¢ Samuel Edward May 30, 1780

e Vere Aug 19, 1783 e =John Nov 17, 1785 e Elizabeth July 14, 1787

Charles Ward is believed to be the youngest of the family and was born in 1789 or 1790. By that time the Becks had moved to some other location in Scotland because Charles was not christened in Old Kilpatrick. Yet other information we have about Charles states he was born in Scotland.

Despite the challenges involved, there is no doubt that the Beck family spent a few years in Scotland. The trip from Crayford to Little Miln near Glasgow would have been a daunting undertaking.

John Marfleet described it this way: “Around 400 miles - before trains or planes!

“If they went by wagon, the vehicle would have very wide wheels to prevent rutting on the turnpikes, and it would be slow and cumber- some. If they were able to sort out a route using coaches, it would’ve been arduous and costly and only slightly quicker. Either way, there would be the continual possibility of attack by highwaymen. In all probability they would not have been able to travel much more than walking pace, say 4 miles an hour ...”

John added, “No wonder Vere was filled with a spirit of adventure - he got it from his father!”

Clive Killick pointed out there was another option. “The other means of transport could have been by sea. Either direct from the Thames to the Clyde or from the Thames to the Firth of Forth, say Leith near Edinburgh, and then overland, by wagon or coach or by canal to Glasgow.”

While all of these were possibilities, I think there was a more likely method of travel. There was a coach service that operated between Glasgow and London on a regular basis. It was used by textile man- ufacturers in the Glasgow area to ship their goods to the London market. John Beck probably found work in Scotland through contact in London with some of these businessmen. So when it came time

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