Davidson

William Davidson was born at Segholm near Muirkirk in Ayrshire in 1843.  His father was John Davidson of Muirkirk and his mother Agnes Johnstone of Greenburn Farm, near Crawfordjohn.  William worked as a young shepherd at Aldhouseburn Farm in Muirkirk, renowned – then and now – for its sheep and sheepbreeding and for selling flocks of Scottish Blackface across Britain and further afield.

In 1869, William was one of the first Scottish shepherds who brought sheep to Exmoor as part of Frederic Knight’s “sheepfarming experiment.”  It may be that he was delivering a herd of Blackface Sheep purchased by Knight from Aldhouseburn.   William Davidson, may or may not, have intended to stay on Exmoor – some of the Scottish shepherds were employed to deliver sheep, settle the herding and then return home – but in 1870 William married Frances (known as Fanny) Littlewood and they were living in Hoar Oak Cottage which, at that time, Frederic Knight rented for his Hoar Oak shepherd.

Fanny Littlewood was born on 23rd December 1842, in Langthorpe, Kirby-on-the-Moor, Yorkshire.  Her father, Edward, was a Waterman who plied his trade on the busy River Ure and Ripon Canal.  By 1861, nineteen-year-old Fanny was working as a housemaid at the parsonage in Roecliffe near Langthorpe and Boroughbridge and two years later, her mother, Alice, died in Boroughbridge.  Soon after Fanny is in North Devon working as a Domestic Servant in Lynton.  On the marriage certificate Fanny’s father has the rank or profession of ‘Sailor’ – no doubt reflecting back to his job as a Canal and River Waterman.

 

Fanny and William had six children in total, the first four born at Hoar Oak Cottage:

 

  • John Thomas Davidson                  b1872
  • Alice Bell Davidson                          b1873
  • Edward Davidson                             b1877
  • Agnes Davidson                                b1879

The dates are interesting as they confirm the family were at Hoar Oak during the great snowstorm of 1878 – a significant meteorological event for the Exmoor hill farmers and for Fanny a challenge with two small babies to care for.  More about the ‘great snowstorm’ can be found on this link:  https://hoaroakcottage.org/2017/01/19/snow-storm-1878/

Around 1880, William and Fanny and the four children moved to live at and run Winstitchen Farm – one of the larger of Knight’s more modern, purpose-built farms near Simonsbath. Two more children were born:

  • William Davidson       b1881
  • Arthur Davidson         b1887

But as the 1800s turned into the 1900s things were changing on Exmoor.  Much of the Knight’s estate, the old Royal Forest of Exmoor, had reverted to Fortescue family ownership and following the accession of Viscount Ebrington, the 4th Earl Fortescue, the Knight sheep farming experiment came to an end and the land and farms were let to tenants or sold or let as hunting lodges/country homes.[1]   Winstitchen was let, we think as a hunting lodge, and the Davidsons lost their home and livelihood.  Their fate is recorded in a little note scribbled up the side of a page in Head Shepherd, Robert Tait Little’s diary which tells us that “W. Davidson left Exmoor for Dumfries May 27th 1902, after 33 years service.”

[1] Frederic Knights only son and heir had died and Frederic gave up the Exmoor Estate in reversion to the Fortescues. The Heritage of Exmoor (1989) Burton.

Entry in Robert Tait Little diary re: William Davidson leaving Exmoor 1902

Read more about Scottish Head Shepherd, Robert Tait Little, on this link: https://hoaroakcottage.org/robert-tait-little/

William and Fanny settled in Irongray near Dumfries in the Scottish Borders.  Their youngest son, Arthur, was with them and soon after daughter Agnes married and joined her parents in Irongray. The remaining children stayed in England. A family memory is that son Edward – despite being born and raised on Exmoor – spoke with a Scottish accent to the end of his life, giving testimony to similar stories of that lost period when Exmoor was home to a strong Scottish community.  It is not known why or how the Davidsons came to end up near Dumfries. Robert Tait Little had originally come from Dumfries, and it might be speculated that he fixed the Davidsons up with a job after having to dismiss them from Winstitchen.  The tenor of his diary note, recording William’s 33 years of ‘service’, might indicate he felt admiration and a commitment to the Davidsons.

 

The 1911 census puts Fanny and William and youngest son Arthur as living at High Grove Cottage, Irongray.  Their married daughter, Agnes, had by this time moved with her husband and children to Girvan, 60 miles away.  Fanny died on 25th April 1916 at High Grove, Irongray aged 72 and is buried in Irongray churchyard.  William survived her by 10 years, remarried a year after her death, but was buried with her at Irongray where their headstone can be found – a beautiful and very unusual stone tree trunk with an inscribed bible atop.

 

William and Fanny Davidson Headstone in Irongray Kirkyard, Dumfries

Thanks to Nick Hide, genealogist for the Clan Davidson Society, who undertook research on the Davidsons and produced a family tree for the William Davidson branch.  This document is 14 pages long and a copy is available on request from info@hoaroakcottage.org or through Clan Davidson  https://clandavidson.org.uk/

Thanks also go to Lucy Davidson Bell,  GGGrandaughter of William Davidson and Great Grandaughter of Edward Davidson born at Hoar Oak Cottage in 1877.  Lucy and her father, Michael, were able to share information on Edward’s life and family in Worcestershire.