William Wight

     
     William Wight was born on 29 Nov 1767 at Maxton, ROX, SCT, entry reads: "William Wight son to James Wight indweller in Maxton and his wife Isobel Thomson was born and baptised 29th of November 1767."²
     William Wight married Elizabeth Richardson, daughter of Robert Richardson and Margaret Runchaman, on 25 Jul 1795 at Maxton, ROX, SCT, entry in Register of Proclamations & Marriages in the Parish of Maxton reads: Maxton July 25th 1795: "William Wight in this parish of Maxton and Elisabeth Richardson in the parish of Morebattle gave up their names for proclamation in order to marriage, they were thrice proclaimed and no objections offered. They were soon married after."³
     William Wight died on 12 Sep 1847 of Maxton, ROX, SCT, at age 79; (h/stone says 80) The Parish records show an entry for Sep 19th 1847 which reads: "Mortcloth for Wm Wight 2/6."^4,5 He was buried with Elizabeth Richardson at Maxton, ROX, SCT, beside son Walter, in front of son John at the left hand end of the Kirk. H/stone shows that Elizabeth d. 15 Jun 1831, aged 58.^5,6
     Fr 1793 - 1816 William Wight was a carrier at Maxton, ROX, SCT, this occupation being consistently provided during and after his life, including on son Robert's death cert in 1865.^7,8
     William Wight was at Maxton, ROX, SCT, on 2 Nov 1797 paying 2/- tax on 1 work horse, at 2/-.⁹
     In May 1798 William Wight was described as an indweller of Maxton, ROX, SCT, (as was his father before him).¹⁰
     On 2 Apr 1807 at Maxton, ROX, SCT, William Wight was one of the parishioners who sent a petition to the Presbytery of Selkirk requesting an investigation into the education of young people within the parish.
"..the complaint and Petition of the Parish of Maxton humbly sheweth. That for these five and twenty years the Parish have been at a great loss for the Education of their children, that during all that time their Schoolmaster has not made a good scholar, that when they send to him their children they make no progress but often become worse, that he keeps up no proper discipline and seems perfectly careless, so that he has generally few or almost no scholars; that all these charges the Parish are ready to prove against him whenever thay (sic) are called on. May it therefore please the Rev'd Presbytery to visit their school and also to Examine the Master as he was never legally inducted, and grant them relief from their sore grievances as they shall see cause and your Parishioners will ever pray." Signatories: Thomas Clark, William Purves, Andrew Mather, James Walker, James Amos, William Hewat, Thomas Blaikie, William Murray, Robert Young, George Fiddes, William Wight."
     The schoolmaster concerned was Robert Handyside, who died in 1837 aged 76. He had apparently been the schoolmaster since the age of 21. The new school was authorised a few years later, 1813.¹¹
     William Wight outlived his wife Elizabeth Richardson who died on 15 Jun 1831 when he was 58.^5,6
     William Wight appeared on the census of 7 Jun 1841 at Maxton, ROX, SCT, enumerated as William Wight, 75, farmer; Walter Wight, 24; Helen Sinton, 22, fem. serv. All b Cty (within 2 wks of this census Helen had become the wife of Walter, s/o William).¹²
     An Inventory of the estate of William Wight was filed at Jedburgh, ROX, SCT, on 25 Oct 1847 having been taken by his son Walter, Wm having died at Maxton, intestate, on 12 Sep 1847. It is a very detailed document, the detail being rather out of proportion to the total of £84 16/6d for the "Stock, crop household furnture and other effects".
     The kitchen held an eight day clock, 2 wooden beds, 6 wooden chairs, a stool and a resting chair, a press, shelf & dresser, 12 plates, bowls, spoons (very old), knives & forks; 2 tin pitchers, 2 kitchen tables, a kettle, 3 pots, a pan of candlesticks, 2 tin jugs and a looking glass;
     in "the room" were: a round table, a looking glass, 2 pictures, a clothes press, a tray, a pair of candlestick snuffers & tray, 4½ pairs of coarse sheets, 5 pr of blankets, 2 chaff beds, a feather bolster, 2 feather pillows, 2 bed covers, 2 suits of clothes, a plaid & great coat, 2 pr of shoes, an old set of china, 1½ doz of bottles, a lot of lumber;
     "in a chest": an old press, a barrell churn & stand, a girdle & frying pan, a washing tub and small kit, a seive, an old chest, an old barrel for meal
     the crop consisted of: ¾ of an acre of turnips, an acre of beans, 3 smallsacks of oats, 2 small sacks of wheat and a small sack of barley, a lot of straw, a small lot of Hay, a quantity of threased(?) barley
     the implements" were: 2 carts with wheels and ?? axle tree, an old cart wheel & axle tree, an iron plough, 2 old wooden ploughs, a cart frame, a scythe, an axe, old fanners, 2 set of cart harness, 2 sets of plough harness, 2 grapes (?), 3 shoes, 2 rakes and 2 forks, a shove (sic) and a spade, pair of wooden harness, 11 sacks, 6 sickles
     "stock" consisted of a brown cart horse, a black cart horse, a red and white farm cow
     and in the barn were: a seive and 2 flails, a thrashing board, a hand turnip machine, a quantity of coals and a quantity of fire wood
     the whole being signed off by Angus Sutherland, Licensed appraiser.⁴
     William Wight and Agnes Wight of Maxton, ROX, SCT, in 1840 were possibly related although it is more likely that Agnes is the wife of William's son William, as the latter married Agnes Wood in 1833.¹³