Greggor Family of Peel

The name is spelled in numerous different ways (Gregor, Greggor, Grigger Grygar ...) - I have 'standardised' on Greggor for this page.

The progenitor of this family is John Gregor, described in Kirk German Marriage Register as 'now of this parish but late of Stetin in Prussian Pomerania', who married Dorothy Crossendale als Colvin, widow, on 13 Nov 1763 at Peel - he signed his name, the witnesses were Mungo Smith mercht and James Caine gentleman. I can find only one surviving child of this marriage John Gregor (ch. Ger 30 September 1764). There is the interesting possibility that John Greggor was one a sizeable number of Scottish emigrant huxters who traded along the Baltic coast (in cloth etc) from the 15th Century - several of whom settled in the various trading ports.

The name Colvin is virtually restricted to German around this period and the only Dorothy Colvin is daughter of Henry Colvin and Dorothy Ellison, christened 8 April 1736 - probably buried Kirk German 5 Feb 1801 (the later Dorothy buried 1818 is probably her grand-daughter) - her first husband was Henry Christop (also Crossendale, Grossend ) 'of Zeb in lower germany but for some time past in the town of Peel' - his will says he was a sailor who perished at sea on 29 Nov 1761, there would appear to be no children from this short marriage.

John Greggor II would appear to have married Judith Bart sometime before 1792, though I can't find this marriage in German PR (the name Bart I hadn't seen before and I wonder is this is a phonetic misreading of Bath which appears as a given name in later generations).

The following is a first, and incomplete, attempt at a tree for the early generations - many assumptions have been made as described below - those in blue are more ?


                     Henry Colvin = Dororothy Ellison
                                  |
                            +-----+---------------------+----------+---------+--------+--------+
                      (1)   |    (2)                    |          |         |        |        |
                            |    1764                   |          |         |        |        |
     Henry Crossendale = Dorothy  = John Gregor       John       Esther    Henry    Henry   Margaret
                         b 1736   |                  b 1737      b 1740    b 1742   b 1745   b 1748
                         d 1801   |  d 1816
                                  +-------------------------+---------+
                                  |                         |         |
                                John = Judith Bart       George     George
                             b 1764  |                    b 1773    b 1774
                             d 1841  |  d 1829            d.1773    d 1810
                                     |
                      +------------+-+--------+---------------+-------------+
                      |            |          |               |             |
                    John        George       Ann          Benjamin       Dorothy 
                  b 1792       b 1794      b 1795         b 1797          b 1800 
                  d 1872       d 1864      d 1857         d.1840          d 1818
                                   |          |               |
                                   |          +-----------+   +----------------------+
                              (1)  |  (2)                 |                          |
                                   |  1834               1820(Bra)                  1820
                    Sarah Bell = --+-- = Eleanor Killey   = James Barr               = Ann Morrison
                        1794   |       |   b 1813         |                          |
                      d 1833   |       |   d 1864         v                          +----------------------------------------------------------------+
                               |       +-------------------------------------+                                                                        |   
                               |                                             |                                                                        |
   +--------+----------+-------+--------+----------+                     +------+--------+-------+-------+---------+--------+-------+             +---+----+--------+-------+--------+--------+--------+-----+--------+
   |        |          |       |        |          |                     |      |        |       |       |         |        |       |             |        |        |       |        |        |        |     |        |
 Benjamin William    John   George    Sarah     Thomas                 James  Richard   Emily   John   Eleanor  Elizabeth  Emily   George       Jane     Maria     Ann     Sarah  Benjamin  George   Philip    John     Sarah         
  b 1818   1822      1822    1825     1828       1827                  Bath   Booase  (Amelia)                             Jane    William        |                        Bath
   |    ?d 1843    d 1900  d 1836   d 1839        |                   b 1834   b 1835   b 1836 b 1838   1839     1840     b 1845   b 1851       b 1820   b 1822   b 1825   b 1828  b 1830   b 1832   b 1835   b 1837   b 1839
   |        |         +--------+                  |                     |                      d 1838                     d 1847                  |                                                  d 1838
   |        |                  |                  |                     |                                                                         |            
   |        +-+                |             (1)  |   (2)               |                                                                         |            
  1840     ? 1840              |            1851  |  1859              1860                                                                      1840                    
   = Ann      = Mary           |  Cath Kewley = --+-- = Ann Kaye        = (Eliza) Jane Gawne                                                      = William             
   | Cringal  |  Crellin       |      b 1832  |                                                                                                   |  Sayle   
   |          |                |      d 1859  |                                                                                                   v   
   |          |           (1)  |  (2)
   |          |                |  1850
   +-~~~      +- Isabella  = --+-- = Catharine   
   |          |      Archibald |   |   Clucas
 Sarah       Esther
  Ann         b. 1842
b 1840



Any dates prefixed with b (baptism) are derived from entries in German PR (ex IGI) - d are burials in German, other dates derived from census data except marriages from German PR.

I assume that the John McGreggor who died aged 77 in May 1841 (just before the census) is John II - he appears in the 1814 Peel Census as Jno Gregor in a household with 2 adult males and 3 adult females, which may indicate that John III was not present. John II is also found in the 1796 Abbeylands rents, as John McGregor, ½d for property in the Michael street area (cottage rent #26). This corresponds to a 1788 property sale from Henry Quayle, mason, of 'one half a moiety of a dwelling house situate in Kk Michael street at present in the occupation of Robert Killey, joiner' - the buyer, for £26 15 6d was John Griggor, mariner - thus this could be either John I or John II though probably intended for John II who was recently or more likely, just about to be, married. There is a will of a John Greggor in Episcopal Wills 1841 - the will is dated 1839 and is presumeably that of John II - there are only small bequests but to sons John, George & Benjamin and daughter Ann. His executor and residuary legatee is grand daughter Mary Ann Bar - the only other person mentioned is grandson James.

John III - eldest son of John Greggor II and Judith Hart is somewhat of a mystery - he does not appear in the 1841, 1851 or 1861 censuses, (the John Greggor buried in 1816 (no age given) I have assumed must be John I). In the 1871 census a John Griggor is found, age 79, as a visitor with Elizabeth Sayle als Greggor (niece), presumeably the same John Greggor buried German, 28 Apr 1872 age 80.

I cannot find the marriage of Sarah Bell and George Greggor - the baptism of Benjamin, at Peel, is in the IGI - in the 1841 census Benjamin indicates birth in England where I think George and Sarah had emigrated to - I cannot find baptismal records for John and Thomas who are found in the houshold with George and step-mother Eleanor, likewise the linkage of William, Jane and Sarah, derived from German burials, is also conjectural. However it looks likely that George and Sarah returned to the Island around 1830, Sarah died 1833 (buried as Sarah Grigger) after which George married the much younger Eleanor Kewley by whom he had a large family (there may be some I've missed ). He was a cooper and resided in Duck Street, Peel in 1841 and 1851 - he also held a PH licence for a couple of years from 1835 - the 1837 directory shows him as running a tavern on Strand Street. Some baptisms are found in Holy Trinity Whitehaven where he is noted as a cooper - William 7th May 1822, John 17th Noc 1822, George 20 Mar 1825 and Thomas 10 June 1827.

All other male Greggors would appear to be fisherman or associated with fishing.

There is a marriage of an Ann McGreggor to James Barr in 1820 at Braddan, in the 1841 Peel census an Ann Barr (nee Grigger living in Big Street (today's Castle street) )is married to Irish born James (in 1851 describes himself as musician) - her reported ages in 1841 + 1851 are confusing - 34 in 1841, 48 in 1851 and is presumeably the same Ann Barr buried aged 61 in 1857. Her putative daughter, Mary Ann,and the executor of her grandfather's will, is shown as a nominal 15, (born 1823), living away from home in Kirk Michael Street, as a mantua-maker in the same house as a bonnet maker. By the 1881 census James Barr, still shown as musician though now born in Scotland, is living in the house of widowed daughter Mary Ann Kissack, 10 Glenfaba Road, Peel (there is a marriage 10 Nov 1850 in Kk Patrick of Ann Barr to John Kissack).

George's younger brother Benjamin married Ann Morrison in 1820, leaving her a widow with a large familiy at his early death in 1840 aged 42.

Looking at the third generation - Benjamin had married Ann Cringal in 1840, William is not found in the German PR and is assumed to be son of George (approximate dob derived from census), both he and his wife Mary Crellin indicate English birth in the 1841 census, there are a few children in the early 1840's (tba) but they are not in the 1851 census - there is a William McGreggor buried Feb 1843 aged 22 who would fit this William. Jane who had married William Sayle in 1840 is also assumed to be a daughter. John's first wife was Isabella Archibald who dies in 1849 after which he marries Catharine Clucas at Peel in May 1850 but he is not in the 1851 census (Catherine is head of household described as "mariner's wife" - one of some 60 Peel women whose husbands appeared to be away fishing) - children by this marriage are William Benjamin in 1852 and Catharine Bath? in 1855, it is possible Catharine Clucas died sometime before 1861and he then married Judith Ann Lace c1862 (this latter on suggestion of a descendant). - I have assumed he was the John Greggor buried German 12 Aug 1900 age 76.

 

 

tbd

 


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© F.Coakley , 2002