New Monumental Inscriptions volume for Abbey St Bathans, Berwickshire

We have another new Monumental Inscriptions volume on CD, this time for Abbey St Bathans, Berwickshire. Before the reformation in 1560, there were two smaller parishes, Abbey St  Bothans  and Strafountain.  It is believed that Christian settlement here has its origins in the 7th century, though there never has been an Abbey.  A Cistercian Priory was founded sometime in the late 12th century or early 13th century by twelve nuns and a prioress. The buildings were destroyed during the 16th century by English troops and what remains is now incorporated into the church building. St Bothan may have been the Abbot of Iona and successor to Columba who died in 600 AD but there was also a St Bothan in Shetland, recorded in 639 AD.  There are other references to Bothans in neighbouring counties - Bothans parish at Gifford is now known as Yester and Bowden in  Roxburghshire, was known as Bothenden.

Like many other volumes in the series, the CD contains a hearth tax list, a list of kirk ministers and a militia list, as well as the full inscriptions from the 115 gravestones in the churchyard, and photographs of all the stones. Also included are 48 mortcloth records from 1755 to 1759, mostly with the name of the deceased. There are indexes to the surnames and places mentioned.

The surnames contained in the monumental inscriptions are Adamson, Aikman, Aitchison, Allan, Anderson, Baker, Bald, Beaton, Blair, Bolton, Brou, Broun, Brown, Bruford, Brunton, Calder, Carter, Cessford, Chalmers, Chisholm, Christie, Cockburn, Coltherd, Cossar, Coun, Cowan, Cowe, Crucks, Darling, Davidson, Denholm, Dickson, Dobie, Dodds, Dods, Douglas, Edgar, Fairbairn, Fairgrieve, Ferguson, Fortune, Galbraith, Gardiner, Gilchrist, Gillies, Gillon, Glazie, Glinton, Greenlaw, Grieve, Haig, Hall, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardie, Hately, Hendrick, Hogg, Home, Hunter, Hutchison, Jaffray, Johnston, Johnstone-Douglas, Kerr, Lauder, Lillie, Linton, Logan, Macintyre, Mack, Mccue, Meet, Miller, Moffot, Murray, Neil, Nisbet, Norman, Ormston, Paterson, Paxton, Pringle, Purves, Rae, Raeburn, Rankin, Rathie, Reid, Renton, Richardson, Ritchie, Runciman, Selbie, Sherriff, Shiell, Shireff, Shirreff, Sked, Slight, Smith, Smitton, Stark, Sterling, Stevinsone, Stewart, Swanston, Tait, Thompson, Thomson, Tod, Todhunter, Troter, Trotter, Tunnah, Turnbull, Wardhaugh, Weddell, Welsh, Whitelaw, Wightman, Williams, Wood, Yule, Zielinski.

The Abbey St Bathans Monumental Inscriptions CD (price £6 plus 2nd class UK postage 51p , EU postage £1.31, rest of world £1.82) can be obtained from us at Whitberry, Todlaw Road, Duns, TD11 3EW, Scotland.