James Fairbairn is buried at St Cuthbert’s Church, Carlisle. Whoever the stone mason was, he had a curious idea of what an angel or cherub should look like! With its wings crossed in front, and a less-than-jolly face, it looks decidedly hostile and defensive!

That aside, who was James Fairbairn?

First, to clarify: there are two James on the headstone, father and son (along with the widow of the former/mother of the latter).

The basics: names and dates

James Fairbairn senior died on March 29, 1807, aged 53. So he was born c1754.

Ann Fairbairn, his wife, had died in 1793, aged 39. So she was also born c1754.

James Fairbairn junior died on July 13, 1835, aged 45.

According to Cascat, The Baptismal Register of Carlisle 

‘begins with details of the children of Mr. James Fairbairn of Carlisle, 1790-1797, copied from Warwick Bridge R.C. Chapel’s register’.

This poses several questions. Firstly: is this James senior, or was there another James F in Carlisle at the same time?

If if was ‘THE’ James, and his children were baptised at a Catholic chapel, why is he buried at a Protestant church?

And if there are children ‘1790-1797,’ who was the mother of the post-1793 children? Where is she buried?

James Fairbairn senior and junior

For sure, this is the son:

1835 At Botcherby, on Monday morning the 13th inst., James Fairbairn, Esq., aged 45 years. He was for many years an extensive coach proprietor and one of his Majesty’s mail contractors, and by his conduct in these capacities secured the respect and esteem of all who knew him. 

Rewind, and what else can we find?

1795 A local directory lists: 

Bush Inn, English Street, proprietor James Fairbairn.

Just a few years later, in 1801, James Fairbairn was looking to let the Bush Inn, of which he was the owner.

However, if he did get a tenant to take over the ‘drink’ side of things, he was still using the premises in 1804, for another trade.

For in 1804, James Fairbairn (has to be senior) and Alex Wilson were advertising the coaches they ran from the Bush Inn and Coffee House, Carlisle. These included a daily coach to Liverpool (inside fare ten shillings, outside seven shillings), daily mail coaches to London, Manchester, and Glasgow. And other, less-frequent services to Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Whitehaven, via assorted towns along the way. 

Henry Fairbairn

James Fairbairn senior died in 1807. His son James would have been just 17. Was he able to take over the business?

It seems there was another Fairbairn with a shilling in the game. For in 1808,

Henry Fairbairn & Thomas Wilson of Carlisle, coachmasters ageed a deal with the mayor and citizens of Carlisle: 

‘to take tolls due to Corporation on parcels & packages carried by coaches into, out of or through City for term of 6 years at annual rent of £70.’

Was Henry an older brother, or an uncle?

For sure, in 1817, it was reported that James Fairbairn and Henry Fairbairn had ended their partnership as coachmakers, with Henry to continue the business solo (in the premises occupied by the late Mr Baty, coachmaker).

James, meanwhile, has to have continued as ‘an extensive coach proprietor and one of his Majesty’s mail contractors’.

Unfortunately, there seems to have been another Henry Fairbairn in town (unless Henry the coachmaker became, by 1823, Henry the grocer and tea dealer). Although it does seem that Henry the coachmaker hit problems in 1820, when he assigned ‘all his real and personal estate’ to two trustess, for the benefit of his creditors. So maybe it was the same Henry, reinventing himself.

A period of public distress

The next mention I found of a James Fairbairn was in 1816. That was ‘the year without a summer,’ which led to food shortages and other suffering. But this seems to have been about labourers (and nationwide, but no reasons given, possibly something to do with cotton).

In December 1816, James Fairbairn, of English Street, gave £2 2shillings to a fund for the relief of labourers ‘at this period of public distress’. The idea was to fund employment (at moderate wages). The committee in charge also voted to urgently request magistrates ‘to take prompt and effectual steps to prevent all innkeepers within the liberties of the city and suburbs from selling liquors of any description after ten o’clock at night’.

The list of subscribers is lengthy. The dean and chapter of Carlisle gave £50, as did Sir James Graham MP; the Corporation of Carlisle gave £31 10s; cotton spinners Cowen, Heysham,and Co gave £10 10s… The sums promised so far totalled around £650, worth about £52,000 today.

There was some happy news the same month for the family, as it was announced that Elizabeth Fairbairn, daughter of the late James (ie senior), had married Edward B G Cotterell, of Compton Street, London, at St Cuthbert’s. 

The report says they had previously been married at a Catholic church somewhere else. When I first read that, I thought Edward Cotterell must have been a Catholic. But it could tie in with the Fairbairn children being baptised at Warwick Bridge R.C Chapel.

The Port Carlisle connection

In 1818, James Fairbairn bought five shares in the Carlisle canal, value £250. A good excuse to link to my book, having not done so in a while!

You can find Port Carlisle, a history built on hope here:

A year later, ‘Anne, eldest daughter of the late Mr James Fairbairn’ married Thomas Herbert junior, of Checquer Yard, Dowgate Hill, London. The wedding took place at St Cuthbert’s, but it looks like two of James junior’s sisters married Londoners.

James Fairbairn seems to have been involved in civic life in Carlisle, as his name (if it is ‘the right James’) pops up (in lists of names) in relation to the library, and the police, and growing prize-winning plums. 

James, of course, died in 1835. If he ever married, there’s no wife on the St Cuthbert’s gravestone (but plenty of space to add names).