"I received your sister’s letter announcing the birth of a thumping laddie" - Betsy's court battle against a lawyer!

Graham and I were back in the National Records of Scotland this week. Being in so rarely these days really makes me appreciate getting my hands on original records. I love working with records of ‘ordinary’ people. Our ancestors, the ones who don’t pop up in the history books but are very important to us.

This week I discovered a hidden gem. On 13 June 1836 Elizabeth Aikman, an unmarried mother, gave birth to a wee boy. The father of this baby was Mitchell Patison, a lawyer in Edinburgh. We already knew from the decree that Elizabeth had won the case and that Mitchell was to pay £8 per year to Elizabeth. The court processes however add more detail, giving us the background of the case (NRS reference SC39/17/846).

You can search our index here: Scottish Paternity Index

What did the court process tell us in this case? We learn that to begin with, Mitchell paid for the child’s care, in fact, there were some very sweet letters. 

On 21 June 1836, Mitchell wrote,

“Dear Betsy, 

I received your sister’s letter announcing the birth of a thumping laddie - I am proud of it and I hope you and he will be long spared and the he will prove a blessing and I here solemnly pledge and bind myself to have him brought up and educated as well as any other member of my family in as far as my abilities will enable me to do…” 

By 19 April 1837 Mitchell was already behind with his payments. He wrote to Elizabeth’s representative:

“I enclose three pounds as I promised in my last, this pays you up to the first of June next so far as board goes. I am still your debtor however for £2 of expenses incurred by you which I will send some time next month - Let me know how the little fellow is getting on - I intend being out to see him soon as I can spare time.”

The case papers also tell us how Mitchell and Betsy met. Betsy was a servant at the neighbour's house and their paths crossed as the gate was opened. Although we see in this record that Mitchell had a change of heart, we’re not told why this happened. Why was it that at first he was so pleased about the birth and happy to support Betsy? What changed so that Betsy had to drag him through the courts?

Mitchell was a lawyer so it is hard to believe that he simply couldn't pay. We cannot say for sure why Mitchell stopped paying, but what we have discovered is that on 1 June 1837 Mitchell Patison married Eleanora Mitchell Wilson, daughter of the late George Wilson, a farmer. It seems to be around this time that Mitchell became less supportive of poor Betsy and her ‘thumping laddie’.

This is just one of the genealogy gems hidden in the archives. What survives for your ancestors? To be able to learn so much about a woman and her circumstances in the 1830s is amazing.

Search for here and see what you can discover: Scottish Paternity Index