John Sharp

The Sharp Story In the early centuries of the Christian errorcertain Pope chanced to look upon an unusual sight. It was a group offair skinned blue eyed people caged in the market square of Romewaiting their turn to be auctioned as slaves . So taken by theirappearance and beauty he referred to them as Angles which from theLatin somehow became Ireland. He inquired as to the region from whenstthey came and it is said promptly dispatched the great St Patrick toconvert them to the faith. In time St Colomban on the island of Ionabetween Ireland and Scotland also dispersed missionaries to convertthe wild tribes along the western coastlands of Scotland Ireland . Andso it came to pass as some say ,that in the sixth century AD a certainmissionary from Iona by the name of Gilleran did call upon a wild andprimitive tribe who dwelt on an island called Bute just a little southof where Glasgo now stands. Not only were those inhabitants whoseancestry predates even the kelts ,converted to the truth but ingratitude called themselves therafter "followers of Gilleran" or McGilleran. Which in later centuries was anglicized to Sharp. Thelate 1700's seems an ideal starting point begin our Story. England wasstill involved in the Napolianic Wars. Scotland had long been subduedand with the union of the Crowns had become a loyal and patrioticmember of the entity known as Great Britain. Sometime around 1797 inScotland a Margery Reid met and married a John Sharp and althoughthere were many with the same names in Scotland we are unable at thistime to confirm either of their births ( and thus their parents ) orindeed their marriage. However we have a clear and continuous recordof the births of their children which all took place in Falkirk in theCounty of Stirling which along with Kirkliston is not all that farwest of Edinburg.. Here we have the only Peter Reid Sharp that everlivid in Scotland and I caught up with him in later life also ( in aCensus ) working as a Mason (Married ) but in bachelor quarters overGlasgo way. All the other names are instantly recognizable and formthe basic stable of names from which all subsequent and traditionalSharp names have followed. The George John Peter and William for theboys with the introduction of the first double Christian name( PeterReid ) and the girls the ever popular Margery ( or Marjory ) andMargaret with Isabella dropping out. Of the Children we can tracktheir movements through their marriages and the births of theirChildren. George the second eldest married into the bakery business atInveresk which is situated only a few miles east of Edinburgh. All hisfamily were born in Inveresk and he was the father of the John Sharpwho later immigrated to became the wealthy timber merchant ofMelbourne Town. Peter the eldest and John ,third in line foundemployment down in Wales ( Cardiff Glamorgan ) whether as Masonsshoring up the port fortifications , extending the port facilities orad part of a military force then established for the protection of theport during the war is unknown. However both boys married Welch girlsand remained in Wales for a number of years before returning toScotland with their wives and children. Our John of course marriedMary Williams who was only about 16 at the time and for the first timesee a Change in Church affiliations . prior to this the family was amember of the establish Church of Scotland the only Church officiallyrecognized in Scotland and known nowadays as Presbretarian. Theirfirst and eldest child was named Elizabeth and duly christened in theChurch of St John & St Mary in Cardiff Possibly under the influence ofMary or possibly because of the death of their second child GeorgeWilliam who died 3 days after he was born they changed over to theMethodist faction which was at this time gaining support in Wales. IfJohn of course had any knowledge of history he would have known thatit was a frenzied band of Methodists not that many years ago who hadseized the coach of the great Archbishop (John ) Sharp of Scotland ona village common known as Maggis Muir in North East Scotland and infull view of his daughter viciously hacked him to death. ( God blessAuntie Maggie ! ) But moving on , a third child Margaret was to beborn before the family made their way to Kirkliston where GeorgeWilliam our great grand father was said to be born Although to thisday no birth record has surfaced I am confident it can be found as ourAunt Marjorie (Chemist) declared that she had sighted the record inthe very Church at Kirkliston ( and that has to be an article of faith!)