Dodd, Margaret

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In the various censuses Margaret Dodd’s birth year varies from 1821 to 1844 making her origin difficult to place but the most likely scenario is that she was born at Burngrange (1861 Census). She was the daughter of John, a shepherd and Isabella, nee Anderson. The family would appear to have been in Castleton, Roxburghshire in 1841 and in 1851 she was with her parents and siblings at Hareshawhead. In 1861 she was in Bellingham working as a house servant in the service of Margaret Gibson, an innkeeper. (Margaret Gibson was licensee of the Black Bull) In 1871 Margaret was living in Cruddas Terrace. She was single, as was her sister Mary. Margaret was a cook and Mary a dressmaker. Another sister in residence was Ellen Little who was married to a carpenter. The household was completed by James Hill, a fifteen-year-old clerk who was lodging with them. No address in Bellingham, is given for Margaret but she was heading a household of herself, a visitor (Isabella Dodd) and a boarder, John Little. Margaret gave her occupation as ‘formerly a cook’. Isabella was a cook servant domestic and John, a hose joiner. Margaret’s birthplace in this census is given as Thockrington but presumably this is a mishearing of Thorneyburn. In 1891 John Little, a joiner was heading a household at 3 Kiers Buildings, Bellingham and amongst the residents was Margaret Dodd aged 74 a housekeeper. Surprisingly Margaret’s relationship to John is given as mother-in-law. John’s wife had been Ellen Dodd which opens up a whole can of worms. If the dates in the 1861 Census are correct there are sixteen year’s age difference between Margaret and Ellen so it would be possible for Ellen to be Margaret’s daughter. I can find no record of Ellen’s birth. The death of Margaret was registered in the third quarter of 1892.