3B-5: Margaret Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 3 · Branch B
Margaret Guthrie & Robert Pettigrew
Dundonald · Polquhairn, Ochiltree · St Maddens House, Troon
Margaret, daughter of William Guthrie and Ann Hunter, married Robert Pettigrew in 1836. Their lives connect the Harperland family with Polquhairn and later Troon. No children have been identified, but census, newspaper and death records preserve their place within the wider family.
The Family at a Glance
Margaret Guthrie · baptized 1795–1875
- Parents
- William Guthrie and Ann Hunter.
- Baptism
- 4 September 1795, Dundonald, 590/10/208.
- Marriage
- 12 December 1836, with Dundonald and Ochiltree entries.
- Death
- 23 January 1875, St Maddens House, Troon, aged 79.
Robert Pettigrew · 1796–1877
- Parents
- Robert Pettigrew and Barbara Wilson.
- Birth
- 10 October 1796, Newark, Maybole.
- Residence
- Polquhairn, Ochiltree; later St Maddens House, Troon.
- Death
- 3 November 1877, St Maddens House, aged 81; Robert Rankin, nephew, reported the death.
No children of Margaret and Robert have been identified in the reviewed census and family records. Their connections to Margaret’s siblings remain visible, including the nephew Robert Rankin who reported Robert Pettigrew’s death.
A Margaret Pettigrew named in an 1845 marriage announcement as the daughter of the late Robert Pettigrew of Tarshaw belongs to Robert’s birth family. She should not be confused with his wife Margaret Guthrie.
Guthrie DNA Project Participation
| Family line | Y-DNA | Big Y | Autosomal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret & Robert’s family | N/A | N/A | N/A |
✓ = participation documented for this line and test; — = none documented in the reviewed project material; N/A = no applicable direct paternal line or no known descendants. A dash does not mean that no descendant has ever tested.
Historical Highlights
After William Guthrie’s death in May 1844, an advertisement offered Auchans House and its grounds for letting. Robert Pettigrew at Polquhairn was one of the contacts, alongside Robert Guthrie at Crossburn and the McClure legal connection in Glasgow. The notice places these relatives within the practical management of the family’s affairs.
Family Timeline
-
1795
Margaret baptized at Dundonald, 4 September.
-
1796
Robert born at Newark, Maybole, 10 October.
-
1836
Marriage, 12 December.
-
1844
Robert named in the Auchans House letting advertisement.
-
1875
Margaret died at Troon, 23 January.
-
1877
Robert died at Troon, 3 November.
Auchans and the 1845 Pettigrew notice
The Ayr Advertiser of 13 June 1844, p. 1, carried an Auchans House notice dated 4 June, naming Robert Guthrie at Crossburn, Robert Pettigrew at Polquhairn and James H. McClure, writer, Glasgow. A related June advertisement survives on Robert Guthrie’s page.
The Glasgow Courier of 14 August 1845, p. 2, announced John Highet’s marriage to Margaret, daughter of the late Robert Pettigrew of Tarshaw. The legacy research identifies her as Robert Pettigrew’s sister. The two women named Margaret must not be merged.
Explore the Research
DNA & the Family Line
No children or descendant test line are known. Margaret’s place in the wider Guthrie family is established through the family records, not a test assigned to her own descendants.
Participation summary based on the reviewed branch material, 6 November 2026. Current kit levels and SNP placements require the project’s current results; no new test is inferred from a haplogroup label.
Dates and identities
Margaret’s 1795 entry is a baptism, not a separately stated birth date. Her death record gives age 79; the older summary’s age 80 is not retained. Robert’s 1877 death record names the nephew who provided the information, a useful connection with the Rankin family.
Reading & Sources
The records below distinguish original entries, attributed transcriptions and later accounts. Linked repositories may require an account or subscription. A link is a locator, not a claim that every underlying image has been independently examined.
- Dundonald OPR 590/10/208: Margaret’s baptism, 4 September 1795.
- Maybole OPR 605, p. 252/262: Robert Pettigrew, born 10 October 1796, Newark.
- Dundonald marriage register 590, p. 57/461, and corresponding Ochiltree entry: 12 December 1836.
- Statutory deaths, Troon: Margaret, 590/2/4, 23 January 1875; Robert, 590/2/56, 3 November 1877.
- Scottish census records for the household in Ochiltree and Dundonald; legacy family transcriptions.
- Ayr Advertiser, 13 June 1844, p. 1, Auchans House letting; Glasgow Courier, 14 August 1845, p. 2, Highet–Pettigrew marriage.
Research links
Most Wanted Documents
| Record to verify | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Household and estate continuity | Any will, inventory or tenancy paper for the Pettigrews could clarify their property and family beneficiaries. |
| Pettigrew identity checks | When extending Robert’s birth family, use the Maybole parentage and the Tarshaw newspaper context to distinguish the several Roberts and Margarets. |
The Branch B hub explains the project’s provisionally accepted earlier generations and the wider DNA comparison.
Continue the Family’s Story
Margaret and Robert’s story is preserved through their household, property connections and relatives. It remains a distinct family page even though no children are currently known.
Researched & Curated by Ann Guthrie