talk report - june 2007
Tracing the Renwicks of Traquair - Ken Vearncombe
Mr Vearncombe gave us a very interesting illustrated talk about his efforts to trace his Renwick ancestors. They came from Orchard Mains and Traquair in the Scottish boarders and involved looking at gravestones, talking to local people, census returns and marriage records to trace the track they took to finally reach Knowsley. The trail involved the Cecil family in that the younger sons of the 2nd Marquis of Salisbury took the farm at Orchard Mains. Their mother had married the 15th Earl of Derby and Mr Vearncombe thought that this connection had brought his ancestors to Knowsley. However the Cecil brothers went to the south of England after leaving Traquair and the connection was broken. A very entertaining talk. (More details of Mr Vearncombe's search appeared in the Society Magazine No.40)