New book - Westerkirk Burials and Irregular Marriages

Just a note to let you know about our newest book: Westerkirk Burials 1706-1719, 1768-1854 and Irregular Marriages 1768-1824 on sale now for £8.99 in our bookshop.

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More information about this book

This book contains transcriptions of registers of deaths or burials for Westerkirk parish, Dumfriesshire, presented along with a transcription of irregular marriages for which fines were paid and recorded in the parish accounts.

The main register, Volume 7, is from 1805-1854, however an apparent duplicate register, running from 1842-1854 is found in Volume 16 of the Kirk Session records for Glencairn parish, Dumfriesshire. This record is slightly different in some entries, and includes some individuals not in the other record, so it has also been included here in full. From comparing the entries it would also appear that the second register records the date of death rather than the date of burial.

Prior to 1805, we rely on the mortcloth entries found in the accounts of Westerkirk Kirk Session. The mortcloth entries appear in Volume 4, from 1706-1719; and Volume 5, from 1768 onwards. There are a few mortcloth entries recorded in the accounts after the separate burial register was commenced in 1805 – if the entry does not appear in the burial records, we have transcribed it. If there are entries in both registers, and the mortcloth entry adds something, a footnote is added in the transcription of the burial register accordingly. It is important to note that it is not always obvious who the person named in the mortcloth is, as it may be the name of the deceased or the name of the relative or person who paid the funeral expenses. Additionally, some entries we have included are for money expended by the parish to bury or cover the funeral expenses of poor parishioners.

These entries are separate from and supplement the Church of Scotland Old Parish Registers kept by the General Register Office (Scotland) at New Register House in Edinburgh, and it is believed they have not been transcribed or indexed before. The entries in this transcription are not to be found in any Old Parish Registers as far as we can tell.

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Kelso Relief Church Baptisms 1813-1819 - £6.99

This book contains baptisms found in the volumes of the Kirk Session records of the Relief Church Congregation of Kelso, Roxburghshire, for the period 1813-1819. These records are held by the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh.

These entries are separate from and supplement the Church of Scotland Old Parish Registers kept by the General Register Office (Scotland) at New Register House in Edinburgh, and it is believed they have not been transcribed or indexed before. Many entries in this register are not to be found in the Old Parish Registers.

We have included all the baptism entries from the register that survive. A later, or “new” register is referred to on the last page of this register, but its present whereabouts, if it has survived, is unknown.

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New Monumental Inscriptions volume for Innerleithen, Peeblesshire

This is a new resource, not from us but from the Borders Family history society. I wanted to mention it though as it dovetails with what we do so I thought you may be interested. You can read all about it on their blog.

Remember they give a list of surnames in each volume, which is very helpful. If you are considering buying a few books it’s worth joining the society as Society members get a discount of £1 per volume not to mention all the other benefits of joining the society.

Visit the Borders family history society now!

Greenlaw Prison Index, Volume 1 1840-1848

That's Greenlaw Prison index ready for sale. It contains 623 entries and is just £7.99 including postage and packaging. Here’s a list of surnames found in the book:

Airne; Aitchison; Aitken; Alexander; Allan; Anderson; Anges; Armstrong; Baillie; Baird; Ballantyne; Balmer; Barclay; Barcley; Barnes; Barrett; Bartram; Bartrem; Beattie; Bell; Bertram; Biggs; Black; Blythe; Bolton; Bond; Bone; Bookless; Boston; Boyd; Boyle; Bradley; Braedy; Bralton; Brenan; Brodie; Brooks; Broomfield; Brown; Bruce; Bryce; Bryson; Buchanan; Burgan; ; Burgeon; Burns; Butler; Calay; Campbell; Cannon; Carland; Carlisle; Carse; Carter; Cassells; Cerse; Chalmers; Chisholm; Clark; Clerk; Cleugh; Clinkscales; Coates; Coats; Cockburn; Colfield; Collin; Collins; Comerford; Connel; Connelly; Connor; Copley; Cowsey; Craig; Crammond; Cramsay; Cribbes; Cribbis; Crow; Cunningham; Curle; Currie; Dailley; Dalry; Dalrymple; Dalton; Darling; ; Davit; Dawson; Deans; Denholm; Dick; Dickinson; Dickson; Dividson; Divine; Dobson; Docherty; Dodds; Dods; Donnochy; Dooly; Dougal; Dougherty; Douglas; Druin; Drummond; Dryden; Dudgeon; Duncan; Dunn; Easton; Elder; Ellis; Erskine; Fairbairn; Fairel; Ferrie; Ferry; Fisher; Fitzsimmons; Flanigan; Fleming; Fletcher; Forrest; Fraser; Frier; Fulton; Fyfe; Galagan; Gartie; ; Gibson; Gilbert; Gilchrist; Gill; Gillan; Gillie; Gillies; Gilmartin; Gilmore; Gilshar; Good; Gordon; Graham; Grahame; Gray; Guthrie; Haggarty; Haggerty; Hall; Hamell; Hamilton; Hanney; Hardie; Hardy; Harebarine; Harkin; Harold; Hart; Hastie; Hay; Henderson; Higginbottom; Hill; Hislop; Hodgson; Hogarth; Hollins; Hood; Hope; Hornby; Hume; Hunter; Inglis; Innes; ; Irving; Jaffrey; Johnston; Kay; Kellie; Kelly; Kemp; Kennedy; Ker; Kerr; Kerson; Kid; Killock; King; Knox; Koyle; Kyle; Laidlaw; Laing; Lane; Laney; Le Roux; Leadbetter; Lee; Leonard; Lewis; Linn; Lockie; Longstaff; Lough; Lowry; Lumsden; Lyall; Lynch; Mabon; MacAffarty; MacBride; Macdonald; Macfarlane; Mackay; MacKinnon; Mackintosh; Malay; Malone; ; Marran; Marshall; Martin; Maxwell; Mcarravey; McAvay; McBride; McCankie; McCarthey; McChrystal; McCulloch; McDarmount; McDicken; McDonald; McDougal; McDougall; McEwen; McFarlane; McGanel; McGinnes; McGraw; McGuire; McIntyre; McKay; McKenna; McKinlay; McKinne; McKinnon; McLachlan; McLaren; McLean; McLeish; McLeod; McMann; McMarran; McNichol; McQuillin; Mercer; Mickle; Miller; Mitchell; Moffat; Molley; Monsie; ; Montgomery; Moor; Moore; Morris; Morrison; Morton; Mowat; Mulholland; Mullen; Mullin; Mullins; Mundell; Munro; Murphy; Murray; Nairn; Neil; Newlands; Nichol; Nicholson; Nories; O'Brien; O'Connor; Oliver; Ormiston; Ovington; Patterson; Paxton; Peacock; Pearson; Phillips; Piercy; Porter; Purves; Quin; Quinn; Rea; Reid; Rennie; Renton; Ribbon; Richardson; Riddle; Ridle; ; Rinnie; Ritchie; Robertson; Rodger; Rogers; Ross; Rowt; Savage; Scott; Scougall; Shannon; Sharp; Shaw; Shearer; Sheerlaw; Sheridan; Shiel; Simmons; Simpson; Smith; Sterling; Stewart; Stoddart; Storie; Stuart; Swan; Tait; Tayler; Taylor; Thompson; Tocher; Towal; Trainer; Trotter; Turnbull; Turner; Vallance; Vallence; Wait; Waite; Walker; Ward; Watson; Watt; ; Weatherston; Weddell; White; Whitelaw; Wight; Wilkie; Williams; Willis; Willock; Wilson; Windram; Winter; Wright; Young;

Could one of them be yours???

Find out today – Click here!!!

Census database updated – Can you advertise it?

We have updated the database again; this time we have added 1841 & 1861 Fala & Soutra. We have also continued to add household links and notes to our database so hopefully some of our research will prove helpful to somebody.

Remember this is still a relatively new census database and many people still do not know it exists. It is different from many others; here are a few things we believe set us apart:

1. It is the only website, that we are aware of, that links the census with maps.

2. We have added notes from our own research, for example dates of death, marriage and birth and also notes about imprisonments.

3. We have transcribed the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census for Berwickshire, Scotland (as well as many other counties) and we offer this full transcription free on our website - we are the only website that offers this complete county without charge.

4. Our transcriptions are done by expert local genealogists; therefore ensuring a high standard of transcription.

5. Maiden names are commonly used throughout married life in Scotland (this can cause confusion in the census) therefore we have endeavoured to add married and maiden names to our database.

So if you agree that our free census search is helpful please help us advertise it. Can you post links? Can you email friends? Can you tell your local family history society or research group? If you can, more people will visit the site, then more people will click on adverts giving us revenue or buy some of our other products and services. This will enable us to keep updating the census and other records therefore helping everybody.

www.maxwellancestry.com

Thank you for your support,

Emma

Applegarth (Dumfriesshire) Parish List 1697

Ok this is new! It’s a bit like an early census… let me explain.

This list is entitled "A list of examinable persons within this parish", and is to be found inserted in the Kirk Session records of Applegarth & Sibbaldbie Parish, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, following the entry for July 25th, 1703. This list has not been dated, but, by comparing the handwriting and a close comparison of the list with the parish register, the list seems likely to have been compiled in the year 1697, certainly between the summer of 1696 and the summer of 1698. The original record is held at the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The list seems remarkably comprehensive. As in the case of all older Scottish records, married women and widows appear under their maiden surnames. The comparison with parish records which survive for the period suggests that this list may well be a list of all inhabitants aged about 12 years or over. The original writer has placed a short line underneath each household, which enables us to clearly see the households separately, invaluable in distinguishing family groups.

Buy the Applegarth Parish List 1697 from our website it is on sale for just £5.99 including free postage anywhere in the world!!

Applegarth Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1694-1719 - £8.99

Well here is another new book for you: just made available this evening on www.maxwellancestry.com

This book contains baptisms, marriages and burials which are to be found in the Kirk Session records of Applegarth Parish, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. These records are held by the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The entries in the register are taken from two Kirk Session volumes: Volume 1 contains baptisms and marriages from 1694-1703; as well as four death entries from 1697-1702, and four baptism entries from 1763. Volume 2 contains baptisms from 1703-1719; marriages from 1703-1712; and a few mortcloth records from 1704-1715, as well as nine baptism entries from 1765-1766 and a marriage from 1763.

These entries are not to be found in the Old Parish Registers of Applegarth parish kept by the General Register Office (Scotland) at New Register House in Edinburgh, which does not commence until 1749, and it is believed they have not been transcribed or indexed before.

Buy Applegarth Parish Records for just £8.99 from our bookshop

The Scottish Genealogy Society’s new website

The Scottish Genealogy Society has had a face lift this week and launched their lovely new website. I have to say it is much less cluttered and easier to use now, everything is clear and simple and let’s face it that’s always a good thing.

www.scotsgenealogy.com

The Society Offers...

• Advice and support from experienced volunteers
• Monumental Inscriptions – the largest collection in Scotland
• Old Parish Registers – the original in microfilm for every parish in Scotland with indexes to baptisms and marriages on microfiche
• Internet access including a world subscription to 'ancestry.com'
• Bookshop with publications from every Scottish family history society and many other sources
• The Library, with over 4000 books and comprehensive CD-ROM collection on family and local history in Scotland for members to consult
• Family History Index - Collection of donated family histories, pedigrees and research notes held by the Society
• Census information held on microfilm
• Scottish family history societies’ journals
• Photocopying, microfiche and microfilm printing available

This is a wonderful society to be member of if you live nearby or a thousand miles away. They are always ready and willing to help when you visit and offer services for their members further afield too. They have so much combined experience and such a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips that you are always sure to learn something new. So if you are not a member yet click here and find out more. Societies like these rely on membership to keep their projects going, projects which we all benefit from.

Parish register – all on one page

As with our prison indexes we now have all our parish registers listed on one page of our website. I have also included extra information about each so you will know exactly what you’re getting.

As new records become available I will add them to the existing county pages in our standard bookshop and to the standalone Parish Registers page.

This I hope will answer the questions people have about these less familiar parish registers.

Visit our new parish registers page now!