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My mother was Marion Clirehugh. She was the fourth generation of Clirehughs in America. Her great-grandfather moved in 1834 from Edinburgh, Scotland to New York City, New York. Vair Clirehugh was 36 when he moved his wife and two children to NY. He resumed his business as a wig maker and barber and had three more children. Mine is the only Clirehugh family in Scotland, England, and the USA that I know of. The earliest evidence for the modern spelling of the surname is found in an 1824 announcement in The Scotsman, an Edinburgh newspaper, about Vair Clirehugh's business. Beginning in 1839 the name of William Clirehugh, brother of Vair, was found in advertisements placed in The Scotsman. Many of the records handwritten by others used a variety of spellings, none of which are reliable. On the other hand, the newspaper entries, typed and placed by a family member, are reliable. |
The parental family of the first William Clirehugh may have spelled their name differently, if they were literate. Certainly a phonetic spelling of this name spoken with a broad Scottish accent would have likely sounded like clair-hue. It is thus possible that surnames like Clarihue, Clearihue, Clerihue, and Clerihew may have belonged to related family members. Many people with these surnames lived in Aberdeenshire.
Where are the Clirehughs today? The earliest known member, William Clirehugh, was married in 1794 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and died there in 1836. No living descendants in Scotland are known. His oldest son, William Clirehugh, and his son William Palin Clirehugh, moved to England where the son founded a major insurance company. The surname died out there in 1943, no living descendants are known. The second son, Vair Clirehugh, moved to America where there are living descendants of two of his sons including some with the surname. His second daughter, Elizabeth (Clirehugh) Cockburn, also moved to America where there are living descendants of her daughter.
There are many Vair Clirehughs in this family. I wonder at the origin of the name. My first theory was that the first Vair Clirehugh, born in 1798, was named after William Vair who was a barber and wigmaker in Edinburgh in the mid-to-late 1700s and in the same guild as William Clirehugh, the earliest known ancestor. William Vair married Miss Margaret Downie on 9-30-1759. He was buried 12-16-1801 age 73 in the Churchyard of Restalrig, Old Kirk Parish, Edinburgh.
As of 11-22-2009 I have another theory. This is based on a naming pattern for Scottish families provided by the Scottish Family Researchers. In this pattern the second son is named after the child's maternal grandfather. As most of the other children's names conform to this pattern, I am willing to believe that the name Vair also conformed. However, the mother Margaret Meldrum's father was named as John in her marriage record. Perhaps his name was John Vair Meldrum. The name of John, normally given to the second son, was given to the third son; this was also a deviation from the pattern, but since "William" was given to the first son, it was already in use. BUT . . . later research has failed to find a Vair.
The earliest Clirehugh men were wigmakers. This was a good profession in the 1700s and 1800s. According to The Costumer's Manifesto wigs "became almost universal for European upper and middle class men by the beginning of the 18th century." According to Wikipedia the 1795 English tax on wig powder led to the demise of wig wearing and powder by 1800 "except for older or more conservative men, especially those in the clergy, lawyers, and doctors, some of whom continued wearing wigs through the first three decades of the nineteenth century" (according to American Foreign Relations).
Living family members have no knowledge of their distant ancestors. During my childhood my mother told me we were descended fom the royal Stuarts. This belief may be just another family myth, but I am recording it here to remind myself to research the possibility.
| 1. | William Clirehugh (1766–1836), lived in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 1700s and 1800s. He is my great-great-great grandfather. |
| first wife | Margaret Meldrum (1746– ) lived Edinburgh, Scotland; married 1794 |
| second wife | Margaret Paterson, married 1810 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| 1.1a | stillborn Clirehugh (1795–1795) born Scotland |
| 1.1 | William Clirehugh (1797–1864) born Scotland, died England |
| m. Jane(t) Dove (1811– ) born Scotland | |
| m. Mary Knowles (1806–1880) born England, married Scotland, died England; may have been Mary Able | |
| 1.2 | Vair Clirehugh (1798–1860) born Scotland, immigrated to NY |
| m. Mary Ann Scott (1802–1873) born Scotland, lived NY, died Scotland | |
| 1.3 | Helen Clirehugh (1800–1857) born Scotland, died Scotland |
| m. Joseph Plum ( –1832) lived Scotland | |
| m. Thomas Thompson lived Scotland | |
| 1.3b | John Clirehugh (1801– ) born Scotland |
| 1.4 | Elizabeth Clirehugh (1803–1884) born Scotland, died NY |
| m. John Cockburn lived Scotland | |
| 1.5 | Margaret Clirehugh (1806– ) born Scotland |
| 1.6 | Margaret Clirehugh (1811–1884) born and died Scotland |
| 1.7 | Sibble Cavine Clirehugh (1813– ) born Scotland |
| 1.8 and 1.9 | two stillborn children (1816) born Scotland |
The first family is detailed below. The children who had families are detailed on separate pages:
"William" was the name of men in five consecutive generations:
William Clirehugh (1744–1823)
William Clirehugh (1766–1836)
William Clirehugh (1797–1864) « brothers » Vair Clirehugh (1798–1860)
William Clirehugh (1831–1920) William Clirehugh (1825–1897)
William Clirehugh (1859–1900) William Clirehugh (1853–1910)
Some of these files are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format for which you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader (available free from Adobe).
| ID | NAME | KEY DATES AND NOTES |
| 1. | William CLIREHUGH | b. abt. 1766
m1. 12-25-1794 Margaret MELDRUM in Edinburgh m2. 6-30-1810 Margaret PATERSON in Edinburgh d. 11-5-1836 Edinburgh, age 70 Father: William Clirehugh, b. abt. 1744; d. 2-14-1823 Edinburgh at Weir's Close, Canongate, age 79; buried Canongate Parish, Edinburgh. Hairdresser, barber, wigmaker.
Children, all born Edinburgh:
A William Clerihugh, hair dresser, age 70 died 11-5-1836 at 41 N. Richmond Street, Edinburgh of old age. His death was recorded in the parish records of St. Cuthbert's. He was born about 1836 - 70 = 1766. If this was the husband of the two Margarets, then he first married at age 28. The age, name, and profession are a good fit for my family. So I tentatively conclude this man is my ancestor and I am setting the birth and death dates for my William accordingly. I found this death record on 1-5-2011 on Scotlands People. I am thrilled! |
| 1. -1 | Margaret MELDRUM | b. 1-22-1746 New Greyfriars Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland
m. 12-25-1794 William CLIREHUGH in Edinburgh, Scotland d. Father: John Meldrum of Edinburgh, dead by 1794.
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| 1. -2 | Margaret PATERSON | b.
m. 6-30-1810 William CLIREHUGH in Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland d. Marriage record said she lived in St. Andrew Church Parish and her father was a "taylor" in Edinburgh. |
| 1.1 | William CLIREHUGH | b. 2-7-1797 Edinburgh, Scotland
bap. 2-23-1797 Edinburgh, Scotland m1. 1-4-1830 Jane(t) DOVE at Parish of St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, Scotland m2. 12-6-1835 Mary KNOWLES at Dundee, Scotland d. 9-9-1864 #2 Prospect Villas, Twickenham, England (near London) bur. 9-13-1864 All Souls Cemetery, West London He moved to Dundee by 1835.
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| 1.2 | Vair CLIREHUGH | b. 10-10-1798 Edinburgh, Scotland
bap. 11-1-1798 Edinburgh, Scotland m. 6-6-1824 Mary Ann SCOTT in Edinburgh, Scotland d. 5-27-1860 at sea en route to NYC from Scotland on steamship Glasgow, a Sunday bur. 5-31-1860 Brooklyn, NY His marriage was recorded in Edinburgh and Montrose.
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| 1.3 | Helen CLIREHUGH | b. 2-20-1800 Edinburgh, Scotland
bap. 3-7-1800 Edinburgh, Scotland m1. 5-5-1821 Joseph PLUM at St. Cuthbert's Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland m2. 6-4-1835 Thomas THOMPSON at Edinburgh, Scotland d. 1-21-1857 Wood Muir Park, Newport, Fife, Scotland At time of marriage in 1821 she lived at 55 High Street, Edinburgh.
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| 1.3 -1 | Joseph PLUM | b.
m. 5-5-1821 Helen CLIREHUGH at St. Cuthbert's Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland d. 1-1-1832 Adam Square, Edinburgh At time of marriage in 1821 he was an innkeeper at 28 Nicolson Street (brother-in-law William Clirehugh was at 55 Nicolson).
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| 1.3 -2 | Thomas THOMPSON | b. Chester, Chester, England
m. 6-4-1835 Helen (CLIREHUGH) PLUM at Edinburgh, Scotland d. At the time of his marriage in 1835 he lived on Elder Street, St. Andrews, Edinburgh. He was married at St. Cuthberts. |
| 1.3b | John CLIREHUGH | b. 7-4-1801 Edinburgh, Scotland
d. His baptism was witnessed by Alex Davidson and James MacKay, both grocers in Edinburgh. |
| 1.4 | Elizabeth CLIREHUGH | b. 10-1-1803 Edinburgh, Scotland
bap. 10-19-1803 Edinburgh, Scotland m. 5-15-1825 John COCKBURN in Edinburgh, Scotland d. 10-21-1884 NYC, NY bur. 10-24-1884 Brooklyn, NY The details of Elizabeth's life, children, and descendants are located in a separate document. |
| 1.5 | Margaret CLIREHUGH | b. 6-12-1806 Edinburgh, Scotland
bap. 7-2-1806 Edinburgh, Scotland d. This child was likely dead by August 1811 when her name was given to the next child. |
| 1.6 | Margaret CLIREHUGH | b. 8-9-1811 Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland
bap. d. 7-11-1884 Edinburgh, Scotland Mother: Margaret PATERSON.
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| 1.7 | Sibble Cavine CLIREHUGH | b. 3-4-1813 Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland
d. Mother: Margaret PATERSON. |
| 1.8 and 1.9 | two stillborn children | b. 9-6-1816 Edinburgh, Scotland
d. 9-6-1816 Edinburgh, Scotland Burial cited in register of St. Cuthbert's Parish. |
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (1740–1795) was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for his biography of Samuel Johnson. His book Boswell In Search Of A Wife 1766-1769 is on archive.org, "The Star and Garter in Writer's Court, kept by John Clerihue, a favorite tavern for lawyers" is likely a footnote, Clerihue's was mentioned several times. So now I know the full name of the owner and the year.
Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) wrote Guy Mannering in 1815. The story is set in the 1760s to 1780s. It has a character named Mr. Paulus Pleydell, an advocate from Edinburgh. The Anglo-American Magazine of 1852 had an article in which Vair Clirehugh was described as "a lineal descendant of the Clirehugh immortalized in Guy Mannering as the host of the tavern where Pleydell and his convivial confrères used to hold their high jinks." The following are quotes from the book, they name the tavern owner as Clerihugh. Other sources spelled it Clirehugh.
"His honour," said the chairman, "will be at Clerihugh's about this time--Hersell could hae tell'd ye that, but she thought ye wanted to see his house." [http://www.fullbooks.com/Guy-Mannering6.html from Chapter XXXVI]
Oh, s drink never disturbs him, Colonel; he can write for hours after he cannot speak. I remember being called suddenly to draw an appeal case. I had been dining, and it was Saturday night, and I had ill will to begin to it--however, they got me down to Clerihugh's, and there we sat birling till I had a fair tappit hen, under my belt, and then they persuaded me to draw the paper. Then we had to seek Driver, and it was all that two men could do to bear him in, for, when found, he was, as it happened, both motionless and speechless. But no sooner was his pen put between his fingers, his paper stretched before him, and he heard my voice, than he began to write like a scrivener--and, excepting that we were obliged to have somebody to dip his pen in the ink, for he could not see the standish, I never saw a thing scrolled more handsomely." [from http://www.fullbooks.com/Guy-Mannering7.html from Chapter XXXIX]
Robert Chambers (1802–1871) wrote Scottish Jests and Anecdotes which included a story set in "Clirehugh's Tavern in Writer's court, as the most respectable house of entertainment which at the time graced the Scottish metropolis." He published the story in 1832, it began ". . . about sixty years ago . . ."; this suggests the tavern existed about 1772. (Robert Chambers established his printing offices nearby on Warriston's Close.)
John Galsworthy (1867–1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Two of his stories, Tatterdemalion and The Bright Side, include a character named Mrs. Clirehugh. Galsworthy attended Harrow School at about the same time as Stamford Vair Clirehugh, perhaps they met.
It has taken me awhile to verify that the Clerihugh/Clirehugh who owned the tavern in Writer's Court was real. The name of the tavern was the Star and Garter. It was perhaps the best of its kind at the time. Writer's Court, also known as Writer's Close, located on the north side of High Street at 315, was built about 1696. The Tavern was the chief resort of the magistrates, who had all their parties there, as well as Dr. Webster, Lord Gardenstone, David Hume, John Home, and James Boswell. Writer's Court lay between Warriston's Close and the Royal Exchange, the latter was built in 1753.
The city of Edinburgh has come to fascinate me as it features in the stories of unknown Clirehughs.
The modern city of Edinburgh is wrapped around the slopes and base of a rocky crag on which sits Edinburgh Castle. The peak, called Castle Rock, was once an active volcano; it has been occupied by a series of hill forts for about 11,000 years. There has been a royal castle there since at least 1100 AD. The Royal Mile is a road that runs from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood Abbey just over a mile away, along a rocky spine. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castle Hill, Lawn Market, High Street, Canongate, and Abbey Strand. Steep closes (or alleyways and courts) run downhill between the many tall buildings (often tenements, or apartment buildings) off the main thoroughfare in a fishbone pattern. A true "close" was surrounded by buildings on both sides, giving a canyon-like atmosphere; most are only wide enough for pedestrians.
Due to space restrictions imposed by the narrowness of the ridge extending from Castle Rock (sometimes called a "tail"), the Old Town became home to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings. Tall buildings were built storey upon storey and rooms and cellars were excavated from the ground below street level. Multi-storey dwellings known as lands were the norm from the 16th century onwards with ten and eleven stories being typical and one even reaching fourteen stories.
In 1707 Edinburgh was a small capital city, little more than the Royal Mile. A New Town was first proposed in 1752 on a separate green-field site immediately to the north. Built in several stages from the 1760s to the 1830s, the New Town of Edinburgh was the largest planned city development in the world at that time, and it proved an outstanding success in bringing commercial and cultural dynamism to the city.
The population in 2001 was nearly 450,000.
There is a fine map of the Royal Mile dated from the early 20th century. It shows Warriston's Close and the Royal Exchange. The map from 1817 shows Writer's Court as close #20.
Royal Exchange and City Chambers. Edinburgh's City Chambers were built to the neo-classical designs of Robert and James Adam. The building was originally built in 1753 as the Royal Exchange which was its function until 1811 when the Town Council took it over for use as chambers. The main edifice is set back from the High Street with a little courtyard to the front which is nicely finished off with an arcade facing into the High Street. The Exchange was built above the lower levels of several closes such as the infamous Mary King's close and Craig's Close. The top floors of the houses were demolished and the lower floors incorporated into the new foundations, as a result Mary King's close was "entombed." The current address of the City Chambers is 245–329 High Street.
The occupants of the City Chambers were largely judges, lawyers, and legal clerks. They frequented the adjacent tavern located in Writers Close ("writers" were lawyers).
The name "Writers Court" was adopted after the court became home to a library for the Writers to HM Signet, and the literary connection was later reinforced by the presence of the publishers W. & R. Chamber (William and Robert Chambers). The Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet (HM Signet) was originally the private seal of the early Scottish Kings, and the Writers to the Signet were those authorised to supervise its use and, later, to act as clerks to the Courts. About 1696 a signet office was constructed in a court off High Street which was subsequently named Writer's Court. A new Signet Library building was begun in 1810 and completed in 1815, it is located at Parliament Square, on the south side of the High Street and adjacent to St Giles Cathedral.
My great grandfather, Vair Clirehugh, immigrant to America, was said by a social journalist of the time to be the "lineal descendant" of the Clirehugh whose Edinburgh tavern was described in Sir Walter Scott's Guy Mannering (1815). Clirehugh's tavern was mentioned in several books including: James Boswell's Boswell In Search Of A Wife 1766-1769, Robert Chambers' Scottish Jests and Anecdotes (1832), James Grant's Old and New Edinburgh (1800), and John Geddie's Romantic Edinburgh (1909).
I am sure that the referenced tavern keeper was John Clerihue who owned the Star and Garter Tavern in the mid 1700s. The surname was spelled in a number of different ways including Clerihugh and Cleriheugh.
I have not found a sure record of John Clerihue's birth, which I believe to be about 1700 (based on his age at death) in Aberdeenshire where the Clerihues lived. I found 39 variants of the spelling of that surname, virtually all from Aberdeenshire.
In chronological order, this is what I know about John:
After his death the tavern passed to other owners: James Hunter in 1794, Lucky Wilson, Charles Walker, Mr. Paxton. But Clerihue's name is the one memorialized in the histories of Edinburgh.
The tavern was located in Writers' Court, adjacent to the Royal Exchange which supplied many of its customers. Writer's Court is no more, having fallen victim to a redevelopment project. It was located at about 315 High Street, on the north side. The Royal Exchange, built in 1753 and converted to the Edinburgh City Chambers in 1811, is located at 245–329 High Street. Warriston Close survives, at 323 High Street.
ID: In this document, each person has an assigned ID.
The ID is a segmented number where each segment is separated by a period.
The number of segments indicates the generation.
For example, 1.2.3 is the third child of 1.2 who is the second child of 1.0.
Spouses are identified with a suffix of "-n" where n is the number of the marriage;
for example, 1.2.3 -1 is the first spouse of 1.2.3.
When there is no ID, the relationship of the person to others is unknown; they may not be a relative.
Key dates are specified in MM-DD-CCYY format.
Date abbreviations: abt.: about b.: born bap.: baptized m.: married div.: divorced sep.: separated d.: died bur.: buried
Please contact me with corrections and additions or if you're a relative!
Revision: 9-19-2011.