William FISHER and Mary McCulloch married in September 1812, in St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh. I have a photocopy of the register entry. She was daughter of William McCulloch, Innkeeper at Linlithgow Bridge and from a Linlithgow family. He was a gentleman's servant at Hopetoun House - apparently with some association to Admiral Hope, as the Admiral instructed that William be paid a very good bonus (5 guineas) that year, possibly on the occasion of the wedding. William left this employment shortly after the marriage, signing for his pay at Hopetoun in January 1813 - Mary's father died in late 1812 and we think William went to help run the Inn. A daughter, Ann, was born there in 1813 and a son, William, in 1817. At the time of the wedding, William and Mary were living at 6 Queensferry Street in Edinburgh. Queensferry Street is part of the complex of Charlotte Square, Hope Street etc. where the Hopetoun family had a townhouse and owned most of the area, so it seems likely that they were residing in Hope property. William is my brick wall, or one of them. Don't know who he was, where he came from, or indeed what happened to him. In the 1841 census I can't find either William or Mary (though their son William may be in Coatbridge, as an apprentice shoemaker: he later returns to Linlithgow Bridge as a shoemaker, marries there, and then moves around a good bit and changes trade ending up in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, but that is another story). In 1851 Mary, described as Widow and going by her birth name of McCulloch, is proprietor of the inn (today's Bridge Inn) at Linlithgow Bridge. She was succeeded in this by her daughter Ann and son-in-law Robert Stewart. Ann's death cert. gives the occupation of her father William Fisher (the mystery William) as what looks like 'Huntsman'. So, my brick wall: William Fisher appears at Hopetoun House, paid a good live-in-salary, in 1812. The most likely 'Admiral Hope' of the time was Admiral Sir George Hope, previously Captain Sir G. H. at the time of Trafalgar, a cousin of the Hopetoun family who had married a daughter of the family, and who had come to live at Hopetoun House around that time, moving to London a year or so later. Admiral Sir George had a young son, again living in Hopetoun House at that time. What I'm seeking to learn is the connection of my William Fisher to Sir George - his personal servant? His son's servant? - and hoping to find anything further about William or where he may have been from. The archivist at Hopetoun House has been very helpful, but has found records for 1812 only - William paid a salary of seventeen guineas (£17 17/-) there then, with an allowance of another £1 17/6 for something extra (clothing or perks? - as a gentleman's servant, presumably not livery, though if he was a 'gentleman's servant' to the child he might have been liveried.. any experts on this?). And the extra £5 5/-, that is five guineas, 'pr Admiral Hope's orders'! He apparently receives the salary at Martinmas, and he signs a receipt for it in January. Did he come with Admiral Hope's family from Carriden House, a bit further up the Forth? Or was he earlier a personal servant to Captain, now Admiral, Hope? Does anybody have similar situations? Does anybody have access to bmd cds for the Lothians that might have more info on this? Does anybody have access to archives that might list servants of Naval officers, in the period between Trafalgar and 1812? Jenny

Admiral George HOPE's will can be downloaded from Scotlandspeople for a fiver! You might find nothing, but a favoured servant might just have received a legacy or annuity. Judy