Tha lon ot viSllaft andth€ Tenpence Pld ona Tnoffi[et $mrm ol23d ilouember185I.
mhssolfro flsnhg[otlt 'Ugllentr' aLt "fonDonG:0"
(ill..stotm of 23d ovrmbq 1157 O Johncrawlod Th€ Theloss ofVigilant and theTenpence
Foreword
I havehad an interestin the seasince I joinedthe RoyalNavy in the eartysixties for a nine yearcontract of service;the interestin the fisher_folkof the Moraycoast came much tater when I startedto researchthe ancestryof my wife Janisllair. Her folks camefrom Portknockie;her dad wittiam Mair'shy' was a fine manand a goodfriend. My ownfamity were rooted in the coalfields of CentraLScottand and I hadfor a longtime consideredthat job asone of the mostdangerous environments in whichto work Manyof my ancestorswere kiLLed or iniureddeep underground. I wa! the tastmember of my family to haveworked underground in a coatmine. Thath saidwith somesadnels that is moreto do with the disappearanceof the mjningcommunities and att the goodthings that stoodfor, than it is with the demiseof an industrythat onceemptoyed thousands of men, women, boysand girts. whenI beganto tookat the tivesof fishermenand their familieslquickty reatised that here wasa far morehazardous way to earna living. I cameacross countless examples of fatheR, sons,brothers and yes, sometimes sisters and daughters- atl tost at seain the pursuitof fish,Others were lost in the two wortdwars in whichfishermen from the areaptayed a part by seMngin the drifterscommande€red by the Admirattyand sentto sweepbefore the fleet for the deadtymines. It wasa commonoccurrence for me to find simltaritiesbetween the tivesof fishermenand their famitiesand those of minersand their famities Bothhad to suffergreat hardship to fottowtheir destinies,the wivesdeating wjth tragediestime and time againin their llves. Thestoicism of the separatebreeds of peoplewith the conditjonsthey facedin their daity tiveswas an obvious common factor, Likemany peopte I tookit for grantedthat I put anotherlump of coaLon the fire or gointo a chipshop on a weekendnight and get a fish supper,not givingone thought for howit came to be beforeme wrappedin paperand maklng my mouthwater. Needtessto sayI nowappreciate iust howthe filh got thereand how many tives have been lostin gettingthat to meand my ancestors over the years. I have used contemporarynewspaper reports of the time to illustratejust what the fishermenwent throughon oneday when no lessthan FORTY_TWOwere lost to the seaon oneday. Thesevery descriptive reports assist the imaginationto understandiust whatthey all wentthrough on that terribleday. Wherepossible I have insertedthe censusrecord for 1851,some six yearsbefore the disastergiving information that somemight find usefuLand serving to corroboratesome of the atreadyknown facts about the deceasedand their famities.
The(itler Stormol23- November1857 The lossofVigilant and theTenpence
A wordof cautionwith censusrecords, they couLdsometimes be a bit of a hit andmiss as manyof the poorerpeopte could neither read nor write andsome may not haveknown their properage at the time. Mostteft school,if theyhad managed to get thereat all, at the age of 11 or 12 years. Manyof the younggirts did not get any schootingwhatsoever. The fishermenprided themselves on their questfor educationfor their familiesand they seemed to havemore education than most. Thecensus taker who went from houseto househad to rely on the informationhe wasgiven to comptetethe censusbook. Thiswas only the secondcensus undertaken in the area,the first havingbeen taken ten yearseartier in 1841. Thiscensus (1851) had more information onthe peoplebeing counted.
The conclusionI have reached is that informatlonfrom censusrecords is not atwaysto be trusteda5 being compLetety accurate; there were too manyoppoftunities to makemistakes despitethe bestefforts of the enumeratoB. when I startedto compitethis recordof researchinto the terrible djsaster,my wife's cousin,Mary S Laingoffered her assistancein researchinga numberof the victlmsof the diaaaterand in proof-readingmy typedreports. I wasvery happy to receivethe offer and Maryhas not ontybeen lnvatuabte but hashad a maiorinput into this pieceof research. My thanksatso to MarjoryIngram, one of my neighbouG;when things get difficutt I know that I havea tenaciousresearcher just a few doorsaway, she has provided crucial back'up for someof the recordsthat haveproved difficutt. Thanksto my daughterJuLie who has provided a link to the GRoScentre in Edinburghand mayjust havebeen caught by the bugof geneatogicatresearch. Mythanks to att threefor their patienceand forbearance with me; I canbe difficuLtto work with at timesand can be a hardtaskmaster,
Thispubtication fotlows the Evangelineand others are set to fottowthis, with the backing andsupport of the Buckie& DistrictFishing Heritage Centre Ltd whotook after the pastvrith a view to the future. All profitswitt go to this charitywhich is run by votonteers,many of whomare highlyskilled ex fishermen. Eachand everyone of them are worthy of our supportin their effortsto keepthe heritageof the areasafe for the generationsto fottow.
JohnCrawford Buckie 1'toctob€r 2006.
O Johncawrord The KilterStorm of 2l'd November1857 Theloss ofVigitant and theTenpence
TheKiller storm of 23'oNovember 1857
"Thosethat godown to the seain ships" do not needto be totdthat it canbe a dangerous andtreacherous place to be in the twenty_firstcentury. In the middteof the nineteenth centuryit wasconceivably worse. Thefishermen who ventured out in smatlboats knew it wasa dangerousway to earna tivingbut theyknew of no otherway to feedand ctothe their families. Thedanger had to be faced,using their skittsto 'read' the v/eatherso that they couldmake an assessmentof how dangerous it \/ouldbe onceout at seaand far fromshore. The twenty-nineboats that went out to seato the fishinggrounds were openboats, wetl bui(t to withstandthe worstof seasusualty prevatent in winter. Eachboat of that targer classwoutd be mannedby up to ninefit andable crewnen; as indeed they needed to be' as theyheaded through the wavesin the deadof winter. The tife of fisher-fotkin the middteof the nineteenthcentury was not an easyone _ each day at seawas atwaysa risk for the gkilledfisherc from the Banffshirevittages scattered atongthe MorayFirth. 5oit wason Monday 23to November 1857.
A t rribt*tonity h.t jtt?iti&d our .est tn oq latt, ||. r.l.t.d to th. gat. $lch.atu on ,u A ftotjttaof twenty-nineboats had gone out into the MorayFirth from manyof the ports from Buckiein the westto Banffin the east; Portknockiehad most of the fourteenlarge boats,each with a crew of nine, ctearingthe harbourin the early morninghours in the darknessand bitter cotd of a winter'smorn. They headedout in weatherwhich, at that time,seemed, by aLLaccounts, fairly common for the time of year. iiiii-*i"ter tat*c ta,g. an t e.rong, and, with nih. mtt .xP.tt s.an n in 4.h nothins but tha Mt .xtrao.diMry stras of wa.th.t .an baffl. thair hatdv navigotqs. Fr.qu.nrlv, hoe.v8, on wea|, 'tordav thrc. Nn werc tuqui..t at tha h.lm; and hod ony a..id.ht b.faufi it, t.n.han 4 to de tha boat wat obout, brca.lside on, an l swdip.d in the natt h.avy saa. Tha lage.r.ws neet all.onti^g.n in hNavet, q till f\itty overcffi by ston. fwo or thre. tak th.held, on. two boil Nt the tae thav shiP; uhit' two or thrce manoge th. sails, ther. b.ing still o r.s.rv. fot th. r..tifi.ation ot bollast' assieting to ste't wirh @rs, q \ny orh.r su.h like neessry duty. Th.s. fn.tids ||4. all rcquir..l under th' Iate gole, dn" it wds only by th. d.tiv. ahd Mt Nnly difulturg. of th.m thdt th. sad .olaniti.s were rntti't'd ta th'tr d.t@l .ti/r|miqs,ldrge thdgh thse b"."' nll.r G.nrheRmra.hn lou'rirl litsdir I De.fmlr.r1Ai7 TheKiller Storm of 2l'November1857 Thetoss of Vigitantand theTenpence Notatt the vittageshad boats out. Portessiefor exampte,had none _ the reasonfor that was that manyof the fishermenfrom that vittagehad barometers and placed great store in the powersof the 'Glass'to tell them what was happeningon the weatherfront. As they preparedto teaveharbour that morningmany had noticedthat the glasshad taken a downwardsdive and that coutdonly mean one thing, bad weather, realty bad weather, was imminent.They took the decisionto stayat homethat day. In hindsightit is a greatpity that the barometerswere not aswett thought of or aswjdespread at that time in the other fishingcommunities atong the coast. 'Th. lishano aa Pqtlrbcki. a.. e.ll knryn lq th.ir I'flustry and daring. Beki..x.ePt.d, Poraknqtti. it ttu Mt .xt.nslv. wina.r lithing ttati@ ln th. t oray Firth On Aondoy tuming, b.tw..n awo on.l th... o'.lek, th. whole lt..? ol totq. bett b.l.rglng ao tha vitldsa, f@tt .n ln nmb.t, with nirc men in .o.h, [email protected].'mg?holthe||in!ottlptalng||ossPoknofbyth.Por*nekiennasa"fin h..!", b4or. ||h;.h .h.y had an ax..tt't tM, with both tall. up, atlt ?heyrco.h.d th. lirtins trou&, an t to littl. dt.l th.y thlnk ot th. tlitht s||.t!, that ?hey e.nt latth.t out, d'n lo.th.t .asr' than th.v a.. a.cuttom..l ao do ln win?t, unlEt wh.n ah. w.o.hx it .rc..dinsly llne d'n s.ttt..l, Th.v |..t., ||h.n fut.hFt Nt, dght ofi Ad{l atd Pot.toy, and 25 to 30 n 3 oll thot. - in la.a, th.v ||.t. n at the mi.!.tt. ol d th. Ftrth, ha\ way to Catthn5t, aN w4. in wats ol10 - 15 loahffi The fishermenfrom Banffshjrewitt go out ln atmostatt weathers,like their brother fishermenin otherpLaces; the Banffshiremen knewof the fickle natureof the weatherIn that part of Scottand;a gateof wind couldrise up out of nowherein the btinkof an eye, whichseems to havebeen the caseon that fatefuLday. lt is atsoobvious that they were caughttotally unawareswlth the speedand ferocity of the windthat wasto springup and destroyso many boats and take so many tives in a tatev/inter's afternoon It wasjust after 12 noon;most of the boatswere nearthe coast,some 5 or 6 mitesout, whenthe stormstruck. The skieswoutd have darkened making it att but night dark, the waveswoutd start to rise as the wind increasedin ferocity. lt sent att of the fteet desperatelytMng to get backinshore to the relativequjet of their ownharbour or oneof its neighbouringfishing villages dotted atongthe coastline.Atas for manyit wastoo tate as boatafter boat struggtedin the blackrnaetstrom of wind andsea. At the end of the day forty-twopeopte woutd perish from the villagesand would be goneforever. @ Johncawlord TheKiller Storm of 23'"November 1857 The tossof Vigilan!and theTenpence position "fhe stom ha.J.lo.ed d@Jtd th4n, and they ||.rc.hifting ot d rot. that atl a..Mt of then 'eh ||ai nea vlost- Spa.d h@sords, howev.r ||as of.ouBe d grcdt obj*t. Th. ||dles stillrising highq an! higher, it wds d natural .!*irc to red.h a haven of talety ds s@n ae p@sible But the perils ol ?he wov were great, fheir sdllest Nst, one of abtut 25 feet, ||as set uP in pla.. of the prin ipol @e of obtut 15 l..t' of tuil .oul.! be .aftied it ||as the smallett 'rcef " possible simitdr to an Whenthose on shoresaw the windsthat werewhipping up the seasoutside their villages thevdid whatfisher folk havedone for yearsbefore and did soyears after, theyheaded out to lookout for their menreturning safely. Streams of peoplewere walking along the coastaL pathslooking for a vantagepoint where they woutd be abteto spottheir husbands,fathers andsons coming home, TheycouLd see little in the gate,the seawas whipped into frenzyby the screamingwinds, the rain wastashing the landv/ith a vengeance,and the visibitityfrom the shorewas tess than 1OOyards in that sort of maeLstrom.They could eventually make out boatsmoving abouton the heavingseas but they hadto be ctoseinshore before they coutdbe properly identified. The whole coasttinefrom Sandendto Buckieand Portgordonwas filLedwith groupsof suchpeople. % Portlnekltr, ol @nlppt.h.nsiont, tha @tt .llsmt, pt.t nt.d thaB.tv.s, to wlv.t dnd ton las an't .l.l.rty p.opta et h6., Lik th. PoPulatlon of othar fishing vlllog.s, rh.v o.. a colonv in th.me.lv.s fh.v 6arry among on. arcth.r, and n.arly th. whol. vllldte dr. bound aqa?har bv tlas ol .ontangulntty Alt ||... ostt , an.t .v..y .y. ||lstlu y idnn d th. ialu.lat.d wdv.s, to far a. ?h. ahi.k rlng ston woul'l atb\| ' A.tw..n ah. sPrcy, ho||.v.r, on l th. tuin, and th. sott ol nkav ha|., booll .Nl.l tcorc.lv b. .a.n half-d" nil. to 5e. Conj..tur.s wa.. taryely in lul9..l in a5 to vh.t. th. bodtt ||ould att npt to land, on I ginffshft lou.n, I uGJ.\ 1' Dc.e'lbd 135? O Johncrawford TheKiller Storm ot 21" November1857 Theloss ofvrgrlant and the Tspence It vrasnot tongere the first boatsstarted to rushinto shoreat a rate of knots. At the most easterLypoint the populationof the vitlageof Sandendwere on the coastalpath to Portsoy to seeif their menhad arnved there. Ascan be seenby the pressreport of the Banffshire Journalall threeof the boatsfrom the vittagewere out. Sandendvlllage In 1E71. -F|M.l,.v||la,.o|kdlngabNtth|..m1l.'toth.westo|Portsoy'.h|..boatsw.|[email protected]. vtttag. is h tmoll that ths. tht.. conaaln Theirjourney to Portsoyin the earlyafternoon was fottowed by a furtherwait; the Portsoy boatsthat hadgone out were backin their homeshore and the crowdfrom Sandendwere joinedby fishermenof the vittageof Portsoy.As the daygrew darker in the gatheringdusk and in the gloomof the teadenskies the visibititygrew evenworse. They scannedthe horizondesperately seeking some sort of signthat theywere coming home. @ ttrn cra*tora The krlterStorm of 2l'd November1857 The lossof Vrglant andtheTenpence Hope was rcvived in the alarmed villosers by the o ival ot one ol their b@tt th4e, just lbout the tim thev ..d.hed - b4tw.en @e ond two o'clek in th. dtt.rnoon. Another wo. noti.e.l vqy shortly neo.ing the .@st. It wds seen on otival that it b.loB. A s..ond Sandqd be? oiie.d .r. I@g, but as evening d..|| on, dnxiQty in raased tor tha rmaining one By this tin also soB p.ople hdd red.h.tt lton Por*nekie, in q@st of fri.n ls on.l the next bodt thar .ntt. Theseas were getting more and moreagitated as the time woreon, the hopewas fading andthe worryof thoseteft waitingincreased as the afternoonspread into duskand then into earlyevening darkness. Portsoy1871. To the westof Portsoyties Sandend. Then newsstarted to filter throughto those waiting on the shore, huddledtogether in the screamingwind and tashingrain that showedthem Little mercy. At sea it was worse, much @ tt'r Cra*iora The KillerStorm ol23'd November1857 Thetoss ol vigilantand theTenpe.ce fhe seo roging, morc ond mr. fier..ly night dt hon.l, .xpectation fdiled ortv longet to suwor? rhe ^nl s?.ain upon th. nin !5 of the p@r rcIotives of the nissing crew: and it wos 6lv ||hn' in the ev.ning, i^te!!igN. wds rcc.ived that th. boot ha.! land.d in i o..luff, ten niles to th. estword, thdt the .x.itn n? could b. aDDease.!, Therewas relief atl roundfor the menof Sandendhaving arrived home safely; it did not howeverlessen the strainbeing felt by thosewaiting at variouspoints along the coastfor anysign of the Portknockiemen. Thefotk did not knowwhich way to turn to find the best p(aceto spottheir menand boats first andso watch as they tried to makeit safetyhome. Theyknew that their boatswoutd have been fishing far out into the Firth,casting their tong lineswhen they reached the groundsand then hauling them in againbefore they would head for home.Those waiting had tittte ideaof whattime the boatswoutd be expected;however seeingthe boatsof othervillages having returned they sureLy mlst be arrivingsoon. what hadin fact happenedwas that the boatshad arrived on the fishinggrounds around mid morning. fhe mn hod c6t thalr tin.s, dnd it was nntly ah. uwl tin of drcwing ?h.n et. Potiri!. sisnt ol a stotn b.lan to app.or, Th. aunoePh.r. thi.k ning, and th. wind thifting to ?h. north'.ast' an ! av.rv montnt blowlnglou.t r aN loud.r, th..r.||s, sut. that th.y ||.t. to ba or.rtak n by a tol., 5.t to work ||ith .v.ry potsibla d.xre.ity .o haul thQ} tlh.e. At th. dittan . th.y ||.t. otl, th. sind bld a P.ttet hwi'an' b.lo.. 12 o'.lo.ki rh@gh it was abdJt lpt an hov aft.r .r. ?h. storn r.ach..l th.l4nd *lth onvthing lit atdning viol.ne., tn.rc..ing uPon tha fishqMn eith etarallng raPidiav, tha lin s hod r.ltt tonalv ro b' abandona.l- t.lu.tantly,lot t||o t.osont, th. Poot M bains unwllllng to 16. thelr orh.t lin e and th.ir N.nint's llshing,ond onxiM ,ln.as. ol dons.t to g.a th.i buovtolons wlth thn, th. buovsb.ins utelut in an M.rg.ncy ln ossisting rhh in th. e||lming fh.y.otld p.rsist no lqgar, howevar. S.ar..ly hd.!.ttv ol thm mr. than t*o t thr.. lin t drcm $.n th.y |..r. oblig.d to ru lor th. shore Amongthe Portknockieboats were the Tenpenceand the Vigilant Bothboats were crewed by fit youngmen, wett capable of handlingtheir craft in the weatherthey confronted. The Tenpencewas skippered by JamesMair 'Shavie' who was a veryexperienced skipper; two of his crewwere his ownsons. GeorgePirie 'Dodie' was the skipperof the Vigilant.He was anotherexperienced skipper. Out at seain the MorayFirth, the situationhad become qujte desperate.The menwere att skilledfishermen but werein sailboatsthat offeredtittte in the way of shetterfrom the eLements.Driving freezing rain, snowand sLeetwas btinding them as they searchedin increasingdesperation for a way ashore. Eachof the skippers wouldbe tashedto the wheetof hisboat, the menwatching the seas,sails and the skipper' readyto obeythe instructionsto savetheir boatand their lives. O JohncraMord lhe Kil(erStorm of 23'dNovember 1857 Theloss ofVrgilant and theTenpen.e fhrce b@ts @re in sisht n.atly aU ot ffie - th. "9mie Lass", the "l aggi.'outar", and the "Vigilant". fhey werc abNt hatf a mit. off a heddlon t w.st ol Cull.n k^o||n as th. "kat Ness" baretv a mite f.on Portkrcckie, fr6 whi.h th.ir boot Nsts in the hoz. .iting and lolling among the ||ov$ and th. sprav, \|... dinly visible. What nishap ho.l bet.llan ahe ni.k . one - tha "Vigilant" Nst b. left ao Andso the first of manybegan to fatteras the gaLescreamed its ferocityto attthose who wereon the seas,it musthave been a ternfylngcacophony of noiseas the windshowted the wavescrashed and the riggingsang. The men fearfut for their ov{nsafety, brave men who hadseen worse sights and sounds at sea,but thiswas different, the directionof the storm andits unrelentingfury did not bodewett for the men asthey inched ever nearer to their homevillage and perhaps even yet mighthave their feet up in their ownhomes tonight. Th. 8ow Fiddle Rock13 lBt .t the top mlddle of the m.p, l!3t north of th.t B th. promontoryknown ai 5c lo*.nd not.3 S.!r Nss:t In the of83 r.Dorts olthetlm., O JohncraMord TheKilter Storm oI2l- November1857 10 The tossof VigiLa.tand theTenpence Thefutt tist of thosewho perishedon the Vigilantof Portknockie,atl listedas havingbeen loston 23'"November 1857 at 4 p.m. Vlgltant Vigilant l6 vi9il.nt 'Bids 30 'Bids 40 slnSLe 18 vlgllant slngle 76 lz Thesemen, who were atmostatl underthe ageof 40 years,were young fit andstrong. A hugebtow for a communityto bear, losingso manyyoung men in suchtragedies. The famitieshad the keenerpain to withstandas these young men were irreptaceabLe and many wereonce again left wlth youngfamities to bringup atoneand without the supportof their men, Sevenof the menwere married, all with chitdren,even some as yet unborn.l\ anyof them retatedto each other as was the way of it then, beforeand after this particular tragedy. A familygroup coutd be left bereft of bread_winnerswith onLythe grandparents andyoung boys to standto anddetiver the families.A hugeburden for all themto shoutder. O JohnCrawrord The(itler stormof 23' November1857 11 Ihe rossof vBrlantand the Tenpence l. JamesMair'Pundlar' (32) was born on 27th May1826 the son of JohnMair and Hettenwood; the onty other famiLyregistered for this coupteis anotherson atsocalted JamesMair who had been born 24th June 1823. lt is thoughthe musthave died prior to thjs secondJames's birth. lt wasfairly commonpractice to namethe next mateafter a child that haddied. Hemarried Janet (Jessie) Mclntosh, born October 1827, on 27tiOctober 1855 at Portknockie underthe auspicesof the FreeChurch of Scottandby the MinisterJohn l ackay;witnesses wereJames Wood and Wittjam Wood. Thegroom's father was deceased at the time of the wedding;hls motherand the bride'sparents George Mclntosh and MargaretRuncie were both5titt ative then. The couptehad one sonJohn Mair born 1E56,who died 9thDecember 1864 of Scrofuta(a tubercutousInfection of the skln). Hisfather in law, Georgel,Aclntosh, registered his death. Thisold manwas typicat of the vittage,a fishermanwho had spent his tifetime at seaand no doubtsaw many men die in his 77years. GeorgeMclntosh himself died in 1863,aged 83 years JanetMclntosh went on to remarryWiLliam Smjth in 1869,but the censusrecord for 1871 showsno childrenof the marriageln the record. The censusrecord gives her ageas 50 yearswhen 5he was ln fact onty43; her husbandWittlam Smith was much older than she and thismay have inftuenced the agegiven to the enumerator.Eventuatty he rana sweetieahop in Portknockie.She had a verysad life indeed,having tost her first husband,then her onLy son,who may wetl havebeen her onlychild a5 no otherrecords can be tracedof anyother famity, JamesMajr'Pundtar' was a crewmember of the ViSjlant. @.rtrn crawora TheKiuer storm of 23dNovehb€r 1857 The l6s of Vjgltantand the lenpence 2. John Wood'Deacon'(44) was born on the 8ti December1813, one of twins, the otherbeing named Alexander. He was the sonof AtexanderWood and Jean Forbes who had beenmarried on l1'stOctober 1801. He had marriedon 23'doctober 1841 to Ann Falconer bornc1816 the daughterof JamesFalconer and Margaret Witson JohnWood's siblings;- i. JamesWood Born10'n August 1 802 ii. RobertWood Born5th September 1805 iii. Johnwood above Perishedin storm. iv. Alexanderwood born8rh December 1813 the twin brotherof Johnwood. Bothhis parents were deceased when their sonJohn was tost at seaon 23'dNovember 1857 Histwjn brotherAtexander registered his death. He teft his widowAnn and 6 chitdrenwhen he perishedon the Vigitanttost off scar Nose Cutten.she died on 14thNovember 1874 aged 58 yearsat 20 ScottstownBanff' her nephew DavidFatconer registered her death. Thecensus record for 1851shows scT1851/16.1 Pl.cr: R.thven.BanffshlreEnum.r.tlon Dltt.lct: 6 ClvilP.drhrRathv€n Ec Rel Sex statur A8€ OccuPation Herd r\,^ M l7 ri\hermai Wif€MMlTFisher'sAsslsta.t Daur F 8 SonM6 Daur F 4 Daur F 1 Servant F U 21 servant The1861 record for the famityshows them as foLLows O Johncraw'od TheKitler Storm of 2l'November1857 13 The tossof Vigitantand the Tenp€nce Thisshows the family hasatl grownup and goneand teft the widowAnn with her three youngestchildrcn, Ann who is now 13years of age,Jean who is 11years and the youngest Jessiewho fiust havebeen born around 1853 and was Just a mite of 4 yearsotd whenher fatherwas (ost at sea. lt tookstlke the chitdlsobetta did not surviveas her namedoes not appearon thls censusrecord; she coutd have been elsewhere with a relativeon the census daybut shewoutd have been around '10 years of ageby the time of the 1861census rccord beingtaken. Hls daughterAnn who was aged 13 in the 1861ceotus tater marriedDavid Fatconer a filherfian; shedied a widowon 13thJanuary 1923 at 20 Scott.town,Banff. Herdeath was registeredby herson ln lawJamie Falconer who was r6ident at 15Campbetl Street Banff Hewar a crewmember of the vlglllnt. @ Johnc6*.ford Th€ Kitt€rstorm of 216 Novemb€r1857 14 Thelosr ofVrsrlant and theTenpence 3. GeorgePirie 'Dodie'(36) skipperof the Vigjtant;was the sonof GeorgePirie and HelenThain. He marnedMargaret l air borncirca 1822, the daughterof JohnMair andJanet Wood. JohnMair's parents were John Mair and Margaret Sctater. Two of his wife's shters, Janet b c 1829and Mary b cl841 were both afflicted with btindness,neither married. Her brother was John Mair'Cock' who had the two b{ind sistersstaying with him andhis family until both passedaway. JohnMair died 29'" May 1882at 79 Roanhead,Peterhead where he tived with his secondv/ife Ann Strachanthe daur of GeorgeStrachan and Mary Bruce;she was a 45 yearsold spinstertiving in Portknockiewhen they married. Theyhad four children Hisfirst wife JanetWood had died sometime between the 1841census and the 1851census recordwhen John Mair was given as a widower. Sibtingsof 6eorgePirie;. i. lsobetPirie born 8tn February1814 at Portknockle. She tater married AlexanderWood and moved to Banff. Shedied there at 8 ScottstownBanff aged76 on 29thMarch 1890, her husbandAtexander Wood registered his wife'sdeath. li. HelenPirie born l8th May 1816 at Portknockie iii. AnnPirie born 13th March 1819 at Portknockie iv. CeorgePirie born 18th July 1821 at Portknockie Hejs thoughtto havemarried Margaret Mair (born7th January 1821) on 27tnJune 1854 at cuttenwjth their daughterlsabetta Pirie born on 4ihJuty 1854. On lEtn l'larch 1856 their twin sonsJohn Pirie and George Pirie were bornin Portknockie,both birthswere reSisteredby theirfather George. WhenGeorge Pirie was tost at seait washis brother in tawJames Mair 'Cock' who registered hisdeath. Hehad married Ann Fatconer the daughterof GeorgeFatconer and Janet WiLson and in the 1861census is shownas beingat No 8 Portknockiewith her and his famity comprisingJessie (12), James (10), George (8) Ann (6) and his mother in tawwho is givena! JannetFaLconer and a widowaged 60. GeorgePirie's wife Margaretwas at 222Portknockie at the censusof 186'land she was given as a widowof 40 years,occupation Herring net weaver. Herson John was the ontyone of her famitywith her and it is thoughtthat both lsobetand Georgehad died in infancy. MargaretPirie had a visitorduring the censusand HettenGray who was a 28 yearsotd HerringNet Weaver was at herhome. @ JohncraMord TheKrlLer 5torm ol2l'i Novemb€rI857 15 Theloss ofVigilant and theTenpence MargaretPirie remarried on 4'nNovember 1866, nine years after her husband'sloss at sea, shemarried in Portknockieunder the formsof the Churchof Scottand,she was aged 4l and her secondhusband was GeorgeAnderson a widowerof 45 years. Hisfather was James Andersonand his mother Christian Bruce, His father was deceased prior to the wedding.On the certificateMargaret's mother is mistakentyidentified as JanetMair insteadof Janet Wood,she was deceased prior to the weddingas we haveaLready discussed. The minister wasThomas M Pirieof Seafieldand witnesses were James Mair and Francis Mair. MargaretAnderson as she was now, 5urvived her second husband George Anderson and died a widow on 1't September1908 aged 86 yearsat 9 HighStreet, Macduff. Her death registeredby JohnMackay her son in taw. sunkinto thedepths with bubblinggroan, Withouta grove, unkneiled,uncoflined and unknown O JohncraMord TheKilter storm of 23'dNovemb€r 1857 16 The tossofVigilantand the Tenpence 4. Jamest{air 'Bids'(36)was born on 29thJuly 1820 and christened on 3'dAlgust 1820, the secondson of JamesMair (born 14t" May 1798) & MaryWood whom he hadmarried on 12thl arch 1818at Cutten. JamesMair was a fishermanuntiL his wife Marydied in 1860vrhen he becamea Grocer. He died on 1" september1877 when he wasfound drownedat the whalesMouth (Whates Moo') at Portknockie.His grandson William Mair registeredhis death. Hiswife Marywho was the daughterof WittiamWood and Elspet Brucepredeceased her husbandwhen she dted on l6thApril 1860her husbandJames Mairregistered her death. In the'1861census he wastiving with hisdaughter in law the widowMargaret Sctater at 207Portknockie JamesMair'Bids'was married in 1847to MargaretSctater b 1822;who was the daughter of JohnSctater and Hetenlmlach. JohnSclater was born 1790had an eLderbrother Williamwho had been born 1783. WittiamSclater was the father of John Sctater 'Hasser'who was a memberof the crewof the it[fated Tenpence. MargaretSclater had lost not onLyher husbandand bread-winnerbut alsoher cousinand this example servesto showiust howintertwined the livesof the fishermenand their famitieswere. BothJames Mair'Bids' parentswere still alivewhen their two sonsJames (36) and John (30)were lost at seaatong with their uncteWittiam Majr (40). Hissiblinqs were as foLtows born8th Juty 1818 ii, Jarnc'sM.n above Perishedrn 5Lorm. ilj. CatharineMalr born10th August 1822, iv, lohnMnir bclow pc'ishedrn lhe 5torm born5th January 1830 vi, GeorgeMair born 14t"cktober 1836 The1851 census record for Jamesand Margaret sclater shows the famllyin PutteneyStreet, Plecer scTlStl/164 Plac€: Rathven.Eanffshlre Enumeration District: 6 Civil Parieh: Rathven Ecclesiastical Parish, village or slandr Rathven 1?3 Pager 14 khedoler 72 Add.ers:PuLteney Streei Rel status Sex Occupation Eorn 30 Fisher Portknockie 29 Fisherswlfe Po.tknockie 2 Portk.ockie 15 Flshe6*N6nt Portknockie JamesMair and Margaret Sctater had the followingchitdren;' 1. HetlenMair bornl849 2. WilliamMair born1851 3. MargaretMair born1853 born1't January 1857 MargaretSctater died in 1910,her death being registeredby her son WittiamMair, a cooper, who had married Ann Wood 'King' the daughterof AtexanderWood 'King' and ElspetWood on the 28thJanuary 1876 at Seafietd. JamesMair 'Bids' was a crew memberof the Vigilant. TheKiller Storm of23" November1857 17 Theloss of Vigitantand theTenpence 5. Johnl,4air 'Bids' (30)was born 23'd March 1827 and christened on 1stAprit 1827, he wasa youngerbrother of JamesMair (36)and was marriedto Jane(Janet/Jean) Innes in 1849,the daughterJanet/Jessie was born on 215tNovember 1857 just two daysbefore her fatherwas Lost at seaSee his brotherJames l air (36)for his parentsand siblings Hetoo wasa crewmember of the Vigilant. Theyoung couple had a numberof otherchitdren as fottows;- i. Maryl air Born1851 ii. Johnl air Eorn1853 iii. Jeanl air Born1855 iv. Janet(Jessie) Mair Born 21't November 1857 In the 1851census record we havethe foLlowlnginformation for the famity sCT1851/164 Enumeratlon Distrlctr 5 Clvil Parishr Rathv€n Vlllage o. lstandr Rathven Fouor 1Z) Pagel 20 schedule: 69 Stltur S.x Al. Occup.tloh Born Whitefisher Portknockie FlsheBAsslstan!Ponknockle The1861 record shows as foltows;- *f*ffi-i"T-- q|. tilu JeanMair is nowshown as a widow;her four chitdren, Mary, Helen, Jean & Jessieare shown alongsidel argret Farquhar who is shownas a servant. JeanMair remarried in 1864to JohnCameron who tived in Keith,in the 1871census record sheis recordedwith Johnwho is describedas a Labourer/Fishermanand with her are her O.lohncnwrord TheKill€r storm ol23- November1857 18 ne bss of !,igllant tnd the T.nPenc€ chlldrenfrom herflr't mardageto JohnMair'Bids', I'iary, John and Jane, J63ie i5 nowher€ to be seenbut it is Dossiblethat as she was 1! she may havebeen out woddnga! a servant tn anotherhouse. We knowthat shehter marrledwilllam Staterof Macduftin 1882and that shedled in 1933tn Deskford. Sornetlmeb€twe€n the cmsus of 1E71and the censusof 1881 John Cameronwas to6t, presumabtyat sea - can find no trace of hls death although lt may be on the Marine Reglster. Bythe tlmeof the censusrecord of 1E81Jean ls stltt a midwlfeand ls at homewith her young6tchlld Wttlam Cameron, Ann Camerofl was a servantin anotherhousehold but died in 1881.John Mair married l'{argaret Ftett and had at leastone ton namedWttlam Mair. Johndied ln t925. MaryI'tair married oavid Sutherlrnd of Flndochtyand she dled there ln 1924,her son A Sutherlandregirtered her death. lt is not knownwhat happened to Jane l{air asno trace of herdeath could be found to @ JohncraMord rh€ Ktler Stom of Z3dNo/qnber 1657 Theloss of vrgrlantand theTenpence 6. Willlam Mair'Howdie' (40) was born on 21stAugust 1817 and was the uncteof Jame5liair '8ids' (36)(No.4) and John Mair 'Bids' (10)(No. 5); andof coursehe wasthe brotherof their father JamesMair. He wasthe youngestson of WilliamMair & Katharine Woodwho were married loth November 1796 and had a famityof 4 sonsand 3 daughters. i. JamesMair born 14thl,{ay 1798 ii. WittiamMair born igth Aprit 18oo iii. KathahneMair born19'" March 1803 iv. MargaretMair born28'n october 1805 v. JannetMair born 13sAugust 1807. Shemarried John Mair and was the mother of JohnMair aged l8 (No7) who perishedwhen the Vigilantwas lost and Auntto the Mair'Bids' men lost. vl. AtexanderMair born 20'^September 1809 vii. Witliaml air Perishedin storm when the Vigi{antwas tost Bothof Wittiam'sparents were deceased when their sonWlttlam was lost at sea. Hisbrother Jamesregistered his death. Hewas a crewmember of the Vigllant. The1851 census record for wittiamand his famity is asfollows Piece: 5cT1E51/164 Ptacer Rathven-Banffshire Enumeration oistrict: 5 Civll Pa sh: Rath!€n Eccl€siastlcat Pansh, Vlllage or lstandr Rathven Follor 123 Pa8€: 4 khedutel 14 Mdress:14 Poftknockle SurnameFi6t Name Rel status S€x A8€ o.cupatlon Eoh Mair wlulam Head M M 33 Whitetisher Portknockie Mai. Ann wlfe M F 31 whlteflsherwife Portknockie Maif Jam€5 Son. M 1 Portknockie The 1861record for Ann Mair and her son Jamesshows that no further additionsto the famityhave been made since the 1E51census. No additions of chiLdrenthat havesurvived untitthis tatest census might be morecorrect. Thewidow and her son have moved to 105Portknockie. ln the 1881census the wrdowAnn hasleft e and takenup residenceat 11St Catherine'sStreet, Banffshe is nowaged 60 years and livesatone at that address.I canfind notrace of herson JamesMair. @ Johncrawford TheKtler Stormol2l- November1857 20 The tossofVigitant and theTenpence 7, Johnl{air (18}was born circa 1840 at Portknockiethe sonof JohnMair 'Whitehead' andJanet Mair 'Howdie' Hisfather was the sonof AtexanderMair 'Big' andAnn Wood and died at 43 Portknockieaged 80 on 26thJanuary 1881. His sonAlexander registered his death. JohnMair (18) was a nephewof WitliamMair 'Hovrdie' and a first cousinof JamesMair 'Bids' andJohn Mair 'Bids'who perishedon the Vigitant. Hismother Janet Mair was born c 1808 andwas the daughterof WitliamMair and Catherine wood. Shedied on 28thJanuary at 212 Seatown,Cutten, her deathwas registered by AtexanderMair her son. JohnMair was the youngestcrew member of the itt fatedVlgilant. Hehad the followingsiblings. i. AlexanderMair Born17o January 1834 Whitefisher ii. CathrineMair Eorncirca 1838 iii. JohnMair Born circa 1840, perishedin the storm tost from the Vigitant. Borncirca 1843 v. HelenMair Borncirca 1846. Thecensus record for the familyin 1841shows the fottowing,lt is evidentthat the father Johnis absentfrom homeand is probabtyfishing eLsewhere when the censuswas taken. 5CT1841/164 Enumeration olstricti 5 Civil VlUage or lsEndl 13 , Sun.m. flr3t n.mc R.l Oc.up.tion lorn Man Jannet Head la Flrh€6wite Banffshire M.ir Alennder son kholar Banfishlre ,nair Catherine 06ur 3 Sanffshire Marr John son SanllshIe The1851 census reDort is asfotlows; sCT1E51/164 Placer Rathven-Baiffshlre Enumeration District: 5 civil Parrshr Rathven Eccl€siasticat Pansh, vlllage or ttandr Rathven Fotro: l2l Page: 12 Schedule: 42 Address:41 Ponknockle Surn.meFlBt N.m. Rel Mair John Nead Mair lanet Wlfe Mair Alexander son air Cathnne Daur 13 Employedat horne John Son 11 EmpLoyedat hone PortknockiePerjshed on vigilant ^air Ann Daur 8 /\air^alr Helen Daur 5 O Johncra$.ford Thexiller Storm ol23'" November1857 ne bcs of ViliLantand the Tenp€nce The 1861census records show the famity llving at 37 Portknockie,onty three remalnlngat home. John l4alr the head of the famlty lr nov. 60 yearsof age and i5 stltt a Whltefisher, born in Banffshireat Portknockle. Hi5 wife Jannet ls now 5E yean of age and daughter Helten ls 14years of age. ^{alr @ .JohncaMord The l(tLlr 5tom of 23dNovemb.r 1E57 The lossofVigilant and theTenpence 8. John Innes(26) was born 5thFebruary 1831, the eldestson of John& JanetInnes (neeWood); he wasunmarried and stayed with hisfamily at their homein Portknockie. Hehad a numberof siblingsof whichI havebeen abte to tracethe followingdetaits i. AtexanderInnes born23'" November 1833 ll. Annelnnes born 8'nMay 1816 iii. Janetlnnes born15th May 1841 iv. AtexanderInnes born28o August 1838 I couldfind no trace of the birthsof his youngestsiblings mentioned betow in the 1851 censusrecord for the famity. Christianand Armina Innes woutd have been 12 years and 9 yearsrespectivety when their eldestbrother died in the tragedyoff ScarNose near their vittage. Rcl St.tu3 S.r 4ay 15y 12v 9y !y I did find a marriagefor'Mina' Innes- shewas marrledon 28ti June1867 to JamesWood (30 years)son of JohnWood and Ann Mair, Mlna (shortened version of her futt name)was 19 yeaB of ageand made her mark. Thewedding was conducted under the Churchof Scottandat SeafieLdby GeorgeHenderson in front of witnessesJames Pirie and James Majr. Herbrother Atexander was married later on 60 February1869 at Fraserburghto a tocatBroch girt EtizabethNobte daughter of WiLtiamNobte and HetenCrawford who lived at ]6 Broadsea, Fraserburgh.The wedding was under the auspicesof the Churchof Scottandin ElizabethNobtes' parent'shome. A(exanderwas aged 27 and his new wife was30 years of age. Jessje(Janet) Innes hismother was stiLL ative at the time of the wedding.The young coupLe stayed in Fraserblrghfor the earLypart of their marriedtife with their sonAtexander being born there in 1868just before they were married,a fairly commonoccurrence, the babyAtexander was folLowedby young Etizabeth(Betsy) who wasborn in 1871again in Fraserburgh.They then movedto Portknockie whereson Mtliam was born on 3'o January1874, daughter Jane Innes (born 1878)and finatty JessieAnn Innes born in 1881by whichtime theywere resident at No53 Portknockie. Johnlnnes was a crewmember of the Vieilant O JohncraMord TheKiller Storm ol23- November1857 23 The l6s of Vigjlantand the Tenpence 9. WilliamWood 'Post' (32) wasbom 15tnAugust 1825 the sonof GeorgeWood and He(enMair. Theirfamily werer- i. MargaretWood Born17th November 1822. ii. Williamwood Borni5th August 1825 iii. .Johnwood Born3'd June 1828. iv. HelenWood Born25tn Aprit 1811 Bothparents of WiLtiamWood were deceased by the time of hisdrowning at sea,his father hadbeen born on 1'tAugust 1799 and his mother c 1800both at Cutten. Hemarried Ann Smith the daughterof JohnSmith and Ann Smith in Cullenon 4tnNovember 1847.They had the fottowingfamiLyi- i, WitliamWood born3'd October 1E47 at Portknockle ii, HetenWood bornc 1848at Portknockie iii, MargretWood bomc 1850at Portknockie iv. GeorgeWood bornc1852 at Portknockie v. wiltiamwood born2no February 1858 at Portknockie. Thecensus record for the famityin 1851,some six years before the tragedy,was as follows Thereis no noteof the sonMttiam woodborn 1847,tikety that he died betweenbirth and 1851 Snam€ Fnane Relatlo.shipstat$ Age occupation Born Wood Ann Head M 29 whit€filh€r'swfe rordyce Wood NeL€n Daur 3 Ponknockle Wood i,largret Daur 1 Ponknockie 8y the 23'oNovember 1857 when their fatherhad been lost at sea,young George Wood had ioinedthe famity;Mrs Ann Woodwas carrying the sonWittiam who was born somethree monthsafter the tragedyto hjsnow widowed mother. @ JohnCraMord The(itler Stormof 23'November1857 24 The lossofVigilant and theTenperce The1861 census record rhows that Hetenis missingfrom the family;she woutd have been 13 yearsof ageand may have moved out of the houseto find workto assistin supportingthe family. Shemay also have died in the interimperiod. Fname ReLatlonshlpStatus Age Occupation Bom Ann Widow W l8 Fishermanswidow Fordyce u 11 9 3 AnnWood 'Post' died aged 78 yearson 16'"March 1897 at 175Portknockie. Her death was registeredby herson Wittiam Wood. Theson of WitLiamWood 'Post' who had never known his father as he waslost at seab€fore he was born subsequentLymarried 0n 26tnSeptember 1884 in a ceremonyat Portknockie accordingto the Formsof the FreeChurch of Scotland,his mother was stilt ativewhen the 26 yearsotd boat buitderwas marriedto BeatriceMajr aged2lyears a fjsher girt and daughterof JamesMair 'Johns' a fishermanand EtizabethMair. The marriagewas conductedby Peter Brownthe FreeChurch Minister and witnesseswere John Innesand GeorgeMair, BeatriceWood died on 26'nJanuary 1936 at 13 VictorlaPtace Portknockie with her death beingregistered by herson James Wood. WittiamWood died on 20thDecember 1939 at 3 BrucePlace, Portknockie, his son James Woodregistered his death. Onthe certificatecompteted the nameof hisfather is givenas GeoryeWood, fisherman, deceased instead of Mttiam. Hiswife is givenas Annie Wood m.s Smithatso deceased. WlLtiamWood 'Post' was a memberof the crewof the Vicllant. O Johi CraMord Thekilter 5torm of 23'dNovember 1857 25 The lossol vigilant and the Ienpence fwo other b@ts, whi.h hod been dnong the forthest to the e.twor.l on ?he fishing grchd, were ?he "Hackler" and ahe "fenpq.e", In sight, the one of the other, they ma Thenanother two Portknockieboats were seen together, the Tenpenceand the Hackler, eachboat giving support to the otheras they were swept atong on the waves.ALL the crew membersof eachboat would know there fellows on the otherboat, fh. 'f.npa.a' etory ie shor? dnd tud. Part.d .oitpany |'ith by the Ho.kl.r oft the \4.st h.o.! of Pqteoy, son. ?wo or th... in livi.luols in ?hdt tM iNgina th.y saw o b@t supposed to b. her, abdt th. ?itu th. thNld hdv. b.en naring ?he c@st th.ra, whi.h b@a, th.y imoginad, im.diat.ly disappere.!. This is dll that.an b. told of hq fot. ond rhat of har nanly.t.|| of niR Andso it wasthat suddenLyanother boat and crewwere lost in the blinkof an eye. The nineman crew of the Tenpenceand the boatwere gone so unexpectedLy, From fighting the galetooth and naiI one minute to completeand utter obtivionthe next. Thefutt tistof thosewho perished on the Tenpenceof Portknockie,alt tistedas having been Loston 23'"November 1857 at 4p.m 10. CeorgePlrie Manied. 25 JohnSclater Married 27 12. Georgewood Maded 28 11, AlexanderWoodSingle JamesMair J\aded 54 15. wiltianMair Single James singte 20 ^{an 17. 13. 12 O Johncrawrord The(iller Stormof 23'November1857 26 lhe lossofVililant afd theTenpence fhe 5dd disot?* ||os foktly des.ried trom Por?knekie, dnd ds no one .drl.! tell whd? b@t it wos, for th.i. lriids ?@k hold won all alike. korcely d wife wos th.re omid dtt thot 9a2..! on the munfut s.enebutho.lherownseriouslorebodingsofb.ingawi.lovan Thepresr report in regardto the Hacklerhad the advantageof gettinga first handreport from the crewof the boat. Sheand her crewhad a miracutousescaoe, and so it waswith alLof the boats,some were tucky, others not sotlrcky and some were just in the wrongpLace at the wrongtime. The tiniestof chancescould be the futcrumon whichtheir destinies depended.That and their beLiefin the GoodLord they worshipped, to givethem succour in their momentof creatneed, tkh ha.l b..n wosh.d orarbe.d wh.n obout liv. nil.t out, Coming closa in, h.r.r.w, p.r..iring th. Hill ol Durh, dt lirst th@tht it wds rh. Hill of Cull4n, ond,lron itt position, .onlectur.d that th.y ||er. 'in n orly owotit. thelr hones. (fh. f.np.n a ||as.los. art.fn at this tim,) Dirov.ring, how.e.r, that th. .nin.rc. wot rh. Hill of ourn, th.y iaw ah.y.oul.l not g.t wlthln th. W.st H.a.! ol Portsoy and th.y |9.t. nuh t@ lor inthor. to ba dbl. to .ound tha h.a.llandt ofl Cullq and Portlneki. 5o ds to gat west||.td. Th.y ho.l no alt mativ. but to b.or up and .tt mpt a lon.ling whanva. it .@ld b. iot, shNl The utter despairand hopetessnessof the crew can be fett eventoday, readingthe wordsof their accountnearly 150years later. Yet they still had hopesas they waited for the crashas their boat smashedashore and they preparedto jump into the seasand to swim for the Land. O JohnCrawford TheKiller Storm oI23" November1857 27 The lossofVigilant and theTenpence And they tell, no l.ss affe.tingly, though with greter plqsre to the listener, that, l@ling bd.k at this M.nt ol thei. .longer, th.y s.. in th.ir pre*Natid th. hond ol the Alnighty "opening up o way ?o ah.m in th. mi It was only tater that the skipperand crew of the Hacklerrealised just wherethey had endedup, rushingtowards the coastljke an expresstrain in a boatthat wasbeing pushed everharder by a giantinvisibte hand. lt alsogives a cLueas to the conditionsin whichthey all toitedto makeshore. Theywould not seethe shoreuntit they wereatmost upon it, by that time there would be tittte opportunityto changeanything that was not alreadyin place, Whatwas done was done and they had trust to goodfortune. fhay w.r., as ir p.ov.d, at Ra.lhyth. or R.dhov.n, a pla.a ni.lwdy b.tw..n Pottsoy and Cull.n. Astitton. th.y .oul.l s.t nona. fh. point it in tisht of Sand.N but .v..y ona b.lonsins to that vlllaga wos asay to Pott3oy in s.dt.h ol th.i. om lti.nds. rh. onty dw.tting ndt ?h. shor. in Redhyrh. is a sott ol tal@n houseo.cuple.l by o sotitaty l.nat. lqaftarc Hon ) eho .an runntngwith on. ol rhe tulmn rcp.s i, har han.l, flushad with qg.m.t' to .lo whoa lital. tha .oul.l to atsitt th. sttuggling cr.||. e.tting th. h@? ottound, q. of th. M .fl*t.d a londins and se...d.d i. sivins h.lp to tha oah.te by whi.h th.y ott got ashor. in.af.ty ah@th nu.h exhaust..l, Therewas no signof the boatthat hadbeen with the Hackleras they sped towards land, no onemember of the crewhad seen what had happened to the boatbearing their friendsand fetlowfishermen. Even the heroineBarbara Home had not seenwhat hadhaoDened to the Tenpence. lt hadjust gone, Her crewtaken by the sea,there was not a witnessto the demiseof the boatand its crew. lt hadjust disappearedin the maetstrom. So who were a[[ thesebrave men who had goneto sea in the Tenpencethat morning, confidentin the knowLedgethat they wouLdbe homeLater that day with what they hoped wouLdbe a targecatch from their longtines. Whichfamity did they belongto, who were their parents,brothers and sisters? Who had they marriedwith suchhappiness and with the blessingof famity? ThoseseLf same famities who were now jn starkdanger of beingcomptetely destitute relying asthey would have to, on the familiesand kin pulLingtogether to agsistand support in their hourof need. Not ontyfamily andkin woutdlend their aid, the fishingvillages and their peoplewould do anythingin thejr powerto assistand supportthose left behindby the disasterthat hadaffected so many. Theywoutd, v/ith ease,see themselvesin the same predicamentif the GoodLord had not Lookedkindly on their menfoLkthat disastrousday. O JohnCrawlord TheKiLler Storm ol23- Novembe.1857 28 The tosrofvidt nt andthe TenFoce The arena of the whote of the dlsasterwas largely confined to the Banffshirecoast, there wasno tossof tife from the fishingports etsewherein the MorayFirth, the onty other area to report loss of Ufe were at the fishermenof Cockenzleand Prgtonpans, !o close to each other on the north facing coart of the Firth of Fo.th with onty 100yards separating the two vittage5.lt is an uncannystate of affairsthat the tossof tife shouldbe so focussedon two smallareas of ourvast coast(lne around the uK.. @ JohncraMord The Kilt.l stom of 2ld Nover$.r 1E57 Theloss ofVigilant and theTenpence '10. GeorgePirie'Dod' (25)was born 24" February1833 the son of JamesPirie and HetenSclater, his motherwas deceased by the time of his lossin the 1857disaster. Hh fatherJames is an ancestorof my wife JanisMair, he beingher GreatGreat Grandfather. (George'ssister Margret had married to Janis'sGreat Grandfather Alexander l air 'Brother' on 21'tOctober 1870 at Seafietd.)George had the followingsiblings:- i. JamesPirie bornI1" July1831. ii. JohnPirie born19r" June 1815. iii. WittiamPirie born23'" November 1837 iv. AlexanderPirie born 17thJune 1840 v. CatherinePirie born23'd September 1843 vi. MargretPirie born circa 1847 married 21" October 1870 to AtexanderMair'Brother' The'1851 census record for the famitysome six years before the disastershows the following Pirie James Head Mar M 40y Whitefisher Pirie Helen Wife Mar F 40y Fishermanswife Pirie James Son U M 19y SchoLar Piric George son U M l7y Emptoycdat home Pirie John Son U M 15y EmpLoyedat home Pirie Wiltiam Son U M 11y Emptoyedat home Pirie Alexander Son U M 10y Schotar Pirie Catharine Daur F 6y Schotar Pirie l argret Daur F 4y Schotar Ascan be seenfrom the censusrecord, George Pirie was recorded as aged 17 years and not asone woutd expect, (given his age at hisdeath), l9yearsofage; A not uncommonfautt i n the censusrecord as discusaed above. Hismother was stitt ativeat the time the censuswas takenbut wasdeceased by the time of the disasterof 23rdNovember 1857. GeorgePirie had marriedJane Pirie on 16thDecember 1854. On l1ti June1856 his son GeorgePirie was born at Portknockie.The father George registered the birth at Seafietd. GeorgePirie had been a crewmember of the Tenpence. fhe eatls ol th6. who hdva l6t raldtiv.t oN lri.n.b v.ry ltegu.ntly *as "Oh! ]f only l could g.t hls bo.ly" Frffi Nrning dovn, th. r.ldtiv.s lin ?h. shd. ah.l wat.h till <1drkn tt shuts th. vi.w, imploirg th. 5@ to "yi.l.l up h.r d.ad". SM..v.n rcluting to l.av..v.n yiE^ nighr tall t, .ontinuing to s.orch axpos..l to th. stdtu, t.oming th. ||ova. ia th. did glim.rings of a .on ll. an ! ldnt.m, lt wos.t.rtions, wh as th.sa, though 6. wNl.l inagina than norc th.n hunon, Nintaih..! by a soto'|ing tath.r, whi.h |'.r. rNard. 50George Pirie was recoveredand hisfamilycoutd bury him and visit hisfinal restingpLace, sucha comfortfor his wife Jane and his sonGeorge as well as hissiblingsand widowed father. @ Johncrawrord TheKitler Storm of 2l- November1857 30 Thelos or vigilantand the Tenpe.ce 11. John Sclater'Hasser'(27) was born on 2"" August1832 the youngestchitd and it appearsonty son of Wittiamand MarySctater who had marriedon 2"0October 1812 at Cullen.His sibLings were as follows:- ii. MargaretSclater bornloth October'1813 iii. MargaretSclater born17th September 1815 iv. l arySctater bornl0'" August1817 He hadmarried Margaret Mair on 30thSeptember 1855 at SeafieldChurch. Both his parents weredeceased at the time of hismarriage, his wife Margaretbeing the daughterof James l air andCatherine wood both of whomwere stitt aliveat the time of the wedding.John & Margaretwere married by JamesLedingham the ministerof SeafieldChurch in front of the witnessesJames Mair and Mttiam Wood, Theirfirst childMary was born on 13tSeptember 1856,in Portknockieat 10,45a.m. Herfather registered the birth. Justover a yeartater he was deadand his youngbride wa, teft with her grief and her infant daughterMary Left without a father, John Sctaterwas a crew memberof the Tenpence.His death was registeredby hisbrother in tawWittiam Wood of 159Portknockie. This map showsPortsoy ln 1871 - The Teopencewas off the coast of Portsoyto the north when !t wal lost to vlew by those onshore. fhe glo@ in ||hich th. village has ban.nv.lop..l tuy b. irugin.d whn ir is rc.oUdte.!, .16. iht rmixture of r.latiqship, to which we have dlu.!.d, ah.r. is s.arc.ly o resi.lant who has not to 'drn the lost ol one ot mo.e rctotiv$. O JohnCrawford The KilterStorm of 2l'd November1857 31 The Lossof 9gnant and theTenpence 12. GeorgeWood 'Royal' (28)was born on 10thJune 1830 the sonof Johnwood and Hellenwood who had married on 16thNovember i822 at Cutten.His death was registered by his brotherJohn Wood of 226Portknockie as their father Johnwood wasdeceased by the time of the tragedy. A crew memberof the Tenpence.His younger brother Alexander oerishedwith him on the Tenoence. Hissibtings and those of Alexanderbetow are as fottows;- i. Etspetwood born 25r^November 1823. ji. HelenWood born 15thJanuarv 1826 iii JohnWood born 04'nMarch 1828. lv ceorgewood born lothJune 18lo perished23'd November 1857 v wittiamwood born 25thAugust 1832 vi. CatherineWood born 26thFebruary 1835 vii AlexanderWood born 2grhseptember1817 perished 23'd November 1857 vii Jameswood born 28thJanuary 1842 viii MargaretWood born 24rhMarch 1843 Thecensus record for the familyof JohnWood and Helen is shownas fottows;- wood John Head l ar M 52y whltefisher Wood Heten Wife Mar F 50y Fjsherswife wood Heten Daur U F 23y Servantat Home wood George son U M 20y whitcfisher wood wittiam Son U M 18y whitefisher Wood Cathrine Daur U F 15y SeNantat home Wood Atexander Son U M 11y Scholar Wood Margret Daur F 7y SchoLar Asalready pointed out, I foundthat censusrecords are sometimes stightly at oddswith other officiaLrecords such as births, marriagesand deaths,and perhapscannot be comptetety relieduoon. In this oarticularcase I searchedthe whoteof the Portknockiesection of the 1851census records and the aboverecord is the only famity that fits the profite with parents'names etc. WhileGeorge's age at censustime olmost agrees with the deathrecord in November1857 when he perished,hi9 younger brother Alexander is givenas 20 yearsof agewhen he perishedand yet he is givenas 11years otd at census.He shoutd have been 13 or 14 yearsold then. His father JohnWood had obviouslydied sometimebetween the censusrecord being recorded in 1851and his two sonsperishing in the 1857disaster. @ JohnCrawrord TheKiller Storm of 23' November1857 32 Theloss of VigilantandtheTenpence 13. AlexanderWood 'Royal' (20) was born on 29thSeptember 1837, the youngerbrother of GeorgeWood, son of JohnWood and HetLen Wood. Hisdeath was registered by hisetdest brotherJohn Wood of 226Portknockie - he (John)was not listedin the abovecensus record possibtybecause he wasmarried and lived with hisown family. In anotherresearch project, that of tracingmy wife's ancestry,I foundthat the Woodbrothers were rehted to my wife, JanisMair; they were distant but retatednevertheless as theyshare a commonancestor in JohnBruce and lssobetWilson. Atexander Wood 'RoyaL' was the youngestcrew member of the Tenpenceand died agedjust 20 years. He wouldnot experiencethe joy of havinga famityof hisown, CatherlneWood the slsterof Georgeand Atexander Wood married Atexander Donatdson on 6thDecember 1856 . shewas 31 yearsof ageand Alexander was 27. Neithercould read or write. Catherinewas the daughterof JohnWood and Helen Wood, Atexander was the sonof JohnDonaldson and Jane lmtach. The ministerwas John MacKay the FreeChurch minlster with GeorgeLyall and WiLtiam Wood as wltnesses, Shedied on 14'"Juty 1902at 195Portknockie; her deathwas registeredby her sonJohn oonatdson295 Portknockie. I makemention of this asit showsthat Lifedoes indeed go on evenafter the mostterrible of tragedies. Oah.r anxloue par.nts alt r watchlnt ot Pqttoy aU thot .hy, and fidint only thc tna arunls ||hlch had baen catt ashot., r.tutn .l hM in th. .v.nins ao t.ll ah.ir lellow Mtners rh.t rh. roatins.l..p hod y.t wiahh.ld th. contolaaionwhich ws now dtt ?hot wds t4a to th.n. ln groupt th.y a.conpll.h.d rh. w.ary jNh.y hM on l@t, .dttyins what.v.t lralnmts had been re.oeer. @ Johncrawlord TheKi(er Storm of 23'"November 1857 33 The lossof $grlant and theTenpence 14. Jamesl air 'Shavie'(54) was bom 9r^May 1802 the sonof Wittiaml air & Ann Woodwho had married in Cutlenon 9thDecember 1790. Hissibtings were:- t. born 28ii November1791 ii. Wittiam air born16'" litay 1794. His son Atexander Mair born in 1848was the first to usethe tee nameof 'Saucie'and was the fatherof the Alexander l,lair 'Saucie'who was a regularcrew member of the Evangeline(Lost in 1905) but had missedthe fatefut trip to the Orkneyflshlng grounds when att elght crewmembers were tost. iii. KatharineMair born6th January 1797 JohnMair born7th Aprlt 1799 MargaretMair bornI't March1805 Alexanderl,\air born'13'" Aprit 1807 JamesMair 'Shavie' marded Catherine Wood in 1626and their chitdren were as fottows:. i. AnneMair born3'd November 1827 ii. CatherineMair born3E November 1828 iii. l argaretMair born27th February 1831 born3'" Juty1833 dled 23'' November1857 perished with hisfather on the Tenpence. born29th Aprlt 1836 vi. JamesMair born 2"" March1839 Died23'o November 1857 perjshed with hisfather on the Tenpence vii. AlexanderMair born17th June 1841 viii. Helenl,lair born14th September 1843 ix. JanetMair born31" January18,{6 x. EtizabethMair born29th June 1848 born,{!h September 1851 Catherineltair hiswife tivedon after herhusband untit the ageof 80,whjch, given her hard tife wasa remarkableachievement with boththe numberof childrenshe had borne and the difficuLtiesshe must have experienced fottowing the deathof her two sonsand their father in 1857. JamesMair'Shavie' was the skipperof the Tenpenceand had his two sonsMlliam and Jamesonboard with him on the fishingtrip whichended with the boat beinglost in such dramaticand tragic circumstances off Portsoy. O JohnchMord TheKiller Storm ot 23" November1857 34 The lossol vigilant dnd theTspence 15. WilliamMair'shavie' (24) was born on 3d Juty1833 the sonof JamesMair & CatherineWood, he was single. A crewmember of the Tenpence,his father Jamei was the skipper. He too was sadlymourned by his mother,eight sistersand the onLyremaining brotherin the famiLy- ALexander,who at aged15 yearshad to growup fast to assistand soDDorthis mother and risters who were stitt at home. 16. Jame3Mair 'Shavie'(20) He was born on the 2idMarch 1839 the sonof JamesMair & CatherineWood. A young,single man whose future was bright, a largetoving family, all pullingtogether under their parentssuddenly cast asunder with the deathof the threemain breadwinnec in the famity. The ontyremaining mate in the familywas Alexander, still a retativetyyoung man; no doubthis motherwoutd try andkeep him at homeaway from the clutchesof the seasthat had so crueLlytaken her husbandand two sons- Alexander's fatherand his two otderbrothers. Merewords cannot begin to describejust what this famitywent through that dreadfutday; alasit was a commonenough event among the fisherfamities. Boatswere mannedby fathersand sons, cousins, and in-taws, lt is not unknown;indeed it wasquite common for everysjngte member of a boatscrew to be retatedto oneanother in someform. Whitethls practicemay have meant a boatfull of enthusiasticfamity melnbers witting to rlskaLt for the sakeof a goodcatch, lt alsomeant that in timesof disastermore of the bread-winners of the samefamities were tostand gone forever leaving their widowsand chltdren to face tife withouttheir menfoLk, Th. ||idN ol th. tkipp.r ol th. "r.npN.' I6es her husban! dh.! .wo sons,an.t in oth.t cot.t, broth.rs in M bdt hdv. m.? d watery grdv.. But ?hq. ls tur. (an l lt It a grat .l8l tur. ln th. .y8 of |lsh.mn .sp..idtty) thdn ln ?h. @a ol b.rav.nenas f@n ordtnory d.ath. O JohncraMord TheKiller Storm ot 23- November1857 35 Theloss olVigilant and the Te.pence 17, JamesWood 'Park' (22)was born 14th July 1835 the sonof JohnWood ,park, h ann Mair. Anotheryoung tife takenas he tookedforward with the confidenceof youthto a future as a fisherman, His father was JohnWood, interestingly a shoemakerand nor a fisherman,who hadbeen born on 24thJune 1806 jn portknockieto JohnWood a fisherman andl{ary Wood. He hadmarried Ann Mair the daughterof JamesMair a fishermanand Ann JohnWood and Ann Majr had the fottowingchildren:- i. Wood'Park' born 27tn October 1832 in portknockje;she married James Falconer on ^{ary 18oOctober 1855, the sonof JohnFatconer and Margaret Majr. Thewedding took ptace in Portknockiewith the ministerMr JohnMacKay the FreeChurch Minister of Cullen officiating. Witnesseswere JosephMair and James wood. MaryFalconer m.s. Wood diedon 9thJuty 1856 at Portknockie.She dled aged 23 years. ii. lamcsWood 'Park' was born 14'r'Juty 1815 and perishcd on boardthe Tenpen.c on tne 2l'" Novcmbcr1857. He dtd not marry and died without issue. He died aged 22 years. iii. JosephWood 'Park' was born on 24thOctober 1E39. He marriedon his birthday,24th october1863 at Portknockiein the FreeChurch of Scottandto CatherineWood aged i8, the daughterof GeorgeWood a fishermanand Catherine l air. JohnMackay of the Free Churchof CuLLentook the servjcewith HettenMair and GeorgeWood as witnesses. JosephWood 'Park' died on 4tnDecember1866 at portknockie.He died aged 25 yea.s. iv. JohnWood 'Park' was born on 19thNovember 1841. Hemarried on 29thDecember 1964 in Portknockieto MargaretMair aged 21, the daughterof AtexanderMair and Elizabeth Wood. The ministerwas Mttiam Birrettof the Unitedpresbyterian Church and the witnesseswere GeorgeWood and WiLtiam Wood. JohnWood ,park' died on lotf Mav 1870at Portknockie,He died aged 29 years v. GeorgeWood 'Park' was born 17ti March 1844at portknockie. He marriedAnn Suthertandon 22ndoctober 1870 in Findochtyaccording to the formsof the Estabtisneo Churchof Scotland.ceorge was 24 years and his wife 24years oLd. AnnSuthertano was the daughterof GeorgeSutherland a fisherman,and BarbaraThain: witnesses were JohnMair and James Sutherland and the minirterwas James MclachLand. vi. ArthurWood 'Park' was born 14thJune 1846 at portknockje.He died on 7!hJuty 1866. Hedjd not marryand died aged20 yearswithout issue. vii. WittiamWood 'Park' was born 18th March 1849 at portknockieJames Woods' youngest brotherwho was not evenborn when James Wood perished at seahad an untimelyend himseLfwhen he died aged 17 on 23rdJuty 1872from contumption.Wttiam Smitha neighbourregistered the PupiITeacher's death. O JohncraMord TheKiuer Storm of 2li November1857 36 The tossof Vigitantand theTenpence viii. MaryAnn Wood 'Park' was born on 8rhNovember 1856 at Portknockie,the child aged 2 died from Hydrocephalus(water on the brain) on 15" December1858and is buried at the OLdChurchyard of Cutlen;her father JohnWood registered her death. It seemsthat tragedy seemedto dog this family as many of them were dead before they reachedtheir thirtieth birthday. The father JohnWood outlived most of the membersof his whole family, not somethingthat any parentv/outd want to happen. The censusrecord for the family in 1851 showsthem at No 48 Portknockie;- 48 Portknockie Wood John Head Mar M 45y ShoemakerMaster Wood Ann Wife Mar F l9y Shoemakerswife Wood Mary Daur u F 18y servantat home wood JamesSon U M 15y Employedat home Wood Josephson U M l1y Schotar Wood John Son M 9y SchoLar Wood Georgeson M 7y Schotar Wood Arthur Son M 4y The 1861census record for the famitvshows as foltows John Head M 55y ShoemakerMaster F 49y Shoemakerswife Josephson M 22y Fisherman John Son M 20y Fisherman Georgeson Fisherman Arthur son M 15y At Home WittiamSon SchoLar Ann Wood, the mother, died on 26'" January1862 aged 50 years, rhe died of consumption which she had sufferedfor one year. Her husbandJohn registeredher death, John Wood, the father, remarried on 7ti October 1865in the Free Churchof Scotlandat Buckie when he married a widow Helen Reid the daughter of Wittiam Reid (deceased) firherman and Janet Cowie. the minister officiatinc was RobertShanks with GeorqeWood and AdamCowie the witnesses. UnfortunatelyHeLLen Wood as she now was died on 3'" March 1877at Portknockieof cancer of the neck; her husbandJohn Wood registered her death. JohnWood married agajn on 21't Juty 1879when he marriedat the Churchof Scottandat his home at 125 Portknockie,he married a farm servant's daughter by the name of Janet Mccurach,she was the daughterof John Mccurachand Jane Watsonthey were both stitt ative at the time of their daughter'swedding to John Wood. The ministerof seafietdJames l clntyre officiated with JohnMclurach and /$aryMcLurach as the witnesses. @ Johncrawlord TheKiller Storm of 23' November1857 The lossof Vr!(ant and the Tenpence 18, JamesWood 'Post' (32)was born on 22ndAprit 't825 at Portkno Thewhole family were as fottows;- i. JamesWood born 30th Aprit 1825 at Portknockie. ii. llargaretWood born 26th Juty 1828 at Portknockie iii. AtexanderWood was born c1832 at Portknockie iv. JannetWood was born c 1834at Portknockie v. WittlamWood born 9th March 1835 at Portknockie vi. JohnWood born circa 1839 at Portknockie vii. AnnWood was bornl9th August 1840 at Portknockie. viii. CathrineWood was born c 1843at Ponknockie The1841 census record for the WoodFamitv. 7 L 4-t tt .dt A*^4 4 ,drh..i.. 4 tl { 4 JC,*.* ,* 4 I M.; ft J- 't t- It '4, {-.t- ,* t sl-* ,ra 4 ----!------":---J - Thlsshows James Wood the fatheras 3E years otd Ships Carpenter living with hiswife Margaretaged 35 years atong with their youngerchitdren who were stiLl at home. James WoodPost js shownas being 14 years of ageat the time. WittiamWood was five yearsold, hisyounger brother John 2 yearsotd. Incommon with a tot of censusrecords the mates werealways listed before the girtsof the famiLy.Margaret js 10years of age,her younger sisterJannet is 7 yearsotd and young Ann Wood is a mere9 monthsold. O Johncawrord The{ltler Stormof 23'November1857 38 Pan One The tossof Vigitantand theTenpence The1851 census record shows the famityat no 45 Portknockie Head 49v Boat-builderJourneyman Head 72y Daur zov DomesticServant Son i8v Whitefisher Daur U F 16y Emptoyedat home 50n 14y Emptoyedat home 50n 12v Employedat home Daur iov Emptoyedat home Wood Cathrine Daur F 8y EmpLoyedat home A new arrival has cohe into the family when CathrineWood was born around'1841. unfortunatetyher mother Margret Wood has died between the two censusesbeing recorded. Eisht..n Nn i. th. priffi ol til., onty on. bcyondlotty y.ars, oll lott - t||.lv. ol thh as husban,sand lath.tt.f h.lples fani\.s. tn vain lor th.n ah. ofll.lous wif. pr.p.t.t, fh. flr.lait blazins and th. v.ttm.nt wani ln vain ?h.n .hildrcn, p..pins @t lnto th. minglhg ston, d.tund th.lr str.s, Vlith teare ol ortl.ss lnno..n a. Alatl ttor |.ifa, nor chltdt.n, rno.. shaU th.y b.hold, No. lti.nds, not to.t.d hffi.. Part two of this tale will be issued separately and will continue with the story of the loss of the two Buckie Boats and the Portgordon boat and finally the sad tale of Peter Geddes; all who perished on the terrible day on 23"' November 1857 Pleasesupport the Buckie & District Fishing Heritage Centre Ltd. O JohncraMord The KilterStorm of 23'dNovember 1857 39