Locality
Early Generations (4)

1          John Hawtie/Haughty(/Oughton) (…1796) m. Margaret (?Elizabeth) Watt(en) (…1811)

1.1       James (Hawtie/Haughty/)Oughton (1760…1832) m. ?

1.2       John Haughtie (1764…18xx) m. ? (…pre1832)

1.2.1    James Oughton (1790c…18xx) m. Margaret Wilson (…)

1.2.1.1 Isabella Oughton (1828…1904) m. James Morison (1824c…)

Possibly Related HAWTIE / OUGHTON Lineages
Related Families from the same areas
Other (probably unrelated) HAWTIE / OUGHTON Lineages

Locality

Admiral James Oughton, RN, was born at Cullen Banffshire [now Morayshire] Scotland in 1761, and died there in 1832. He had been born James Hawtie, but changed his surname soon after entering the Navy; his parents and siblings also changed theirs. Later generations of the Oughton family are found about Lasswade in the Midlothians. Admiral James Oughton was in 1885 identified as the great-grandfather of Thomas George Dunbar Oughton Kidd, though no direct information regarding the Admiral's marriage or issue has been found.

Early Generations

Details of this family emerge in the chronicles of Cullen, a fishing port at the eastern end of Cullen Bay on Moray Firth in North Banffshire [now Morayshire] Scotland. One in a chain of royal burghs stretching from Banff to Inverness, Cullen’s charter was probably granted by William the Lion, perhaps because of its location rather than other merits. The burgh’s long history was to Cramond (1883) “almost one unbroken wail of poverty”.

Cullen today is a fishing port and seaside resort consisting of two parts, Cullen [New Town] and Seatown (or Fish Town). Old Cullen, the site of the town until 1822 when it was demolished to allow improvements to Cullen House, lies one kilometre upstream from where the Burn of Deskford enters Cullen Bay on Moray Firth at Seatown.

The bay is backed by the Bin of Cullen (320m) and Knock Hill (430m), respectively 3km south-west and 12km south, landmarks visible from the northern-most parts of Scotland and which probably guided early Viking raiders towards the bay, one of the easiest landing places on the coast; in consequence the region was repeatedly raided. In 904 David was killed at Forres, some distance west, and circa 961 Indulf lost his life leading his troops at Cullen in the Battle of the Bands, the last epic in a series of battles which expelled the Danes from mainland Britain. Cullen was later repeatedly raided by the Marquees of Montrose, and in May 1645 was plundered and then burnt to the ground by his troops.

For further information on Cullen visit the Cullen Homepage, which includes photographsof

1 John Hawtie/Haughty(/Oughton) (…1796) m. Margaret (?Elizabeth) Watt(en) (…1811)

John Hautie, apparently a descendant of an English soldier, was thought to have been brought to the Cullen area of Banffshire from the south to be the foreman of a linen manufactory [Hautie appears also as Haughty, Haughtie and Hawtie, and later as Oughton]. He married Margaret Watt at Cullen on 3 December 1759 [she was also recorded as Margaret/Elizabeth or simply Elizabeth and her surname Watt occasionally as Watten]. The Cullen Old Kirk headstone for John ans Margaret note them as "natives of Cullen".

John Hawtie/Haughty, shoemaker/vintner of Farskine [Farskane, just west of Cullen] and his wife Margaret (?or Elizabeth) Watt(en) were the parents of (at least):

• JAMES HAWTIE (baptised at [Old] Cullen in 1760, died at Cullen in 1832),
• JOHN HAUGHTIE (born 1764 at [Old] Cullen; married; survived his wife who died before 1832),
• ISABEL HAWTIE (born 1768 at [Old] Cullen, died at Cullen 29 August 1853; ?never married),
• MARY HAUGHTIE (born at Cullen in 1770), and
• MARGARET HAUGHTY (born in 1776, died at Cullen on 24 January 1851; ?never married).

John Oughton (ie Hawtie/Haughty) of Cullen died in 1796; Margaret (?Elizabeth) Watt(en), his wife, a native of Cullen, died in 1811.

1.1 James (Hawtie/Haughty/)Oughton (1760…1832) m. ?

James Oughton, son of JOHN HAWTIE or HAUGHTY of Farskine [Farskane] and his wife MARGARET (?or ELIZABETH) WATT(EN), was born 1760 at Cullen, Banffshire, Scotland, and christened James Hawtie.

Much of James’ naval career is summed up in a note by Cramond (1883, pp. 119-120) regarding memorial inscriptions at Cullen church:

(30) Admiral Oughton was the son of James Hawtie, shoemaker, Farskane, and Elizabeth Watt or Watten. He was a clerk to Dowe’s Manufacturing Co., Cullen, and when that company failed, he became a purser’s clerk on board a man-of-war. He changed his name from Hawtie or Haughty to Oughton.

“At an early age Mr. Oughton entered the navy, and served in various ships during the American War with much credit. He was in the action between Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and the French fleet off Cuddalore, on the 23rd June, 1783, and, by his good conduct upon that occasion, he received a commission, 30th September following, from the Commander-in-Chief as Lieutenant of the Sultan, Captain Troubridge. Peace taking place, Lieutenant Oughton went upon half pay, and does not seem to have been again employed until the appearance of hostilities with Spain relative to Nootka Sound. The war that was then expected caused a fleet to assemble at Spithead, and Lieutenant Oughton was appointed, August, 1790, to the Asia, 64, Captain Andw. Mitchell. The Asia was paid off almost directly, when Lieutenant Oughton received a commission appointing him to the Courageux, 74 Captain Alan Gardner. His next appointment was to the Queen, of 98 guns, Captain Hutt, in which ship he was present in the engagement between the fleet under Lord Howe and the Republican French fleet off Ushant, on 1st June, 1794. In this ship, his former Captain (Gardner) had his flag as Rear-Admiral. The Queen sustained a very prominent part in this memorable action, in which Captain Hutt was severely wounded, and soon after died. Lieutenant Oughton was the first to board the ship opposed by the Queen, and, being followed by a few true salts, drove the steersman from the helm and captured the ship just as she was making off. He got promotion for his bravery. On 29th June, 1795, Lieutenant Oughton was promoted to Commander, and, on the 5th July, 1797, to command the Hecla, bomb-vessel, which was attached to the ships under the orders of Captain Sir Home Popham, in the fruitless attempt at destroying the canal and sluices at Bruges by a force under the direction of Major-General Coote, in May, 1798. On 15th May, 1799, Captain Oughton was posted, and, in the July following, appointed to command the Isis, of 50 guns, the flag-ship of Admiral Mitchell. The Isis was attached to the North Sea squadron under the command of Admiral Lord Duncan, and Captain Oughton was at the surrender of the Helder and the Dutch fleet in the Texel to Vice-Admiral Mitchell and General Sir Ralph Abercromby, in August, 1799. In 1800, Vice Admiral Sir Andrew Mitchell hoisted his flag in the Windsor Castle when Captain Oughton was appointed to command that ship, which belonged to the Channel Fleet under the orders of Admiral the Hon. Wm. Cornwallis. In November, 1801, a division of the squadron had been dispatched to Bantry Bay, from whence part of the vessels were to sail to the West Indies, but, in consequence of a mutiny among the crew in some of the ships, they returned to Spithead, and, in January following, a court-martial was held, when some of the most daring in this act of insubordination were tried, found guilty, and executed. In April, 1802, Captain Oughton was appointed to the Leander, of 50 guns, the flag-ship of Sir Andrew Mitchell, on the Halifax station. This was Captain Oughton’s last appointment. A promotion of flag officers taking place in May, 1825, he was on 7th June in that year placed on the list of superannuated rear-admirals, not having served the requisite time to entitle him to his flag. Admiral Oughton had been for some length of time in a very infirm state, and expired on the 9th June last at Cullen.”— United Service Journal, 1832.

James Oughton [Haughty] was amongst those made a burgess of Cullen in 1784, by which status he may have been entitled to represent that burgh in Parliament.

Nota Bene: Prior to February 2004 this author considered that James Oughton married, though no official record or biographical note supporting either marriage or issue has been yet located. It had been postulated that his wife was a relative of William Bligh – ?possibly a niece? (he and Bligh were both at the Battle of Camperdown), and that she and James had at least one child:

• SOPHIA MATILDA OUGHTON (born circa 1808; married Dr John Kidd, RN, at St Leonards, Hythe, Kent, on 15 July 1829 (witnesses were S. Steward and ?Geo. ?V. Oughton), with whom she emigrated to Melbourne VIC AUS in 1851, with at least five children).

Information from Graeme Broxam (pers comm, 31 January 2004) appears to preclude this relationship. Refer to the Kidd file.

1.2 John Haughtie (1764…18xx) m. ? (…pre1832)

John Haughtie, son of JOHN HAWTIE or HAUGHTY and his wife MARGARET / ELIZABETH WATT, was born in 1764, became a weaver and married; it is known that his wife predeceased his brother James who died in 1832. It appears likely that John fathered at least two children,

• JAMES OUGHTON (born c1790; married Margaret Wilson at Edinburgh in 1813; several children)
• DAVID OUGHTON ().

David’s name appears in the 1841 census at Seafield Place in Cullen, home of John’s sisters Isabella and Margaret Oughton, and is described as their nephew.

1.2.1 James Oughton (1790c…18xx) m. Margaret Wilson (…)

[Most of the following information is from Pamela Oughton , pers comm 21 January 2000]
James Oughton, possibly son of weaver JOHN HAUGHTIE, may have been born circa 1790. James married Margaret Wilson in 1813 at Canongate in Edinburgh, and they appear to have lived at Lasswade, Midlothian. It is likely that James fathered at least four (possibly ten) children,

• DAVID OUGHTON (emigrated to New Zealand in 1851; married Jane or Jeanie Todd in New Zealand, and after her death Wilhelmina Janie Hunter in Scotland before returning to New Zealand),
• ANN OUGHTON,
• ISABELLA OUGHTON (born Lasswade, Midlothian, circa 1828; died 1904, Banff; married James Morison at Lasswade on 30 August 1855)
  and
• ROBERT OUGHTON (born Lasswade circa 1827; described as brother-in-law of James Morison in 1871 Marnoch census).

1.2.1.1 Isabella Oughton (1828…1904) m. James Morison (1824c…)

Isabella Oughton, daughter of JAMES OUGHTON and his wife MARGARET WILSON, was born circa 1828 at Lasswade, Midlothian, Scotland. Isabella married farmer James Morison at Lasswade on 30 August 1855, and they lived at Culvie House in Marnoch. James hailed from Boyndie where he had been born circa 1824 to farmer JAMES MORISON and his wife ISABELLA TAYLOR, natives of that district and also parents of John Morison, born Boyndie circa 1821. Children born to Isabella and James included:

• twins JAMES OGILVIE MORISON (alive in 1904),
• and ALEXANDER OUGHTON MORISON (born 1856 at Marnoch),
• JANET MORISON (born 1857 at Marnoch; perhaps married Anderson, with Isabella Anderson born circa 1888 at Ythan Wells) and
• MARGARET AINSLIE MORISON (born 1852 at Marnoch).

Isabella Oughton Morison nee Oughton, daughter of farmer JAMES OUGHTON and his wife MARGARET WILSON (both deceased), widow of landed proprietor James Morison, died on 4 August 1904 at Boyndie Street Banff, aged 75 years.

Possibly Related HAWTIE / OUGHTON Families:

None known.

Related Families from the same areas:

Victoria, Australia: Kidd; ?Bligh.

Other (probably unrelated) HAWTIE / OUGHTON Lineages:
None known.