On This Day – 17 November 1883

Stewart Craig BRYMER (Family A) was born on 17 November 1883 in Kinaldie, St Vigeans. His parents were Alexander Cuthill BRYMER and Matilda TOSH. The birth was registered on 7 December 1883 in St Vaughan’s by Alex BRYMER, the father.

Birth – Stewart Craig BRYMER (1883-1966)
Name	Date	Time	Place	Parents
Stewart Craig BYIMER	17 November 1883	2.20 pm	Kinaldie, St Vigeans	Alexander Cuthill BRYMER and Matilda TOSH
Reference	Births (CR) Scotland. St Vigeans, Angus. 17 November 1883. BRYMER, Stewart Craig. 319/00 0076. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 16 March 2016.

In 1891, Stewart was living in his parent’s house – Kinaldie Cottage, St Vigeans. He was a scholar at this time.

1891 Census – Stewart Craig BRYMER (1883-1966)
Address: Kinaldie Cottage, St Vigeans
Name & Surname	Relation to Head of Family	Condition as to Marriage	Age last Birthday	Rank, Profession or Occupation	Where Born
Alexander BRYMER	Head	Married	32	Farm Servant	Inverkeillor, Forfar
Matilda BRYMER	Wife	Married	34		Brechin, Forfar
Alexander BRYMER	Son	Unmarried	13	Scholar	Dunblane, Perthshire
Robert BRYMER	Son	Unmarried	11	Scholar	Monikie, Forfar
Margaret BRYMER	Daughter	Unmarried	9	Scholar	St Vigeans, Forfar
Stewart BRYMER	Son	Unmarried	7	Scholar	St Vigeans, Forfar
Helen BRYMER	Daughter	Unmarried	6	Scholar	St Vigeans, Forfar
Elizabeth BRYMER	Daughter	Unmarried	5 months		St Vigeans, Forfar
Alexina TOSH	Sister-in-Law	Unmarried	16		Liff and Benvie, Forfar
Reference	Census. 1891. Scotland. St Vigeans, Angus. 319/00 001/00 031. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 31 October 2016

Stewart had left home by 1901 and was living in Tealing and working as a Ploughman.

1901 Census – Stewart Craig BRYMER (1883-1966)
Address: New Mains, Tealing
Name & Surname	Relation to Head of Family	Condition as to Marriage	Age last Birthday	Rank, Profession or Occupation	Where Born
Andrew SUTTIE	Head	Unmarried	22	Ploughman	Forfar, Forfar
Stewart BRYMER	Servant	Unmarried	18	Ploughman	Arbroath, Forfar
Reference	Census. 1901. Scotland. Tealing, Angus. 322/00 001/00 011. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 31 October 2016

Stewart married Mary Ann Roberts WATT on 25 June 1909 in Fullerton, Maryton, Angus. They were married after Banns according to the Forms of the Church of Scotland by John Dawson MCLEAN, Minister of Maryton. The witnesses were Andrew Bruce CHRISTIESON and Jessie Henderson CRAIG. The marriage was registered on 29 June 1909 in Maryton.

Marriage – Stewart Craig BRYMER (1883-1966) and Mary Ann Roberts WATT (1882-1964)
Name	Date	Place	Bride’s Parents	Groom’s Parents
Stewart Craig BRYMER and Mary Ann Roberts WATT	26 June 1909	Fullerton, Maryton, Forfar	No Father shown. Margaret WATT, afterwards married to George CRAIG (Ploughman)	Alexander BRYMER (Farm Grieve) and Matilda TOSH
Reference	Marriages (CR) Scotland. Maryton, Angus. 25 June 1909. BRYMER, Stewart Craig and WATT, Mary Ann Roberts. 308/00 0001. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 16 January 2016.

Mary was born on 27 September 1882 in Fetteresso. The birth was registered on 21 October 1882 in Stonehaven by Margaret WATT, the mother. The birth was illegitimate. There is an entry in the Register of Corrected Entries relating to Margaret’s father who was declared to be William ROBERTS formerly farm servant at Tulls of Garvock, Kincardineshire now or lately Carter in the employment of Messr Hampton and Davidson, Contractors, Arbroath in a Decree pronounced upon the 8th day of February by the Sheriff Substitute of Forfarshire (Forfar District).

Birth – Mary Ann Roberts WATT (1882-1964)
Name	Date	Time	Place	Parents
Mary Ann Roberts WATT	27 September 1882	8.15 am	Redcloak near Stonehaven, Fetteresso, Kincardineshire	Illegitimate Birth William ROBERTS (Carter) and Margaret WATT
Reference	Births (CR) Scotland. Fetteresso, Kincardineshire. 27 September 1882. WATT, Mary Ann Roberts. 258/01 0099. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 31 October 2016.

Mary was living with her mother and step father in the 1891 census.

1891 Census – Mary Ann Roberts WATT (1882-1964)
Address: Netherton, Kinnell, Angus
Name & Surname	Relation to Head of Family	Condition as to Marriage	Age last Birthday	Rank, Profession or Occupation	Where Born
George CRAIG	Head	Married	25	Farm Servant	Brechin, Forfar
Margaret CRAIG	Wife	Married	32		Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire
Mary A WATT	Illegitimate	Unmarried	8		Fetteresso, Kincardineshire
Jessie H CRAIG	Daughter	Unmarried	1		Brechin, Forfar
Reference	Census. 1891. Scotland. Kinnell, Angus. 296/00 001/00 002. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 31 October 2016.

By 1901 she had left home and was working as a general domestic servant in Barry, Angus.

1901 Census – Mary Ann Roberts WATT (1882-1964)
Address: Episcopal Rectory, Barry, Angus.
Name & Surname	Relation to Head of Family	Condition as to Marriage	Age last Birthday	Rank, Profession or Occupation	Where Born
Joseph B JOBBERNS	Head	Married	32	Rector of Holy Rood Church Episcopal Church Clergyman	Ireland
Jane K M JOBBERNS	Wife	Married	34	Clergyman’s Wife	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire
Jane BIRSO	Mother-in-Law	Widow	74	Living on Own Means	England
Mary WATT	Servant	Unmarried	19	General Domestic Servant	Stonehaven, Kincardineshire
Reference	Census. 1901. Scotland. Barry, Angus. 274/00 001/00 019. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 31 October 2016

Stewart and Mary were living in Lundie, Angus at the time of the 1911 census with their first legitimate child.

1911 Census – Stewart Craig BRYMER (1883-1966) and Mary Ann Roberts WATT (1882-1964)
Address: Easter Keith, Lundie, Angus.
Name & Surname	Relation to Head of Family	Condition as to Marriage	Age last Birthday	Rank, Profession or Occupation	Where Born
Stewart BRYMER	Head	Married	27	Ploughman	St Vigeans, Forfar
Mary BRYMER	Wife	Married	27		Fetteresso, Kincardineshire
George BRYMER	Son	Unmarried	1		Lundie, Forfar
Reference	Census. 1911. Scotland. Lundie and Fowlis, Angus. 306/00 001/00 007. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 31 October 2016

Mary died on Christmas Day 1964 in Errol, Perthshire. The death was registered on 26 December 1964 in Errol by Stewart BRYMER, the son, who was present.

Death – Mary Ann Roberts WATT (1882-1964)
Name	Date	Time	Place	Cause
Mary Ann Robert BRYMER	25 December 1964	7.30 pm	Church Place, Errol, Perthshire	Coronary Thrombosis. Angina Pectoris. Senility.
Reference	Deaths (CR) Scotland. Errol, Perth. 25 December 1864. BRYMER, Mary Ann Roberts. 351/00 0007. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 6 May 2016.

Stewart died two years later, on 23 January 1966 in Errol. The death was registered on 23 January 1966 in Errol by Stewart BRYMER, the son.

Death – Stewart Craig BRYMER (1883-1966)
Name	Date	Time	Place	Cause
Stewart Craig BRYMER	23 January 1966	3.35 am	Church Place, Errol, Perthshire	Cardiac Asthma. Chronic Bronchitis. Senility.
Reference	Deaths (CR) Scotland. Errol, Perth. 23 January 1966. BRYMER, Stewart Craig. 351/00 0002. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 5 May 2016.

Stewart and Mary had eleven children in total – one born six years before their marriage and the remainder after. There were five sons and six daughters.

Brimer-Brymer database last updated at 2016-07-02 00:29:43 with 4028 census records and 2856 individuals

Sailing the China Seas

William Duncan BRYMER

William was born in Dundee to Alexander BRYMER and Mary Ann SINCLAIR in 1867. He married his wife Irene Vivienne GLOVER in 1918 in Portsmouth and a year later (November 1919) had a set of twins – Mary and Kenneth. They appear to have stayed in Portsmouth when he went back to China. There are some very interesting details on William’s life in this article from the Dundee Courier on the 7 April 1924 and although there is not much information about his family relationships, the fact that his brother-in-law was James Murray makes it possible to confirm which of the two men called William born in 1867 he is:

News has been received of the death at Hankow, China of Captain William Duncan Brymer, an officer widely known and esteemed in the mercantile marine.

A native of Dundee, Captain Brymer served his apprenticeship as a ship’s joiner in the yard of Messrs Gourlay Brothers & Co., and was afterwards carpenter and A.B. on sailing and steam vessels. Qualifying as an officer he was subsequently employed on large steamers in the Atlantic and other trades, and twenty-five years ago he transferred to the China Seas, where he acted as master on coasting and Tangtse river steamers. Early in the war Captain Brymer resigned his appointment and volunteered his services to the Admiralty, and while on the way home on board the Sir Richard Awdry, the vessel was shelled and torpedoed in the Mediterranean and he was wounded by shell fire. Afterwards he saw much active service as lieutenant in command of an Admiralty vessel.

In 1919 he returned to China and entered the service of the Asiatic Petroleum Company as master of one of their vessels with headquarters in Shanghai.

During his long service in the china Seas Captain Brymer had many exciting experiences. Immediately after the naval battle of Tsu Sima in the Russo-Japanese War he picked up, destitute of food and fuel, the Russian torpedo boat destroyer Bodry with over 200 men on board and eluding the vigilance of Japanese cruisers and other craft, towed her to safety into territorial waters at Shanghai. For this service he received the special thanks of the Russian Government. In 1910 similar recognition was paid him by the Japanese Government for his rescue of the crew of a Japanese vessel disabled by a typhoon.

Captain Brymer, who was 57 years of age, leaves a widow and two young children resident at Southsea. He was brother-in-law of Mr James Murray, Oakgrove, Broughty Ferry.

Brimer-Brymer database last updated at 2016-07-02 00:29:43 with 4028 census records and 2856 individuals

Congratulations to Professor Stewart Brymer OBE

Congratulations to Professor Stewart Brymer on receiving his O.B.E at Buckingham Palace last week. The award was made for voluntary service to culture and heritage in Dundee, as honorary president and former chairman of Dundee Heritage Trust.

Professor Stewart Brymer and Family

Brimer-Brymer database last updated at 2016-07-02 00:29:43 with 4028 census records and 2856 individuals

Research Update

It has been a busy couple of months with lots of data gathering, including visits to the ScotlandsPeople Centres in Hawick and Edinburgh. I am now assimilating the data into individual family trees within one big master tree, which allows branches to be joined together as links are found. There are currently 1323 people on the master tree – a number which is growing by about 60 people a day at present!

I have also managed to identify all the living males bearing the BRIMER or BRYMER surnames within Scotland and am trying to contact them all to invite them to take part in the study. If you receive a letter please do share with your male relatives as it has not been possible to identify an address for everyone.

There are only seven surviving males of the BRIMER surname over the age of 18 and they are related, descending from one line:

James BRIMER and Helen or Ellen READDIE/ REDDIE/ READY.

There are thirty five surviving males of the BRYMER surname over the age of 18. They descend in three lines:

James BRYMER and Helen CUTHILL – 27 living male descendants
William BREMNER / BRYMER and Agnes JACKSON – 2 living male descendants
James BRYMER and Ann MORRIS – 2 living male descendants

There are also 4 living BRYMER males born in Scotland who have Northern Irish connections – I would be very grateful if anyone could give me any further details on this family and whether it is related or not to the Scottish families.

I am now performing the same exercise on the English and Welsh families – more details to follow.

Brimer-Brymer database last updated at 2016-07-02 00:29:43 with 4028 census records and 2856 individuals

A Chelsea Pensioner aged 28?

Today I came across an 1851 census record for a BRYMER family living at 2 West Port Arbroath[1]. My curiosity was piqued. What causes you to be a Chelsea Pensioner at the age of 28?

Name	Relation	Condition	Age	Occupation	Where Born
Alexander BRYMER	Head	Married	60	Land Measurer	Auchterhouse, Angus
Janet BRYMER	Wife	Married	50		Liff and Benvie, Angus
Alexander BRYMER	Son	Unmarried	28	Chelsea Pensioner	Auchterhouse, Angus

Fortunately, I was able to find his army record online which detailed his career from enlistment to medical discharge[2].

Alexander was born in the parish of Newtyle near the town of Dundee. He attested for the 91^st Regiment of Infantry on the 9^th March 1840 aged 17 years and 8 months and gave his trade as writer – an old Scottish word for solicitor. He enlisted for a Bounty of £3 17s 6d. His description was given as 5 feet 51/2 inches, dark hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion, with a large brown and hairy mole on the back of his left thigh. His girth around the chest was 31 inches and he bore a satisfactory vaccine cicatrix on either arm.

Alexander served 5 years and 8 months in the Cape of Good Hope between 1842 and 1848. Part of the regiment fought in the 7^th Cape Frontier War against the Xhosa people from 1846-1847 but Alexander is not listed in the medal roll.

He was regarded as having good conduct and was promoted to Corporal on 21 May 1843. He was jailed in 1844 and 1845 for drunkenness and remained there for two days on both occasions, being demoted to Private after the second incident. He was promoted to Corporal again in 1848 and then Sergeant in 1849.

He served a total of 10 years and 164 days before being discharged on medical grounds and put on third pay. He is recorded as having necrosis of the tibia and secondary venereal disease which had not responded to 37 days of treatment. On discharge he was described as 5 feet 71/2 inches with brown hair, grey eyes and a sallow complexion.

His pension was stopped on 12 August 1855.

[1] Census. 1851. Scotland. Arbroath, Angus. 272/00 019/00 004. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk : accessed 10 November 2015.

[2] War Office (Great Britain). Discharge Papers. 24 October 1850. BRYMER, Alexander. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s) – 91^st and 93^rd Foot. Service Number 1241. Collection: British Army Service Records 1760-1915. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 10 November 2015.

Brimer-Brymer database last updated at 2016-07-02 00:29:43 with 4028 census records and 2856 individuals