Christina Smith 1797 - 1878

Christian Smith (1797 - 1878)

Christian Smith was born on 10 Dec 1797 in Macmerry East Lothian where she was baptised on 17 Dec 1797. She was the second daughter and eighth child of Robert Smith and Christian Brown. The Smith family has been in the Gladsmuir Parish for about 3 generations. Macmerry was primarily a mining village, and we know that her father Robert was a coal miner.

During the 19th century the parish of Gladmuirs was primarily an industrial area. The parish had limestone and coal deposits, and was also rich in clay and iron, with its key industries being weaving, iron works, limeworks, brick and roof tile making and coal mining. Macmerry was is one of only 5 villages in the parish and it was built as a mining village to house miners from the local mines, including Penston and Blindmills.  We know from records that in 1836 the coal mines in Gladsmuir (which include both Blindmills and Penston) employed 50 colliers, 30 women and 36 boys.

The most likely situation is that Christian commenced working in the mines early as a mine labourer. This was extremely hard and degrading work. The following is an extract from a report presented to Parliament in June 1842

"before winding apparatus came into use, the labour assigned to the women and children was to carry the coal on their backs from the place where it was excavated to the pit-mouth. The journey along the pit-bottom was bad enough ; but the ascent of the wet and slimy wood stairs leading up the shaft was extremely difficult and perilous, and accidents were of daily occurrence. The weight of coal carried on each journey by some of the women was, according to reliable evidence, four and a-half cwts. After the application of machinery to draw up the coal, the women and children were solely occupied in dragging the coal from the place where the miners were at work to the bottom of the shaft... About the beginning of the present century rails were introduced into the pits, and the coal was drawn in "hurleys," or wheeled boxes, to which boys and girls were yoked by a rude kind of harness, known as the " girdle and chain."

Regarding the places in which those poor creatures had to work, the report stated that, "in the east of Scotland, where the side roads do not exceed from twenty-two to twenty-eight inches in height, the working places are sometimes 100 and 200 yards distant from the main road ; so that females have to crawl backwards and forwards with their small carts in seams in many cases not exceeding twenty- two to twenty-eight inches in height. The whole of these places, it appears, are in a most deplorable state as to ventilation. The evidence of their sufferings, as given by the young people and the old colliers themselves, is absolutely hideous." On the main roads of some pits, the coal was carried on the backs of girls and women ; and in one of the pits a sub-commissioner found a girl, only six years old, carrying half-a-hundredweight of coal, and making fourteen journeys a-day, each journey being equal to ascending to the top of St Paul's Cathedral."

Christian would have begun working at the mines some time between the age of 8 and 12 - at the oldest. They worked 10 to 12 hrs a day, with people often worked in family groups. Many miners married young, and women continued to work up until they gave birth, but the hard work resulted in many miscarriages. Christian was about 27 when she gave birth to her eldest daughter, we have been unable to confirm the parentage of this child, however marriage and death certificates state that her father is Archibald or Alexander Falconer. Recent DNA studies indicate that could in fact share her parentage with her younger sister, but this needs to be further investigated.

• Christian Falconer Born ~1824 Died 1875

Withing four weeks of her daughters birth Christian would have returned to the mines. We are unsure when she started her relationship with David Bowman Stoddart, but it would have been December 1828 at the latest. David was born in 1803 the son of James Stoddard and Martha Miller. He and his brothers all worked as coal miners. Christian and David had a daughter 

• Janet Stoddart Born 1829 Died 1917 Married William Hardie 1857

Whilst there are no baptismal or kirk session records available, there are a number of Sheriff Court Paternity Cases Records between Christian and David, including

• 1830
• 1834
• 1834

These records show that Christian initially sought support for her new daughter in late 1830 and she was awarded ?. It appears that David failed to be forthcoming with the support. An the second process and extract awards Christian payments in arrears dating back to the time of the childs birth. These dates line up with what we know of David, in that by May 1831 he was living in ? where he married Violet Hood.

The 1841 census shows Christian being 40 and living in Macmerry where she was working as a coal labourer. Living with her were her 2 daughters - Christian Falconer (15) and Jessie Stoddart (10) - at Merryfield in Macmerry. Christian and her eldest daughter most likely worked at the Penston Mine in Macmerry, which was owned by Deans and Moore, Inveresk, Musselburgh. The mine produced Household, Manufacturing and Steam Coal and its manager was Ralph Moore. 

In 1843 legislation was passed prohibiting the employment of boys under the age of ten years, limiting the period of apprenticeship, and putting a stop to the employment of women women from working in Coal mines. This would have left the family without a clear means of support. Additionally given that Jessie would have turned 14, she would have lost paternity support for Jessie around this time. 

We have been unable to confirm her whereabout in 1851, but there is a record of a Christian Smith lodging with the Butters family at 14 Potter Row, Edinburgh St Cuthberts. She is recorded as being widowed and working as an agricultural labourer. 

We know that she was back in Macmerry in February 1855 as her daughter - Jessie - was living with her when she gave birth to her son. Jessie is also recorded as living with her in Macmerry when she marries in 1857. Interesting on Jessies marriage certificate she is recorded as Christina Stoddart or Smith. 

The 1861 census has her still at Merryfields, Macmerry where is living by herself and is recorded as being unmarried and a pauper agricultural worker

At the 1871 Census she is still in Macmerry but her daughter Christian Falconer and her Granddaughter Christian Lawson are now living with her.

Christina died on February 16 1878 at 6:40 pm in the evening. At the time she was living in Penston with her daughter Jessie and son-in-law William Hardie. On her death registration it is noted that she was a pauper and formerly a coal bearer and that she died of old age and general debility. We are unsure where she was buried, but her death was registerd on 21st of February.

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