FREDERICK ERNEST GAMMELL was the second son of Captain James Gammell of Ardiffery and his wife Sydney Holmes. He was born at Beech Hill, Donoughmore, Co. Down on September 3rd 1827. When he was about seven years old his parents moved to Edinburgh, where he received his education; first at a preparatory school, and then at Edinburgh Academy, where he was a pupil from 1838 to 1843. He does not seem to have achieved a great deal at school, and may have received further education after he left, as it was not until 1846 that he was gazetted an Ensign in the Army. His military career seems to have been singularly undistinguished Lieutenant in 1853, and retirement in 1858. There is some evidence that after he retired from the British Army, he went to India and became a captain in the Bengal Artillary, but no firm record of this has been established.

The next we hear of him is that on December 20th 1883, he was married at Hackney Parish Church to MARION KENNEDY SLIMON, daughter of Robert Slimon, a medical surgeon. The ceremony was conducted by his elder brother, The Revd James S. Gammell of Drumtochty, and after their wedding Frederick and his wife settled at Nether House, Lesmahagow on the Scottish borders.

Frederick seems to have been something of an enigma; whether he was a spendthrift, a ne'er-do-well or what we do not know, but he is not mentioned in his Uncle Andrew of Drumtochty's will in 1883 although his other brothers all received handsome legacies. Also, the only mention of him in his father's will is an instruction to his younger brother Harcourt to pay him £70 a year for his life, while there is record that after inheriting Drumtochty, his eldest brother James Stewart settled the handsome sum of £9000 in trust for him and his wife. The inferences thus are that he was fairly penniless, and relied on the rest of his family to see him through, and it might also be fair to surmise from his father's instructions in his will, and his brother's action in settling money in trust for him, that he could not be trusted to deal sensibly with any cash that came his way.

Be that as it may, Frederick and his wife remained at Lesmahagow for most of their married life, and were on occasions visitors to Drumtochty. They had no children and Frederick eventually died at Claverton House, Helensburgh on February 23rd 1902, and lies buried in Lesmahagow Churchyard. After her husband's death, Marion returned to her native London, where she lived until at the age of 85. She died in the early part of 1923.