John Caldwell Fergusson MBE, MC (1890 - 1931)

Biography

John Caldwell Fergusson was born on 21 December, 1890, at Meenahoney, and his birth was registered in the Stranorlar Superintendent Registrar's District, Killygordon Registrar's District, in the Stranorlar Union, County Donegal, Ireland, on 6 February by Catherine Cannon, of Killygordon, a nurse present at his birth.^[1]

John was the son of James Hugh Fergusson of Killygordon, Physician and Surgeon, and his wife, Annie Matthewson Fergusson formerly Caldwell.^[1] Coincidentally, James Hugh Fergusson was the Registrar of Births and Deaths in the District of Killygordon who registered John's birth.^[1]

When the 1901 Census of Ireland was taken on 31 March, the eight residents of house 1 in Columba Terrace, Waterside District Electoral Division, Clondermot Parish, Tirkeeran Barony, County Londonderry, were:^[2]

• James Hugh Fergusson, 49 yrs old, head of the family, born in County Donegal, Superintendent Medical Officer of Health. F.R.C.S.I., L.R.CP Edinburgh, who could read and write and belonged to the Church of Ireland;
• Annie Mathewson Fergusson, 37 yrs old, wife of James, born in County Donegal, who could read and write and belonged to the Church of Ireland;
• John Caldwell Fergusson, 10 yrs old, son of James, born in County Donegal, a scholar, who could read and write and belonged to the Church of Ireland;
• Annie Henderson Singer Fergusson, 6 yrs old, daughter of James, born in County Donegal, a scholar, who could read and belonged to the Church of Ireland;
• Irene Elizabeth Mathewson Fergusson, 3 yrs old, daughter of James, born in County Donegal, who couldn't read and belonged to the Church of Ireland;
• Eliza Jane Fergusson, 50 yrs old, sister of James, born in County Donegal, who could read and write and belonged to the Church of Ireland;
• Sara Mulhern, 18 yrs old, servant of James, born in County Donegal, a Roman Catholic Domestic Servant, who could read and write; and
• Mary Ellen Lynch, 18 yrs old, servant of James, born in County Donegal, a Roman Catholic Nurse Domestic Servant, who could read and write.

When the 1911 Census of Ireland was taken on 2 April, twenty year-old John Caldwell Fergusson, born in Co Donegal and belonging to the Church of Ireland, was an unmarried Medical Student boarding in the home of sixty-four year-old Annie Mathers, at house 18 in Morehampton Terrace, Pembroke West District Electoral Division, Donnybrook Parish, County Dublin, with fellow boarder, twenty-six year-old Ernest Jones, an unmarried Cryptologist, of Independent religion, born in England.^[3]

In July 1915, John Caldwell Fergusson of Hawthorn Lane, Buncrana, Co Donegal, became a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.^[4]

At Holy Trinity Church, the parish church of Rathmines, Co Dublin, on 7 June, 1917, John Caldwell Ferguson, of full age, bachelor of Hawthorn Lane, Buncrana, Co Donegal, a Captain on active service in the RAMC [Royal Army Medical Corp], son of James Hugh Fergusson, FRCSI, married Agnes Margaret Wells, of full age, spinster of 4 Castlewood Park, Rathmines, daughter of James Wells, MPSJ, according to the Rites of the Church of Ireland, by licence, in the presence of Francis Joseph Bowen, Isabella Frances Ger??? and Irene Elizabeth Jones.^[5]

For his service in World War I, "T./Capt John Caldwell Fergusson, R A.M C." was awarded the Military Cross; his name was published in the list of awards on 1 January, 1918.^[6]

In recognition of the valuable services rendered in connection with World War I, "Fergusson, T./Capt, John Caldwell, M.C., R.A.M.C.", was appointed to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, to be a Member of the Military Division of the said Most Excellent Order, by King George V in his 1919 Birthday Honours.^[7]

John Caldwell Fergusson, MBE, MC, LRCPI, LRCSI, sometime resident at Lingdale, Cleveland, Yorkshire, and at various addresses in Manchester, was convicted of an offence against the Dangerous Drugs Acts.^[8] After which, J R Clynes, one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, on 11 October, 1929, at Whitehall, said in his opinion John Caldwell Fergusson couldn't properly be allowed to be in possession of or to supply any of the drugs or preparations to which Part III of the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1920, applies, and that in pursuance of the powers conferred on him by Regulation 6 of the Raw Opium Regulations, 1921, as extended by the Coca Leaves and Indian Hemp Regulations, 1928, and by Regulation 7 of the Dangerous Drugs (Consolidation) Regulations, 1928, he withdrew from John Caldwell Fergusson the authority granted by the Regulations to duly qualified medical practitioners to be in possession of and supply raw opium, coca leaves and Indian hemp, and the drugs and preparations to which Part III of the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1920, applies and it was not lawful for John Caldwell Fergusson to give prescriptions for the purposes of the Dangerous Drugs (Consolidation) Regulations, 1928.^[8]

John's wife, Agnes Margaret (Madge) Ferusson, was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, where the inscription on her headstone includes an epitaph to John:^[9]

At Rest
GEORGINA HARRIETT MAGUIRE
died 25th February 1941
AGNES MARGARET (MADGE) FERGUSSON
died 23rd January 1966
widow of
DR. J.C. FERGUSSON, M.B.E., M.C.
Interred at Maidstone, Kent
died 6th March 1931

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} SR District/Reg Area - Stranorlar, "Civil Records", IrishGenealogy.ie, Birth Group Registration ID 11092019, Database Record, Digital Image, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1891/02400/1894999.pdf : accessed 18 July 2018). No 346.
2. ↑ National Archives Genealogy, 1901 Census of Ireland: Londonderry / Waterside / Columba Terrace, The National Archives of Ireland, (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Waterside/Columba_Terrace/1539877/ : accessed 18 July 2018). Digital Images: Census Return Form A
3. ↑ National Archives Genealogy, 1911 Census of Ireland: Dublin / Pembroke West / Morehampton Terrace, The National Archives of Ireland, (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Dublin/Pembroke_West/Morehampton_Terrace/11534/ accessed 18 July 2018). Digital Image: Household Return (Form A)
4. ↑ Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, "RCSI Roll of Licentiates 1914-1916", RCSI Roll of Licentiates, page 212, (downloaded from http://www.rcsi.ie/roll_of_licentiates : accessed 19 July 2018).
5. ↑ SR District/Reg Area - Dublin South, "Civil Records", IrishGenealogy.ie, Marriage Group Registration ID 1763598, Database record, Digital Image Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, (https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1917/09745/5536369.pdf : accessed 18 July 2018). No 62.
6. ↑ "Supplement", The London Gazette, 28 December 1917, Numb:30450, Page:35, 1 January, 1918, Digital Image Published by Authority TSO (The Stationery Office) under the superintendence of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO), part of The National Archives (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30450/supplement/35/data.htm : accessed 18 July 2018).
7. ↑ "Supplement", The London Gazette, 3 June 1919, Numb:31377, Page:6998, 30 May 1919, Digital Image Published by Authority TSO (The Stationery Office) under the superintendence of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO), part of The National Archives (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31377/supplement/6998/data.htm : accessed 19 July 2018).
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "Dangerous Drugs Acts, 1920 to 1925. Withdrawal of Authority (John Caldwell Fergusson)", The London Gazette, Numb:33542, Page:6474, 11 October 1929, Digital Image Published by Authority TSO (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33542/page/6474/data.htm : accessed 18 July 2018).
9. ↑ Yvonne Russell, contributor, "Headstones: DUBLIN, Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland, Part 1", No 3, Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives, Inscription text: http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/dublin/photos/tombstones/1headstones/mt-jerome16.txt : accessed 18 July 2018. mt-jerome -- 3_fergusson.jpg.