ROBERT PROSSER (1774-18??) is one candidate for the mysterious coachman. He was baptized on 29 July 1774 at Bedminster, or St Mary Redcliff, Somerset. His parents were Roger and Hester Prosser. But there are other Robert Prossers who could also fit the profile. For example, Robert Prosser, baptized on 20 June 1774 at Clehonger, Herefordshire, the son of James and Joyce Prosser. So what is above is speculative.
ROBERT PROSSER (1771?-1846) was born in 1770 or 1771, or perhaps later. He married Helen Jeffery on 12 July 1802 at Fintray. At the time, he was 'in Fintray'. In 1804, he was at Hatton of Fintray.
At some time before 1833 Helen died, and Robert married again, on 7 December 1833. He was 62, and his young bride, Susan Tosh, only 27. (In 1841, his age is given as 68.)
Robert died on 8 September 1846. At this time he was an innkeeper at Hatton of Fintray. He also farmed there. Susan lived on and died on 14 August 1851 at the age of 45.
Their grave is in Fintray kirkyard, immediately behind the grave of William Davie and his wife Helen Prosser.
The inscription reads:
Erected by Susan Tosh in memory of her husband Robert Prosser who died 8th Septr 1846 aged 75 years,
also in memory of her son Robert who died 16th Janry 1846 aged 40 years,
also the above Susan Tosh, who died 14th August 1851 aged 45 years
and Isabella Prosser, who died 23rd September 1852 aged 17 years,
also their daughter Susan who died 10th Oct 1879 aged 36 years.
Robert and Helen Prosser had eight children:
1 HUGH PROSSER (1802-18??), born at Fintray on 20 September 1802 and baptized on 3 October. He presumably died in infancy.
2 JOHN PROSSER (1804-1883), of whom more below.
3 ROBERT PROSSER (1806-1846), baptized at Fintray on 23 November 1806. He died on 16 January 1846.
4 JAMES PROSSER (1809-18??), baptized at Fintray on 8 January 1809. He may have married Eliza Adams and had issue in Aberdeen.
5 SARAH PROSSER (1811-18??), baptized at Fintray on 21 February 1811.
6 WILLIAM PROSSER (1813-18??), baptized at Fintray on 6 April 1813.
7 ALEXANDER PROSSER (1815-1882), baptized at Fintray on 14 August 1815. He was a hatter. He was widowed and living in Sandgate, Whitby in 1851, with his daughter Helen Jeffery Prosser. In Whitby he was an improvement Commissioner and a member of the Burial Board, who had a great share in forming its rules and purchasing Whitby Cemetery. He was also secretary to the Whitby Institute and a active member of the Court of Foresters. He was a friend of the York Independent preacher, James Parsons. He remarried in the second quarter of 1854 at Barton on Irwell. His second wife was Mary Elizabeth, from Salford. In 1881, the family were living at 3 Beauclere Terrace, Bishopwearmouth, Co Durham. He also employed three men, two boys and a female in his hatting business. He died on 3 July 1882 at Bishopwearmouth. Although he had left Whitby some 25 years before, an obituary appeared in the Whitby Gazette referring to him as a man of considerable natural ability, of good education, and of manners most affable and genial, there was no tradesman in this town, a quarter of a century ago, more generally respected than he. Mary, his widow, survived him.
7.1 HELEN JEFFERY PROSSER (1846?-??), born at Whitby. She may have had an illegitimate son, William Lamb Prosser, born at Elgin on 3 August 1871. She married Charles Alexander Auckland at Sunderland in the first quarter of 1872. He was a commercial traveller from Wickersley in Yorkshire, and some five years older than her. In 1881 they were living at Waren Mill Cottages, Spindlestone, Northumberland. Their issue included:
7.1.1 WILLIAM B AUCKLAND (1866-1929), born at Deepcar, Yorkshire, in the second quarter of 1866. He died in December 1929.
7.1.2 LOUISA AUCKLAND (1868?-??), born at Deepcar.
7.1.3 CHARLES ALEXANDER AUCKLAND (1874-??), born at Gateshead in the second quarter of 1874.
7.1.4 JOHN EDWARD AUCKLAND (1875-??), born at Gateshead in the third quarter of 1875.
7.1.5 ALEXANDER PROSSER AUCKLAND (1878-??), born at Bamburgh in the first quarter of 1878.
7.1.6 MARY HELEN AUCKLAND (1880-??), born at Bamburgh, and aged 10 months in 1881.
7.1.7 ARTHUR AUCKLAND (1886-1967), born at Spindleston Mill on 4 December 1886. He married Florence Argyle Smith. He died at Darlington on 31 May 1967. His grandson, John Auckland, is one of the contributors to these notes.
7.2 ALEXANDER PROSSER (1855?-19??), born at Whitby. In 1881 he was living at home. He had his own hatting business in High Street West, Bishopwearmouth, employing two men and a boy. He married Jessie Keen at Sunderland in the second quarter of 1884. Alexander was Chairman of the Sunderland Thirteenth Working Man's Building Society. He was actively involved in St John's Wesleyan Church and was Circuit Steward. He died at the age of 66 at 20 Belle Vue Park, Bishopwearmouth, leaving a widow and two daughters. Alexander and Jessie had issue:
7.2.1 JESSIE MURIEL PROSSER (1885-??), known as Muriel, born in the third quarter of 1885.
7.2.2 LILLIE BARLOW PROSSER (1886-1886), born in the third quarter of 1886. She died in the fourth quarter of 1886.
7.2.3 ELSIE PROSSER (1890-??), born in the last quarter of 1890.
7.3 ELIZABETH PROSSER (1856-??), born at Whitby. (Twins were born on 20 July 1856, a boy and a girl.)
8 GEORGE PROSSER (1818-18??), born at Fintray on 7 February 1818 and baptized on 20 February. He was a farm servant at Hatton of Fintray when he married Margaret Reed on 30 June 1837. He was widowed. He remarried on 9 January 1856 at Old Machar. His second wife was Diana Garden, who had been born in Old Machar. in 1881, the couple were living in a cottage at Gallowhill, Elgin. George and Margaret had issue:
8.1 JANE PROSSER (1838-??), baptized at Fintray on 25 January 1838.
8.2 ISABELLA PROSSER (1839-??), born at Fintray on 18 March 1839 and baptized on 6 April.
8.3 WILLIAM GARDEN PROSSER (1863-??), born on 31 January 1863 at Old Machar. He was a tinsmith in 1881.
8.4 SAMUEL DICKINSON PROSSER (1865?-??), born on 6 October 1865 at Laurencekirk, Kincardine. He was a grocer's assistant in 1881.
8.5 FORBES PROSSER (1868-??), born on 11 March 1868 at Elgin.
8.6 ALEXANDER PROSSER (1872-??), born at Elgin on 1 June 1872.
Robert and Susan Prosser had a further eight children:
9 MARY PROSSER (1834-1852), born at Fintray on 30 May 1834 and baptized on 15 July.
10 ISOBEL PROSSER (1835-1852), born at Fintray on 5 November 1835 and baptized on 7 December. She was staying with her grandmother on Census night in 1841. She died on 23 September 1852.
11 ROBERT PROSSER (1837-18??), born at Fintray on 30 October 1837 and baptized on 5 December. He does not appear in the 1841 census, so perhaps died in infancy.
12 WILLIAM LESLIE PROSSER (1839-??), born at Fintray on 27 July 1839 and baptized on 17 August. On 31 August 1861, he married Jessie Berry, from Aberdeen at Fintray. In 1881, he was crofting ten acres at Hill of Corksie, Cluny, and living with two children:
12.1 JAMES PROSSER (1861-??), born in Cluny on 13 November 1861.
12.2 ISABELLA BAIN PROSSER (1867-??), born in Cluny on 10 August 1867.
12.3 WILLIAM L PROSSER (1867?-??), also born in Cluny.
13 SAVILE PROSSER (1841-??), a son, born at Fintray on 19 February 1841 and baptized on 28 February.
14 SUSAN PROSSER (1843-1879), baptized at Fintray on 1 February 1843. She died on 10 October 1879.
15 HUGH PROSSER (1845-??), born at Fintray on 16 January 1845 and baptized on 18 February. On 3 June 1865, he married Jane Morrison at Monymusk. Jane died on 17 September 1896. She is buried with Hugh at Hatton of Fintray. In 1881, he was a general labourer at Middlefield, Blackhall Road, Inverurie, with six children:
15.1 WILLIAM PROSSER (1869-??), born on 6 January 1869 at Ellon.
15.2 GEORGE PROSSER (1870?-1889), born at Old Machar. He died on 11 June 1889.
15.3 JAMES F PROSSER (1872?-??), born at Old Machar.
15.4 ARTHUR W PROSSER (1874?-??), born at Bourtie.
15.5 ISABELLA PROSSER (1877?-1888), born at Kintore. She died on 16 December 1888.
15.6 ALEXANDER PROSSER (1879?-1898), born at Keithhall. He died on 27 April 1898.
16 BARBARA PROSSER (1846-??), baptized at Fintray on 10 May 1846.
Isabella had been baptised at Keithall and Kinkell on 14 March 1809. She was the daughter of Alexander Ririe of Keithhall and Elspet Pirie.
Isabella died. On 9 August 1856, John remarried, to Innes Berry at Leochel-Cushnie.
Innes was some thirty years younger than him, and had been born on 27 May 1835 in Leochel-Cushnie.
In 1881 John was farming 60 acres at Lochhead of Skene. Their son, Arthur, aged 23, was living with them, along with his wife Mary and baby children Arthur and John. John died on 7 October 1883. John and Isabella had issue:
1 ALEXANDER PROSSER (1836-??), born in Fintray on 16 May 1836 and baptized on 30 May.
2 JOHN PROSSER (1837-??), born in Fintray on 26 November 1837 and baptized on 11 December.
3 WILLIAM PROSSER (1839-??), born in Fintray on 28 August 1839 and baptized on 16 September. In 1881 he was a domestic coachman, and living at 21 Summer Street, Old Machar, Aberdeen, with his wife Elizabeth Lawson, from Durris in Kincardine. They had married on 23 December 1865 at Banchory-Ternan in Kincardine.
4 HELEN PROSSER (1841-1911), born in Fintray on 19 June 1841 and baptized on 13 July. On 24 December 1859, she married James Ewing at Monymusk. They had a son, but Helen was widowed. She married William Davie on 11 December 1863 at Chapel of Garioch. She died on 10 January 1911 at Breda, Alford, and is buried in Fintray. From her first husband, she had a son:
4.1 JAMES EWING (1860-19??), born on 22 October 1860 at Chapel of Garioch. He emigrated to the United States in 1890, settling in Illinois.
She had seven further children from her second husband.
5 ROBERT PROSSER (1843-??), born in Fintray on 22 April 1843 and baptized on 11 May. In 1881 he was a farm servant at Upper Manbeen, Elgin, and still single.
6 JAMES PROSSER (1845-1924), born in Fintray on 24 June 1845 and baptized on 12 July. He married Agnes Hunter on 1 December 1871 at New Machar. In 1881 they were at Longcroft, New Machar, where James was a carpenter employing two men. Agnes died on 16 December 1920, and James on 14 May 1924. They are buried at New Machar. They had issue:
6.1 JANE HUNTER PROSSER (1872-1931), born at New Machar on 30 January 1872. She died on 27 April 1931 and is buried at New Machar.
6.2 AGNES ISABELLA PROSSER (1874-??), born at New Machar on 5 November 1874.
6.3 MARY ANN PROSSER (1876?-1884), born at New Machar. She died on 11 July 1884.
6.4 JAMES PROSSER (1878?-??), born at New Machar.
7 GEORGE PROSSER (1847-??), born in Fintray on 15 February 1847 and baptized on 27 March.
8 ARTHUR BERRY PROSSER (1857-1938), born at Monymusk on 21 June 1857. He married Mary Able in Kintore in 1879. She had been born in Skene. Arthur died on 30 June 1938 and is buried at Fintray. They had issue:
8.1 ARTHUR PROSSER (1879-??), born at Muir of Kinnellar on 28 September 1879. On 31 December 1904 Arthur Prosser married Mary Ann Anderson in Boghead Cottages, Tarland. They had at least four children, John, Robert, Norman and
8.1.1 ARTHUR BROWN PROSSER (1904-1981). He married Martha Jane Birss (born 24 September 1902) in the 1920's. Their children were Harriet, Arthur, Rubina, Mattie, Ian, Doris, Allan and Norma. Arthur died on 11 April 1981 and is buried next to his brother Norman in Drumoak.
8.2 JOHN PROSSER (1881-??), aged one month on Census Day.