Biographical notes

The documentation for John Pettigrew is very sketchy. He appears in the Newton on Ayr Registers as marrying Elizabeth Downie, and subsequently appears in Newton on Ayr and then the St Quivox registers, with Elizabeth, as the father of ten children, the tenth being born in 1816. A John Pettigrew, Weaver, listed in the 1821 Census is recorded as the head of household in Content Street. By the time of the 1841 Census, he has died as Elizabeth Pettigrew (nee Downie) is recorded as 'Pettigrew Jn (Widow)' which is interpreted as John Pettigrew's Widow. No burial or other records appear to have survived.

Several of John Pettigrew's children's death certificates name his occupation as that of Blanket Weaver.

The antecedents of John Pettigrew (spelt Petticrew in the marriage register) are equally elusive and the nearest John Pettigrew in the Ayr registers with a likely date of christening is recorded in the Monkton and Prestwick Parish (adjacent to the Newton on Ayr and St Quivox Parishes), born on 9 March 1777 to parents GEORGE PETTIGREW and JANET SLOANE. However, at the time of their marriage in 1795 this John would have been 18 and Elizabeth about 21, which would seem to be unlikely.

In the 1851 Census, John's widow Elizabeth has a recorded birthplace of Arran. One possibility may be that John Pettigrew was also born on Arran and the couple travelled to Ayr for John to get work, and for the couple to get married and start a family.

There are apparently no surviving OPR records of Pettigrew marriages on Arran in the 1760's and early 1770's. There is a gap between 1727 (which is too early), and 1788 (which is too late). However, the surviving OPR's show several births in the 1770's which could be suggested as two possible sets of parents for John. These are detailed as follow:

WILLIAM PETTICREW christened 12/05/1776 parents WILLIAM PETTECREW/ANN LOVE born Kilmory, Shiskine and Lochranza, Bute

MARY PETTICREW christened 30/10/1777 parents WILLIAM PETTECREW/ANN LOVE born Kilmory, Shiskine and Lochranza, Bute

ELIZABETH PETTICREW christened 29/01/1780 parents WILLIAM PETTECREW/ANN LOVE born Kilmory, Shiskine and Lochranza, Bute

JAMES PETTIGREW christened 28/03/1777 parents JAMES PETTIGREW/ANN HAMILTON born Kilmory, Shiskine and Lochranza, Bute

James and William were the names given to John and Elizabeth's 3rd and 4th sons, but no children are named Ann. None of the listed parents are more than possibilities with no other evidence to confirm John's birth in Arran or in Ayrshire.