestor?) was imprisoned in 1688. We had a good look at many new birds for us, Gannets, Puffins, Shags (like cormorants with cockades), Blackbacked gulls and Kittiwakes, very small gulls with white heads and grey upper wings, Eiderducks and Razorbills. Lots of cormorants, too.

Later viewed Tantalon Castle from over the fence. It was undergoing reconstruction.

From there, we drove back to Wemyss Place in Port Seton to visit Freda's brother George and his delightful wife Joan, who live in the row where GGfather Sandy Peden lived, right across from the harbour where the Pedens moored their fishing boats. We heard some good stories and enjoyed a nice tea and a nice whiskey.

While walking along the harbour in Cockenzie we met a Peden distant relative, a retired fisherman, who explained a lot about life faced by our GGG'parents and descendant fishermen in Port Seton/Cockenzie. He told us that the bay windows on the houses were added after the Fishermen's Union bought them, perhaps so the spouses could watch for the boats returning from sea.

Before leaving the area, we took pictures of the Primitive Methodist Church in Tranent, where GG'pa Sandy Peden married GG'ma Mary Highstead Peden (b, 1852) on January 3, 1874. At 26 years old, GG'pa was already a widower at the time. Don't know anything about the first marriage.

Later in the afternoon David and Freda drove us into Edinburgh for a preview tour, and we enjoyed dinner at the Saigon Saigon. Best Chinese buffet we've ever eaten.

Monday May 31 After bidding farewell to David and Freda, we ventured on our own to Edinburgh on the DayPass bus. A beautiful sunny day.

The Palace offers great views of a very impressive city. We started being exposed to Scotland's fascinating but very bloody and confusing history from the 11th century. Now, they are finding pre-castle proof of habitation on this hill dating back to the 600s.

We made a short visit to the art gallery, walked part of the Royal Mile, stopped into

the new Museum of Scotland and the Royal Museum with its soaring glass vaulted ceiling, then caught a bus to Holyrood Palace, which was closed for some to-do or another.

Wonderful fish dinner at the Cafe Royale pub, before catching the bus back to Mussellburgh, where we arrived home about 9 pm, 12 hours and a whole lot of walking later.

Tuesday June 1

In light rain, we drove south around Edinburgh, over the Firth of Forth bridge again, and up the coast of the Celtic Kingdom of Fife. We approached Kirkcaldy by the shore route this time, and nothing seemed familiar.

We followed the shore to the very picturesque village of Crail, where we walked to the harbour and strolled a little way along the Castle Walk.

Our route continued to St. Andrews, where we walked to the Ancient and Royal (R&A) Golf Club and the Old Course.

The club was scene of an Amateur tournament at the time, and we watched young men practising as the rain fell heavier and heavier, becoming a downpour in which we were soaked returning to the car.

Since the weather didn't encourage further sight-seeing in St. Andrews, we headed towards Dundee. There was no room at the inn in Arbroath, where we'd hoped to stay, and we drove further to Montrose.

After settling into a small room in Oaklands Guesthouse, we drove to the golf areas and dune-backed beaches under brightening skies.

Wednesday June 2 Saw two new birds, Shelducks (huge) and Marsh Tit, at the Montrose Wildlife Centre before heading back up the coast to Stonehaven. A beautiful drive through rolling farmland, wild flowers, and lovely cultivated gardens, with the sea as a backdrop.

We walked down to the castle at Dunnottar, but didn't explore the ruins. We also walked up Black Hill, where there is an impressive war memorial and a great view of the harbour.

From there we drove to Banchory and met with Ron Cromarty, whose mother was a Florence. Over a cup of tea, he gave us good advice about tracking down Florences in Aberdeen. Since the intervening farm country yielded no B&Bs, we continued on to Aberdeen, where we settled into Aberdeen Springdale Guest House, a unit in one of the wonderful granite rowhouses on Great Western Road.

In Search of the Florences

From The Surnames of Scotland, George F. Black, New York Public Library (1st edition 1946 - last 1989)

"Florence: A masculine personal name, Latin Florentius. The fame of Florentius, an Angevin saint, made the name popular among the Normans. The name Florentius occurs on one of the early Christian stones at Whithorn, Wigtownshire. Florense, son of Florense 111, cunt of Holland and Ada, granddaughter of David 1, was bishop-elect of Glasgow. Florence Wilson (Florentius Volusenus) of Mornay was one of the foremost Latin scholars in Europe in the 16th century. Alexander Florence, feuar in Old Meldrum, 1777 (Aberdeen CR). Several of this name from Aberdeenshire served in the 1st Great War, and John D. Florence from Rothienorman was among the killed (Turiff)."

Thursday, Friday, Monday June 3, 4 &7 - Aberdeen sightseeing and family history days. On Thursday, we moved house to Kildonan Guest House, two doors down, then bused into Aberdeen's downtown in pouring rain. Because of the weather, we chose indoor sight-seeing, starting with the 17th century Provost Skene's House, with its fascinating painted ceiling dated from 1622. Checked the Art Gallery, too, where I noted that Scottish art tends to be rather dark and subdued, no doubt influenced by the weather. Even the Impressionist works seemed rather dreary.

When the rain stopped, we walked to Nelson Street, where Great Grandpa Peter Florence, stone mason (b.1831) lived at #15. He lived in a tenement with two rooms with windows, first recorded in the 1871 census. We found where #15 would have been, now an area of ugly-looking modern flats (left). The tenements must have come down quite some time ago. When we talked to a fellow who lived in the apartments, he said they were built 25 years ago after a row of small single houses, probably like the cottage pictured, had been razed.

Saw some other Aberdeen sights, the 17th century Mercat Cross and the Salvation Army citadel in Castlegate. Also visited the Marischal (Marshal) Museum, which houses an eclectic collection of things from all over the world brought home by Scots explorers, colonial governors, bankers, etc.

On a sunny Friday with a cold wind, we caught the bus to the Beaches area and walked down to the Don River, where we saw Oyster Catchers and Common Terns. We walked back along the beach, crossed the links, and caught a bus to visit St. Malchar Cathedral in Old Town. David was fascinated by the wooden ceiling. After bussing back downtown, we went to the harbour and the Maritime Museum, part of which is Provost Ross's House, the oldest building in Aberdeen (1563ish).

On these days, we spent a lot of time here at 158 King. Through census data, we learned a bit about GGGG'pa Charles Florence (b.1776 in Culsalmond), GGG'pa Peter Florence (b.1801, Culsalmond), and GG'pa Peter, the stonemason (b.1831, Methlick). Ron Cromarty had told us about this place.

Pub at the corner of Nelson and King, which was there in the 1873-1900 timeframe that Florences were nearby. 315 King is about a block away, where GGfather Peter Florence, Stone merchant, had his business (now a parking lot). He and family including Grandfather William Gibson Florence, draper's assistant, lived half a block away at 15 Nelson, a tenement, in 1891. (Will G was 17, father was 60)

Saturday, Sunday June 5, 6 Toured Northeast of Aberdeen, where GGGfather Peter Florence and forbears lived at Methlick, and earlier at Culsalamond, Aucterless, and Fyvie.

Inverurie, met Steve Morrison, a Florence descendant, this is the farmhouse where he lives. Continued on to Methlick, and checked into the local hotel. Rock band on that night! Overlooked the graveyard.

In the 1841 census, Methlick Parish, GGG'pa Peter, 40, was a Crofter at Arnabogs, a huge farm owned by Lord Gordon of Aberdeen. GGGG'pa Charles, 60, lived with them (he died sometime before the next census in 1851). GG'pa Peter was 12 and his brother John, who later also worked as a stonemason in Aberdeen, was six. GGG'ma Jane (Jean) Scott Florence was 38 (b.1807, Methlick). The 1851 census shows GG'pa Peter had left the household, and GGG'pa was listed as a farmer of 20 acres in South Arnabogs. By 1861, he had three rooms with windows and was crofter of 25 acres. The GGG'parents were still living there in the 1881 census, GGG'pa 80 and GGG'ma 78, with a 15 year old general servant named Ann Mearns.GGG'pa died in 1886 and GGG'ma in 1885.

In Methlick, across the street, in the old Parish, we found the marker for GGGFather Peter Florence, b1801, d1886,, a crofter. Fabulous stone of Aberdeen (grey)granite and Peterhead (pink) granite. (two sons GGFather Peter and his brother John were both granite stonemasons!)

GGGFather Peter Florence, the crofter had 20-25 acres of the South part of Arnybogs Farm from the 1841 census to the 1881 census. Father Charles (b.1776) was with them in 1841, but not 1851. We visited the current owners of the farmhouse (left, built in early 1900s)

This handsome bridge was widened in 1999 to meet Euro standards, but retained the stones of the original built in mid 1800s, when GGGfather Peter was there. The bridge is about 300 yards from his 25 acres tenancy, and he would have crossed the bridge to get to the town, about 1/2 mile away.

We toured the Aucterless (left) and Culsalamond (centre) old kirkyards, then Fyvie castle while we were in the area. Many Florences lived in these areas.