Donald Cameron purchased almost a quarter of a hectare of the former mill lands of Stockbridge in 1804.[1] He named the property Malta and was listed at Malta House in the 1805 Post Office Directory.[2] He remained there until 1816 when he moved to Albany Cottage, where he died on 17 January 1818 aged 74.[3], [4]
Donald Cameron was born about 1744, the second son of John Cameron of Fassifern[5] who was banished for his part in the 1745 rebellion and spent ten years at Alnwick, Northumberland.[6] Donald Cameron’s mother was Jean Campbell, daughter of John Campbell of Achallader, who married John Cameron in 1734.
Donald Cameron had joined the 78th regiment of foot by 30 September 1758.[7] He was commissioned lieutenant 22 April 1759, was present at the fall of Quebec in September 1759 and was wounded Ste. Foy, Quebec on 28 April 1760.[8] He retired on half-pay in 1763[9] and remained in receipt of half pay until his death in 1818.
On his return to Britain, in 1764 he declined the tenancy of Caonich in Lochaber, offered by his brother Ewan Cameron of Fassifern.[10] Instead, he courted a daughter of Joseph Burrell of Hetton House, Northumberland and married her in Edinburgh in December 1765.[11] He appears to have then lived in Northumberland: their first son, Joseph Burrell Cameron, was buried at Bassington at the end of 1766[12] and their daughter Juliana Mary Cameron was baptised at Lesbury in 1768.[13] They also had a son, George, who became a doctor and died in Jamaica.[14]
Connections with Northumberland would have been built during John Cameron of Fassifern’s exile there. On the death in 1783 of Jean Campbell, John Cameron’s wife, the Newcastle Chronicle noted she was the mother of Mr Cameron (probably Donald) ‘of this town.’[15] Margaret Cameron, Donald’s sister, married William Forster, vicar of Lesbury and Long Houghton;[16] and William Forster was Joseph Burrell’s brother-in-law.[17]
Donald Cameron was described as a merchant in Berwick Upon Tweed in 1797 when he bought the farm of New Blainslie near Melrose,[18] and when he purchased land in Stockbridge, Edinburgh he was styled ‘of New Blainslie.’ His move to Edinburgh, not long after buying New Blainslie, may have been prompted by the death of his daughter Juliana in February 1803,[19] a few days after giving birth to his grandson George Nicholas Dodds Langlais.[20] Juliana Mary Cameron’s marriage under licence to Jean Nicolas Langlais on 27 November 1802[21] occurred three months before their son’s birth.
Donald Cameron’s grandson George Nicholas Dodds Langlais grew up at Malta House and adopted the name George Langlais Cameron. He was bequeathed Donald Cameron’s substantial estate, though it remained in trust until he reached the age of 25 years, in 1828.[22] He was described as a student of medicine in 1823[23] and lived for a time in London, at Upper Seymour Street West. He returned to Edinburgh in 1828 or 1829, purchasing a property in Minto Street.[24] He died there ‘of a decline,’ aged 27, and was buried on 03 August 1829.[25]
George Langlais Cameron married Elizabeth Sinclair on 12 February 1826 at St Botolph, Aldgate, London.[26] She received a life rent of George’s estate[27] and continued to live in Minto Street.[28] She died of ‘decline’ aged 33 and was buried on 07 April 1838.[29]
[1] Land records. Scotland. Edinburgh. Sasine abridgement. 28 September 1804. No. 10,841. (PR 528.85) National Records of Scotland. Edinburgh.
[2] PO Directory 1805-06.
[3] Burials (OPR) Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 23 January 1818. CAMERON, Donald. 692/2 320 435. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 30 October 2024.
[4] Testamentary records. Scotland. Edinburgh. Inventory. 18 June 1818. CAMERON, Donald. SC70/1/17. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 30 October 2024.
[5] Exchequer records. Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer. Ultimus Haeres. Treasury Reports. 04 September 1890. E853/11. National Records of Scotland. Edinburgh. Accessed 25 April 2024.
[6] Mackenzie, Alexander. (1884) History of the Camerons. Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie. p. 281.
[7] ‘The 78th Fraser Highlanders.’ Genealogy Master Index. citing Harper, J. R. (1995) The Fraser Highlanders. Montreal: Museum Restoration Service. https://www.78thfrasers.org: accessed 31 October 2024.
[8] Fraser, Marie. (2004) Officers of the Old 78th Regiment of Foot. Clan Fraser Society of Canada. http://clanfraser.ca/78th1.htm: accessed 01 November 2024.
[9] Op. cit.
[10] Clan Cameron Archives. Letter from Alexander Cameron to Ewen Cameron, Younger of Fassifern. 20 March 1764. http://www.lochiel.net/archives/arch150.html: accessed 31 October 2024.
[11] Marriage announcements. Oxford Journal. 28 December 1765. p. 2, col. 3. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 31 May 2022.
[12] Wood, Herbert Maxwell and K. A. Martin. (1899) The Registers of Eglingham, in the County of Northumberland. Sunderland: Durham and Northumberland Parish Register Society. p. 146. https://archive.org/details/registersegling00martgoog/page/n6/mode/2up: accessed 18 April 2024.
[13] Peacock, Reginald. Editor. (1907) The Registers of Lesbury in the County of Northumberland. Sunderland: Durham and Northumberland Parish Register Society. p. 34. https://archive.org: accessed 31 October 2024.
[14] Baptisms (PR) Jamaica. St David. 1799. CAMERON, John George. Family Search collection ‘Jamaica, Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880.’ https://familysearch.org: accessed 31 October 2024.
[15] Death announcements. England. Newcastle Chronicle. 15 March 1783. CAMERON. p. 2, col. 3. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 01 November 2024.
[16] Mackenzie, Alexander. (1884) History of the Camerons. Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie. p. 282. https://electricscotland.com/webclans/atoc/HistoryoftheCamerons.pdf: accessed 31 October 2024.
[17] ‘Forster06.’ https://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/ff/forster06.php: accessed 31 October 2024.
[18] Land records. Scotland. Roxburgh. Sasine abridgement. 21 February 1797. No. 2116. National Records of Scotland.
[19] Burials (PR) England. Houghton Le Spring, Durham. 28 February 1803. LANGLAIS, Julianna Mary. FindMyPast collection ‘National Burial Index For England & Wales.’ https://findmypast.co.uk: accessed 31 October 2024.
[20] Baptisms (PR) England. Houghton Le Spring, Durham. 19 February 1803. LANGLAIS, George Nicholas Dodds. Ancestry collection ‘England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 October 2024.
[21] Marriages (PR) England. Houghton Le Spring, Durham. 27 November 1802. CAMERON, Julianna Mary and LANGLAIS, Jean Nicolas. FindMyPast collection ‘England Marriages 1538-1973.’ https://findmypast.co.uk: accessed 01 November 2024.
[22] Testamentary records. Scotland. Inventory, Disposition and Deed of Settlement. 18 June 1818. CAMERON, Donald. SC70/1/17. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 31 October 2024.
[23] Land records. Scotland. Edinburgh. Sasine abridgement. 02 July 1823. No. 3258. National Records of Scotland. Edinburgh.
[24] Land records. Scotland. Edinburgh. Sasine abridgement. 01 June 1829. No. 12,903. National Records of Scotland. Edinburgh.
[25] Burials (OPR) Scotland. Newington, Edinburgh. 03 March 1829. CAMERON, George. 692/2 330 488. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 17 April 2024.
[26] Marriages (PR) England. St Botolph, Aldgate, London. 12 February 1826. CAMERON, George Langley and SINCLAIR, Elizabeth. P69/BOT2/A/013/MS09944/008. London Metropolitan Archives. Ancestry collection ‘London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938.’ https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 31 October 2024.
[27] Exchequer records. Op. cit.
[28] PO Directories 1834-35, 1835-36, 1836-37. CAMERON, Mrs G. L.
[29] Burials (OPR) Scotland. South Leith, Midlothian. 07 April 1838. SINCLAIR, Elizabeth. 692 / 2. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 26 April 2024.