Mr Groove’s grandfather (Major James Maidment Morrison) had moved to Australia; the Major’s sister, Elizabeth Jane Maidment Morrison died in Scotland in 1952. Their father, was Mr James Maidment Morrison and records in Mr Groove’s possession suggested that he was a banker and associated with somewhere called Livelands, near Stirling.
Jamieson and Munro’s Street Directory for 1868-1869 showed that James Morrison, banker and Ebenezer Morrison (writer – ie solicitor) were both living at Wester Livilands. This house had been built in the 17th century. Early owners were Commissary Robert Murray and his wife Cristian Cowan. They had commissioned the famous Livilands Sibyls (which are most authoritatively described by Michael Bath in his 2003 volume Renaissance Decorative Painting in Scotland. These had been presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland when the old Wester Livilands was demolished. A quick check revealed that they had been drawn to the society’s attention by a Mr Maidment (http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_033/33_387_413.pdf ). They are now in the National Museum of Scotland where they are displayed as a particularly good example of this sort of seventeenth century decoration. It was Commissary Murray, incidentally, who gave the speech of welcome to James VI on his return visit to Stirling in 1617 –and a very fulsome job he made of it to judge by the text printed by John Nichols in his The Progresses, Processions and Magnificent Festivities of [King James VI and I], volume 3 p. 348-351)
The National Security Savings Bank of Stirling had opened 7th May 1842 in the premises of the Commercial Bank with Mr James Maidment Morrison as treasurer. It was a savings bank for people who would not, otherwise, have sufficient funds to open a conventional bank account. There is a brief history in the Stirling Journal for 30 Jan 1936 when it moved to new premises in Station Road (which many people will recall as the TSB). It was eventually absorbed into the Trustee Savings Bank and so taken over by Lloyds who hold such archives as survive. I recall the old TSB having lots of plaques and commemorative photos in its 1930s interior and wonder if there is any record of them; they certainly included memorials to former employees who had died on active service.
It anyone knows more about the family or about the bank then Mr Groove, who hopes to visit Stirling in the next year or so, would be pleased to hear from them either by commenting on this page or via [email protected].