March 28th

On this day - 220 years ago - in 1799 - your 3xgreat grandmother was born.  Her name was Elizabeth Crerar and she was the the first born for James Crerar and Ann Ferguson.  She was born in Muthill in Perthshire, Scotland.  She would grow up to marry into the Fisken family and to be the mother of both your 2xgreat grandfather, William Fisken, AND your 2x great grandmother, Flora Fisken.  William and Flora had children who married (first cousins).  So Elizabeth Crerar does double duty as a 3xgreat grandmother (you're supposed to have 16 - you've only got 14)!

Muthill 2016

And also on this day - in 1893 - Thomas Robert Hay Fisken died.  Thomas is your 4th great uncle.  He is the brother of your 3x great grandfather, Peter (and hence the brother-in-law of the above Elizabeth Crerar) - and also brother of William Fisken of steam plough fame.  Actually Thomas - along with another brother, David - worked with William on the development of the steam plough.  

Thomas was born in Monzie, Perthshire (near the village of Muthill) - a son of a farming family.  He lived in Scotland into adulthood working on various engineering experiments with his brother David and he also became a school teacher.  He married Frances Barker in County Durham, England when he was 32.  They had four children about whom you will hear in future posts.  He was a school master in Stockton at the time of his marriage but it was his work as an engineer which continued through the years and admitted him as a member of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society - and also took him to Yorkshire.  Unfortunately his business as an agricultural dealer in Yorkshire went bankrupt in 1883.  He and his family moved into the London area after that.  

Life became financially very difficult for Thomas and an acticle in The Yorkshire Post was published in January 1893 about the dire straits he was in.  The article begins:

 "The inventor of steam-ploughing is in want.  Thomas Robert Hay Fisken, the Perthshire schoolmaster who first ploughed land, as Tennyson's "North Farmer" has it "huzzin' and buzzin' awaay wi' the devil's own team" is in his seventy-third year and has lost not only his means but the sons who supported him....."

An appeal went out to the members of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society but Thomas died shortly afterwards.  He died in St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London.  Cause of death was strangulated hernia syncope.  He was 74.