Jane Walker

Mrs James Walker occupied No. 4 from 1832 to 1837.¹ This was probably the same Mrs James Walker listed at 29 St Bernard’s Crescent from 1837 to 1841.² She was Jane Somerville, who married James Walker, a farmer, at Athelstaneford, East Lothian on 21 October 1828.³ She was widowed before 1841.

Jane Somerville was born at Athelstaneford on 10 December 1805, daughter of Andrew Somerville and Margaret Brown,⁴ and died 18 October 1879 at 4 Trinity Crescent, Leith.⁵

Jane Somerville and James Walker had a son born at Whittingehame, 25 February 1829, named Francis Walker, after his grandfather.⁶ He was recorded living with Somerville relatives at 29 St Bernard’s Crescent in 1841⁷ and is likely to have lived at No. 4 Malta Terrace with his mother. Francis Walker applied to join the Madras Infantry of the Honourable East India Company in December 1845.⁸ He was an ensign in the European Light Infantry when he died of a diseased liver on 04 April 1849, age 19 years, and was buried at Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.⁹

1. PO Directories 1832-33, 1833-34, 1834-35, 1835-36, 1836-37.
2. PO Directories 1837-38, 1838-39, 1839-40, 1840-41.
3. Marriages index (SR) Scotland. Wittinghame, East Lothian. SOMERVILLE, Jane and WALKER, James. 724/ 30 119. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 12 July 2021.
4. Baptisms (OPR) Scotland. Athelstaneford, East Lothian. 11 January 1806. SOMERVILLE, Jean. 703/ 20 105. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 13 July 2021.
5. Deaths (SR) Scotland. North Leith, Edinburgh. 24 October 1879. WALKER, Jane. 692/1 294. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 12 July 2021.
6. Baptisms (OPR) Scotland. Whittingehame, East Lothian. 02 April 1829. WALKER, Francis. 724/ 20 29. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 13 July 2021.
7. Census records. Scotland. St Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh. 06 June 1841. SOMERVILLE, Janneta (Head). 685/2 10B, p. 10. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 13 July 2021.
8. Cadet applications. Madras Infantry. 04 March 1846. WALKER, Francis. L-MIL-9-212-PART-4. British India Office Papers. FindMyPast collection. https://findmypast.co.uk: accessed 12 March 2026.
9. Monumental inscriptions. India. St John’s Church, Tiruchirappalli. 04 April 1840. WALKER, Francis (aged 19). Families in British India Society. https://www.fibis.org/: accessed 13 July 2021.