Thomas Cunningham (abt. 1725 - 1765)

Died 21 Jan 1765 at about age 40 in Crail, Fife, Scotland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alan Runciman [send private message]

Biography

This biography was partly auto-generated by a GEDCOM import supplemented with research by Alan Runciman, a 4th gt-grandson of one of the men drowned at Crail.

Birth

Birth:

User ID: 7AD7373D-560F-4BEE-B217-271928FF404A

Record ID Number: MH:IF6

Date: EST 1725

Marriage

Record ID Number: MH:F1

User ID: 8F57D895-BBE8-4F37-AC38-846E1C1AAA5C

UPD 04 NOV 2013 14:06:57 GMT+-0

Husband: Thomas Cunningham

Wife: Marjory Cunningham

Child: David Cunningham

Child: John Cunningham

Child: Marjory Cunningham

Child: Thomas Cunningham

Child: Helen Cunningham

Child: Margaret Cunningham

Marriage:

User ID: 6602206C-256F-4B7E-BC29-4DD0386E0A26

Record ID Number: MH:FF1

Date: 14 JAN 1749^[1]

Note: #N150

Occupation

Thomas was a fisherman based at Crail. There were many fishing boats working from the harbour with the waters around the Isle of May opposite well-known as a rich fishing ground. The usual catch was herring but also mackerel, crab & lobster were brought ashore at Crail. At the time of his drowning James was on an 8-crew boat believed to be skippered by William Runciman. This is concluded by the order of names listed on the Register of the Dead as it was the custom that the skipper was always named first on a crew list.

Those who drowned together were :

William Runciman/Runseyman/Runsheman

James Dewar

John Brown

Andrew Taylor

Henry Burn/Burns

James Keay/Key/Kay/Kae

Thomas Cunningham

John Ramsey/Ramsay

Different spelling variations are shown as they have appeared in the Parish Records & The Widow's Fund.

Death

Death:

User ID: 44F9BDCF-2A8C-4A72-B66D-051783BBD498

Record ID Number: MH:IF7

Date: 21 JAN 1765

Place: Crail, Fife, Scotland

Cause: Drowned 'in the mouth of the harbour while going a-fishing' along with 7 others.

The somberly titled 'Register of the Dead' from Crail Parish Church.

The entry ^[2] reads:

'This morning were drowned in the mouth of the Harbour as they were going a-fishing the following eight persons viz

William Runcyman, James Dewar, John Brown, Andrew Taylor, Henry Burns, James Kae, Thomas Cunningham, married persons and John Ramsay unmarried,'

A 250th anniversary commemoration for the drowned fishermen was held by the descendants of the 8 fishermen in Crail on 16 May 2015. See Crail Fishing Disaster page for the known history and further information.

Record ID Number

MH: SC932

Note: #N144

Note: #N145

Record ID Number

Record ID Number: MH:I3

User ID

User ID: CF67814E-4731-415C-964A-BD659EC67A0E

UPD

UPD 04 NOV 2013 14:22:20 GMT+-0

Event

Event:

User ID: 521BC3A5B7BB52A00C4461943235E31E

Record ID Number: MH:IF5664

Type: Victim of 1765 Crail Fishing Tragedy

Date: 21 JAN 1765

Place: Mouth of Crail Harbour

• Source: S109 Record ID Number: MH:S188 User ID: 521B50485673329EAC4461943235E31E UPD 26 AUG 2013 13:55:36 GMT+-0 Data: Agency: National Library for Scotland Title: Minutes of the Widows & Childrens Fund, Crail, 1765-1768 Note: #N146

Note N146The original records and minutes written up immediately following the drownings in 1765 and maintained for the 3 years to 1768 can be viewed by members of NLS by prior arrangement. All the victims.

Record ID Number: MH:N414

PRIN MH:S188

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S83 Record ID Number: MH:SC938 Page: Crail, Fife, SCT - 417/00 0040 0481 Data: Date: 1749
2. ↑ Register of Scotland File Ref GD 26/12/25

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Alan Runciman for creating WikiTree profile Cunningham-2668 through the import of Crail Disaster 041113.GED on Nov 4, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Alan and others.