Humphrey Ewing Maclae

Jamaica slave-owner, brother of James Ewing (q.v.). Father was Walter Ewing Maclae (d. 1814, born Walter Ewing, the son of Humphrey Ewing and Margaret Maclae who inherited from his maternal uncle Walter Maclae (d. 1790)). Mother was Margaret Fisher (daughter of Rev. James Fisher, one of the four ministers of the first Secession of the Church of Scotland). Married Jane, daughter of Alexander Brown merchant of Glasgow. Also occasionally given as McLae or M'Lea. We believe that the man given as 'Humphrey Ewing' for a number of estates between c. 1800 and c. 1815 was in fact Humphrey Ewing Maclae, adding the name Maclae on the death of his father Walter in 1814. 'Jacques and Ewing and Laing' appeared as the slave-factors in Jamaica for a slave-ship in 1801.

1. Humphrey Ewing Maclae and Jane Maclae's two sons predeceased him (Jane Maclae survived until November 1874, dying in her 101st year). The estate passed to the family of Humphrey Ewing Maclae's sister, also Jane, who married Alexander Crum of Thornliebank in Glasgow: their grandson Alexander Crum Maclae held Cathkin at the time of Smith and Mitchell's writing, while another grandson, Humphrey Ewing Crum Ewing succeeded to the Strathleven estate of his [great-] uncle James Ewing, changed his name and headed James Ewing & Co., 'one of the few remaining ancient West India houses'. Humphrey Ewing Maclae's brother James Ewing was the first MP for Glasgow under the Reform Bill.

2. He is described as 'West India proprietor' in the matriculation records of University of Glasgow.  It is unclear whether he had an active role in James Ewing & Co., where his letters were delivered in the early 1840s.

3. Died at Cathkin House, Carmanock, Lanarkshire 10/03/1860, aged 89, occupation "Landed Proprietor", informant of death was James Crum (nephew).

T71/857 St Ann claim no. 475.

1. John Guthrie Smith and John Oswald Mitchell, The old country houses of the old Glasgow gentry (2nd edn., Glasgow, James MacLehose & Sons, 1878) XXI Cathkin; George Stewart, Curiosities of Glasgow citizenship as exhibited chielfy in the business career of its old commercial aristocracy (Glasgow, James MacLehose & Sons, 1881), pp. 204-5 'Short biographical notices of the principal merchants, manufacturers etc of Glasgow in 1783: Walter Ewing'.

2. 'The matricualtion album of the University of Glasgow from 1728-1858' No. 4152 Humphredius Ewing; Post Office Directory Glasgow 1842-3.

3. General Register Office for Scotland, 1860 631 003.