This is my fifth post in the Guild of One-Name Studies (GOONS) blog challenge 2020. The challenge is to post 10 blogs in the first 12 weeks of the year.

Sir James Hunter later Hunter Blair of Dunskey. He married Jean Blair daughter of John Blair of Dunskey and they had nine children. When Jean’s father died she inherited and James became the 1st Bt. (GB) of Dunskey. Thus, Hunter became Hunter Blair.

 

Blairquhan Castle

Sir David Hunter Blair of Blairquhan, 3rd Bt. (GB) was their second child of James and Jean. He was born 3 Oct 1778; Col Ayrshire Militia, Convenor and V-Lt Ayrshire; matric at LO as of Blairquhan 1827; m 2st 2 July 1813 Dorothea (d 22 May 1820), 2nd dau of Edward Hay MacKenzie of Newhall and Cromartie, and had:

1) James; b 22 March 1817; MP Ayrshire 1852-54, Lt.-Col Scots Fus Gds; ka Inkerman 5 Nov 1854
2) Edward (Sir), 4th Bt

Sir David m 2nd 15 Jan 1825 Elizabeth (d 3 Aug 1859), 3rd dau of Sir John Hay of Hayston, Bt, by Mary Elizabeth, 2nd dau of 17th Lord Forbes (qv), and by her had, with other issue

1) John; b 18 Oct 1825; m 22 April 1852 Emily Williams (d 9 Dec 1897), yst dau of Edward Grant, and d 27 March 1885.
2) David; b 22 Jan 1827; Lt-Col Scots Fus Gds; d Rome 31 March 1869

Sir David died 26 Dec 1857.

[1]  Burke’s Peerage & Baronetage

[2]  College of Arms

 

One of my favorite places to search online is burkespeerage.com. Today I found 1541 results for our surname HUNTER.

1) Burke’s Peerage 107th Edition, page 2135
2) Burke’s Peerage 107th Edition, page 2138

 

https://www.houseofnames.com/Hunter-family-crest

Contents

Hunters of Co.Ayrshire, Scotland

Hunters of Londonderry, Ireland

Hunters of Virginia, United States of America

Hunters of West Virginia, United States of America

Given names were frequently repeated with families as some of us know which causes confusion more often than not. In my own family tree I have several named William Hunter.

This is a short explanation to help if you have the same problem. If a man called William Hunter had four sons, and they each named their first-born son after their father, you can have four people all called William Hunter, born in the same area at around the same time – even more than one in the same year! And there were probably second and third cousins of a similar age with the name in their family too. To try to identify with any certainty exactly which of them has turned up in London or Virginia is usually possible.

Hunter Family on the steps of Hunterston House

Hunterston House was the family home of the Hunters

Hunterston House was built in 1799 and is just North of Hunterston Castle and half a mile away overlooking the River Clyde.

Nowadays, the families of Hunter/Hunter-Weston no longer reside in Hunterston House, but the house is a favorite Scottish film location.  This list of films have been used as a location shoot so might be of interest to Hunters to collect the dvds as myself.

• Young Persons Guide
• Rebus
• Young James Herriot
• Vincent van Gogh
• The 39 Steps
• Sherlock Holmes
• Child of Air
• OUTLANDER
• Jonathan Creek
• Malevolent
• Eve
• The Glencoe Massacre
• Grandpa’s Great Escape
• Long Night at Blackstone

Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Gould Hunter-Weston KCB DSO GCStJ

He was a British Army general who served in World War I at Gallipoli and was also a Scottish Unionist MP.

He was born at Hunterston, West Kilbride, on 23 September 1864, the son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Gould Read Hunter-Weston (1823-1904), and his second wife, who was the daughter and heir of the 25th Laird of Hunterston.  He married Grace Strang-Steel on 5 December 1905.  He died on 18 Mar 1940 at age 75, following an accident, without issue.

In my research for my Hunter One-Name Study he is my favorite.  He has data everywhere I research especially Hunters in the News.