G1 - Micheal Shiels (1690) & Bessie Broun
The story of the Shiels family begins more than three centuries ago with Micheal Shiels, born about 1690 in County Kildare, Ireland.
As a young man, Micheal travelled from Ireland to Scotland to work during the harvest. What may have begun as temporary work became the beginning of a new life. He settled near Coulter, Peebleshire, where he worked and established the Scottish branch of the Shiels family whose story is told on these pages.
A New Life in Scotland
Micheal found employment with Dan Scott, a relative of Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch. Family records tell us that Micheal was paid £10 per year for his work.
For a young man who had travelled from Ireland seeking seasonal employment, this appears to have provided something much more important — an opportunity to put down roots and build a permanent life in Scotland.
Micheal & Bessie — 1716
While working for Dan Scott, Micheal had fallen in love with Dan’s niece, Elizabeth (“Bessie”) Broun.
In the early 1700s, forthcoming marriages were supposed to be proclaimed on three successive Sundays. However, in practice, all three proclamations could be made on the same day upon payment of a fee. Micheal Shiels paid fourteen shillings to have the wedding take place the same day.
On November 24, 1716, Micheal married Elizabeth (Bessie) Broun. Their marriage is recorded at Culter, Lanark, Scotland.
Their marriage marks an important moment in the Shiels family story. Micheal, the young Irishman who had come to Scotland seeking harvest work, had now established a permanent home and begun a family there.
Micheal & Bessie - Their New Life Together
Tradition says there was a significant disagreement between Micheal and his employer, Dan Scott, causing Micheal and Bessie to leave the area. Although we do not know exactly where they went, it is believed that Micheal continued working with horses in the Coulter and Lanarkshire area.
Micheal & Bessie’s Family
Micheal and Bessie had one son, Daniel (born about 1720), named after Bessie’s uncle, and seven daughters: Bridget (1717), Annie (1721), Margaret (1723–1794), Nora (1725), Betty (1727), Sarah (1729), and Susan (1731).
Bridget began training as a nun but later changed her mind and joined the Church of Scotland. As a Presbyterian, she went to China as a missionary.
Nora was a teacher and a very successful governess.
Annie married a farmer named Jim Dunn, but they had no children.
The remaining daughters worked on a farm and never married.
The Story Continues…
Micheal and Bessie had only one son, Daniel Shiels, born about 1720. It is through Daniel that the family line followed on these pages continues into the next generation.
Daniel’s life would take the Shiels family in a new direction — from his apprenticeship as a stone mason to his later work as a skilled mechanic and agent associated with the estate of Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch.