McPherson Family of Perth & Lancashire

Meaning ‘son of the parson’, the M(a)cPherson’s are collectively descended from Muriach of the old Clan Chattan. More information on the origins of the name can be found on the Clan Macpherson Association website.

John McPherson and Jane Tait were married at Kinfauns. Jane was probably living in the village with her family, and it’s plausible that John could have been working at the castle, where Jane might also have been employed. To date, little is known about John other than he was a Sawyer and at some stage in his life, a Seaman. It’s possible that he might have been born in Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire, however so far this has not been proven. Jane came from Errol, her family before settling in Kinfauns.

Kinfauns Castle was replaced in 1822 by the current structure. It’s unclear what the original looked like, or when it was taken down. The gap between the marriage (1813) and the birth of John and Jane’s first child Elizabeth (1816) might suggest that the couple were both employed at the castle and moved to Perth when it shut down. Of course this is all speculative, and partly based on the recollections of my Grandfather Alexander Wishart who told me that the family had some connection with the castle.

Jane was buried in the Kinfauns churchyard, the location of the grave is unclear, however both her parents and several other members of the family were buried in the same plot. This information was provided by Colin Macpherson who has transcribed a list of monumental inscriptions compiled for the graveyard during the 1950′s and held at the A K Bell Library.

All of John & Jane’s children were born in Perth and baptised at the Gaelic Chapel by the Rev. Duncan Macfarlane. After his wife’s death, John raised his children on South Street whilst continuing his work as a sawyer. He died in 1841 and was buried in Greyfriars Cemetery, Perth. The McPherson’s association with Perth continued through John’s sons Alexander and James.

Alexander worked as a ships carpenter whilst James in 1854 was listed in a Perth directory as being a partner in a shipbuilding company (small wooden boats.) The company was called McPherson & Wallace, Shipbuilders. In 1868 the company was called James McPherson & Son, Shipbuilders. They later moved to Liverpool because of the advent of steel ships and the city was known for its shipbuilding. Alexander took his carpentry skills to Cheshire and worked in a Timber Yard. Other members of the family stayed in and around Perth; David Moncrieff McPherson eventually ran a hotel in the city.

Sometime between 1841 and 1853 Fanny McPherson moved to Dundee. She was a Jute Winder by profession and probably found employment in one of the city’s many Jute Mills. By 1855 she was living in the Cowgate area of Dundee and married at Edin Grove. Fanny’s early married life must have been hard, she was frequently admitted to the poorhouse with and without her husband, Thomas Smith. After his death in 1876, Fanny moved back to Perthshire (Rattray) leaving her two daughters, Jessie and Catherine to continue the link with Dundee.

Members of the family left for Liverpool during the decline of the Perth shipbuilding industry in the 1870′s. Although several of the sons and daughters of James and John Laing McPherson moved back to Scotland, or branched out to other parts of England, some stayed and continue to live in and around the city today.

This research is an ongoing project by Scott Wishart, Colin & Barbara MacPherson.

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