Budge Family - Dunnet

[Rosemary Skea]

James Budge(a) – born Dunnet 2/4/1798. Died 27/11/1867 – St Clair Cottage, Olrig. Buried in the old churchyard outside Castletown (what is the name of this churchyard , and is there any published record of burials in it ?)

Married Margaret Robertson – born 25/3/1798 – died 28/12/1878. Buried in same churchyard but place of death not known.

They had 10 children all born in Dunnet.

James(b) – 16/11/1822
Catherine – 22/10/1824
Alexander – 2/6/1827
John – 8/7/1829
Isabella – 1/7/1831
Margaret– 17/5/1933
William – 11/12/1835
Donald – 24/2/1838
George – 28/3/1840
David – 10/2/1842

In the 1841 census, this family was at Inkstack,Dunnet, apart from David who wasn’t born. In the household are also 6 agric labourers – Margaret Budge, John Miller, Donald Sutherland, John More, James Campbell and George Gunn. I presume that James Budge was farming a considerable area of land. This family was not in Dunnet for the 1851 census - I only found this information out last week.

In the same census, James and Isabella ( nee Swanson) Budge – parents of James(a) Budge, were enumerated at Corsback along with an Isabella Budge who I presume to be a daughter and a Margaret Shearer. I have no details of this James and Isabella apart from the fact that they were stated to be aged 65 at the 1841 census and Isabella was 30.

James(a) and Isabella are the only siblings I have found of this marriage, but I have not searched for any as yet.

James(b) married Georgina Harper 0n 7 11/1866. Georgina’s parents were John and Elizabeth Swanson who were married at Watten on 3/12/1830.

James(a) and Margaret Budge moved to Bigton Shetland around 1856 and in the 1861 census are enumerated at Bigton along with sons James (b), William, George and David. Soon after they must have moved back to Caithness as James died there in 1867.

In the 1871 census, only James (b) and wife and family are at Bigton. George married Marion Dickson in 1864 in Shetland and went to Christchurch NZ, where I have traced their family

We know that one or more of the sons went to Canada, as David Alexander - son of James(b) and Georgina ,who was born in 1872, went to Canada for a time before WW1 to work on his uncle’s farm, but I wonder if some of the family stayed on in Caithness when James(a) and Margaret came to Shetland.

Bigton Farm is still in the hands of the Budge family and still farmed by a James Budge who is my brother.

Out of the 10 children of James and Margaret we only know the history of James and George, and the rest we are trying to find.

I would be very pleased to hear from anyone who has any info on this line of the Budge clan.

Rosemary Skea

Queensland

Australia

[Thomas Farmer]

I think the cemetery is Olrig, and there is a large grave-stone for James budge.
My G.G.grandfather George Swanson was born at Bigton farm Dunrossness on Shetland
his father William was a farm manager for James Budge, they farmed there from 1840 until 1856 when they returned to Caithness

[caraid]

Hi Rosemary,
Did a quick look up in the pre 1955 insc. for Olrig, for you. Here's what it says
James Budge , farmer, Bigtown, Shetland died Olrig 27.11.1867 70, wife Margaret Robertson 28.12.1878 80, daughter Margaret 13.3.1919 82
also next to it
James Budge, farmer, Bigtown Shetland 22.11.1899 76 wife Georgina Harper 23.5.1923 86

I also have Budges in my family line, another James born around 1756 and he wed Margaret Calder( born around 10.3.1753) at Wester Dunnet, their children were Jannet, William, James, Barbera, Alexander, Elspet, & Donald.
I also have a C/Katherine Budge (born 1781) who married a David Sutherland, who's children were Isobel, Alexander, James, David, Flora, John, Catherine

[Bill Mackay]

Hi Rosemary,
I have photos of all the gravestones in Olrig Cemetery including 2 of your family side by side in the churchyard. They are difficult to read but the M.I.s in the Caithness M.I. book Volume 1 show them.