Nick Rice sent me a message recently saying, “Malcolmwood Farm is involved in my family history. My cousin 3 times removed was Margaret McWilliams who married John Pettigrew.” The Farm is still standing and is now a Boarding Kennel. It is listed on early maps as Milcolmwood Farm.”
“Margaret and her husband John are remarkable for having produced 19 children between them.
“At the time of their marriage in 1885, John was a Ploughmman and Margaret was a Dairymaid. Margaret according to the registration marriage certificate, she was only 17 years of age and John, only 20 years old”.
The following was written by one of their grandchildren named Douglas Clark.
“Ah’m a Pettigrew from Malcolmwood. Ma mither was one of nineteen. Of whom fifteen lived. I have thirty five first cousins. My grandmother was the Irishwoman from Greenhall Farm with the laugh in her eyes, Margaret McWilliam. She was of Irish weaver stock. The Pettigrews came from France. They were master carters before they were farmers.”
One of their sons William Pettigrew emigrated to Australia but was killed during WW1. His name is mentioned on the Menin Gate in Ypres France. He wrote the following Poem
Now is the creed of the ANZAC men,
The men with hearts of gold,
What we won from the foe, by the steel and gun,
By the steel and gun we hold.
From the heights afar, and the sky above,
There may come the hail of death,
But we yield no yard of the ground we won,
Till the last man yeilds his breath.
We are few—who should have been many here,
And our ranks are thinning fast,
But, by the Christ who died, for each boy who falls,
We will take toll to the last.
We are fighting now for the folks at home,
For the land from which we came,
And we are hanging on, and fighting hard,
And we are dying hard and game.
There are long quiet nights for gallant mates,
Who have fought and fighting fell,
But for everyone who has dropped his gun,
There’s a fresh Hun in Hell.
Aye,this is the creed of the ANZAC men,
The men with hearts of gold,
What we won from the foe, by the steel and gun we hold.
Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said:
Nan Burrows Very interesting piece of history
Janet Cochrane Went to High Blantyre school with Margaret Pettigrew and Hamilton Academy with her and her sister. They lived in East Lodge Crossbasket at the time .Robert the youngest of the children was her father.
Helena Rochead Every year at Malcolmwood we get visitors from various countries over the world who want to see the farm where their ancestors lived. They were a big family and scattered all over the globe.
Alex Rochead also provided more information about William Pettigrew as uploaded here:
