The Baird brothers

Brothers Hugh James Baird and Robert G. Baird were listed at No. 8 in the 1845-46 directory.¹ The following year they were at 2 Grove Street.²

Hugh James Baird, an accountant, was born in Russia and baptised at the British chaplaincy in St Petersburg on 08 July 1793, son of James Baird and Margaret Gunning.³ James Baird and his elder brother Charles Baird went to Russia in the late 1780s to help improve cannon production there.⁴ Hugh James Baird died in South Leith on 27 September 1867.⁵

Robert Baird was an artist and portrait painter, born about 1797 in Edinburgh, son of James Baird and Margaret Gunning. He was a patient in the Royal Edinburgh Asylum when the 1871 census was taken,⁶ and died there aged 78 on 08 April 1875.⁷

Hugh James Baird and Robert Baird were recorded living in the same household at Alder Bank House, Jock’s Lodge in the 1841 census,⁸ four years before their short residence in Malta Terrace. The household then also included their brother Nicol Baird, sister Margaret Baird, Hugh James’ wife, Margaret, and children James, Margaret, Hugh and Henry. In the 1851 census, six years after the stay in Malta Terrace, the household remained almost the same. Nicol Baird died at Alder Bank, Jock’s Lodge on 28 March 1851⁹ (two days before the census) while James Baird, Hugh James’ son, was not recorded. It is possible the whole family were resident at No. 8 Malta Terrace.

Margaret Baird, sister of Hugh James Baird and Robert Baird, was born about 1788 at Carron, Stirlingshire.¹⁰ She was recorded living with the brothers in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 censuses. She died unmarried and was buried on 06 March 1867.¹¹

Hugh James Baird married Margaret Mackay, at Duddingston, on 22 July 1821.¹² She was born in Glasgow on 07 October 1799, daughter of Henry Mackay and Janet Strang.¹³ Widowed in 1867, she was recorded in the 1871 census living at 3 Wilkie Place, North Leith with her son Henry and daughter Margaret.¹⁴ She died in the South Leith Poor House on 07 March 1874.¹⁵ Hugh James Baird and Margaret Mackay had four children, James, Margaret, Henry and Hugh.¹⁶

James Baird was born about 1826. His occupation was engineer in the 1861 census.¹⁷

Margaret Gunning Baird was born in Edinburgh about 1825. She was a governess and music teacher and died aged 80 on 23 March 1893.¹⁸ She was unmarried. In 1864 her illegitimate daughter, Jemima Nicoll or Baird, was born in Haddington.¹⁹ The father was a teacher named David Nicoll.²⁰ Jemima Nicoll married George Adam, Commissary Clerk, in 1888²¹ and died of consumption in 1893,²² a month after her mother.

Henry Mair Baird was born in Edinburgh about 1831. He was a teacher of drawing and died unmarried, aged 67, at 29 Brougham Street on 11 December 1898.²³

Hugh John Baird was born in Edinburgh about 1827. His occupation in the 1851 census was recorded as artist and teacher of drawing,²⁴ and as artist in the 1861 census.²⁵ He died in the Royal Infirmary on 31 July 1868 after an accident. The death registration indicates he was unmarried and gave his occupation as house painter.²⁶

1. PO Directory 1845-46.
2. PO Directory 1846-47.
3. Baptisms. Russia. British Chaplaincy, St Petersburg. 08 July 1793. BAIRD, Hugh James. Ancestry collection ‘Russia, Select Births and Baptisms, 1755-1917.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 09 October 2023.
4. Skempton, A. W., Chrimes, M. M., Cox, R. C., Cross-Rudkin, P. S. M., Rennison, R. W. and Ruddock, E. C. Editors. (2002) A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland. vol. 1. London: Institution of Civil Engineers. pp. 30-31. https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Biographical_Dictionary_of_Civil_Engin/jeOMfpYMOtYC?hl=en&gbpv=1: accessed 13 October 2023.
5. Deaths (SR) Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 27 September 1867. BAIRD, Hugh James. 685/2 588. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 09 October 2023.
6. Census records. Scotland. Edinburgh. 02 April 1871. BAIRD, Robert. 685/1 Royal Edinburgh Asylum/ 2. Ancestry collection ‘1871 Scotland Census.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 10 October 2023.
7. Deaths (SR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 10 April 1875. BAIRD, Robert. 685/1 474. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 12 October 2023.
8. Census records. Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 06 June 1841. BAIRD, Robert. 692/2 1B/ 5. Ancestry collection ‘1841 Scotland Census.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
9. Burial registers. Scotland. East Preston Street, Edinburgh. 28 March 1851. BAIRD, Nicol James. BR0005. City of Edinburgh Archives. Ancestry collection ‘Edinburgh, Scotland, Cemetery Registers, 1771-1935.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
10. Census records. Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 30 March 1851. BAIRD, Margaret. 692/2 1B/ 25. Ancestry collection ‘1851 Scotland Census.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
11. Burial registers. Scotland. East Preston Street, Edinburgh. 06 March 1867. BAIRD, Margaret. BR0005. City of Edinburgh Archives. Ancestry collection ‘Edinburgh, Scotland, Cemetery Registers, 1771-1935.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
12. Marriages. Scotland. Duddingston, Midlothian. 22 July 1821. BAIRD, James Hugh and MACKAY, Margaret. Ancestry collection ‘Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 09 October 2023.
13. Baptisms index (OPR) Scotland. Glasgow. 07 October 1799. MACKAY, Margaret. 644/1 190/ 450. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
14. Census records. Scotland. North Leith, Midlothian. 02 April 1871. BAIRD, Margaret. 692/1 25/ 10. Findmypast collection ‘1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census.’ https://findmypast.co.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
15. Deaths (SR) Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 07 March 1874. BAIRD, Margaret. 692/2 137. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 10 October 2023.
16. Census records. Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 06 June 1841. BAIRD, Margaret. 692/2 1B/ 5. Ancestry collection ‘1841 Scotland Census.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
17. Census records. Scotland. Inveresk, Midlothian. 07 April 1861. BAIRD, James. 689/ 10/ 21. Findmypast collection ‘1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census.’ https://findmypast.co.uk: accessed 09 October 2023.
18. Deaths (SR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 23 March 1893. BAIRD, Margaret Gunning. 685/4 294. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
19. Births (SR) Scotland. Haddington, Haddingtonshire. 30 August 1864. BAIRD, Jemima. 709/ 162. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
20. Births (RCE) Scotland. Haddington. BAIRD, Jemima. 709/ 00 001 33. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
21. Marriages index (SR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 1888. ADAM, George and NICOLL, Jemima. 685/4 189. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 12 October 2023.
22. Deaths (SR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 29 April 1893. ADAM, Jemima. 685/4 407. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 12 October 2023.
23. Deaths (SR) Scotland. Edinburgh. 11 December 1898. BAIRD, Henry Mair. 685/4 1186. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
24. Census records. Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 30 March 1851. BAIRD, Hugh J. 692/2 1B/ 25. Ancestry collection ‘1851 Scotland Census.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 11 October 2023.
25. Census records. Scotland. Inveresk, Midlothian. 07 April 1861. BAIRD, Hugh. 689/ 10/ 21. Findmypast collection ‘1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census.’ https://findmypast.co.uk: accessed 09 October 2023.
26. Deaths (SR) Scotland. Canongate, Edinburgh. 31 July 1868. BAIRD, Hugh John. 685/3 733. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 12 October 2023.