William Steven (bef. 1808)

Born before 1808 in Scotland, United Kingdom

Biography

This profile is part of the Watten, Caithness One Place Study.

The minutes of the Watten parish kirk sessions of 1824 and 1825 reveal the nature of William Steven's and Mary Bain's relationship. The couple met when Mary Bain joined William's household as a domestic servant. The minutes show that the couple were living together alone and eventually Mary fell pregnant. The church elders castigated the couple for immorality and eventually William and Mary married.^[1]

William Steven and Mary Bain were named as the parents of Margaret Steven who was born about 1828 and baptised in Watten, Caithness, on 13 July 1828.^[2]

In 1841 William is recorded on the census as living with his son, William, in Achlipster, Watten, Caithness. His trade was farmer. William's wife and daughters are not listed on the census return.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Minutes of the Watten Kirk Session, 1825, CH2/364/4. Accessed via Scotland's People.
2. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XBML-C8Z : 12 February 2020), Margt Steven, 1828.
3. ↑ 1841 Scotland Census, Parish: Watten; ED: 2; Page: 7; Line: 960; Year: 1841. Accessed via Ancestry.com.