"Borthwick in the Middle"

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This is just a mad collection of people who have, or had, Borthwick as a middle name. Somewhere, sometime, they probably linked into a serious Borthwick family.

Aside from one special one I haven't included members of my own family on this page. There must be at least 50 descendants of John Borthwick & Elizabeth Dinwoodie who would qualify.

Please email me if you have a connection to any Borthwicks mentioned on this page, or if you know of another "Borthwick in the Middle" family. I'd be happy to add further data.

On a site dedicated to First World War Honours & Awards to Canadians in British Flying Services by McKay, E.A. to Nunn, H.L. is the story of the following "Borthwick in the Middle".

Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Guy Borthwick MOORE - Military Cross awarded as per London Gazette dated 13 May 1918. Born in Mattawa, Ontario, 28 May 1895; home in Vancouver; attended UBC (Arts, 1913-16; member of Vancouver Rowing Club and university rugby team); qualified as Lieutenant, Irish Fusiliers of Canada, 1916; joined RFC as Cadet, December 1916; to England, January 1917; Oxford, 23 March 1917; obtained wings, August 1917 with commission as 2nd Lieutenant effective from 26 April 1917 (Flying Officer, 8 June 1917). Served in No.1 Squadron, 16 August 1917 to 7 April 1918 (killed in action). For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led a patrol to attack hostile balloons. The patrol drove down three balloons in a collapsed condition, one of which he accounted for himself. He has also destroyed three enemy aeroplanes and driven down three others out of control. He has always shown splendid courage and resource.

Captain Borthwick WIGHT: Murdoch University's list of Convicts and Convict Ships sent to Tasmania (& Victoria, Norfolk Island & NSW) 1812-1853 records that the Master of the ship "Medway" (2) 14 12 1825 VDL 02 08 1825 Downs 132 175? 172 was a Borthwick Wight. The historic property "Newlands" in Melbourne was acquired by Captain Borthwick Wight in 1834, but it is not known whether Wight ever lived at there. Newlands was sold in November 1835 to Charles McLachlan who ran a shipping service between Scotland and Australia as agent for the Australian Company. (http://www.newlandshouse.com.au/history.html)

Alexander Borthwick MURRAY was born 14 Feb 1816 in Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He was the sixth child of 13 born to John MURRAY and Esther COWEN. Alexander was one of the earliest and most successful pastoralists in South Australia. With his brother John, of Mt Crawford, they founded the famed Murray Merino flocks. When he died in 1903 he was the owner of Wirrabara Estate and other valuable properties.

David Borthwick MASSON. Son of James Masson and Eliza Jamieson Borthwick. I don't know where Eliza fits into any Australian Borthwick family so would be interested in hearing from Masson descendants . David Borthwick Masson married Mary Black, in 1909 in Victoria, Australia (Reg No 4646). They had a son, John Borthwick Masson, and a daughter, Margaret Josephine Masson.

In 1912 in Victoria Australia Andrew Borthwick SANDERSON married Charlotte Eliza Emily Excell. Andrew had been born in Scotland in about 1868. His parents were probably Joseph Turnbull Sanderson and Christina Borthwick. Andrew Borthwick Sanderson died in Victoria, aged 90 years, in 1968. He and Charlotte Excell had had four daughters: Jean Frances, Ena Irene, Marjory Carey and Ruby Allan.

Lawrence Borthwick KELLY, MLA Bulli from 1947 to 1955, and Lawrence Borthwick Kelly MLA Corrimal from 1968 to 1988 are listed amongst parents and children who have served in the NSW Parliament since 1856. (NSW Parliament website)

Thomas Bothwick SMITH married Mary Jane Martin 27/5/1897 at "Gordonbrook" near Grafton, in the home of Mr Hawkins Smith. Who was he? Was the middle name really Bothwick, or was it Borthwick?

South Australia

On the Digger index to South Australian Births 1842-1906 there are quite a few with Borthwick (or Bothwick) as a middle name. What was their connection to Borthwick families?

• Myra Borthwick DIPROSE born 11 April 1894
• John Borthwick Rhodes HARRISON born 11 January 1887
• Douglas Borthwick MACKEY born 4 Februaru 1884
• Charles William Borthwick McGAVISK born 30 August 1882
• Abraham Borthwick Cochrane Douglas MURRAY born 2 July 1872
• Alexander Borthwick MURRAY (see above) born 28 September 1878
• Alexander Bothwick Cowan MURRAY born 15 May 1858
• Jessie Borthwick MURRAY born 2 April 1886
• Pulteney Malcolm Borthwick MURRAY born 28 August 1860
• Alexander Borthwick SCHMIDT born 10 June 1877
• William Borthwick SCOTT born 19 March 1872
• John Ernest Borthwick SPENCER born 28 July 1905

and

• Adam Bothwick MCNEIL born 4 October 1895
• Hellen Bothwick MCNEIL born 17 July 1884
• Thomas Bothwick MCNEIL born 18 September 1892

Englishman John Borthwick Gilchrist, who wrote "Dictionary, English and Hindoostanee (1787-1790)" and a "Grammar of the Hindoostanee Language"in 1796, J. Borthwick GILCHRIST was born about 1760 "Of, Balasor, Derbyshire, England" (Ancestral File)

William Borthwick Johnstone (1804-1868), a Landscape and history painter in Scotland, was the first curator of the National Gallery of Scotland.

One couple both had Borthwick as a middle name - Mary Borthwick Jardine married James Borthwick Dowdall and lived at Lockerbie in Scotland in the 1930s. Related families are JARDINE, SPENS, PALMES, GEDDES, BORTHWICK, BRUCE (in Scotland).

Jane Borthwick Chalmers, wife of Thomas Miller. Her grave is in Abercorn Churchyard.

Richard Keltie, November 2001

Line by line, the inscription reads :- ERECTED BY THOMAS MILLER IN LOVING MEMORY OF HIS WIFE JANE BORTHWICK CHALMERS WHO DIED 9th JULY 1910 AND ALSO OF HS ONLY DAUGHTER CHRISSIE WHO DIED 20th OCT 1918 ALSO THE ABOVE THOMAS MILLER WHO DIED 15th JANUARY1952

Inscribed on the plinth :- ONLY GOODNIGHT BELOVED, NOT 'FAREWELL' UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN BEFORE HIS THRONE UNTIL WE KNOW EVEN AS WE ARE KNOWN GOODNIGHT

Jill Clark's great grandmother Margaret Borthwick Harkes and her sister Kathleen Borthwick Harkes, both had their mother's maiden name as their middle names. Margaret was born at Saltoun, East Lothian, 28 June 1883, and Kathleen, 18 July 1895, also in the parish of Saltoun. (Kathleen also had a daughter named Kathleen Borthwick who was born 23 August 1925!)

On the UK-Info Disk there are

BORTHWICK-CLARKE   1
BORTHWICK-FEENEY  2
BORTHWICK-GLOVER  2
BORTHWICK-JACOBS  1
BORTHWICK-JOHNSON  1
BORTHWICK-JONES 2
BORTHWICK-ROBERTSON 1
BORTHWICK- STEVENS 2
BORTHWICK- WHITEHURST  1

HUNTER-BORTHWICK  2
ROME-BORTHWICK  1

Robert Borthwick Adam, 1863-1940, wrote "Printed only for a few friends". Imprint Buffalo, N. Y Printed by Buffalo Volksfreund Printing Co 1925. He noted that this was a "Catalogue of some of my books, not by Johnson or Boswell, and I have omitted Goldsmith and one or two other authors."

The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald's weekly article "From The Herald Files", a look back 100, 50 & 25 years, recorded that on 19 October 1900 "Mr Alex Borthwick Mackay, son of the Revd James Mackay, assistant minister at Ardeer, has taken an MA degree with first class honours in mental philosophy at Glasgow University."

Ian Glendinning's ancestors include a Borthwick in the middle:
"Gravestone Transcript. "In Memory of Mary Helen Glendinning daughter of Archibald Glendinning and Mary Douglas who died 17 May 1854 aged 4 months also Douglas Glendinning (MD LRCSE) their son who died at Albion House, Bingley, Yorkshire 12 January 1871 aged 29 yrs also the above Archibald Glendinning born at Effgill, Westerkirk 31 August 1811 died at Langholm 25 Jan 1888 also Mary Douglas his wife who died 11 June 1891 aged 74 also Janet Borthwick Glendinning their daughter who died at Langholm 25 February 1892 aged 46 yrs interred in Staplegordon Churchyard" Kirk Wynd Cemetery, Langholm, Dumfries."

Lewis Borthwick FLEMING: There is an early "Borthwick in the Middle" marriage in NZ that I am particularly interested in. The index to New Zealand Marriages 1851-2 EX R.G.O. includes

• 51/2 FLEMING, LEWIS BORTHWICK 035

The Latest

and the youngest "Borthwick In The Middle" I know of ....?

Henry Borthwick KING: A great-great-great-great-great grandson of John Borthwick & Elizabeth Dinwoodie / Dinwiddie. He was born in Australia in 1986.