Agnes Wilson and her husband John Jaffray (died 1836) were well–known Stirling people.
John was a weaver and spirit dealer who married Agnes in 1808. He was the son of the famous William “Citizen” Jaffray (1749 – 1828), supporter of the French Revolution who made it his mission to vaccinate children in Stirlingshire against smallpox, at a time when the disease killed one in four children. He saved an estimated 4000 lives. John Jaffray’s own son, Sir John Jaffray (1811 – 1869) was equally famous as the owner of the Birmingham Daily Post and funder of the Jaffray Hospital, the Women’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital, all in Birmingham.
Agnes is described as ‘a stout neat little woman who was a picture of tidiness’ and kept the well-known Pie and Porter shop at 13 Baker Street. This was in a 17th-century tenement, demolished in 1900. A stone from the shop survives in the Stirling Smith collections. It is inscribed ‘HEIR I FORBEARE MY NAME OR ARMES TO FIX LEAST I OR MINE SHOULD SELL THOSE STONES AND STICKS’. This was a challenge to the Craigengelt family, who had fixed their coat of arms on the neighbouring tenement, which still survives in Baker Street to this day.
Comments(8)
Elizabeth Gregory says
26th October 2016 at 11:06 PMInterested in information on the Jaffray family from a family history perspective.
rod jeffery says
17th October 2020 at 2:29 AMHave traced the Jaffray family of Stirling back to Alexander (born1619 saint Ninians).
Keith Law says
3rd January 2021 at 4:21 PMhi rod – i am researching my family history and my 8th great grandfather James Burges/Burgess born 25/1/1664 in St Ninians was married to Jean Japhray/Jaffray born 1667 and were married 1668 in St Ninians. I would be really interested in info/links you have to the Japhray/Jaffray family as I live in Cambusbarron and “Citizen” Jaffray is a local hero. cheers Keith Law
rod Jeffery says
23rd December 2020 at 1:46 AMSee my Jaffray history on MY HERITAGE going back to Robert Jaffray 1480’s in Aberdeen.
John Wittenberg says
17th May 2021 at 6:21 AMI have not yet looked at your family tree on My Heritage. I will do so. Do you have the URL leading to your family tree there? I do have a question for you. There was a couple of generations of Robert Jaffray. The Reverend Robert Jaffray of Kilmarnock. The family lived for many generations on a farm known as Poppletrees and another farm where many generations were born is known as Throsk. There were many descendants of this Robert Jaffray of whom I am one. I have a good deal of information on his descendants. My question is regarding a Robert Jaffray who left Scotland eventually moving to Toronto, Canada and becoming a wealthy businessman and politician. His son was a well known missionary Robert A. Jaffray who spent over 20 years in Southeast Asia evetially dying as a prisoner during WWII in which he did not particle but was taken hostage during the war time. Question: do you know or have you discovered what is the connection between Rev. Robert Jaffray and Robert Jaffray from Canada. It is my understanding that both men were born at the same family farm known as Throsk. If you know of the connection or can find that out please share the information and sources. Thank you, John
Keith Law says
3rd January 2021 at 4:22 PMapologies they were married 1688!!
rod jeffery says
14th January 2021 at 2:15 AMHave got back to a Robert Jaffray and Agnes Dickson in Aberdeen 1480s
S. Edwards says
22nd June 2022 at 8:49 AMI have a Will, written in Aberdeen in around 1830 which mentions “…to Catherine Hyde, daughter of the late Ann Jaffray, my niece, who was a daughter of John Jaffray, in London. I think this may have been John Jaffray, who was a merchant in London at the time. Any help connecting these people, in particular to the name Kilgour (the name of the person on the Will).