Margaret Wight

     
     Margaret Wight was born cir. 1804 at Legerwood, BEW, SCT.⁴
     Margaret Wight married James Shiells, son of Andrew Shiel and Elizabeth Cleugh, on 27 Nov 1825 at Westruther, BEW, SCT.^5,4
     Margaret Wight died in 1889 reg. Stow, MLN, SCT; aged 86 (Dist 699 #0024).^6,4,7
     
     Margaret Shiells and James 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.⁸
     Margaret Shiells appeared on the census of 1851 at Colmslie Hill, Par. of Melrose, ROX, SCT, with James 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.⁹
     The census of 1861 showed Margaret with her husband James, 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.¹⁰
     Margaret Shiells appeared on the census of 1871 at Colmslie Hill, Par. of Melrose, ROX, SCT, with James 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.¹¹
     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.⁴
     Margaret outlived her husband James Shiells who died on 26 Jan 1883.⁷