John Kerr Craig

John Kerr Craig, minister at the Dean Street United Presbyterian Church, lived at No. 5 from about 1883 to 1887.¹ He was born at Lochwinnoch and baptised there on 22 September 1844, son of Robert Craig and Mary Howie.² Robert Craig was a miller, originally from Ayrshire.³

John Kerr Craig was ordained at Ramsbottom, Lancashire in 1871 and served as minister at Chalmers Church, Ancoats, Manchester, between 1872 and 1882. He was inducted at Dean Street, Edinburgh on 19 October 1882.⁴ In early 1891 he moved to Glasgow’s Alexandra Parade mission, and from there he translated to Wigan in July 1894. Five years later John Kerr Craig became minister at Trinity presbyterian church, Islington, where he stayed until 1910.⁵ He died in Muswell Hill, London on 20 March 1928.⁶

John Kerr Craig married Katherine Eliza Halliday at Chorlton, Lancashire in 1875.⁷ She was born at Chorlton, Lancashire on 13 May 1854,⁸ daughter of James Halliday, an accountant,⁹ and Rosamund Darlington Hales.

John Kerr Craig and Katherine Eliza Halliday had six children. Their youngest son, Arthur Freeman Craig was born on 25 January 1886 during the family’s time at No. 5 Malta Terrace. He served in the Northamptonshire Regiment between 1916 and 1919,¹⁰ and worked as an insurance official. He died in Surrey on 29 December 1963.¹¹

Two other children would have lived at No. 5, James Halliday Craig, the eldest, and Katie Hales Craig, born at Chorlton in 1877 and 1879, respectively. James Halliday Craig was a banker and died at Worthing, on 05 July 1953.¹²

In 1904, Katie Hales Craig married Charles Hobday,¹³ a hallmark assayer for the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.¹⁴ She died at Worthing, Sussex on 22 October 1967.¹⁵

1. PO Directories 1883-84, 1884-85, 1885-86, 1886-87.
2. Baptisms (OPR) Scotland. Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire. 22 September 1844. CRAIG, John. 570/ 30 183. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 29 August 2021.
3. Census records. Scotland. Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire. 30 March 1851. CRAIG, Robert (Head). 570/ 09/ 09. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 29 August 2021.
4. Small, Robert. (1904) History of the Congregations of the United Presbyterian Church from 1733 to 1900. Edinburgh: David M. Small. vol. 1, pp. 477-478. https://archive.org/details/historyofpresbyt01smaluoft/: accessed 29 August 2021.
5. Small, Robert. (1904) History of the Congregations of the United Presbyterian Church from 1733 to 1900. Edinburgh: David M. Small. vol. 2, p. 80. https://archive.org/details/historyofcongre02smaluoft: accessed 29 August 2021.
6. Testamentary records. England. 22 May 1928. CRAIG, John Kerr. Probate. London. National Probate Calendar. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 29 August 2021.
7. Marriages index (CR) England. Chorlton, Lancashire. 3rd Q., 1875. CRAIG, John K. and HALLIDAY, Katherine Eliza. vol. 8c, p. 936. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 29 August 2021.
8. Baptisms (PR) England. St Andrews Free Church, Manchester. 11 June 1854. HALLIDAY, Katherine Eliza. England, Select Births and Christenings. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 30 August 2021.
9. Census records. England. Chorlton, Lancashire. 07 April 1861. HALLIDAY, James (Head). RG 9/2880/112/07. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 August 2021.
10. War Office. Soldiers’ Documents First World War. October 1916. CRAIG, Arthur Freeman. WO363. National Archives. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 August 2021.
11. Deaths index (CR) England. Surrey South eastern. 3rd Q., 1963. CRAIG, Arthur F (aged 77). vol. 5g, p. 852. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 August 2021; Testamentary records. England. 26 June 1964. CRAIG, Arthur Freeman. Probate. Lewes, Sussex. National Probate Calendar. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 30 August 2021.
12. Testamentary records. England. 24 August 1953. CRAIG, James Halliday. Probate. London. National Probate Calendar. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 August 2021.
13. Marriages index (CR) England. Islington, London. 4th Q., 1904. HOBDAY, Charles and CRAIG, Katie Hales. vol. 1b, p. 620. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 August 2021.
14. Census records. England. Great Clacton, Essex. 02 April 1911. HOBDAY, Charles (Head). RG14/10227. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 August 2021.
15. Testamentary records. England. 03 January 1968. HOBDAY, Katie Hales. Probate. Lewes, Sussex. National Probate Calendar. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 August 2021.