Australian
Scottish
Heritage
Scottish
Heritage
These stories are readers contributions sent to me.They have kindly allowed me to share them with you.
Robert (Fleming) Gourlay-Reformer and Rebel
My Father,Alexander Meffan Gourlay (1900 Dundee-1967 Melbourne),migrated to Melbourne,Australia
as a 21 year old,arriving in June 1922.He never returned to Scotland.
Settling in Melbourne,he met and married an English girl and they produced 4 sons,ensuring that the Gourlay name lived on,far from the banks of the Tay.
After my retirement in 2001,I gradually drifted into this fascinating hobby of genealogy,becoming fully
hooked in 2004.Like most families my turned out to be reasonably normal for the generation in which
they lived,generally in the lower socio-economic group,and as far as I can tell,kept out of trouble.
This was not always the case when we get back to the generations around my 6th and 7th Gourlay
great grandparents.Like many,I have to ask, "where did the money go?".I think that my 2nd cousin,
5 times removed,Robert Gourlay whom I am writing of here,may have contributed to the family's
financial slide as he went about with his reformist zeal,clocking up quite a few debts.
It appears that the Gourlays in Scotland all originate from a Norman,Ingleramus de Gourlay who was
granted land at Ceres,Fife,by Scotland's King,William the Lion in c1170 for services rendered.It is not
clear whether Ingleramus came directly from France or had spent some time in England,enroute.Hence
we had a good start.I am,at this stage,unable to link Ingleramus,with my earlist traced Gourlay,my 7th
great grandfather,John Gourlay (c1655-c1695),but he was still certainly a landholder at Ceres,as was
his son,also John.
This John's eldest son,Robert,is described as a Feuer,whereas his younger brother,David,my 4th
great grandfather,is described as merely,a farmer.
The money remained with Robert with his youngest son,Oliver Gourlay becoming a writer (solicitor) at
Craigrothie,Ceres and Edinburgh and the proprietor of the Scotstarvit Estate as well as Craigrothie.
Oliver and his wife Janet Fleming produced 6 children among them being our subject person,Robert,
born 24th March 1778 at Craigrothie House,Ceres,Robert gave himself the middle name of Fleming,
his mother's maiden name,upon her death in 1827.
Robert was educated at the University of St.Andrews,obtaining a Master of Arts.Following that he
studied Agriculture at the University of Edinburgh.
Robert set out to introduce some radical and advanced farming ideas back on home soil in Fife and
soon fell out with neighbouring landowners.His sympathies lay with the poor farmer,who he saw as
being exploited by the landlords and the system of Government.
In 1809,Robert published his first of many pamphlets,this one proposing a radical reshaping of the
Government system in Britain.At this time he also moved to England where he leased a farm from
the Duke of Somerset,at Wylie,Wiltshire from 1809 to 1817.
Robert had married Jean Stewart in 1807 and their first daughter was born in Fife in 1808.Robert
and Jean had 5 more children,those being born in Wiltshire.
During this Wiltshire period he submitted a proposal to the House of Commons,that land be acquired
and redistributed to the poor.
Robert's wife Jean had inherited some land at Kingston,Canada,so Robert visited there in 1817 and
quickly became embroiled in land rights.This was in current day Ontario,then known as Upper Canada.
He tried to establish himself as a land agent and soon learned that a powerful clique known as the
Family Compact largely controlled land grants.At Robert Gourlay's urging a convention of pioneer farmers
from all over Upper Canada met in York to discuss their grievances.
Alarmed at this threat to their power,the Family Compact contrived to have him arrested and imprisoned.
His trial led to his banishment in 1819 as a seditious alien and he went to New York State in the USA.
It took him until 1842 to have the trial result overturned.Later in 1819 he returned to England where he
unsuccessfully contested a seat in the House of Commons.
After more agitation he was imprisoned as a person of unsound mind in Cold Bath Fields prison,
Clerkenwell,London in 1824 until 1828.
He again travelled to the USA and Scotland where he unsuccessfully attempted to gain the Chair of
Agriculture at the University of Edinburgh in 1831 and a seat in Parliament in 1832.
In 1856 he returned to Canada where he was unsuccessful in gaining the parliamentary seat of Oxford
in Canada West,In the meantime,his wife Jean died and in 1858 he married his former housekeeper,
Mary Reenan.
In 1860 he returned to Edinburgh and died there on the 1st August 1863 at the age of 85,an action
packed and eventful life.
A more detailed account can be learned of Robert's life with a simple Google search.In 1974,Lois
Darroch Milani produced a biography on Robert entitled,"Robert Gourlay,Gadfly-Forerunner of the
Rebellion in Upper Canada 1837".Robert was a prolific pamphleteer and had a long list of publications
to his name,the most well known being,"Statistical Account of Upper Canada".
Robert Fleming Gourlay is remembered via a bronze bust in St James Park,Toronto,Canada,
(corner Church and King Streets).The inscription reads -
"Robert Gourlay
Championed reforn ahead of his time.
In Scotland-a vote for every man who could read and write.
In England-a living wage for workers.
In Canada-Fair Land distribution".
Sounds like I had a second cousin I could be proud of.
Article kindly contributed by John Gourlay of Melbourne
My Father,Alexander Meffan Gourlay (1900 Dundee-1967 Melbourne),migrated to Melbourne,Australia
as a 21 year old,arriving in June 1922.He never returned to Scotland.
Settling in Melbourne,he met and married an English girl and they produced 4 sons,ensuring that the Gourlay name lived on,far from the banks of the Tay.
After my retirement in 2001,I gradually drifted into this fascinating hobby of genealogy,becoming fully
hooked in 2004.Like most families my turned out to be reasonably normal for the generation in which
they lived,generally in the lower socio-economic group,and as far as I can tell,kept out of trouble.
This was not always the case when we get back to the generations around my 6th and 7th Gourlay
great grandparents.Like many,I have to ask, "where did the money go?".I think that my 2nd cousin,
5 times removed,Robert Gourlay whom I am writing of here,may have contributed to the family's
financial slide as he went about with his reformist zeal,clocking up quite a few debts.
It appears that the Gourlays in Scotland all originate from a Norman,Ingleramus de Gourlay who was
granted land at Ceres,Fife,by Scotland's King,William the Lion in c1170 for services rendered.It is not
clear whether Ingleramus came directly from France or had spent some time in England,enroute.Hence
we had a good start.I am,at this stage,unable to link Ingleramus,with my earlist traced Gourlay,my 7th
great grandfather,John Gourlay (c1655-c1695),but he was still certainly a landholder at Ceres,as was
his son,also John.
This John's eldest son,Robert,is described as a Feuer,whereas his younger brother,David,my 4th
great grandfather,is described as merely,a farmer.
The money remained with Robert with his youngest son,Oliver Gourlay becoming a writer (solicitor) at
Craigrothie,Ceres and Edinburgh and the proprietor of the Scotstarvit Estate as well as Craigrothie.
Oliver and his wife Janet Fleming produced 6 children among them being our subject person,Robert,
born 24th March 1778 at Craigrothie House,Ceres,Robert gave himself the middle name of Fleming,
his mother's maiden name,upon her death in 1827.
Robert was educated at the University of St.Andrews,obtaining a Master of Arts.Following that he
studied Agriculture at the University of Edinburgh.
Robert set out to introduce some radical and advanced farming ideas back on home soil in Fife and
soon fell out with neighbouring landowners.His sympathies lay with the poor farmer,who he saw as
being exploited by the landlords and the system of Government.
In 1809,Robert published his first of many pamphlets,this one proposing a radical reshaping of the
Government system in Britain.At this time he also moved to England where he leased a farm from
the Duke of Somerset,at Wylie,Wiltshire from 1809 to 1817.
Robert had married Jean Stewart in 1807 and their first daughter was born in Fife in 1808.Robert
and Jean had 5 more children,those being born in Wiltshire.
During this Wiltshire period he submitted a proposal to the House of Commons,that land be acquired
and redistributed to the poor.
Robert's wife Jean had inherited some land at Kingston,Canada,so Robert visited there in 1817 and
quickly became embroiled in land rights.This was in current day Ontario,then known as Upper Canada.
He tried to establish himself as a land agent and soon learned that a powerful clique known as the
Family Compact largely controlled land grants.At Robert Gourlay's urging a convention of pioneer farmers
from all over Upper Canada met in York to discuss their grievances.
Alarmed at this threat to their power,the Family Compact contrived to have him arrested and imprisoned.
His trial led to his banishment in 1819 as a seditious alien and he went to New York State in the USA.
It took him until 1842 to have the trial result overturned.Later in 1819 he returned to England where he
unsuccessfully contested a seat in the House of Commons.
After more agitation he was imprisoned as a person of unsound mind in Cold Bath Fields prison,
Clerkenwell,London in 1824 until 1828.
He again travelled to the USA and Scotland where he unsuccessfully attempted to gain the Chair of
Agriculture at the University of Edinburgh in 1831 and a seat in Parliament in 1832.
In 1856 he returned to Canada where he was unsuccessful in gaining the parliamentary seat of Oxford
in Canada West,In the meantime,his wife Jean died and in 1858 he married his former housekeeper,
Mary Reenan.
In 1860 he returned to Edinburgh and died there on the 1st August 1863 at the age of 85,an action
packed and eventful life.
A more detailed account can be learned of Robert's life with a simple Google search.In 1974,Lois
Darroch Milani produced a biography on Robert entitled,"Robert Gourlay,Gadfly-Forerunner of the
Rebellion in Upper Canada 1837".Robert was a prolific pamphleteer and had a long list of publications
to his name,the most well known being,"Statistical Account of Upper Canada".
Robert Fleming Gourlay is remembered via a bronze bust in St James Park,Toronto,Canada,
(corner Church and King Streets).The inscription reads -
"Robert Gourlay
Championed reforn ahead of his time.
In Scotland-a vote for every man who could read and write.
In England-a living wage for workers.
In Canada-Fair Land distribution".
Sounds like I had a second cousin I could be proud of.
Article kindly contributed by John Gourlay of Melbourne