The Murdoch Family are believed to have been originally of highland descent and probably a branch of one of the clans. If so it would appear that they must have come to Ayrshire at a very early period as the name was very common in several of the South Ayrshire Parishes.
1. According to a hand written handed down diary, the first there is any certainty about was a William Murdoch, who is said to have come from Ochiltree to Ayr. He was a master mason and was made a Burgess in 1744. What family he had is uncertain but he had at least one son David (2) who lived at Hollybush, probably at what used to be Mains of Hollybush.
2. David, a cust weaver was born 1723 at Old Byre, Dalrymple.
He was twice married and had five sons.
a. to Agnes Gillespie, born 1727 at Old Byre, Dalrymple on the
3rd December 1747
Their family consisted of :-
James (christened) 19th March 1749
(died) the same day
John (christened) 19th March 1749
(died) 22nd March 1749
David (born) 20th February 1750
James (born) 15th November 1756
b. to Margaret Grieve, born 1743 Dalrymple.
Their family consisted of :-
William (christened) 27th August 1771
James (3) and William were half brothers.
3. James was born at Hollybush and lived at Brae of Skeldon.
This was a small farm of about 20 acres and carried on a fairly
extensive trade in the making of blanketings. He sold them at
plaiding fairs generally held at all the principal towns throughout
the country. He is described as a stout, remarkably well built
man, very intelligent, very sociable and much respected. He was
twice married :-
a. to Helen Paton of Tor on the 8th August 1781
Their family consisted of :-
John (christened) 30th May 1782
Jean (christened) 13th
September 1784
David (christened) 11th December 1788
William (christened)
28th February 1791
John (christened) 17th July 1793
b. to Mary Gray of Meadownay, or some place thereabout, in Maybole
Parish on the 10th March 1801.
Their family consisted of :-
Samuel (christened) 29th
July 1802
James (4) (christened) 26th October 1804
Margaret (christened) 16th June 1807
Anne (christened) 1st February 1810
He died at Brae in on the 8th August 1828 and was succeeded by
his son James, then 24 years of age.
4. Besides Brae, James took the farm of Benston in 1832. He
married Marion Galbraith, fourth daughter of Peter Galbraith,
farmer Knockshinnoch, on 25th December 1832. He resided at Benston
until 1840. After fighting against 'bad seasons and poor, wet
land' he removed to the farm of Kersepark at Whitsunday 1840,
where he farmed with 'great success' until his death there on
13th July 1871. He was considered a first class farmer and a
'more than ordinary intelligent man'. His wife died at Cloncaird,
the residence of her daughter Mrs George Logan, on 30th May 1886
aged 79.
Their family consisted of :-
Peter (born Benston) 2nd
October 1833
(died Ayr) 21st March 1914 (aged 80)
Jean Logan (born Benston) 7th January 1835
(died of scarlett fever) 12th March1838 (aged 3)
James (5) (born Benston) 25th December 1836
(died Halfmerkland) 31st December 1907 (aged 71)
Mary (born Benston) 12th
April 1839
(died Coylebank) 8th February 1882 (aged 43)
Jane Logan (born Kersepark) 3rd September 1841
(died Kersepark) 29th October 1856 (aged 15)
William (born Kersepark)
(minister at Fisherton) 20th August 1843 (Hilda Lamb's Father)
(died Ayr) 17th September 1912 (aged 69)
Margaret (born Kersepark)
13th October 1845
Marion Anne (Annie) (born
Kersepark) 6th April 1848
Janet (born Kersepark)
21st June 1850
5. James Murdoch, joint tenant of Holehouse and Boreland, married Agnes Kennedy, daughter of Mr Kennedy of Milreoch, on 24th December 1863. He resided at Boreland until Martimas 1871, where on the consequence of the death of his father, he became farmer in Kersepark. on the expiry of the lease he removed to the larger farm of Burton in the parish of Dalrymple at Martimas 1884. He died at Halfmerkland on 31st December1907. His wife died at age 94.
Murdoch
(5) Family Photographs
Their family consisted of :-
Jane (born Boreland) 19th
July 1863
Marion (born Boreland)
8th July 1867
James (6) (born Boreland) 7th March 1869
He died (Prestwick) 28th December 1939 (aged 70)
John (born Boreland)
19th March 1871
Agnes (born Kersepark)
29th July 1874
6. James Murdoch, eldest son of James Murdoch (5) and Agnes Kennedy,
married Margaret Janet Osborne Ballantine, daughter of James
Ballantine M.D. and Margaret Boyle Mackie, at Catrine on 21st
November 1894.
Margaret
Janet Osborne Murdoch (nee Ballantine)
Their family consisted of :-
Margaret Agnes Ballantine (born) 29th April 1896
James (7) (born) 28th November 1897
Photograph
of James and Margaret's Children
Photographs
of James Murdoch (6) and Family
Life
at Knockdon in the very early years ot the 20th Century
7. James Murdoch, son of James Murdoch (6) and Margaret Janet
Osborne Ballantine, married Agnes Jack McMorland, daughter of
William McMorland (teacher, Straiton), on 21st October 1925.
Their family consisted of :-
James (8)(born Knockdon) 1st January 1926
William Mcmorland (born Knockdon) 17th October 1930
(died) 9th January 1934
Elizabeth Ann (born) 13th July 1937
Murdoch
(7) Family Photographs
Map
of Tairlaw and Knockdon Farms c1859
School
Days in the very early 20th Century
Margaret Agnes Ballantine, daughter of James Murdoch (6) and
Margaret Janet Osborne Ballantine, married John Knox, farmer
of Woodside Farm Monkton, on 12th June 1918.
Their family consisted of :-
Myrid Ballantine Mair (born) 24th May 1920
James (born) 7th March 1922
Helen Sarah (born) 3rd October 1927
Joan Ida Murdoch (born) 18th February 1929
8. James Murdoch, son of James Murdoch (7) and Agnes Jack
McMorland, married Mary McMorland, daughter of Grant McMorland
and Mary Aird of High Craighead (Girvan), on 10th September 1952.
Their family consisted of :-
Alison Jane (born) 26th May 1955
James (9) (born) 26th January 1958
Myrid Ballantine Mair Knox, daughter of John Knox and Margaret
Agnes Ballantine Murdoch of Woodside (Monkton), married John
McFadzean on 17th October 1944.
Their family consisted of :-
Eileen Margaret (born) 24th October 1945
John (born) 19th August 1948
Morag Agnes (born) 4th August 1952
James Knox, son of John Knox and Margaret Agnes Ballantine
Murdoch of Woodside (Monkton), married Flora Jessica on 7th March
1944.
Their family consisted of :-
James (born Kilwinning) 29th January 1947
Linda Joan (born Kilwinning) 28th September 1953
Helen Sarah, daughter of John Knox and Margaret Agnes Ballantine
Murdoch of Woodside (Monkton), married Thomas T. Taylor on 15th
June 1950.
Their family consisted of :-
Sheila Caroline (born) 9th April1951
Mark Knox (born) 23rd September 1954
