Week26: Slow #52Ancestorsin52Weeks

The Clydesdale horse is a Scottish breed of horse, originally bred in the Clyde Valley of Lanarkshire, Scotland, from where it gets its name. A very large horse, weighing between 700-1000kg, it has its origins in the 18th century, when a John Paterson of Lochlyloch in Lanarkshire imported a Flemish stallion from England and bred it with a mare belonging to the Sixth Duke of Hamilton. That John Paterson was my 7 x great grandfather.

John Lumsden ploughing with two Clydesdales in Balkemback, Tealing, Angus, 1931. Part of the Scottish Life Archive. Source:nms.ac.uk

The first foal was born in 1720 and that is when the breed was given its name. Clydesdales are magnificent horses. They were used in agriculture, logging, mining, road haulage, in short, whenever a powerful slow horse was required. Many horses were exported as far away as Australia and New Zealand. With the advent of machinery which could do the work faster, the number of these slow horses began to decline. Many lost their lives in World War 1. In the 1970s the Clydesdale was on the list of endangered breeds, but their numbers have since increased. Nowadays, they are mostly used in ceremonial events.

A Clydesdale demonstrating logging at the Heavy Horse Show © Andy Catlin Source: nms.ac.uk

So what do I know of John Paterson? The farm, Lochlyloch, where he lived with his wife Grizel, lay in the Parish of Carmichael in present day South Lanarkshire. Indeed there is still a farm there. My husband Martin and I drove down that way to see what was still there. I don't know if the farm is still owned by Paterson descendants or not. John and Grizel had at least six children - three sons John, James and Daniel (my 5 x ggf) and three daughters, Mary, Jennet and Marrion. Parish records of baptisms in Carmichael start in 1695, but I haven't found any of the children's baptismal records. The church graveyard in Carmichael does, however, have Patersone gravestones and I got a lot of information from there. In addition, John Paterson's own Last Will and Testament dated 1734, mentions his children and their spouses. As for where John himself was born, I have to presume he was born at Lochlyloch, as was his father before him.

My family tree does not contain many farmers. It was exciting to find John Paterson and learn about his place in horse breeding history.

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