The Ure Family, Calenderers

The grandeur of Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary somewhat overshadows the burial place of

Walter Ure, Calenderer, his wife and family.

Rather than a monument or gravestone, the inscription appears to have been carved on the existing West Perimeter Wall of the ‘New’ Cathedral Burying Ground situated directly behind the infirmary.

The actual lair number is unknown, but will be ‘somewhere’ between 3 - 34.

The inscription on the plaque bears the names of 8 individuals and reads as follows:

The Family Burying Ground of Walter Ure, Calender Master, Glasgow

Interred here

ANN URE died 20^th February 1797

ANN URE died 30^th December 1800

JANET URE died 8^th April 1808

WALTER URE died 19^th October 1813

WALTER URE died 22^nd May 1817

JANET COLQUHOUN spouse of Walter Ure died 21^st February 1821

SUTHERLAND URE died 4^th March 1821

ROBERT URE died 4^th July 1840

This would appear to be Walter Ure, his wife Janet Colquhoun and possibly their children, but

on searching the IGI (www.familysearch.org) it seems that this may not quite be the case …..

Janet Colquhoun was born in Govan (Parish), Glasgow

28^th May and christened on 9^th June 1774 (C11646-4)

Daughter of Sutherland Colquhoun and Mary Copland

Who married on 26^th October 1767 at Cathcart, Renfrewshire. (M11560-2)

Janet Colquhoun married Walter Ure at Glasgow on 10^th November 1794. (M11974-3)

The others listed on the inscription (except Sutherland Ure) remain a mystery.

No corresponding births have been found, so they may perhaps have been stillborn children,

infants who died before christening/baptism could take place

or they may have be Walter Ure’s siblings.

(Births alone were not usually registered, only when a subsequent christening/baptism took place

were they entered into the Parish Register.)

Walter & Janet’s children whose births were registered (with corresponding IGI Batch Nos):

Mary Ure, born 30^th July 1795, Glasgow (C 11946-7)

Ann Ure

Margaret Ure, born 23^rd April 1798, Glasgow (C 11974-3)

Ann Ure, born 14^th December 1799, Glasgow (C11974-4) [Possibly Ann (2) on inscription]

Helen Ure, born 4^th July 1801, Glasgow (C11974-1)

James Ure, born 20^th September 1805, Glasgow (C11974-1)

Elisabeth Ure, born 1^st December 1807, Glasgow (C11974-1)

Janet Ure

Janet Ure, born 7^th January 1810, Glasgow (C11974-1)

Sutherland Ure (born 11^th November 1811)

Walter Ure

Walter Ure

Robert Ure

The names inserted with no other details are those from the MI
and have been classed as infants.

(apart from Robert Ure whose death is 20 years after the death of Sutherland Ure

Sutherland is known to have been born in 1811 and died in 1821.)

Sutherland Ure (probably named after his maternal grandfather Sutherland Colquhoun)

was born at Glasgow11^th November 1811 (Source: S.P. Index)

Presuming that all these named were their children,

Walter & Janet appear to have at least 13 offspring!)



The above image is an entry in The Glasgow Directory (17^th Edition)

July 1815 – February 1817

(Directory contains a list of Merchants, Manufacturers, Traders etc., in the City & Suburbs of Glasgow)

The next obvious step – check the early Census Returns!

There were no Walter Ures to be found listed on the 1841 Census of the correct age to be the ‘correct’ Walter,

however, the following brought forth some strong co-incidences ….

(based on transcriptions, not images, so may not be wholly accurate)

1841 Census

Dunoon Kirn Shore, Dunoon & Kilmun, Argyll, 6^th June 1841

Catherine Miller, Independent, age 69, born c1772, Scotland (John’s Ure’s Mother-in-law)

John Ure, Calenderer, age 44, born c1797, Scotland

Catherine Ure, age 38, born c1803, Scotland

Walter Ure, Son, age 14, born c1827, Scotland

Catherine Ure, age 12, born c1829, Scotland (28^th February 1828, Glasgow, C11974-7)

Janet Ure, born 9^th February 1830, Glasgow C11967-1,

Christina (or Christian) Ure, age 9, born c1832, Scotland (10^th March 1832, Glasgow, C11974-8)

Mary (Copland) Ure, age 7, born c1834, Scotland (3^rd March 1834, Glasgow, C11974-8)

James Ure, age 5, born c1836, Scotland

John Ure, age 1, born c1840, Scotland

(The actual dates of birth were sourced from the IGI - Batch Nos.included above)

John, age 44, Calenderer, born ‘around’ the same time as Walter

and obviously not only sharing the Ure surname, but the also having the same occupation
and in turn, calling one his eldest son Walter.

No substantiating evidence has been found to definitely link Walter Ure to this John Ure.

On checking the IGI, John may have been the son of Walter Ure and Margaret Ferguson,

Born 3^rd June 1798, Glasgow (C11968).

John Ure married Catherine Miller at Glasgow 21^st August 1825 (M11967-3)

(Catherine’s father is listed on the IGI as James Miller and from the information on the 1841 Census,
her mother would have been Catherine)

Only a few of the births of their children have been sought but they appear to have at least 10.

1851 Census

114 North Montrose Street,

Glasgow (Glasgow St. Mungo), 30^th/31^st March 1851

John Ure, Head of Household, Calenderer & Packer, age 54, born c1797, Glasgow

Catherine Ure, Wife, age 48, born c1803, Glasgow

Walter Ure, Son, Calenderer & Packer, age 24, born c1827, Glasgow

Catherine Ure, Daughter, At Home, age 21, born c1830, Glasgow

Christina Ure, Daughter, At Home, age 18, born c1833, Glasgow

Mary Ure, Daughter, At. Home, age 16, born c1835, Glasgow

James Ure, Son, At School, age 15, born c1836, Glasgow

John Ure, Son, At School, age 11, born c1840, Glasgow

William Ure, Son, At School, age 9, born c1842, Glasgow

Thomas Ure, Son, At School, age 6, born c1845, Glasgow

Janet Ure, Daughter, At School, age 5, born c1846, Glasgow
(born 31^st October 1845, Glasgow, C11975-2)

The above notice appeared in both the Edinburgh Gazette & the London Gazette.

1861 Census

114 Montrose Street, Glasgow

(Glasgow Inner High), 7^th/8^th April 1861

John Ure, Head of Household, Retired Calenderer, age 64, born c1797, Glasgow

Catherine Ure, Wife, age 59, born c1802, Glasgow

Walter Ure, Son, Retired Calenderer, age 34, born c1827, Glasgow

Catherine Ure, Daughter, age 33, born c1828, Glasgow

Christina Ure, age 29, born c1832, Glasgow

Mary Ure, Daughter, age 27, born c1834, Glasgow

John Ure, Son, Commercial Clerk, age 21, born c1840, Glasgow

William Ure, Son, Commercial Clerk, age 19, born c1842, Glasgow

Janet Ure, Daughter, Scholar, age 15, born c1846, Glasgow

Note that both John and his son Walter are listed as ‘retired’ calenderers.

The following view is towards the eastern part of the ‘New’ Burial Ground.

Glasgow Cathedral

http://www.memento-mori.co.uk/