Using the old Scottish system of allocating names, the only
'fit' I can find to a John Knox born anywhere near 1735 with
a father named either David or William and a mother named Christian
is :-
A William Knox was born 'about 1699' in Glasgow. On the 29th
January 1724 he married a Christian Picken. Christian was born
on 10th March 1706 to a John Picken and a Janet Cochrane.
Their family consisted of :-
Margaret Knox christened 13th December 1724
Mary Knox christened 13th December 1724
Janet Knox born 18th December 1726
John Knox (1) christened 9th November 1733
Christian Knox christened 30th January 1737
William Knox christened 31st January 1740
Christian Knox christened 8th April 1744
The earliest confirmed link I have to the Knox Family is at Fencedyke Farm, two miles north east of Tarbolton. From there the third oldest son, John (2), moved to Abbothill Farm, just east of Ayr. From there they moved to Hannaston Farm then Barbeth Farm (which are in Stair Parish in Central Ayrshire). On the 1857 Ordnance Survey Map three Barbeths are shown ... North Barbeth, Mid Barbeth and South Barbeth. Hannaston farm is the neighbouring farm to South Barbeth on its southern side.
I have a John Knox, working at Adamhill Farm Craigie, which
is right on the northern boundary of Tarbolton Parish. He had
a son :-
William Knox (christened) 14th January 1777
1. John Knox, who farmed Fencedyke in Tarbolton Parish, died
in Troon Parish on the 14th December 1807 aged 72. If this age
is accurate, that would put the year of his birth as 1735. He
was married to Elizabeth
Allan, who was christened in Craigie on the 1st September
1756. Her father was George Allan in Laigh Borland Farm, Craigie
Parish.
Their family consisted of :-
Agnes 1779?
Mary (christened) 14th
May 1779
David christened)
April 1781
George (christened)
22nd July 1783
Christian (christened)
12th August 1785
John (2) (christened) 24th May 1787
Elizabeth (christened)
23rd February 1790
Jean (christened) 17th
March 1796
Robert
Burns, the boy next door
Crosbie
Churchyard Photographs
2. John Knox was twice married. On the 28th April 1819 he
married a Catherine Clark, from Symington Parish at Symington
(John was recorded as residing in Riccarton Parish). They moved
to Abbothill Farm, just east of Ayr, and then to Hannaston Farm
in Stair Parish.
Their family consisted of :-
Agnes (born Abbothill,
Ayr) 19th May 1821
John (3) (born Abbothill, Ayr) 26th January 1823
Elizabeth (born Abbothill,
Ayr) 15th September 1824
Catherine (born Abbothill,
Ayr) 28th February 1826
Mary (born Abbothill, Ayr)
8th March 1828
James (born Hannaston, Stair) 6th October 1830
William (born Hannaston,
Stair) 7th December 1837
His wife Catherine died on 23rd April 1843.
"at Hannaston .. Mrs Knox, wife of John Knox farmer .. asthma".
On the 30th April 1844 he married Marion Smith, also from Stair
Parish, at Stair.
Marion was born to James Smith and Marion Wallace in Whitehill
on the 23rd June 1806.
3. John Knox was born on the 26th January 1823 at Abbothill
Farm, just east of Ayr. On the 31st March 1842 he married Margaret Murdoch, fom
Barbeth (born 15th February 1820) at Stair. Margaret died at
Barbeth on the 26th July 1887 and John also died at Barbeth on
the 11th May 1896.
Headstone inscription number 95 at Stair Churchyard states :-
"John Knox d. Barbeth 11th May 1896 age 73
Catherine daughter 28th December 1874 age 11
wife Margaret Murdoch 26th July 1887 age 66
son John 24th September 1906 age 64
daughter Sarah 22nd September 1918 age 67
Welcome to Stair Parish Church.
Their family consisted of :-
John (born Hannaston, Stair) 26th May 1842
James (4) (born Hannaston, Stair) 17th January 1844
Sarah (born South Barbeth, Stair) 18th January 1851
Henry (born Barbeth) 2nd
July 1853
William (born Barbeth)
6th April 1856
Catherine (born Barbeth) 11th January 1863
Map
of Barbeth and Hannaston Farms c.1859
1841 Extracts from the Census Returns for Stair
1851 Extracts from the Census Returns for Stair
1861 Extracts from the Census Returns for Stair
1871 Extracts from the Census Returns for Stair
1881 Extracts from the Census Returns for Stair
1891 Extracts from the Census Returns for Stair
Letter
written by J. Murdoch in 1888
4. James Knox (born Hannaston 17th January 1844). James married Agnes Mair (born 12th August 1850 to Robert Mair farmer in Hannaston, age 29, and Margaret Wilson, age 18, his spouse) (from Ballochbeatties just south of Loch Braden) on the 30th November 1871 at Stair. James worked as a Head Gamekeeper and leased Woodside Farm, Monkton in 1888. He died on 22nd March 1917 at Woodside and his wife Agnes died at Craigpark Farm, Saltcoats (the home of her daughter Margaret) on 10th December 1939.
Knox
Family Headstone at Monkton
Their family consisted of :-
Margaret (born Stair) 11th
January 1873
Isabella (born Stair) 3rd
April 1875
Sarah (born Newlands, Monkton) 21st March 1882
(died Woodside) 28th October 1929
John (5) (born Newlands, Monkton) 11th January 1885
(died Woodside) 21st February 1957
Photograph
of James and Agnes's Children
5. John Knox married Margaret Agnes Ballantyne Murdoch (born 29th April 1896) (daughter of James Murdoch, farmer at Knockdon, Straiton) on 12 June 1918.
Margaret
Agnes Ballantine Knox (nee Murdoch)
John leased Woodside until 1929 when he purchased it. He farmed
Woodside until his death in 1957. His wife Margaret lived at
Woodside until her death at Ayr Hospital on 12th May 1979.
Their family consisted of :-
Myrid Ballantine Mair (born) 24th May 1920
James (6) (born) 7th March 1922
(died) 6th May 1983
Helen Sarah (born) 3rd October 1927
Joan Ida Murdoch (born) 18th February 1929
(died, Biggar Prestwick) 19th November 1980
Photographs
of John and Margaret's Children
Family
Photographs at Woodside
6. James Knox married Flora Jessica (born 18th December 1917)
on 7th March 1944. He farmed Woodside from his father's death
in 1957 until his own death in 1983. His wife, Flora, lived at
Woodside until 1988 when she sold it.
Their family consisted of :-
James (7) (born) 29th January 1947
Linda Joan (born) 28th September 1953
Photographs
of the Family of James Knox (6)
7. James Knox was born at Kilwinning and lived at Monkton
and then Woodside. He was twice married ;-
a. to Elaine Dudlaston, by whom he had one child Michael (8th
September 1965).
b. to Helen Malcolmson he had another two children, James (8)
born at Cheltenham 10th September 1968 and Caroline, born at
Ayr on the 7th June 1970.
