George Wyld, M.D. (1821 - 1906)
The following information comes from my grandfather's (Claud Leonard Broun) writings:
"My mother's father, George Wyld, born in 1821, also came of an old Scottish
stock - in fact the Wylds claimed descent from Merlin! My great-great-grandfather
[john Wyld] was in business at Penicuik; his son James married Marion Stodart,
of a Lanarkshire family; her mother was Marion Haig of Bemerayde [actually Alison
Turnbull; Robert Stodart's mother was Marion Haig] - James bought Gilston in
Fife, and there his large family was brought up.
"My grandfather graduated M.D. at Edinburgh and then went to London, where
he built up a flourishing practice, though somewhat spoilt by his adherence
to spiritualism and to homoeopathy. He was one of the first volunteers in the
London Scottish, of which his red beard and six foot stature must have made
him a striking feature.
"In London he made the acquaintance of a family of Scottish extraction, but
domiciled for a century in England - the Kennedys. It was this family with which
my grandfather became friendly, and he eventually married Mary Emily Kennedy,
born in 1829.
"In religion, my forbears had all, so far back as I know of them, been adherents
of Presbyterianism, except the Kennedys who were Unitarians. In 1843 ( the Disruption
) the Wylds had become enthusiastic Free-Kirkers; my great-aunt Augusta used
to describe to me how she and other members of the family had accompanied the
disrupting ministers from the Assembly in St Andrew's, George Street, down the
hill to the hall in Canon-mills where they organised their schism from the Established
Kirk. The result of migration to London however was that my grandparents ultimately
conformed to the Church of England."
And from an earlier set of writings:
"Next
year he [my father Claud Brown] married his cousin, Marion Wyld. My father's
grandfather, George (Robert: ed) Broun, had married Amelia (Isabella: ed) Wyld.
According to a tradition the Wylds were descended from Merlin! In the 18th century
this particular family appears at Penicuik; James, Amelia's brother, bought
a house in Fife, and became James Wyld of Gilston. He married Marion Stodart,
whose mother was Marion Haig of Bemerside (Alison Turnbull: ed). They had 15
children. Robert, the eldest, was a philosopher and at one time Provost of South
Queensferry. William was a soldier in the Indian Army, and fought in the Sikh
war and in the Mutiny.
"George,
my grandfather, was M.D. of Edinburgh, but he migrated to London; there he nearly
spoilt an excellent practice by taking up Spiritualism and Homoeopathy. He was
also one of the first recruits of the London Scottish. He was over 6 foot and
had a bushy beard, originally red; his nickname among the boys of Edinburgh
was Carrotyheid.
"In
London he met at church a family as large as his own named Kennedy..."
)
George Wyld's involvement with spiritualism is well-documented on the web. You can read more about his time as President of the Theosophical Society and his subsequent rift with Madam Blavatsky, and some of his writings. Simply enter "George Wyld" (with the quotes) in a search engine such as Google and you will find numerous references.
The 1861 census shows him residing at 12 Great Cumberland Street, St Marylebone, London with his wife, Emily, his first two daughters, Marion and Maud, and his first son, George, plus some servants and a lodger.
For more information on the Wyld Family see the website of Tanya Trayner.
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