New Monumental Inscriptions volume for Cranshaws, Berwickshire

We’re pleased to report that we have just published another new Monumental Inscriptions volume on CD, this time for Cranshaws, in Berwickshire.
Cranshaws parish lies in the eastern Lammermuirs, sharing boundaries with the East Lothian parishes of Whittinghame, Stenton, Spott and Innerwick and the Berwickshire parishes of Abbey St Bathans and Longformacus.  Although many of the surrounding farms are in East Lothian, you can see the names appearing on headstones.  It is mainly hill land, with some plantations on higher ground and arable in the valley haughs.  The Whiteadder River runs through the parish.  There may have been a heronry close by as the name Cranshaws may be derived from the words "crane" and "shaws" or heron wood.  The original settlement was centred around Cranshaws castle or peel tower where the farm and remains of the old parish church are today. New sites for the church and manse were chosen in the 18th century, and together with the 18th century schoolhouse were the foundations of the village as it is today. The vicar of Cranshaws, Robert de Strivelin (or Stirling), swore fealty to Edward I in 1296. The Swinton family owned Cranshaws for three centuries, until 1712. In her will of October 1515, Catherine Lauder, wife of Sir John Swinton, directed that she be buried before the altar of St Ninian in the parish church of Cranshaws. The current church dates from 1899.

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 123 gravestones in the old burial ground and the churchyard, and photographs of all the stones. Also included are 331 mortcloth records from 1731 - 1853, mostly with the name of the deceased. There are indexes to the surnames and places mentioned.

The surnames contained in the monumental inscriptions are: Ainslie, Aitchison, Allan, Anderson, Bertram, Black, Blair, Bolton, Briggs, Brown, Brownlee, Campbell, Carr, Charlton, Coltherd, Craig, Craik, Darrie, Davidson, Dawson, Dickson, Dinshire, Dishington, Dodds, Dods, Donaldson, Douglas, Drysdal, Duncanson, Eaton, Eddy, Edgar, Elliot, Emslie, Fergie, Ferguson, Foord, Ford, Forten, Fortun, Gilchrist, Gillie, Gillieson, Glendinning, Graham, Handyside, Hardy, Harkness, Harperden, Hay, Hog, Hope, Howden, Hunter, Jackson, Jaffray, Jeffrey, Johnston, Kelman, Kemp, Kirkpatrick, Kitcat, Laurie, Lawrie, Linton, Luke, Mabon, Mackinnon, Mcallan, Mcallan, Mccue, Mcdougall, Mckinlay, Mclachlan, Mclean, Mcpherson, Melrose, Miller, Morrison, Newbigging, Nichol, Nisbet, Noble, Patterson, Pilmer, Plenderleith, Pringle, Pullar, Punton, Redpath, Renton, Ritchie, Robertson, Rule, Runciman, Russell, Scott, Scougal, Shell, Shiel, Shiell, Sibbald, Simpson, Slight, Slorach, Smith, Speedy, Stuart, Taylor, Thomson, Thorburn, Thornton, Tomison, Trotter, Veitch, Waite, Walker, Wight, Wilson, Wood, Young.

The Cranshaws Monumental Inscriptions CD (price £6 plus postage ) can be obtained from us at 52 Overhaugh St, Galashiels, TD1 1DP, Scotland.

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