Madeline/Marion Orr (1843-1881)

I don't like it when something doesn't match up and I don't have a good explanation for it, but such is the case for the name of the subject of this article.  The 1851 Census shows the John Orr family living in Drumbathie House near Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  One of the daughters is Marion Orr age 8 and therefore born approximately 1843.  As seen in Figure 1, there are no other girls in the family of similar age.  Ten years later, on Jan 30, 1861 an 18-year-old Madeline Orr marries a 24-year-old house painter named Adam Armour at Drumbathie, Airdrie (see Figure 2).  Given her age and that the marriage record clearly states she is the daughter of John and Madeline (Bird) Orr, I am forced to conclude that Marion and Madelene are the same person.

Figure 1: 1851 Scotland Census of Drumbathie House, East of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Figure 2: 1861 Scotland Marriage Record, Burgh of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Adam Armour

Having very little information about Madeline's early life, I will tell her story through the lens of her husband.  Adam Armour was born on 03 May 1836 to Thomas and Helen (Galt) Armour in New Monkland Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland (see Figure 3).  According to Old Parish Birth and Death Records, Thomas and Helen had a previous child named Adam who died young.  The first Adam was baptized 18 Mar 1832 in Upper Fenwick and died 5 Dec 1833 in Kilmarnock.  Both locations are in Ayrshire.  It is possible that Adam's family was distantly related to Jean Armour, wife of the iconic Scottish poet Robert Burns.  Jean was from Mauchline less than ten miles from Kilmarnock.

Figure 3: 1836, Old Parish Birth Records, Airdrie or New Monkland Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Transcription: Armour: Adam Armour _ Son of Thomas Armour Waggoner Airdrie Toll & Helen Galt was born 3d May and baptiz'd 5th June 1836.

The family of Thomas and Helen Armour appears in the 1841 Census (see Figure 4) living on Graham St. in Airdrie.  Thomas is 35 and a Hostler (i.e. probably kept horses for an inn), Helen is 30.  Children listed are Robert (13), Adam (5) and Helen (2) Armour and  Ann (13) and John Barr (12).  There is record of a John Barr born to Walter Barr and Helen Galt on 16 Dec 1827 in Fenwick Parish, Ayrshire.  This leads me to believe that Ann and John were step-siblings of Adam through his mother.  It also probably means that Robert was an older step-brother through Adam's father by a previous marriage.

Figure 4: 1841 Scotland Census, Graham St., Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Thomas, must have died in the next decade since the 1851 Census shows Helen as widowed, age 48.  Although the writing is difficult, it appears her occupation was "Cofeehouse Keeper".  Living with her are: Ann (dau, 20 'Assistant'), Adam (son, 14, 'Confectioners Apprentice'), Helen (dau, 12, 'Scholar'.)
The 1861 Census shows Adam and Madeline married and living at 37 Stirling St. in Airdrie.  Adam is a 24-year-old house painter and Madeline is 18.  Living nearby at 31 Stirling St. was his mother Helen (59) his sister Helen (22) and his step brother John Barr, (33) who was also a house painter.
In fact it appears John Barr owned a shop on Bank St. in Airdrie in 1859 and Adam worked for him, as the following court drama asserts.

Figure 5: Glasgow Daily Herald, 29 Aug 1859, pg 5.

Living in Airdrie and at Drumbathie.

For twenty years, the family continued to reside in and around Airdrie.  The 1865 Valuation Rolls show  Adam Armour occupying (i.e. living at) 13 Broomknoll St. and maintaining a shop at 79 Stirling St., and a workshop at 80 Stirling St.
Around 1867 birth records of Adam's and Madeline's children show that they lived on South Bridge Street until 1870.  These were not the best of times for the family.  A daughter Jane was born in 1866, but died a year later on 1 May 1867 of measles.  A son, John, was then born in Dec of that year but he died in 1869 of "Hooping Cough."
Adam's business was expanding in 1870 with the following advert.  A glazier was an artisan that worked with glass including installation and painting of it.

Figure 6: The Glasgow Herald, 07 May 1870, pg 1.

The 1871 Census shows the growing family is living on Drumbathie Rd. with children Madeline (9), Ellen (7), Thomas (6) and Peter (1).  There is a servant girl Elizabeth Jarvis (19 living with them.  Adam occupation is still a painter and is apparently in charge of his shop since it notes that he employs 14 men and 7 boys.

Figure 7: 1871 Scotland Census, Burgh of Airdrie, Civil Parish New Monkland, Lanarkshire

The 1872, 1875, and 1878 County Directories show Adam living at Drumbathie so they were living in the farm house where Madeline grew up while he still maintained a shop in town.  Though he remained a painter by trade, he participated in farm life to some degree.  The 16 Jun 1869 Glasgow Herald reports on the New Monkland Agricultural Show where he won 4th place in the category "Riding pony under fourteen hands."

All of the children of Adam and Madeline were born in the Airdrie area between 1861 and 1874.  A summary of birth (and death) record record that Adam and Madeline had the following children.

Child	Birth date(Death date)	Place of Birth (Place of Death)
Madeline	1 Nov 1861	37 Stirling St
Helen/Ellen	3 Oct 1863	11 Broomknoll St.
Thomas	23 Feb 1865	13 Broomknoll St.
Jane	16 Jun 1866 (d. 1 May 1867)	13 Broomknoll St. (d. South Bridge St.)
John Orr	14 Dec 1867 (d. 15 Apr 1869)	South Bridge St. (d. South Bridge St.)
Peter/Patrick Orr	4 Feb 1870	South Bridge St.
John Orr	4 Jul 1871	Drumbathie Farm House
Adam	12 Mar 1873	Drumbathie Farm
Margaret Walton	15 Jul 1874	Drumbathie Farm

Although living back in the friendly confines of Drumbathie, all did not go well for Madeline.  Around April 1878 she began to have "attacks", was of "unsound mind and laboured under delusions."  On 10 Sep 1878 she was admitted to Bothwell Private Asylum, all this according to Gartnavel Asylum Surgeon's Notes available at the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives.  The 'private asylum' might have been 'Kirklands Asylum' which was owned by Dr. William Dean Fairless as a private asylum and was bought in 1879 and redeveloped as a public asylum to take care of overcrowding at Gartnavel.
On 31 December 1878 Madeline was admitted to Gartnavel Royal Lunatic Asylum in Partick, Glasgow, Lanarkshire as a "pauper patient chargable to New Monkland Parish."   She was described in the surgeon's notes as "obstinate" and refusing "to do almost anything asked of her."  "Although she had a demented expression of face she was able to answer some questions correctly, such as telling how many children she had etc."  Over the nearly three years of her stay she seems to have been a somewhat difficult patient, being uncooperative and speaking incoherently at times and refusing to eat and bathe on several occasions.
While Madeline was in the hospital, Adam carried on his work and apparently his mother Helen moved in to take care of the children.   In 1880 he (or his employees) worked on the Janet Hamilton Memorial on Bank Street in Coatbridge.  The monument and fountain are still standing at West End Park.  For his efforts he was paid a little over £1 according to the Glasgow Herald of 4 Dec 1880.  The entire memorial cost about  £250.

1881 - A Difficult Year

The year of 1881 was a tragic one for the Armour family .  On 14 Feb 1881, Adam passed away from "Acute Ideopathic Pneumonia" which he had had for 8 days. 

Figure 8: Lanarkshire Upper Ward Examiner, 19 Feb 1881, pg 2.

After Adam's death, the farm and workshop were not to be left idle for long, as can be seen in the following two adverts.

Figure 9: Lanarkshire, Upper Ward Examiner, 26 Mar 1881, pg 2.

Although Adam did not leave a will, his estate was inventoried and the inventory was filed 18 Apr 1881.  The estate was worth over £369.  Categories included

• £59 for "furniture and effects at Drumbathie and Stirling Street"
• £25 for "Farm Stock and effects at Drumbathie"
• £90 for "Stock in trade and other effects in Shop Stirling Street Airdrie sold to James Conner, Painter"
• £194 for "Debts due to the deceased"

According to the inventory, Madeline was still "residing at Drumbathie."  However there is little doubt she was at Gartnavel Asylum.

The 1881 Census, which had a census date of Apr 3, shows the children of the family still living at Drumbathie and with Adam's mother Helen heading the family.

Figure 10: 1881 Scotland Census, Drumbathie Farm, New Monkland Civil Parish, Lanarkshire

On 27 Jul 1881, Madeline (Orr) Armour died of "Phthisis Pulmonalis" (i.e. tuberculosis) at the Gartnavel Royal Lunatic Asylum at Partick, near Glasgow according to her death record.  The last two entries in the surgeon's notes for her case are:

• 18 Nov 1880 - [She was] sent to the infirmary ward to see that she took her food.  She sits idly and never speaks.
• 13 Jan 1881 - Seems quite demented will hardly give any reply when spoken to.  Requires to be assisted in everything.

Whether she had been told of her husband's passing or not is not noted.

More information on her case are available online at the Wellcome Library.  The surgeon's notes  are in item reference HB13/5/98, page 305-306.  They can also be researched at the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives; GB.