Glenbuchat Heritage

6 James Coutts and the mystery of Prince John

James Coutts and the mysterious Prince John!

The picture above shows:
1. Queen Victoria with John Brown
2. Margaret Leys with her husband John Brown senr and ? her daughter
3. John and Mary Hanton at the Lonach Hall
4. Marriage cert of John and Mary Leys
5. Birth Cert John Hanton

Introduction to Farquharson Family Story

Click for Farquharson Album

James Coutts the schoolmaster at Dalphuil was the son of Donald Coutts and was brought up in Glenmuick close to Balmoral. James had a brother John who was an agricultural labourer.

Donald Coutts
Birth Abt 1787 Glenmuick, Aberdeen
Death 20 September 1869 Loinahaven,Glengairn
Parents
James Coutts –1841
Janet Brown 1769–1869
Spouse
Helen Cruickshank 1796–1884
Children
Janet Coutts 1821–
James Coutts 1823–1914
John Coutts 1824–
William Coutts 1826–1880
Margaret Coutts 1828–
Ann Coutts 1830–1908
Helen Coutts 1832–1904
Jane Coutts 1833–1889
Elspet Coutts 1835–
Isabella Coutts 1839–1922

James Coutts
1823–1914
Birth 1 January 1823 Glenmuick, Aberdeenshire
Death 25 January 1914 Dalfuil , Glengairn
Parents
Donald Coutts 1787–1869
Helen Cruickshank 1796–1884
Spouse
Margaret Ferguson 1821–1890
Children
Margaret S Coutts 1850–1920
Helen Coutts 1852–1941
Jane Ann Coutts 1854–1871
James Coutts 1856–1859
William Coutts 1857–1903
Mary Coutts 1860–1874
Catherine Christie Coutts 1862–1936
Jemima Coutts 1867–1875

1851 Scotland Census
John Coutts Age 25
Estimated Birth Year abt 1826
Relationship Son
Father Donald Coutts
Mother Helen Coutts
Gender Male
Where born Glenmuick, Aberdeen
Civil parish Glenmuick, Tullich and Glengairn
County Aberdeenshire
Address Loinahaun
Occupation Ag Lab

On February16, 1861, at Loinahaun Glengairn a wedding took place between John Hanton a native of Glengairn and Mary Leys. The witnesses at the wedding were John Coutts and Hugh Brown. Hugh Brown was the brother of John Brown the well-known Highland Servant of Queen Victoria who had a very close relationship with her.

John Brown’s mother was Margaret Leys the sister of Mary and who married John Hanton. Margaret Leys was a house maid to Queen Victoria,


From Hole Ousia website

"John Brown's mother Margaret Leys was revered by the Queen as grand-old lady of the glens. Margaret was daughter of the Ballachlaggan blacksmith Charles Leys, and granddaughter of Francis Leys of Inver. Ballachlaggan at the foot of the Fearder glen was where eighteen bonnet lairds (A petty landowner who wore a bonnet, not the hat of the gentry.) were hung from the rafters of a ‘gyrt barn’ for upsetting the Laird of Invercauld.

The story of Margaret Leys, mother of John Brown, is rather special and for those interested there is an article about her in the Leopard Magazine of 1998. It is again by Robert Smith and is entitled ‘The Other Mrs Brown.’

A photograph of Margaret Leys survives seated outside Bush of Crathienaird, with her son Archie. Now if you look closely, only just visible on Margaret Leys left hand is her wedding ring. There is reason for pointing out what surely must seem obvious – for this ring had a rather incredible fate.

When John Brown died at the end of March 1883, Queen Victoria, in a state of mourning, took his mother’s ring and wore it as her symbol of enduring love. It never left her finger. Unknown to the Queen’s close family the ring was on her wedding finger when she was interred within the ornate marble Mausoleum of Frogmore. So that was how the ring of Margaret Leys was to eternally grace Queen Victoria. "

From ‘The Hidden Prince by Billie Rennie’

In this book Billie Rennie advances the well-known rumour that Queen Victoria had a son to John Brown.

“It is not known or recorded within the close royal circles, but there is great belief that Victoria and Albert during the mid-1850's were drifting apart, Albert getting bored with humdrum and trivial matters, and the Queen getting and enjoying attention from a young fit man (John Brown). By this time John Brown was in attendance at picnics, and expeditions, to places such as Inverrnark, Fettercairn, Glen Feshy, Dalwhinnie, and Blair Atholl. Was there a last attempt by Victoria and Albert to patch things up on these visits or was there something more critical going on out in die public eye while keeping up appearances?

The reason this question must be asked is due to die records traced on Old Jock Hanton’s Father, one of which as written states, “John Hanton, horn 6th Nov 1861 at Loinahaun Glengairn to George Hanton and Mary Leys - domestic servant. “The boy was born Four weeks before Prince Albert died.

Their wedding took place on February16, 1861, at Loinahaun Glengairn in the Church of Scotland. George Hanton, at the time, was a farmworker aged twenty-four years and Mary Leys (aunt of John Brown} worked as a domestic servant aged twenty-seven years. George’s Father, George was deceased, but Elizabeth Symon, his mother, was still alive; Marys father, John, was a weaver and her mother was also called Mary

The minister who performed the ceremony was called Robert Neil (Missionary Minister on Royal Bounty; (Glengairn) and the two witnesses were related to the couple on the bride‘s side; they were John Coutts and Hugh Brown. What a cosy little nest and a wedding approximately eight months before the child John was born.

It was revealed to us that Mary Leys (wife of George Hanton) was especially chosen to raise the boy and give him a good education in English and other worldly subjects. Perhaps, this is another of Scotland’s best-kept secrets, but with so many cryptic clues, it was only a matter of time before they were deciphered.

Mary Leys-Hanton was well spoken and educated in the finer things in life such as reading, manners, languages, religion, etiquette, eating, and dress. All these things were then passed onto Prince John and the rest of the family.

The 1851 Census shows us that Mary Leys was seventeen years old and described as a student scholar, which confirms the stories that were told about the boy John having a good education with a good grounding in his early years for his long and hectic life, which saw him working on his croft at Alford in Aberdeenshire until his death at Wrights Croft, Alford, on December 27, 1942, aged eighty-one years.

Prince John was well taught about who his real parents were and at an early age, was told to keep it 21 secret, but how could he, when Queen Victoria and John Brown made frequent: visits to him at Pannanich and enquired after the Family and their welfare. Visits were also made by the resident minister, to which the boy would reportedly hide under the table and not come out until he was gone.

It is widely believed that Margaret Leys, house maid to Queen Victoria, presented a baby boy to her sister Mary and he was brought up as Mary and George Hanton’s firstborn, but in reality the firstborn was, in Fact, George Hanton born three years later in 1864 and died March 26, 1949, at age eighty-five at Burn O' Vat. This makes sense as firstborn males in those days were named after their father. “


Margaret Leys
1799–1876
Birth 1799 • Crathie and Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Death 2 AUG 1876 • Craiglourachan Cottage, Balmoral, Crathie, Aberdeen, Scotland
Parents
Charles Leys 1757–1841
Marjory (May) Flemming 1775–1841
Spouse
John Brown 1790–1875
Children
James Brown 1825–1922
John Brown 1826–1883
Francis Brown 1828–1831
Anne Brown 1830–1860
Charles Brown 1831–1849
Donald Brown 1832–1918
Margaret Brown 1833–1849
William Brown 1835–1906
Francis Brown 1836–1849
Hugh Brown 1838–1896
Archibald Anderson Brown 1841–1912
Margaret Brown 1859–

John Brown
1790–1875
Birth 20 SEP 1790 Crathienaird, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Death 18 OCT 1875 Wester Micras, Crathie, Aberdeenshire
Spouse
Margaret Leys 1799–1876
Children
James Brown 1825–1922
John Brown 1826–1883
John Ogg 1827–
Francis Brown 1828–1831
Anne Brown 1829–1867
Charles Brown 1831–1849
Donald Brown 1832–1918
Margaret Brown 1833–1849
William Brown 1835–1906
Francis Brown 1836–1849
Hugh Brown 1838–1896
Archibald Anderson Brown 1841–1912

John Brown
1826–1883
Birth 08 DEC 1826 • Crathie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Death 27 MAR 1883 • Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England
Parents
John Brown 1790–1875
Margaret Leys 1799–1876
Alleged Mariage
Queen Victoria 1819–1901
Children


The final part of this story with Strathdon is that John Hanton lived in Bellabeg and became the Hall keeper at the Lonach Hall.

The 1901 census has him staying at a croft called Claverhouse at Deskry just over the hill south of Bellabeg. At the time he worked as a Road Foreman.

1901 Scotland Census
Name John Hanton
Age 39 Estimated Birth Year abt 1862
Relationship Head
Spouse's Name Mary A Hanton
Gender Male
Where born Glenmuick, Aberdeenshire
Registration district Strathdon
Civil parish Strathdon County Aberdeenshire
Address Claverhouse
Occupation Road Foreman
Household Members
John Hanton Age 39
Mary A Hanton Age 30
John Hanton Age 7
Mary A Hanton Age 4
Alexander B Hanton Age 1 Mo

In the 1920 Voter’s roll he is staying at the Mill of Bellabeg just behind the shop. He is still a Road Foreman.

In the 1925 and 1930 Voters Rolls he is recorded as staying at the Lonach Hall where he was caretaker and lived in a flat at the hall. The photograph above shows him with his wife at the hall. On retirement from the hall, he and his wife, Mary, were presented with a clock to mark their devoted service to the community. This clock is still held by the family today with pride of place.

By 1935 he has moved to Wrights Croft at Breda near Alford where he died on 27th November 1942

I am grateful for the following document which has been submitted by Tamara Langford who has been researching the Leys/Hanton family. Tamara wrote “I have ancestral connections to Strathdon and Glenmuick and Glengairn areas of Aberdeenshire. The possibility of even a slight connection to the famous Ghillie, John Brown was (or could be) just a bonus. Leys was a fairly common name in that region. Other ancestral connections were Stewart, MacDougal and Coutts. The primary surname here though for my lineage was Stewart as the aforementioned John Leys' sister married John Stewart and they are my 3rd great grandparents.” (Editor)

HANTON LEYS AND BROWN
Correcting and adding to the earlier post from 2020,
number 2260 James Coutts and the Mysterious Prince John.

If you are reading the post for the first time, or rereading it … as I have done several times this past week, you will already notice I left a comment or two after the initial reading. Adding a comment wasn’t good enough though and I felt I needed to check my information as well as read the referenced pieces within the article. I can confirm I have done this including reading Mr Rennie’s book, The Hidden Prince and locating and reading the Leopard article from 1998, by Robert Smith as well. One might ask “why” do I feel compelled to take it further, but for me the answer is twofold. It mentions ancestors from my own tree but more than that is quite simple … I am passionate about genealogy, history and getting facts right. It is this latter part I will address first.

At the beginning of the post … after the lists of Coutts names and dates it mentions a wedding taking place on February 16th, 1861. In deed it did. I’ve seen the record for this. It was the wedding between George Hanton and Mary Leys. Not John Hanton. The mistake in this paragraph however which carries on further in the article, but in the part offered from the Rennie book it does mention George Hanton. Still in William Milne Rennie’s published book, The Hidden Prince, he says that the bride Mary Leys was the sister of John Brown’s mother, Margaret Leys. This is false. The bride was the daughter of Margaret’s sister … also called Mary Leys. This therefore makes Mary (nee Leys) Hanton (the bride), John Brown’s first cousin. The witness Hugh Brown is indeed John’s brother and therefore also a cousin of the bride.
In the list below this opening statement John Brown’s mother had been named as, Margaret Leys … whose life spanned from 1799 until 1876. Her own parents are listed as well, as Charles Leys and Marjory (May) Flemming … names I’ve also seen before in reference to Mrs Brown. The article however didn’t name her siblings and perhaps this is what led to mistakes being made in print. Margaret (nee Leys) Brown had a younger sister named Mary Leys. Mary was born in 1808 and went on to marry John Leys (most likely a cousin) in 1831. By this time … Margaret was already married to John Brown senior and their son John Brown (Ghillie to Queen Victoria and Albert) was 4 years old.

See above for the marriage record for John and Mary Leys

John and Mary Leys went on to have a family of their own and named a daughter after John Brown’s mother, basically named for an aunt, as well as naming their one daughter after her own mother … Mary Leys. It is this Mary who became Mrs Hanton. Not aunt but cousin to John Brown. Same as her sister, Margaret.
The reason I have followed this closely is due to Mary Leys Hanton’s father, John Leys. His older sister, Jean Leys 1800 to 1880 was my 3rd great grandmother. She married John Stewart in Aberdeenshire and the couple and their children emigrated to Canada circa 1851. Jean (nee Leys) Stewart had 3 brothers but only John remained in the area of their birth. I therefore have a vested interested in following this story but also making sure the facts are correct.
On both Mary Leys and her husband John Leys’ death records the informant on the document is listed as their son in law, George Hanton. Because of this I had looked into the Hanton family as part of my research in so much as it related to John and Mary Leys. George also appears to be listed in legal records as the executor of his sister in law’s Will, Margaret Leys, spinster.
The other correction I want to offer up though pertains to John Hanton who is referred to in the article and throughout the book by Mr Rennie, as Prince John. In his book he says he used a researcher. He also mentions on page 64 that he has, “documentary proof of” … but he does not name it … nor his sources nor his researcher in his book. He gives correct dates for John Brown’s mother and John Brown himself and the 1861 wedding but mistakenly mentions the bride as being an aunt. John Brown’s aunt Mary Leys was 53 when the wedding took place. He mentions the “Prince” being born in November 1861, but on Scotland’s People there is a statutory birth record for John Hanton, born in December … ten months after the wedding of George and Mary.

See above for John Hanton’s Birth certificate



While I will admit document can be altered, it does seem like he was their son and was born according to this record, days after Prince Albert passed away at Windsor Castle, surrounded by his family. I am accustomed to seeing naming schemes with generally the old Scottish one following the first son being named after the paternal grandfather, second after maternal grandfather and third son after the father … but perhaps this had changed by the second half of the 19th century. Still … George Hanton’s father was also George … so why was this first child named John?
I leave the readers to decide whether or not this John Hanton was not “born a Hanton” and maybe of royal lines and an affair of the heart, but I would like to hope is that whichever the case may be he was treated like family!

Written / contributed by: Tamara Langford, May 2024, County Durham UK.

View Large Version