September 8, 1840 (part 2)

Mark Cowie

Mary Gray (Cowey) Broomfield

The home of John and Jane Cowey until their passing. Their son, Mark, lived here until his tragic fall from the roof of his barn. The bricks are the original bricks.

The barn.

Sptember 8, 1840 (part 1)

John Cowey

Jane (Gray) Cowey and her daughter, Mary Gray Cowey

John Cowey and his eldest son's daughter, Margaret

Robert Semple Cowie

John Campbell Cowie

It was 168 years ago, on September 8, 1840, that John and Jane arrived in Colborne, Upper Canada, with their five children. Unfortunately, we have yet to find a photo of the eldest son, James.

A New Beginning

On May 29, 1840, John and Jane Cowey, along with their five children, set sail from Leith, Scotland bound for a new life in British North America. They eventually arrived at the port of Colborne, in Upper Canada, on September 8, 1840. There were familiar Northumbrian place names waiting for them: Wooler, Warkworth, Norham, and Alnwick.

The family settled in Cramahe Township and became tenant farmers. Using tenancy as a means of moving up the agricultural ladder to ownership was a common and viable strategy used by Cramahe farmers.

Life was harsh in the beginning. Among the worst winters ever recorded was the winter of 1842-1843 in which many animals starved to death.

The family witnessed the dawn of a new country. In 1841, the Act of Union came into force and Upper and Lower Canada ceased to be separate entities.

In the 1842 census of Cramahe Township, John and his family are living on property owned by J. Steel, Esquire. The family was blessed with four sons to help with the difficult tasks involved in agricultural survival.

In the census of 1851, John and Jane are living in a 1 1/2 story log house with their son Robert, a miller, their son Mark, a farm labourer, and their daughter Mary, on 100 acres in Cramahe Township. The two eldest sons, James and John, had become labourers on D. Campbell's 200 acre farm 2 miles west of the Cowey farm.

The log homes were temporary residences. Most were either 18 X 20 ft., or 20 X 30 ft. The were usually 9 logs high. Most consisted of a single room with an overhead loft. Walls were of planked or square logs with dove-tailed corners. Wood burning stoves were essential for heating and cooking.

Recorded in the 1851 agricultural census, we find the following information about the Cowey farm: Of the 100 acres, 40 acres was under cultivation and 60 acres was forested. John had 5 acres of wheat, 2 acres of peas, 2 acres of oats, and 2 acres of potatoes. The family also had 3 milk cows, 2 calves, 4 horses, 7 sheep, and 6 pigs.

With hard work the family prospered. In eleven short years, John and Jane were in a position to accomplish something that would have been impossible back in the English Border region. Land ownership. By financial success in farming, and obtaining mortgages, the family was able to begin purchasing acerage in 1853. John had also indicated intent to purchase property in Simcoe County, but changed his mind and stayed in Cramahe Township.

By 1861, their home was listed as a 1 1/2 story framed house.

By the 1880's, Robert had married Christina Inglis, and had built a grist mill in Norham on the Salt Creek. He prospered and then began his move out West, following the footsteps of his son.

James, the eldest, had married Ellen Kerr and was raising a family on land purchased in Lakeport. John Campbell had married Amelia Bawden and was also raising a family. He was able to acquire land near Castleton from his father to take up farming.

Their daughter, Mary Gray, had married Robert Laing Broomfield, a prosperous saw mill owner.

Only Mark remained unmarried and lived with his parents until their passing, then continued to farm on the family homestead.

John and Jane Cowey celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 1896. John had been slightly injured in a fall, and Jane was "poorly", also due to a fall.

On May 16, 1896, Jane Gray Cowey passed away from old age. The funeral service took place at the family residence. Burial was in the Castleton Cemetary.

On January 29, 1899, John passed away. His funeral service was held at his residence. Burial was also in Castleton Cemetary.

Both John and Jane had gambled that they could leave behind lives as a hind and a bondager, moving from one farming estate to another in the English Border country of Northumbria, and make a better life for their family in British North America. They prospered, as did their offspring, through hard work, perseverance, and a determination to put to history their life of servitude back in England.

More Reunion photos courtesy of Bill and Teresa Cowie

Photos courtesy of Bill and Teresa Cowie

more Reunion photos

even more photos from Barb

More photos from Barb

More Reunion '08 Photos

Thanks to Barb (Cowey) Clements for the following photos:

more photos from the Reunion

More photos from our Reunion:

This is a great photo of 3rd cousins: Nancy, descended from Mary Gray Cowey, Neil, also descended from Mary Gray Cowey, Rena, descended from James Cowey, Grey, descended from Robert Semple Cowie, and Francis, descended from John Campbell Cowie.

The Cowey/Cowie Reunion

I am totally overwhelmed. Thank you all, on behalf of Nancy, Francis, Grey, and myself, for attending this first Cowey/Cowie Reunion. We were flying by the seat of our pants, never having organized an event like this before. One of the most frequent comments I've heard has been, "I wish so and so could have been here". Let's hope they were all looking in somehow.

If anyone has photos that they would like to post on this website, scan and email them to me, or to Nancy, and we'll post them. I was so busy trying to meet and talk to as many people as I could, I only took about 8 photos!!

What I would appreciate receiving at this point are family stories. I am interested in what our ancestors did for a living, etc. My ultimate goal is to complete a book I'm in the process of writing and make it available to everyone.

For your information, Nancy tells me that 102 people were at our Reunion. Amazing. We are now waiting for the Colborne Chronicle newspaper.

Countdown to Reunion

Hi Everyone,

The date for the Cowie reunion is not far away. If you have not already registered and are planning to attend, could you please let us know so that we can make final preparations. There will be a prize for the 20th family to register via email at cowey.reunion@hotmail.com Don't forget your food, lawn chairs, and cameras. See you Sunday, July 20.

British North America

On May 29, 1840, John Cowey, his wife Jane, and their five children set sail from Leith, Scotland, bound for British North America. The trip took about 8 weeks. On September 8, 1840, the family arrived in Upper Canada, at the harbour of Colborne, according to an entry in Robert Semple Cowie's bible. Why the County of Northumberland? There were familiar Northumbrian names waiting for them: Wooler, Warkworth, Norham, and Alnwick. They settled in Cramahe Township.

The early days were harsh. Among the worst winters ever recorded was the winter of 1842-1843. Many animals starved to death.

In the 1842 census of Cramahe Township, John, Jane and their family are living on property owned by J. Steele, Esquire. Using tenancy as a means of moving up the agricultural ladder to ownership was a common and viable strategy used by Cramahe farmers. The family would have been unable to own land back in Northumbria.

In the census of 1851, the family is living in a 1 1/2 story log house with Robert, a miller, Mark, a farm labourer, and their daughter Mary on 100 acres on Lot 26, Concession 6, Cramahe Township. Sons John and James were labourers on D. Campbell's 200 acre farm west of the Cowey farm.

The typical log homes were temporary residences. Most were either 18 X 20 ft., or 20 X 30 ft. These homes were usually 9 logs high. They usually consisted of a single room with an overhead loft. Walls were of planked or squared logs with dove-tailed corners. They were heated by burning wood.

In the 1851 agricultural census, we find the following information about the Cowey farm:
Of the 100 acres, 40 acres were under cultivation and 60 acres remained forested. John had 5 acres of wheat, 2 acres of peas, 2 acres of oats, and 2 acres of potatoes. The family also had 3 milk cows, 2 calves, 4 horses, 7 sheep, and 6 pigs. They had achieved a great deal in a short eleven years.

On May 17, 1853, John purchased the 100 acres of the South 1/2 of Lot 26, on Concession 6, Cramahe Township. The land was purchased from the Hon. George H. Markland of Kingston for 160 British pounds. (The Canadian dollar became legal tender in 1858). The Hon. Markland was a member of the Family Compact. A mortgage of $2550 was taken out in 1860, held by Andrew Jeffery and discharged in 1866.

John had also indicated intent to purchase property in Simcoe County, but changed his mind and remained in Cramahe Township.

On December 10, 1860, John purchased 99 acres of the North 1/2 of Lot 26 on Concession 5, with an additional 1 acre added from the North West 1/4 in 1861. Their home, in 1861, was listed as a 1 1/2 story framed house.

1874 was a busy and prosperous year for the Coweys. On February 4, John sold the North 1/2 (100 acres) of Lot 26 to his son John Campbell, now married with 3 children, for $1.00.

On March 21, John sold 70 acres of Lot 26, "that part lying south of Cole Creek", to Levi Simmons for $2800.

On August 24, John and his son Mark purchased the the North 1/2 of Lot 27 on Concession 5 from Josias Gillard. A mortgage of $6000 was held by Josias, and discharged on November 7, 1883.

On October 14, John and Mark puchased the North 1/2 of Lot 28 on Concession 5. This particular property had originally been purchased on October 26, 1833, by the Canada Company from the Crown. Then, on June 24, 1835, The Canada Company acquired the South 1/2 of Lot 28. This parcel was then sold in 1843 to Ephraim Doolittle. The North 1/2 passed through various ownerships until it was sold by James Cockburn to John and Mark Cowey. This became the Cowey homestead.

By the 1880's, Robert had married Christina Inglis, and had begun his move out West after establishing a grist mill in Norham. James had married Helen Kerr and was raising a family. John Campbell had married Amelia Bawden and was raising a family. Mary Gray had married Robert Laing Broomfield and was also raising a family. Only Mark was unmarried and he lived with John and Jane.

On April 17, 1891, John sold sold 30 acres of "that part lying south of Cole Creek" of the South 1/2 of Lot 26 to his son Mark for "natural love and affection and $1.00". He also granted to Mark for "natural love and affection and $1.00" the North West 1/4 of Lot 27. Mark was also granted the North 1/2 of Lot 28 for "natural love and affection and $1.00".

John and Jane celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 1896. John had been slightly injured in a fall, and Jane was "poorly", also due to a fall.

On May 16, 1896, Jane Gray passed away from old age. The funeral service took place at the family residence on Lot 28, on Tuesday the 19th, at 2 pm., and Jane was then buried in the cemetary at Castleton.

On January 29, 1899, John passed away from old age. His funeral service was also held at his residence, on Tuesday the 31st, at 1 pm., and he was then buried in the cemetary at Castleton.

"Berwick and Kelso Warder" (continued) Part 3

"The Canada Company have also urged on the Government, as shown by a paper moved for by the Earl of Mountcashell, and laid on the table of the House of Lords, the justice of appropriating the money amounting to £60 000, due from them in respect of their purchase of Crown lands, to establish a scheme to encourage, direct, and facilitate, emigration to Canada.

That the debt payable by the Canada Company, together with the proceeds of the sale of the crown revenue lands, should be applied to purposes of emigration, is dictated equally by the interests and necessities of the British North American provinces, and by that impartial policy which should regulate the parent state in the relations with all its dependencies. It is too obvious, to require statement, that the unlimited extent of fertile territory in British North America, still remaining unoccupied, must continue unproductive and valueless, unless its resources are developed by the united operation of capital and industry; and it is equally evident that this can only result from emigration on a large scale, to be accomplished by the expenditure of ample funds. The money which may be raised by the judicious and systematic sale, at a moderate rate, of the crown reserve lands, would materially aid in attaining this end; and it is difficult to justify the diversion from an object so legitimate to purposes of ordinary state expenditure, of the large sums paid to government by the Canada Company in respect of grants of lands. This diversion is open to further objection; for while a boon so important has been denied to British North America, it has been conceded to other British colonies, in contravention of the most manifest principles of justice; and the Australian dominions of the Crown have derived from the preference thus extended to them, advantages which cannot be overrated.

A committee has been formed of members of the Colonial Society impressed with the importance of, and interested in, the colonization of British North America, and to this object they are indefatigably and zealously devoting their attention, their experience, and their influence..."

This article continues on at length, but certainly provides insight into the reasons for the push to urge emigration to British North America.

"Berwick and Kelso Warder" (continued)

" British North America possesses inexhaustible physical capabilities of greatness and of wealth; she has a territory which is spread out to an interminable extent, and fertile in almost every production, conducing to the necessities and gratification of man; her navigable rivers, her capacious and and convenient ports, and the broad, blue bosom of the Atlantic main, which connects her with the mother country and its other colonies, and with the kingdoms of Europe - all give to her the means and the facility of acquiring the most ample and the most permanent strength. Taxation can scarcely be said to exist in British North America. Servants and labourers, and mechanics, of all descriptions, are certain of employment and ample remuneration; and instances are numerous of persons in this class having sent home money from their savings to assist in bringing out their indigent relations. The public works in progress will furnish employment for many years to any number of labourers coming from Great Britain, and will continue to sustain the high wages they receive for their work. In the possessions of the British Crown on the continent of America an adequate and industrious population would cause agriculture and commerce to flourish to a boundless extent. In those fine provinces, so little known, and so imperfectly appreciated, by the parent state, the sources of productive industry are inexhaustible, and every human being sent from the mother country, enjoying sound health and well-regulated habits, may find employment suited to all the gradations of strength, skill, and capacity; a country so prolific with respect to sources of human industry is at our very door, within four weeks' sail of our shores, and is now brought by means of steam navigation within less than 14 days' distance. It requires but an extended emigration to cause an immense and rapid increase of its individual prosperity and general welfare; whilst, on the other hand, the over-crowded and famishing districts require but a transfer to these colonies to effect a great diminution of national misery, pregnant with alarm, as to its ultimate consequences. Nor is there any reason to fear that the demand for labour will be checked by the number of persons from this country seeking employment. Persons going at first as labourers are able to save money so quickly, and so soon to become independent, and able themselves to afford employment to others, that it may safely be said, that, in proportion to the number of new settlers in the province, will be the increased demand for additional labourers. That the present moment is the most propitious for the establishment of a scheme of emigration, on a large and effective scale, cannot be denied. Our fellow subjects in Upper Canada, as may be seen by the annexed address to her Majesty the Queen, from the House of Assembly, implore their Sovereign in tones of blended loyalty, patriotism, and sympathy, which cannot be read without emotion, that a plan emanating from her councils, may be established, which shall enable the surplus population of the United Kingdom to be happily transferred from their present dreadful position, to the unpeopled and unsettled lands of that fertile and extensive region, a transfer which will materially strengthen and effectually preserve the British colonial dependencies on that continent, and most firmly rivet the bonds of affection and interest which attach them to the parent state." (to be continued)

Emigration to Canada

The following is a copy of a newspaper article printed in the "Berwick and Kelso Warder" in the Spring of 1840. It provides an insight into the lives of the peasantry of Scotland, and what many of the Border families were hoping to escape from, potentially, in their futures. It also provides an interesting look at the perception of Canada from the aristocrats of 19th century Great Britain.

Emigration To Canada

British North American Colonial Committee

A meeting of the committee was held at the Colonial Society, St. Jame's Square, on Wednesday week, for the purpose of receiving and approving an address to the nobility, clergy, and gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, calling upon them to promote emigration to British North America, as the best means of relieving the more populous parts of the United Kingdom...of the large masses of individuals who are at present in a state of destitution, and of extending the influence and securing the dominion of the mother country. The address, which has been drawn up by Dr. Rolph and Mr. Hughes, was at the last meeting referred to a sub-committee for consideration.

Dr. Rolph read the following address:-

"In many parts of the United Kingdom the redundancy of population has become a formidable, deeply seated, and rapidly increasing evil, extending its withering influence through every portion of the country, assuming an aggravated character in numerous districts of Ireland, and reducing the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland to a state of destitution, from the contemplation of which the mind recoils with pain and horror. In the latter districts more especially, the existence of a large proportion of the population is barely sustained on the most scanty, precarious, and unwholesome diet; large masses are in danger of being swept away, and districts depopulated by famine and misery in their most appalling forms; whilst the moral and social evils resulting from the physical condition of the unhappy sufferers are daily producing the most disastrous effects. These sufferings, and the demoralization which may be feared as their consequence, are rapidly sinking this unhappy, but noble-minded peasantry, distinguished for their independence, their provident, self-denying, and social virtues, to a state of helpless and unparalleled wretchedness; and an immediate remedy is admitted to be indispensable alike by the divine, the statesman, and the philanthropist. The period has confessedly arrived when this remedy can be no longer delayed - the wide-spreading desolation must be arrested- the moral contagion stayed; and it becomes the grave and solemn duty of all who sympathise with human suffering, and are interested in the welfare of our fellow-subjects, but more especially of those immediately connected with the afflicted districts, to ponder earnestly on the means which emigration holds out a certain corrective, if not entire cure, of an evil, which, if allowed to operate longer, uncounteracted, must exhaust the resources of the country, and at no distant period sink all classes to the level of that which is now lowest. This duty becomes more imperatively incumbent on the nobility, clergy, proprietors, and others connected with the Highlands and the Isles of Scotland from the fearfully aggravated form which pauperism has there attained; nor is the removal of this surplus population less their duty than interest.

Whilst this country is thus overburthened by a redundant suffering population, the resources of British North America remain undeveloped, and lie dormant, from the want of labourers.

The inhabitants of Great Britain have been too apt to consider Canada as merely a region of ice and snow, of pine forests and lakes, of Trappers and Indians, with a few forts and villages intermixed, and producing only furs and ship-timber. But this is a very imperfect view of this interesting country, which is growing in population and improving in cultivation more rapidly, perhaps, than any part of the United States, if we except the territory of Michigan, and must become, at no very distant period, a wealthy, powerful, and populous province.

The climate of Canada is singularly healthy, and in salubrity is unquestionably superior to the United States. The cold of winter is divested of more than half its gloom by the extreme dryness of the atmosphere; and the heat of summer is attempered by delightful breezes from the lakes. The higher latitude repels all the summer epidemics that ravage the United States. Even in the severity of its winters, all that is injurious will yield to the thinning of the forests, the draining of the swamps, and the other labours of the accumulating population.

If we look at the map, a truth rarely adverted to when we speak of Canada, is apparent to the eye, that a large portion of the province lying immediately northward of Lake Erie, is situated in a lower latitude than the greater part of Michigan, lower than all that fine and fertile region along the great canal in the state of New York, very little further north than the Pennsylvania line, and in the same parallel with the fertile, productive, and wealthy state of Massachusetts. But it is well known that the climate is much less severe between the same parallels as we approach the west; thus Pittsburgh has a softer winter and a shorter one than Philadelphia, and Buffalo than Albany; so Upper Canada is much milder than Massachusetts. An eminent English geographer observes that ' the action of the climate upon agricultural productions in British North America is more favourable than in others which have the same mean temperature. The intense heat of the short summer ripens corn and fruits, which will not thrive in regions where the same warmth is more equally distributed throughout the year. Thus Quebec agrees in mean annual temperature with Christiana; yet wheat, scarcely ever attempted in Norway, is the staple of Lower Canada. The Upper Province nearly coincides with the north of England; yet the grape, the peach, and melon come to as much perfection as in their native soil. Even rice is found growing wild. In this respect British America seems not to fall short of European countries under the same latitude. Its winter cold at the same time enables it to combine the products of the northern with those of the southern climates. By the side of the fruits above-mentioned flourish the strawberry, the cranberry, and the raspberry, while the evergreen pines are copiously intermingled with the oak, the elm, and others of ampler foliage.' It has also been observed, in reference to this subject, that 'the most populous portion of Russia is 20 degrees to the north of the North American border of Upper Canada, and the colonists crowding to the country are Britons, a race proverbally successful in all the tasks to be achieved by patient vigor and fearless adventure. These men require only room - their native energies will do the rest. The forest will be cleared, the morass drained, the prairie will be a corn-field, the huge lakes - those mediterraneans of the New World - will be covered with the products of the mineral and agricultural wealth of the country; coal has been already discovered in great abundance, iron and various metals are already worked, the hills abound in every kind of limestone up to the purist marble.'

A great part of Upper Canada is delightfully situated for an agricultural country; free from mountains, it is, nevertheless abundantly watered and almost surrounded and intersected by navigable rivers and lakes, on which its produce is easily transported to various and extensive markets. It possesses a soil as well as climate peculiarly favourable to the growth of wheat, and immense quantities are grown in it. The Welland Canal connects the navigation of Lakes Erie and Ontario; the Rideau Canal, constructed round the obstructions in the St. Lawrence, opens a free communication by water from the north-western extremity of Lake Huron to Montreal, and thence to the Atlantic; and it is in contemplation to form a second line of communication by connecting Lakes Huron and Simcoe with the long and extensive chain of lakes and rivers throughout the Newcastle district, or improving the navigation of the Ottawa River, and connecting it with Lake Huron, opening a great field for agricultural and commercial enterprise. The advantages of the navigation of these canals and the St. Lawrence, are as exclusively British, as the navigation of the Mississippi is American; and the British Government, in order to augment and foster these important interests, admits Canadian produce into her ports at a very small duty. The Provincial Legislature has petitioned for a further remission of the duties on tobacco - the western section of the province having been discovered to be peculiarly favourable for its growth. It is also ascertained that the climate and soil, especially that of the western part of Upper Canada, are admirably adapted for the growth of the white mulberry, to the cultivation of which the attention of the United States has long been earnestly directed." (to be continued)

The Canada Company

The Canada Company was a large, private chartered, British land development company incorporated by an act of the British Parliament on July 27, 1825. It's purpose was to aid the colonization of Upper Canada in British North America. It assisted emigrants by providing good ships, low fares, implements and tools, and inexpensive land. It was founded in London, England. The names of those present were later used as the names of townships in Huron County.

The government of Upper Canada sold the company 10 000 square km of land for £341 000. John Galt became its first Canadian superintendant. Half the land purchased became known as the Huron Tract along the eastern shore of Lake Huron. Galt selected Guelph as the location of the company headquarters. There were also huge tracts of land elsewhere in Upper Canada, including the Colborne area, and large areas were set aside as clergy lands.

The company advertised for emigrants, especially in Scotland, and the Border lands. They then assisted in the migration of new settlers, bringing them to the area by means of a boat which the company owned on Lake Ontario.

The company's mismanagement and corruption, and its close ties with the Tory elite, known as the Family Compact, was an important contributing factor to the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837. Payments for the land were spread over 16 years and went directly to the Executive branch of the Upper Canada government. This caused bitter resentment by Reformers in the elected assembly who also charged that the company failed to provide promised improvements in its structure, and treated immigrants dictatorially. The company was dissolved on December 18, 1953.

The decision to flit to British North America

Life was harsh in the Border country.The living quarters of the hinds were often deplorable. Many of the cottages were in disrepair since hinds were constantly moving on and neither the hinds nor the farmers made a committment to their upkeep.

Most stone cottages consisted of two rooms often with a thatched roof and dirt floor.The main room had a grate, an oven, and a furnace pot as fixtures. Each cottage would have a coal shed attached.

As difficult as life might have been for the Border people, it was not as brutal as that of the Scots to the north. Thousands of Scots were forced to move off of the estates during what was termed as the "clearings".

Attempts were made to assist people to emigrate to British North America. Agents of the Canada Company, founded in London, encouraged emigration, and provided assistance in the form of money and implements.

The decision by John and Jane to flit to British North America was probably made after the birth of their daughter Mary in 1838. Both James and Robert would have been of age to work on the farm. With John Campbell approaching the age of work, the family might have been concerned about finding enough employment for them all.

At the hirings in March, and the the weekly corn sales, there would have been much talk about emigration to America, New Zealand, Australia, and British North America. Advertisements were often placed in the Wooler, Kelso, and Berwick newspapers for passengers on ships to New Zealand and Australia.

Letters from the colonies to relatives on the Border estates would have encouraged others to emigrate upon hearing about the availability of cheap land and plenty of work. In Ilderton between 1831 and 1841 there were 125 people. As machinery began to replace workers, less hinds were required. The population in the Wooler Parish in 1831 was 1 926 people. By 1841 the population was only 1 874.

By March of 1840, John and Jane were preparing to flit to British North America. John would not have contracted to another estate, and he would have been terminated in May. John and Jane and both sons, James and Robert, would have been earning money while working and living at Ilderton. They would have accumulated enough money for their passage. There is no indication whether or not they might have received assistance from agents of the Canada Company who were in the area recruiting people to emigrate to Upper Canada.

The family probably followed the main road to Berwick and found passage on one of the many ships or steamers travelling up the coast to Leith, Scotland. From there they could then travel on to Liverpool. It was from this port that ships sailed on the first and 15th of every month to British North America. One such ship was "The Scotia" which sailed to Quebec and Montreal. It is unknown on which ship John and his family sailed.

It was not a coincidence that the Coweys arrived in the Colborne area. Townshp names such as Alnwick, and village names such as Norham and Wooler would have sounded familiar to them and represented a link with their homeland.

Religion

St. Maurice's Church, Eglingham



St. Michael's Church, Ilderton



St. Cuthbert's Parish Church in Norham




The Non-conformist Church (Presbyterian 1688 - 1972) in Wooler, now known as the Wooler United Reformed Church on Cheviot Street.


Although John and Jane were married in St. Maurice Church in Eglingham, it is doubtful they worshipped at St. Michael's Church in Ilderton. John would have attended the weekly corn sales held in Wooler. The family would also have attended the huge social gatherings during the hirings in March. It would be on these occasions that John and Jane would have attended the non-conformist church, the old Protestant dissenting congregation, now known as the Wooler United Reformed Church (Presbyterian 1688 - 1972) on Cheviot Street.


This religious movement spread south from Scotland. It was formally established by John Knox and faced years of persecution well into the 18th century. Newcastle, Berwick, and Wooler were hubs of Dissenting worshippers. One of it's 17th century disciples was a Robert Semple.

Jane, although born in Chillingham, had been baptized in this Wooler church, as were her brothers, Robert and Mark, and her sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. John was most likely influenced by Jane and her family's devotion to this church. Their son, Mark, born in 1836 in Ilderton, was also baptized in this church.

Jane Gray

In addition to skills in stacking, sowing, herding, and sheep shearing, a condition of employment was the hind's provision of a "bondager", a female. Generally, a bondager was his wife, sister, or daughter. If necessary a female had to be hired by the hind himself.



Bondagers found employment in the fields or in the barn. They were responsible for the upkeep of the cottage. They had to pick the corn in the harvest. Often they were required to spin wool for the farmer's wife. Women were paid almost 8 pence a day in the winter, 10 pence in the summer. They would receive a shilling a day for twenty days during the harvest.



The hinds received approximately £4 a year in money, a share of the corn,(which could be sold in the market town), and the "keep" of a cow. If the hind was unable to buy a cow, the farmer provided one during the man's term of service. It was called a "put on" cow.



The hind's wages also included 18 weighed bags of potatoes. Each hind had to raise some chickens at his cottage for the farmer. He also had his own little garden plot.



To the head of a family, his growing up sons and daughters represented a considerable income in the future. A few extra shillings a week could be added by flitting to another farm. It was possible for a family to earn up to £50 a year.



Thus it was, in 1826, John Cowey sought out a bondager. Jane Gray was born on the Chillingham estate in 1800. The daughter of Robert Gray, from Newtown, and Mary Mather, from Chillingham, she eventually moved with her family to the farming estate at East Lilburn.



Eglingham, East Lilburn, Chillingham, Ilderton, and Wooler are all located within a few km of each other in the Border region. The River Tweed separated England from Scotland. The main road from Alnwick, in the south, ran through Morpeth, Eglingham, Ilderton, and Wooler, in the north, and then on to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the coast.



It was probable that John Cowey met Jane Gray at the March hirings in either Morpeth or Wooler. Because they were married in St. Maurice Church in Eglingham, we can assume that John worked nearby because it was necessary to have banns called at church, with the condition that one of the parties lived in the area. The banns were read on three consecutive Sundays. John and Jane's banns were published on Sundays March 5, March 12, and March 19, 1826. Their marriage took place in May of 1826. Witnesses were Jane's brother Mark, and sisters Eleanor and Elizabeth Gray.



Their first son James, born in 1827, was probably born at Eglingham; however, by 1829 they would have flitted north to the Norham area. Their second son, Robert Semple, we believe was born in Loanend, an estate on the banks of the River Tweed. John Campbell was born in October 1833, probably in this same area.



Some time between May 1834 and May 1836, John and Jane flitted to Ilderton, a village south of Wooler that was virtually one large farming estate. They migrated to this estate, perhaps to obtain a better job, a better cottage, and possibly a cheaper education for their children.

Life before Canada

John Cowey, born in 1800, was from Eadington, a village about 5 km. southwest of the market town of Morpeth in the parish of Mitford, County Nothumberland. He was a farm labourer, a husbandman or a "hind", who had found a job on an estate near Eglingham around 1826.

As a hind, John would have been contracted to work from year to year. In Northumberland, farming was a prosperous enterprise. Prior to the introduction of farm machinery in the 1800's, estate farmers required many labourers. Farming estates were large and isolated, each one forming a small hamlet of itself. The farmer would build adjoining terraces or rows of hind houses. These were provided rent free

The hirings for a year of service would take place early in March, but the notice for ordinary hinds was given in February. The notice was termed "speaking". The number of hinds required would depend on the success of the farm. Those hinds who received no notice to leave are spoken to, and agree to stay for another year of service. If the farmer did not speak, the hinds considered themselves discharged and would be required to move on, or "flit".

Hiring day was a major social event, the most important event of the year. The hinds who had been terminated, their families, and the estate farmers would gather in large numbers at the major market centres. Morpeth, from where John may have been contracted, Wooler and Norham in the north Border country would have been such centres.

These gatherings were always attended by travelling shows with their roundabouts and swings. There were village dances known as the "village hop", and athletic contests of racing, wrestling, and football.

The hinds who were hired in March began, and ended, their service on Whitsuntide, around the 12th of May. This event was called "the May", or "the turn of the year".
Since only a certain number of men and women were required by the farmer, he could not employ all members of some families, especially as the children left school and were ready for work. If a lad was ready to work but not required, the family had to flit to another estate where they could all be hired.

During the May, the fields were deserted as men and horses were all busy with the flit, or migration.
Once settled onto their new farms, a week's holiday followed which allowed the hinds and their families to get settled into their cottage. The May weather allowed a toriugh house cleaning and airing, as well as the necessary repairs

One unfortunate aspect of the May migration was the disruption in the lives of the children. They would lose the continuity of teaching and influence both in church and at school.
Boys and girls went to work at age 10. Most children only attended school for approximately 22 weeks. Schools were distant, roads or paths were almost impossible to use in bad weather, and teachers, if found, were poorly paid. Often, parents were unable to pay for their children's education. Once the harvesting began, the eligible children worked in the fields alongside their parents, some as carters, planters, or pickers.

At the March hirings, hinds were asked by the farmer if they could "stack and sow", both agricultural jobs of importance. Stacking corn sheafs in the field was almost an art form. Bad stacks signified careless husbandry, while well shaped stacks could earn a hind a shilling or two more a week.

The hours were long. In the winter, work began at dawn and ended at dusk. In the spring and summer, work began at 6 am, and ended at 6 pm.

further research

I'm hoping to find more information on John Cowey, and also on the Canada Company, when I go to the National Archives in London in about 3 weeks. I'm thinking I may make one final trip for a couple of days back up to Berwick-upon-Tweed, if I draw a blank in London.

Northumberland photos

East Lilburn with the farmer's home below.

Ilderton Church. The church is undergoing renovations, a new roof and shoring up the loose brickwork.

Chillingham, etc.

St. Peter's, Chillingham, below.

Chillingham is the birthplace of Jane Gray. Her father, Robert, was born in 1771 in Newtown not far from Chillingham. Her mother, Mary Mather, lived on the farming estate at Chillingham. Chillingham has a castle, and boasts the only wild herd of cattle in Britain. Mary was also born in 1771. Jane was born in 1800. I believe there were 5 other children. Eleanor, Elizabeth, Mark, Mary, and Robert.

Robert and Mary probably flitted to the East Lilburn estate as their family expanded.

Jane would have met John in Eglingham, not far from Chillingham, and East Lilburn, at one of the March gatherings. John would have been required to find a "bondager" to take with him to where he worked. It was not necessary that he marry the woman, and many hinds did not.

John probably worked on the estate at Eglingham because a condition of marriage was that the wedding banns be read 3 Sundays prior to marriage in the area in which you lived. I have found the record of the 3 banns being read.

From Eglingham, John and Jane might have flitted to Norham, and then to Loanend. Both estates are close to each other.

Eglingham, Lilburn, and Ilderton were all on the main route to Wooler, and then to Berwick on the North Sea coast. Many ships left Berwick for Leith, just to the north.

I doubt it was coincidental that John and Jane made their way to the Colborne area of Canada. At the many March gatherings that they would have attended, I'm sure they heard stories of people who emmigrated to Canada. The village names of Wooler, Norham, etc. would have made them feel close to home. In fact, I have a copy of an article from a Berwick-Wooler newspaper, 1840, in which the encouragement of Border people to emmigrate was discussed. The large estate farmers advocated some kind of financial assistance to encourage hinds and their families to move on. The Canada Company was asked to help as well.

With the advent of farm machinery in the 1830's, fewer labourers were required. It was more brutal in Scotland where the "clearings" were taking place. Labourers were forced to move on, most to the south into England, or overseas.

The population in the Wooler Parish in 1831 was 1 926 people. By 1841, the population had dropped to 1 874 people.

Ilderton

Ilderton was, and is, a village in Northumberland that is basically a farming estate. It has a church, but it is doubtful that John Cowey worshipped there. Ilderton was not far from Wooler, an important market town. It was a place where estate farmers sold their sheep, wool, and grains. It would have been the locale for the large gatherings in March where labourers would try to secure employment with the estate farmers. They would then "flit" to the next estate on Whitsuntide, around May 11 or 12, to begin their year's contract.

Wooler was also a centre of worship. There are several churches in Wooler, one of which was a gathering place for the Presbyterian worshippers. John Cowey was a follower of the religion which spread from Scotland. Although he married Jane Gray in Eglingham, he most likely became interested in the non-conformist church during visits to Wooler, while working at Loanend, or Ilderton. A Robert Semple was one of the original dissenters in the 17th century. Mark Cowie was baptized in the Wooler, Cheviot Street Church. It is a non-conformist church, or Presbyterian.

It was in Ilderton that John would be employed as a husbandman, and his wife, Jane, would work in the fields, spin wool for the estate farmer's wife, and care for the chickens each "hind" was required to raise for the farmer. Their sons, James and Robert, would be working from the age of 10 on the farm as carters, or field workers. All of them would have been paid.

Loanend

Loanend. Part of the original estate cottages, and the Manor House.

The River Tweed and the Union Bridge.


The labourers' cottages that are still being used today.

G'day! Loanend is the birthplace of Robert Semple Cowie, 2nd son of John and Jane. It is a large farming estate located about 3 miles from Wooler, the main market town in this area of Northumbria, or "the Borders". The famous Union Bridge, a suspension bridge, spans the River Tweed with Scotland on one side, England on the other.

Each estate farmer provided his hinds with a cottage, usually rent free. These cottages still exist, but the roofs are no longer thatched, but tiled. The floors are no longer dirt.

As John and Jane's family grew, John would most likely have been contracted to the estate in Ilderton.