Thomas Hood 1745-1820s (Part.2 - 1765-69)

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1745-63 | 1765-69 | 1770-73 | 1773-1820s

Thomas Hood 1765-69

On 14 December 1765, Thomas Hoods and Violet Inglis were irregulary married. This was a marriage without banns being proclaimed in the church so was known as an "irregular" marriage. Although legal in Scots law it was frowned upon by the church. Consequently Thomas and Violet were cited to appear before the Kirk Session of Liberton on 23 March 1766 for censure on suspicion of their irregular marriage.

As the minutes show, after producing the certificate of their irregular marriage they were rebuked for their action, and the session then asked if they 'adhered to one another as man and wife?'.After answering that they did, the Kirk Session then declared them to be married and were 'exhorted to behave as became them in this new relation of life'. Unlike some other couples, no fine was imposed.
  NAS Ref: CH2/383/ liberton Kirk Session

At the time they were living at Murrays Edge near Gilmerton but only two months later, Thomas moved to the coalworks at Easter Duddingston owned by Lord Abercorn. He received £3.10.0 as binding money from the overseer of the colliery and was to be paid back at the rate of "one shilling, or sixpence a week, just as it suited him". By advancing such a large sum of money it would ensure Thomas had to work for a long time at Duddingston coalworks before the sum could be repaid. However, Thomas left almost immediately without re-paying a single penny and returned to Gilmerton Coalworks. This time he and his wife stayed at Carthall where William, the first of their ten children was born on 26 November 1766.

It wasn't long before Mr Hamilton, overseer at Easter Duddingston lodged an action for payment at Edinburgh Sheriff Court against Thomas and two other colliers, David Hislop and William Innes. The summons stated:

"...Thomas Hoods Coalier, late at Dudingston now at Carthall by his receipt & obligation herewith also produced of date the twenty second of May last thereby granted him to have received from the Complainer, three pounds ten shillings Str. for binding money untill he paid the same by paying one shilling or sixpence a week just as it suited him to pay it & true it is that he also deserted the said Coalwork & paid none of it -Therefore the saids Defenders ought to be decerned & ordained to make payment to the Complainer of the said sums respectively due by them as above with interest thereof from and after the Citation to their process & while payment with a fifth part more of said sums of Expences of plea."

All three were originally cited to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on the 13th and 15th April 1767 Thomas and the others failed to appear on three different occasions so judgement was finally pronounced against them. Thomas was ordered to make payment to Mr Hamilton of the three pounds ten shillings and a further 14 shillings towards Mr Hamilton's expenses, making a total of about £4.4.0 excluding the interest. It is quite likely that the overseer at Gilmerton would loan him the money to pay this, but he would then have to remain at Gilmerton until he had paid back this new loan. This method of keeping colliers in debt to try and prevent them leaving was very common. By 1769, when their next child Robert was born, the family had moved on from Gilmerton and were living at Cleikimin, a small village near Niddry, Thomas was employed at the nearby Coalworks leased by Mr Peter Hunter.

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 1745-63 | 1765-69 | 1770-73 | 1773-1820s

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