Ian Duncan Research

My research into my ancestry started many years ago when I was a child by my  Great Aunt Ida Duncan( in records as Ada) and the Tug was named after her as her brothers were Lionel( Capt of the Tug) Charles Chrystal (my Grandfather and was the Engineer) William Charles who fortunately was not on the Tug when it was blown up.

My Father Charles Marshall Duncan was aged 2years at the time and did not really know his father. My Grandmother Beatrice Hill never remarried.

Ida Manners (Ada) married Harry Armstrong in Middlesbrough and then moved to London, he was a Doctor and had a Private Practice in London. Aunt Ida spent a lot of her time at Somerset House where the records were kept at that time developing our Family Tree. My brother and I went down there in our school  holidays and she took us to the Greenwich Maritime Museum to see everything on display of Admiral Duncan.

My Aunt died rather early in 1965 and by this time my brother and I were at sea in the Merchant Navy, serving our apprenticeship with a local Company Sir R Ropner and Co Ltd head office in Darlington, County Durham.

William Charles Duncan was married to Beatrice Hutchinson whose brother was a Farmer at Barnard Castle, County Durham. Uncle William died suddenly in 1949 of a heart attack and at that time was the MD of Tees Towing and a major share holder in the Company. My father after the death of Uncle Will was to become the Marine Superintendent , at this time the tug company had been taken over by the Crosswaite Family from the Duncan's, how we do not know, any one who knew had died.

To date as far as I know I am the only member of John Duncan's 1779 descendants alive who is a Mariner( although I am retired ).

The father of Lionel, Charles, William and Ida was Charles William Duncan 1867-1949, I just about remember him as I was 4years old when he died, he owned the tugs on the Tees at that time. He was married to Dorothy Lyon and at the time of his death lived in Scarborough and had a pleasure steamer boat and was called the singing Captain, he also ran a Hotel which with our parents we stayed there for a holiday

Charles William's father was Charles Chrystal Duncan 1826-1909 married to Elizabeth Clarke, again he ran tugs on the Tees from Stockton. His father was John Duncan1779 born in Arbroath married to Elizabeth Christall at South Shields in 1802. How John ended up in the North East one asks, well he was press ganged in Dundee because he had  sea experience and the Navy needed sailors. He got the chance to jump ship in South Shields or Middlesbrough and was hidden by the Local Baker William Christall and then married his daughter and lived in Stockton on Tees running ferries along the river.

John Duncan's father was George Duncan 1750-1805. married to Katherine Scott.

At this point we get to John Duncan 1710 the brother of Admiral Duncan's father Alexander Duncan 1703-1777 wife Helen Haldane, John been Admiral Duncan's uncle.

If you are interested I can go further back upto 1510

We cannot find a wife for John Duncan1710 but we are led to believe that all records were lost around the time of John as a relative living in Kent has been using Researchers for her up in Scotland but we do know he was born in Lundie in 1710.

I have a very old book on Admiral Duncan and Charles William Duncan has written in it Admiral Duncan's father was my Grandfathers Brother

Alexander Admiral Duncan's father had a brother Patrick (died at birth),William( married but had no children),James (who also died no children) and John1710, so by that he could be the father of George.

It was thought at one time John1710 was the father of John 1779 at the age of 69 but unlikely, he would have had to have a very young wife but we did verify that John 1779 father was George.

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John Duncan born Arbroath

I have read the above his family tree, he was born in 1779 in Arbroath. The Charles Chrystal Duncan born 1888 blown up on the Tug Ida Duncan was my Grandfather who married Beatrice Hill and not the Charles Chrystal Duncan born in 1894, he married Lily W Clements. My Grandfather and Grandmother only had one child Charles Marshall Duncan born 1915 and married to my Mother Peggy Rena Turner. I am one of four children, Charles William Duncan 1944-2013( Master Mariner-Tees Pilot ), Captain Ian Richard Duncan 1945 ( Master Mariner- Port of Sunderland Harbourmaster), Andrew Martin Duncan and Christine Margaret Duncan.

I have been doing my Family Tree for sometime and our family is related to Admiral Duncan famous for the Battle of Camperdown.