The McEwan Family – Woollen Manufacturers in Crieff
The McEwan Family – Woollen Manufacturers in Crieff
The following was published in
Porteous’ “History of Crieff ” and gives
a contemporary account of the growth of the McEwan business .
Towards
the end of the eighteenth century a small company carried a woollen manufactory
at Dallerie which came into the hands of John McQueen but he was unsuccessful.
At the beginning of the last century, Mr James McEwan when a boy, came to
Crieff with his father, who engaged in woollen manufactures. On his father's death
Mr McEwan entered into partnership with Mr William Hamilton and they started a
woollen manufactory in a building at the foot of James Square on the east side
of King Street . This building was then known as “The Warehouse “but in after
years it attained the unenviable sobriquet of “Mount Rascal “. Messrs McEwen and Hamilton carried on the
business with much success for several years, but at last they dissolved
partnership. Mr McEwan took over the company's premises at Dallerie , while Mr Hamilton started distilling in
succession to Mr Johnston.
Through the energy and ability of Mr McEwan, the business increased
rapidly, and he soon had occasion to erect additional buildings and took his
sons James and Alexander into partnership with him. Philip's old distillery was
acquired as a branch establishment and these two manufactories gave employment
to a large number of hands. In the course of time the firm of James McEwan
& Sons and the Dallerie Wool Mills became well known all over the country .
In 1859 an order was given to Messrs McEwen for 200 yards of Drummond and
Stewart tartans, which was to be used as carpeting on the occasion of Queen
Victoria inaugurating the Glasgow Water Works at Loch Katrine on 21st October.
James McEwan at last retired, and lived quietly in Crieff until his death on
the 10th December 1877
( author’s note : It was in
fact his son James who died then ). His two sons carried on the business
for several years and eventually James withdrew, leaving it in the hands of
Alexander. The latter , with the assistance of two of his sons carried it on
for some time , but at last gave it up , and for some years the mill was in
disuse . Mr Alexander McEwan died on the 21st February 1886.
Dallerie Mill pictured in 1867 by Crieff photographer McFarlane
The Warehouse – known
locally as Mount Rascal where the first woollen manufactory was set up in the
early part of the 19th century by
James McEwan and William Hamilton .
Examination of the first detailed census carried out
in 1841 throughout Britain shows that the McEwan Manufactory was very much a
family concern
Census for 1841
Parish of Crieff ( Quoad Sacra )
Milnab ( NV )
McEwans Manufactory
1 inhabited house
James McEwan male 60 woollen manufacturer born in Perthshire
James McEwan Jr male 30 woollen manufacturer born in
Perthshire
Peter McEwan male 15
born in Perthshire
Agnes McEwan female 55 born in Perthshire
Margaret McEwan female
25 born in Perthshire
Agnes McEwan female
20 born in Perthshire
___________________
Margaret Bayne female 11 female servant born in Perthshire
The McEwan house at Dallerie
in 2006 – surrounded by newly built houses but still in private occupation.
According
to Porteous , the Dallerie wool business was founded in the late 18th
century by one John McQueen but was
not successful . The father of James
McEwan came to Crieff with his family about this time We know from the 1841
census that James had been born in
Perthshire . The census was thin in exactitude . It did not give relationships
between members of the house hold and only children’s ages were exact . Those
over 15 usually had their ages rounded up or down to the nearest 5 years . It
also failed to give the place of birth only whether they had been born in the
county of the census or not . Analysing this first McEwan census information we
see that James McEwan was aged 60 and born in Perthshire . This was the laddie
who had arrived in Crieff with his dad as mentioned in Porteous . We do not know
his father’s first name but it could have been James as well . The family
although not from Crieff were from not far away . McEwans abound in West
Perthshire and originated in Argyll as “ Maceoghainn “ in Gaelic . Tradition
gives their base as Loch Fyne side . James would have been born about 1780 .
The Agnes McEwan mentioned in the census was James’ wife . Her maiden name was
Monteith and they had married in Crieff about 1804 . The family details are thus :
James McEwan
Born: Abt.
1779 in: Perthshire
Married:
Abt. 1804
Died:
Before 1855
Wife: Agnes Monteath
Born: Abt.
1784 in Perthshire
Died: Bef.
1841
Children
1 Name: James
McEwan
Born: Apr
1805 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 17
Dec 1877 in: East Toll Terrace Crieff Perthshire
Burial:
Married: 07
Oct 1849 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse: Ann
Menzies
2 Name: Helen
McEwan
Born: Mar
1807 in: Crieff Perthshire
3 Name: Alexander
McEwan
Born: 21
Aug 1809 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 21
Feb 1886 in: Coldwells Villa Crieff Perthshire
Married: 10
Jun 1838 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse: Annie
McOwan
4 Name: Margaret
McEwan
Born: Sep
1811 in: Crieff Perthshire
5 Name: Agnes
McEwan
Born: Sep
1816 in: Crieff Perthshire
6 Name: Janet
McEwan
Born: Jun
1819 in: Crieff Perthshire
The census ( taken in June
1841 ) shows that James ‘ second son Alexander had married and was living with
his wife and family in nearby Comrie Street .
Census for 1841
West Parish of Crieff / Quoad Sacra
Comrie Street
Alexr. McEwan 26 male
woollen Manufacturer born in the County of Perth
Ann McEwan 25 female born in the County of Perth ( NB wrong she was born in Carnwath in Lanarkshire )
James McEwan 2 male
born in the County of Perth
Peter McEwan 1 male
born in the County of Perth
His wife was Ann McEwan whose maiden name was McOwan . She
was born in Carnwath near Biggar in Lanarkshire in 1814 . Her father was Peter
McOwan who was a builder and her mother a Janet Black . The family probably
originated from the Crieff area as the name “ McOwan “ is found a lot around
here . Indeed the McOwan of Highland Toffee fame was born in nearby Muthill (
see biography above ! )
Alexander and Ann had a
large family and the daughter Ann ,married Lewis Miller .
The family details are thus
:
Husband: Alexander McEwan
Born: 21
Aug 1809 in: Crieff Perthshire
Married: 10
Jun 1838 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 21
Feb 1886 in: Coldwells Villa Crieff Perthshire
Father:
James McEwan
Mother: Agnes
Monteath
Wife: Annie McOwan
Born: 1814
in: Carnwath Lanarkshire
Died: 20
Aug 1895 in: Coldwells Villa Crieff
Father: Peter
McOwan
Mother: Janet
Black
CHILDREN
1 Name: James
McEwan
Born: 07
Jan 1839 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 1918
Spouse: Ellen
?
2 Name: Peter
McEwan
Born: 21
Aug 1840 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse:
Mary Comrie
3 Name: Agnes
McEwan
Born: 11
Dec 1842 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 19 Nov
1926
Spouse: William
Whyte
4 Name: Janet
McEwan
Born: 11
Dec 1842 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 13
Aug 1921
Spouse: Alexander
Herron
5 Name: John
McEwan
Born: 17
Mar 1847 in: Crieff Perthshire
6. Name: Annie
McEwan
Born: 16
Mar 1850 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 02
Sep 1911 in: Bennachie Crieff
Married: 01
Mar 1876 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse:
Lewis Miller
7 Name: Alexander
J McEwan
Born: 01
Nov 1852 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 03
Dec 1930 in: Canada
Married: 04
Jan 1881 in: Vankleek Hill Ontario Canada
Spouse: Ellen
Jane Jamieson
8 Name: William
Black McEwan
Born: Oct
1854 in: Crieff Perthshire
M Died: 16
Oct 1909 in: Canada
Married:
in: Ottawa Canada
Spouse: Margaret
Urquhart
Ann McEwan , wife of Lewis
Miller . Born in Crieff 16 March 1850 and died in
“ Benachie ” 2 September 1911 .
Parts of the old “ manufactory “ at Dallerie still stands
Above and below
As
noted by Porteous , the McEwan Woollen business was run by Alexander McEwan the
second son of James McEwan . His older brother , also called James , had
retired from the business . James Jr lived in what is now Dollerie Terrace with his wife who also called Ann and had the
maiden name of Menzies . They had married when James was 45 in 1849 . Ann was
eight years younger than her husband .
They had a son who, naturally, was also called James , named after his father
and grand father . Tragically , the
young McEwan died aged 10 from hydrocephalus
or water on the brain . This must have had a devastating effect on the
family . He was their only child . The death certificate states that he died at
Dallerie . This perhaps also explains James premature retiral from the business
.
Alexander McEwan died in Coldwells
Villa Crieff aged 76 in 1886 having
suffered paralysis for one year . The informant to his death was his son in law
Lewis Miller . His wife Annie died also in Coldwells Villa , some nine years
later , aged 81 .
The history of “ McEwans Manufactory
“ and the family who made it such an important part of the local economy must
not be forgotten . Many of the buildings
are long since gone but as one can see from the accompanying photographs some
still remain . The McEwan House ( called The Limes ) is owned by the Crieff Hydro Hotel and is split into two
flats / apartments . The Hydro sold off much off the ground to allow houses to
be built and it is an attractive locus in a pleasant setting . After the
departure of the McEwans in 1872 , it was run as a woollen mill by the
Auchterarder based Hally & Company . They altered the building to suit changing
requirements and at one time it employed over 300 workers . Power came
from the mill lade which ran from the Turret Burn at what is now MacRostie Park
southwards to the Dallerie works and then onto the River Earn at Bridgend .
Halley ‘s transferred the business to their Auchterarder works in 1883 and the
buildings were purchased by a Mr John McCallum of the Hosh Distillery for £
2500 . It functioned for many years as a dyeing and cleaning operation known as
the Strathearn Laundry being purchased eventually by the current owners Crieff
Hydro Hotel .
Dallerie Mill pictured in 1867 by Crieff photographer McFarlane
The Warehouse – known
locally as Mount Rascal where the first woollen manufactory was set up in the
early part of the 19th century by
James McEwan and William Hamilton .
Examination of the first detailed census carried out
in 1841 throughout Britain shows that the McEwan Manufactory was very much a
family concern
Census for 1841
Parish of Crieff ( Quoad Sacra )
Milnab ( NV )
McEwans Manufactory
1 inhabited house
James McEwan male 60 woollen manufacturer born in Perthshire
James McEwan Jr male 30 woollen manufacturer born in
Perthshire
Peter McEwan male 15
born in Perthshire
Agnes McEwan female 55 born in Perthshire
Margaret McEwan female
25 born in Perthshire
Agnes McEwan female
20 born in Perthshire
___________________
Margaret Bayne female 11 female servant born in Perthshire
The McEwan house at Dallerie
in 2006 – surrounded by newly built houses but still in private occupation.
According
to Porteous , the Dallerie wool business was founded in the late 18th
century by one John McQueen but was
not successful . The father of James
McEwan came to Crieff with his family about this time We know from the 1841
census that James had been born in
Perthshire . The census was thin in exactitude . It did not give relationships
between members of the house hold and only children’s ages were exact . Those
over 15 usually had their ages rounded up or down to the nearest 5 years . It
also failed to give the place of birth only whether they had been born in the
county of the census or not . Analysing this first McEwan census information we
see that James McEwan was aged 60 and born in Perthshire . This was the laddie
who had arrived in Crieff with his dad as mentioned in Porteous . We do not know
his father’s first name but it could have been James as well . The family
although not from Crieff were from not far away . McEwans abound in West
Perthshire and originated in Argyll as “ Maceoghainn “ in Gaelic . Tradition
gives their base as Loch Fyne side . James would have been born about 1780 .
The Agnes McEwan mentioned in the census was James’ wife . Her maiden name was
Monteith and they had married in Crieff about 1804 . The family details are thus :
James McEwan
Born: Abt.
1779 in: Perthshire
Married:
Abt. 1804
Died:
Before 1855
Wife: Agnes Monteath
Born: Abt.
1784 in Perthshire
Died: Bef.
1841
Children
1 Name: James
McEwan
Born: Apr
1805 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 17
Dec 1877 in: East Toll Terrace Crieff Perthshire
Burial:
Married: 07
Oct 1849 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse: Ann
Menzies
2 Name: Helen
McEwan
Born: Mar
1807 in: Crieff Perthshire
3 Name: Alexander
McEwan
Born: 21
Aug 1809 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 21
Feb 1886 in: Coldwells Villa Crieff Perthshire
Married: 10
Jun 1838 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse: Annie
McOwan
4 Name: Margaret
McEwan
Born: Sep
1811 in: Crieff Perthshire
5 Name: Agnes
McEwan
Born: Sep
1816 in: Crieff Perthshire
6 Name: Janet
McEwan
Born: Jun
1819 in: Crieff Perthshire
The census ( taken in June
1841 ) shows that James ‘ second son Alexander had married and was living with
his wife and family in nearby Comrie Street .
Census for 1841
West Parish of Crieff / Quoad Sacra
Comrie Street
Alexr. McEwan 26 male
woollen Manufacturer born in the County of Perth
Ann McEwan 25 female born in the County of Perth ( NB wrong she was born in Carnwath in Lanarkshire )
James McEwan 2 male
born in the County of Perth
Peter McEwan 1 male
born in the County of Perth
His wife was Ann McEwan whose maiden name was McOwan . She
was born in Carnwath near Biggar in Lanarkshire in 1814 . Her father was Peter
McOwan who was a builder and her mother a Janet Black . The family probably
originated from the Crieff area as the name “ McOwan “ is found a lot around
here . Indeed the McOwan of Highland Toffee fame was born in nearby Muthill (
see biography above ! )
Alexander and Ann had a
large family and the daughter Ann ,married Lewis Miller .
The family details are thus
:
Husband: Alexander McEwan
Born: 21
Aug 1809 in: Crieff Perthshire
Married: 10
Jun 1838 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 21
Feb 1886 in: Coldwells Villa Crieff Perthshire
Father:
James McEwan
Mother: Agnes
Monteath
Wife: Annie McOwan
Born: 1814
in: Carnwath Lanarkshire
Died: 20
Aug 1895 in: Coldwells Villa Crieff
Father: Peter
McOwan
Mother: Janet
Black
CHILDREN
1 Name: James
McEwan
Born: 07
Jan 1839 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 1918
Spouse: Ellen
?
2 Name: Peter
McEwan
Born: 21
Aug 1840 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse:
Mary Comrie
3 Name: Agnes
McEwan
Born: 11
Dec 1842 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 19 Nov
1926
Spouse: William
Whyte
4 Name: Janet
McEwan
Born: 11
Dec 1842 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 13
Aug 1921
Spouse: Alexander
Herron
5 Name: John
McEwan
Born: 17
Mar 1847 in: Crieff Perthshire
6. Name: Annie
McEwan
Born: 16
Mar 1850 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 02
Sep 1911 in: Bennachie Crieff
Married: 01
Mar 1876 in: Crieff Perthshire
Spouse:
Lewis Miller
7 Name: Alexander
J McEwan
Born: 01
Nov 1852 in: Crieff Perthshire
Died: 03
Dec 1930 in: Canada
Married: 04
Jan 1881 in: Vankleek Hill Ontario Canada
Spouse: Ellen
Jane Jamieson
8 Name: William
Black McEwan
Born: Oct
1854 in: Crieff Perthshire
M Died: 16
Oct 1909 in: Canada
Married:
in: Ottawa Canada
Spouse: Margaret
Urquhart
Ann McEwan , wife of Lewis
Miller . Born in Crieff 16 March 1850 and died in
“ Benachie ” 2 September 1911 .
Parts of the old “ manufactory “ at Dallerie still stands
Above and below
As
noted by Porteous , the McEwan Woollen business was run by Alexander McEwan the
second son of James McEwan . His older brother , also called James , had
retired from the business . James Jr lived in what is now Dollerie Terrace with his wife who also called Ann and had the
maiden name of Menzies . They had married when James was 45 in 1849 . Ann was
eight years younger than her husband .
They had a son who, naturally, was also called James , named after his father
and grand father . Tragically , the
young McEwan died aged 10 from hydrocephalus
or water on the brain . This must have had a devastating effect on the
family . He was their only child . The death certificate states that he died at
Dallerie . This perhaps also explains James premature retiral from the business
.
Alexander McEwan died in Coldwells
Villa Crieff aged 76 in 1886 having
suffered paralysis for one year . The informant to his death was his son in law
Lewis Miller . His wife Annie died also in Coldwells Villa , some nine years
later , aged 81 .
The history of “ McEwans Manufactory
“ and the family who made it such an important part of the local economy must
not be forgotten . Many of the buildings
are long since gone but as one can see from the accompanying photographs some
still remain . The McEwan House ( called The Limes ) is owned by the Crieff Hydro Hotel and is split into two
flats / apartments . The Hydro sold off much off the ground to allow houses to
be built and it is an attractive locus in a pleasant setting . After the
departure of the McEwans in 1872 , it was run as a woollen mill by the
Auchterarder based Hally & Company . They altered the building to suit changing
requirements and at one time it employed over 300 workers . Power came
from the mill lade which ran from the Turret Burn at what is now MacRostie Park
southwards to the Dallerie works and then onto the River Earn at Bridgend .
Halley ‘s transferred the business to their Auchterarder works in 1883 and the
buildings were purchased by a Mr John McCallum of the Hosh Distillery for £
2500 . It functioned for many years as a dyeing and cleaning operation known as
the Strathearn Laundry being purchased eventually by the current owners Crieff
Hydro Hotel .
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