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James Alexander: Sailor in Leith Margaret 30 June 1789 The first Margaret was born in Anstruther and lived only a short time. All of the other children were born in Leith and were christened in South Leith Parish Church. James and Elizabeth would have paid a three pence tax to register each of their children. In Scottish naming tradition, the first daughter was named for the mother’s mother so Elizabeth’s mother could have been Margaret. The second son was named for the mother’s father. Their second son was given the name John; her father was John Sim. The first son was named for the father’s father and the second daughter for the father’s mother so James may be the son of a James Alexander and Elizabeth. From the marriage registration and from the birth certificates of their children, we know James was a sailor in Leith from 1787 until at least 1804. There are other Alexanders named as witnesses on those certificates, John and George, also sailors, and perhaps brothers of James. James’ father-in-law was also a sailor, in Anstruther, a fishing village across the Firth of Forth. The life of a sailor in the late 1700’s was hard. Harsh discipline, crowded conditions aboard ship, and the dangers of sailing were part of life at sea. Many years of conflict with Spain and France, at home and in the colonies, meant dangerous sea battles. The Battle of Trafalgar where Nelson defeated the French and Spanish warships took place in 1805. (At that time a James Alexander, resident of Leith was a midshipman in the British Royal Navy.) When in port sailors were vulnerable to forcible enlistment in the navy and on merchant ships by impressment gangs. Press gangs and naval facilities existed at the time in Leith. Pirates and privateers were also a danger. In 1779, the ships of a well-known pirate, Paul Jones, approached the coast at Leith. Only strong westerly winds which drove his ships out to sea prevented him from destroying the port. Leith Fort was consequently built to better defend the harbour. Fierce storms blowing in from the North Sea meant life at sea was dangerous and challenging. That being said, sailors were often better off than people working on the land. They had three meals a day, even if stew, hard tack and beer were their regular fare. They found friendship on board ship and enjoyed each others’ company when off duty. Sailors looked after each other. A seaman’s hospital operated in Leith and widows and children of sailors were given some small measure of relief. Leith, like Anstruther and other ports along the Firth, was also a fishing port. Ships went into the Firth and out onto the North Sea to catch herring and white fish. Whaling ships sailed as far as Greenland. Merchant ships plied their trade between Scotland and Northern Europe carrying Scottish goods and resources and trade goods, cotton and rum, from the Americas. They returned to Leith with goods from Europe. In 1787, over fourteen thousand tons of cargo was shipped from the port of Leith. It is not known exactly what part James, George and John Alexander played as “sailors in Leith”. It is known that they spent their lives working on the sea from ports on the Firth of Forth. The town of Leith is an old city, existing from the 1100’s with a long history before James and his family lived there. Interesting stories of Knights Templar, Mary of Guise and the armies of Cromwell are part of its history. Its life as a port goes back to the 1300’s. Old buildings and streets hold secrets of its past. In the late 1700’s, new ideas threatened traditional social and political thought and practice in the Western World. In America the colonies rebelled and broke away from Britain, declaring independence in 1776. In France the dispute between the King and the people ended in the deaths of Louis XVII and Marie Antoinette, leaving the political vacuum within which Napoleon rose to power. Scotland was part of Great Britain and there the changes were more peaceful but still profound. In the late 17th century, scientific developments were changing the lives of the people. The spinning Jenny and the cotton gin changed the textile industries, new ideas about farming altered land ownership and farming practice, and materials from the development of the smelting and chemical industries allowed bigger and faster ships. In Edinburgh, crowding in the Old Town led to the construction of New Town. The Alexander family of James and Elizabeth was tied to Leith and to the sea. They raised their family in Leith. James spent his years there as a sailor. They are at the beginning of our story that stretches to the present. |
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