The Bowness Family's Ancestral Home in Kirkton, Dumfriesshire, Scotland

               Many of you may know the story of the Bowness family's emigration from Scotland to Prince Edward Island, but I suspect that some of you do not know it. So here it is ... in precis form.

               First, Bowness is NOT a Scottish surname; it is an English surname. It is actually derived from the place name of "Bowness on the Solway Firth" in Cumberland, England. The Bowness family moved to the Dumfriesshire area of Scotland in the late 1700s. The name has two pronunciations. The Bowness ancestors and their descendents in western Canada pronounce it as Bow ness' with the accent on the final syllable. The ancestors in Atlantic Canada pronounce it Bow' ness, accenting the first syllable.

               The family's earliest documented ancestor was William Bowness, born around 1771. It is believed he emigrated from Cumberland, England to Dumfriesshire, Scotland with his wife, Ann T(h)omlin and their family between 1797-1799. Genealogists think he was the son of a John Bowness and Sarah Attonby (Allonby) of Cumberland, England but there is no documented proof. Travel between Cumberland and Dumfriesshire was fairly common at that time so the story of his lineage is plausible. William Bowness was a highly successful mole-catcher or 'mowdieman" in Dumfriesshire. He and his dogs were paid well to rid the planted fields of these borrowing pests which were about 10 times bigger than a typical field mouse. He not only got paid for trapping them; he also made additional money by selling their hides. Moleskin garments were highly prized and very expensive.

               William acquired the estate of Springvale in 1810 via a bequest from John Riddell. It was an ancient holding with a long lane leading to a stone house built in 1779. It is situated directly across the road from the Church of Scotland in the village of Kirkton. William made enough money from mole catching to retire and build five villas (large houses), five cottages, and another house that were rented out to provide income to his estate. William and Ann were legally separated in 1822. They are both buried in the Kirkton cemetary under the large 10 foot memorial stone. Names of all their descendents who remained in the Kirkton area are also inscribed on that stone.

               At his death, William bequeathed Springvale to his youngest son, John Bowness as well as another estate called Sunnybrae, and eighteen rental homes and a smithy in the village of Kirkton. He left villas to each of his three daughters. John was directed in his father's will pay a portion of his bequest to his older brothers (Robert and William) who had already immigrated to PEI. This was no problem because John was considered to be in a class called 'country gentry' and was called John Bowness, Esquire by the locals. Eventually Springvale was sold off in three sections by John's great-granddaughters. It is currently owned by Jean & Bob Sloan. The main stone house on Springvale and the three villas bequeathed to William's daughters still stand today. Rendle, Kyler, and Allison Bowness have all had the pleasure of visiting Springvale.

               At the beginning of the 1800's Scotland's people who had money started to emigrate to the New World. PEI was a favoured destination. Because of the wealth William Bowness had accumulated from his mole-catching career and his rentals, he was able to fund three (and possibly) four of his children and their families to pack up and start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic. In 1827, his 5^th child Robert and family emigrated to PEI. They were followed by his 6^th child William and family in 1839 and his 8^th child France (Bowness) Sharpe in 1844. It is believed, but unproven, that his 4^th child Helen (Bowness) Manderson and her family emigrated to the Miramichi area of New Brunswick.

This photo of Springvale (below) was sent to me a couple of years ago by the current owner Jean Sloan. 

This photo was taken from the back garden at Springvale. If you look carefully, you can see the three surviving villas which were built by William Bowness.

This photo shows the long lane leading from the stone house to the Kirkton church and graveyard.

 

  

The photo below features the old Church of Scotland 'kirk' across the road from Springvale. Kirk means church in Scotland and the village was originally the 'church town' of the area. When Scottish people were married by a minister of the church, they could say that they had been 'kirked'.

The tall monument in the photo below is the Bowness family gravestone in the Kirkton cemetery. It is indeed the tallest grave marker there which undoubtedly speaks to the wealth that William had accumulated as a result of his skill as a mole-catcher and the rentals he collected from his estate.

This final photo includes Irene Watson (now deceased), her daughter Jean (Watson) Sloan who inherited Springvale upon her mother's death, and Jean's son Richard Sloan.

A little side note: We (Allison & Joan) think our marriage was historically meant to be even though we grew up far away from each other. Joan's Ritchie ancestors lived in Middlebie Scotland which is also in Dumfriesshire. Middlebie about 15 km. from Kirkton where the Bowness family resided. John Bowness' granddaughter, Helen Bowness married John Ritchie from Middlebie. They named their son John Bowness Ritchie. Helen's husband would probably have been related to Joan's great-great-great grandfather, 'Old John Ritchie' who also emigrated out of Scotland and settled in Elmvale, Ontario where some of his descendents, including Joan's brothers, still farm today.