Andrew Ballantyne's statement on 11th June 1844 came after he had listened to the testimony of the other parties. You can read more about this on my previous blog post. The case involved the little brown mare. Margaret McRae, daughter of the horse's owner, gave her evidence. How did Andrew feel as he listened to…
Second Judicial Declaration of Andrew Ballantyne It may be around 176 years since Andrew was arrested and the horse stealing trial took place, but I find it endlessly fascinating. Here is a young boy, 19 years old, having to face up to the consequences of his actions. Was Margaret McRae's version of events true? I'm…
There were several people who were willing to testify against Andrew. They all declared that he had stolen the little brown mare. This mare belonged to the Mcrae family from Bottacks of Auchterneed. The Mcraes were a crofting family. The 1841 census shows that Margaret was much older than Andrew. He was nineteen at the…
Andrew was eventually relocated from Millbank to the new prison of Pentonville, opened in 1840. Prisoners were initially kept in isolation in cells measuring 4m x 2m wide. Each cell had a water closet, but these were often blocked. Prisoners used the pipes connecting their cells to communicate with each other. It cost 15/- a…
People have often left Scotland for economic and political reasons. They have sailed to destinations across the globe. Many Scots sailed to the coast of Australia, with the hope of a better life. Scots had been making the long and dangerous voyage to Australia from 1787. Eleven convict ships known as the First Fleet arrived at…
Discovering My Family 