James Shiells

     
     James Shiells was born cir. 1802 at Westruther, BEW, SCT.¹
     James Shiells married Margaret Wight, daughter of George Wight and Margaret Lauder, on 27 Nov 1825 at Westruther, BEW, SCT.^3,1
     James Shiells died on 26 Jan 1883 at Colmsliehill, Melrose, ROX, SCT; cert reads: James Shiells, farmer, married to Margaret Wight, died 11:30pm aged 81, of phagademic ulcer of leg, 1 yr duration, cert by John Meikle MRCPB etc, s/o Andrew Shiells, farmer and Elizabeth Cleugh, both dec., inf. son James Shiells, present.²
     
     James Shiells and Margaret Shiells appeared on the census of 1841 at Hyndesidehill, Par. of Westruther, BEW, SCT, and are assumed to be husband and wife. They were enumerated as SHIELS: James 35 farmer; Margaret 35; Margaret 12; Elizabeth 10; George 8; Mary 6; Beatrix 2 all b BEW; Also Elizabeth WALKER; William VALLANCE & Christian MELROSE.⁴
     James Shiells appeared on the census of 1851 at Colmslie Hill, Par. of Melrose, ROX, SCT, with Margaret Shiells, enumerated as SHIELS: James 49 farmer of 700 ac emp 10 labs; wife Margaret 47 both b Westruther, BEW; Children: Elisabeth 19 (no occ), George 17 (no occ), Mary 15 (no occ), Beatrice 11 scholar, all b Westruther, BEW; James 7 scholar, Jane 2 (both FreeCen and Ancestry have age 2, but by 1861 there's a 17 yr old Janet, and the IGI has 1842 for Janet as an extracted record, so I don't know how many Janes and Janets there are in the family, or what their real ages were) both b Melrose, ROX; Also servants Jean GIBSON, 28 farm serv b Kelso; LEVEN; NELSON; Elizabeth WALKER (b Ladhope), George WILSON 16 ag lab b Westruther.⁵
     The census of 1861 showed James with his wife Margaret, their dtrs Beatrice and Janet at Colmslie Hill, Par. of Melrose, ROX, SCT, household enumerated as SHIELS: James 59 farmer b Westruther, BEW; Margaret 58 b Lauder, BEW; Children: George 27, Beatrice 20 b Westruther, BEW; Janet 17 b Melrose, ROX; Also servants CHARLES, HAIR *2, Helen HALL 21 dom serv b Melrose, ROX; RODGER.⁶ James Shiells was named in the will of James Runciman on 27 Dec 1867 at Wantonwalls, Par. of Lauder, BEW, SCT, as father of an executor.⁷
     James Shiells appeared on the census of 1871 at Colmslie Hill, Par. of Melrose, ROX, SCT, with Margaret Shiells, enumerated as SHIELS: James 48 farmer emp 5 m b Westruther, BEW; wife Margaret 66 b Lauder, BEW; Children: Eliza 31 b Westruther; James 27, Jane 21 both b Melrose; Servants: JOHNSTON, HUNTER, BRUCE.⁸
     James and Margaret Shiells appeared on the census of 1881 at Colmsliehill, Melrose, ROX, SCT, as SHIELLS: James, head, Farmer Of 700 Acres 600 Arable Employing 5 Men 1 Boy 4 Women, b Westruther, BEW; wife Margaret 77 b Legerwood, BEW; Children (both unm, b Melrose, ROX): James 35; Jane 25; Visitor: Margaret Runciman farmer's dtr 25 b Lauder, BEW (their niece); Servants: Joan Ramsay, gen serv domestic, 21 b Liberton, Edin; Catharine Scott, farm serv 23 b Coldingham, BEW; David Pollock, ploughman 23 b Eccles, BEW; Robert Thomson, 20 b Smailholm, ROX.¹