Kings of Port Glasgow

This gravestone in Port Glasgow churchyard marks the burying place of many of the Kings of Port Glasgow (lair 27).  Murdoch King, a shipmaster married Ann Kelburn in 1753 in Port Glasgow.  They had 10 children - 6 sons and 4 daughters.

Two of their sons Daniel King and John King went to sea like their father.  The brothers married sisters, Ann and Maria Bird whose father, Thomas Bird owned the Sherwood Park Plantation on the island of Tobago in the West Indies.  The wives inherited part of the estate when their father died, bringing a lot of money to the King family. 

Daniel King and Ann Bird had three children - (1) Celia King who married Andrew Scott of Larchgrove. They emigrated to Australia in 1839 and settled at Mount Buninyong in Victoria.  The area of Scotsburn is named after the family. Celia and Andrew had four children, all born in Glasgow before they moved to Australia.  (2) Maria King (1800-1837) married in 1827 in Glasgow, John Park Fleming (a successful lawyer), they had four children.  One of their sons, John King Fleming (1837-1916) emigrated to Australia in 1858 and married Helen Hastie, the eldest daughter of the Rev Thomas Hastie of Buninyong (where his mother's sister, Celia had settled with her family).  He owned property in Australia and died at his residence Kelvinside, Aberdeen, New South Wales.  After Maria's death in 1837, John Park Fleming married (in 1839) Elizabeth Tennant, daughter of John Tennant of Wellpark, the famous Glasgow brewer.  (3) Anne King  married Isaac Toby, an officer in the Royal Marines and they lived in Portsmouth where he was Barrackmaster.  As well as spending time in Tobago, Daniel King also spent time in Dunkirk as a shipowner.

John King is described in marriage announcement as "master in his Majesty's royal navy".  John married Maria Bird in 1805 in Port Glasgow.  Their three children were all born in Plymouth, probably when John King was stationed there.  (1)  John Bird King (1806 -) born at Durnford Street, Stonehouse, Devonshire (now part of Plymouth).  The sponsors at his baptism were Celia McLeod, his grandmother, Captain Nathaniel Cole, Royal Marines and Thomas Savory, purser Royal Marines, proxy for Thomas Bird of Tobago, uncle.  (2)  Henry Curzon King (1811 - 1830) born at Stonehouse and died of a fever at Jamaica.  He was named after Admiral Henry Curzon who was one of the sponsors at his baptism.  The others were Ann Bird King (his aunt) and Normand McLeod.  (3) Thomas Bird King (1813 - ) born at Jubilee Street, Plymouth. Maria King (nee Bird) died in 1817 at Sherwood Park in Tobago.

After Maria died, John King married Margaret Foster of Carnegie Park in Port Glasgow in 1819.  Margaret's father was James Foster and her mother was Jean Carnegie, who had married in 1778 in Port Glasgow.  John and Margaret had five children - (1) James Foster King (1820) married in 1855 in Port Glasgow Maggie Park Turner, daughter of Douglas Turner of Alderwood.  (2) Murdoch Kelburn King (1822-1886) married in 1850 at Port Glasgow, Mary Burrell, daughter of Archibald M Burrell, Provost of Port Glasgow.  Kelburn King moved to Hull where he became surgeon.  He was also President of the Hull Philosophical Society.  The family lived at Sculcoates.  (3) John Carnegie King (1824).  (4) Patrick Allan Carnegie Foster King (1826).  (5) Jane Carnegie King married Dr Henry Llewellyn Williams of Beverley, Yorkshire in 1848 in Port Glasgow.

The names Kelburn and Carnegie are areas in the eastern part of Port Glasgow.  Check out this map to see more details.  The areas were named after the families who owned land in the area.  Much of their wealth came from trade with the East and West Indies.  The Carnegie family were associated with the island of Penang, or Prince of Wales Island as it was known at the time.