St Boswells Fair / Gypsy Fair Exhibition in St Boswells Village Hall

There's an exhibition about the almost 400 year old St Boswells Fair, also known as the Gypsy Fair in St Boswells, this weekend.
Opening times are:

• 1pm to 4pm on Friday, 18th July
• 1pm to 7pm on Saturday, 19th July
• 1pm to 4pm on Sunday, 20th July

On Friday, 18th July there's also a coffee morning from 10am to 11.30 am and a community lunch from 12 noon to 1.30pm. Everyone is welcome at these; they take place in St Boswells Church Hall. Approximate map.

St Boswells Village Hall is on the corner of Main St and Jenny Moore's Rd, St Boswells, Roxburghshire, opposite the bus station. Approximate map.

Admission is free. There’s a free colouring competition for children under 12 with book-tokens as prizes.

We’ll have a stand with a display, books to look at and buy and we’ll be on hand to answer questions about family history. 
We would like to hear from you if you’re related to a gypsy family, if you want us to help you trace your family history or if you just want help with a brick wall.

Tom Tokely’s talk begins at 3.30 pm on Saturday,19th July in St Boswells Church Hall and we’ll have copies of The Kirk Yetholm Gypsies by Tom’s late brother, Vic Tokely for sale at £2.75.

There will also be gypsy artwork and miniature vehicles on display.

There will be refreshments available until 4pm each day.

Other exhibits are by the Hawick Heritage Hub, Police, Fire Service, NHS, Citizen's Advice Bureau.

I understand the organisers, St Boswells Community Council, are looking for feedback on the event. Everyone submitting a feedback form has a chance of winning some carved wooden flowers donated by Blackie Lee, the husband of Tina Lee, who tells fortunes.

Don't forget to look on the St Boswells Green at the traditional gypsy caravan and perhaps have your fortune told.

St Boswells Fair

St Boswells Community Council are organising an exhibition about St Boswells Fair which will be held in St Boswells Public Hall from 18 to 20 July. The Hawick Heritage Hub will be putting on a display about the gypsies and the fair and we will have a stall too. If you have any photos or memorabilia relating to the fair and would be willing to lend them for the exhibition, please contact Ralph Parker on 01835 822528.

Free Workshop - Introduction to Tracing Your Family History

The Hawick Heritage Hub are providing an introduction to tracing your family history on 20th August at 2.30 pm at Galashiels library.

It’s free but booking is essential. You can phone the library on 01896 752512.

Migration away from and back to Scotland

Maybe it’s because I have so many family members who lived abroad for long periods or who emigrated that I find migration so interesting; as I demonstrated at my talk, Useful Free Websites for Family History Research on 24th March, I seem to have uncovered ancestors and cousins who lived in Spain and France.

It’s more difficult to find out about people that live abroad partly because we don’t know where to look and partly because most of us don’t know the local and social history of foreign countries.

That’s why I think it’s appropriate that Migration is the theme of our Family History and Local and Social History conference and fair at the Scottish Borders Campus, Galashiels, Scotland on 11th May. As well as the opportunity to hear inspirational speakers on different aspects of migration, there’ll be internet access and the opportunity to get help with your family and local history problems with advice provided by the Hawick Heritage Hub, Scotland’s People, Graham Maxwell Ancestry, Family Search, and ourselves.

Also there are 20 family history societies coming from around the UK and I’m sure they will be happy to help you with a problem relating to the area they cover. There are more details on the Conference and you can also book online until 6th May.

Traquair Exhibition and Book Launch at Heritage Hub

Following on from Peter's post and book review I've received this invitation from the staff at the Heritage Hub which is open to all members of the Borders FHS:

We'd love to welcome you to an exhibition and book launch we're hosting on 19th September at 6pm.  Catherine Maxwell Stuart and Margaret Fox have written a brilliant book on Traquair and  the launch will celebrate this and provide an opportunity for the Border community to see some treasured items from the Traquair collections in the Exhibition Space at the Heritage Hub, Hawick. 

If you intend to come to this event please reply to Traquair House by email to: <enquiries@traquair.co.uk> or by phoning - 01 896 830 323 .

R SMAIL & SONS: From the Archive

R SMAIL & SONS: From the Archive:


Recently Peter Munro and I met staff from the Heritage Hub.  A conversation about a World War I schools project got me looking in the archive at Robert Smail's Printing Works with the result you can see if you follow the link to Smail's Blog..


'via Blog this'

David Smith Cairns, a Famous Theologian

The Hawick Heritage Hub has an interesting blog about David Smith Cairns, who grew up in Stichill and went to Ednam school from 1873 to 1876, when he was almost 14 years old.
He became Master of Christ’s College, Aberdeen and Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology.
He and his brother, William, were the sons of David Cairns, the minister of Stichill United Presbyterian Church.
Christ’s College, Aberdeen was a college founded by the Free Church of Scotland but is now part of the University of Aberdeen's School of Divinity.

Family History Workshop at The Heritage Hub, Hawick

Are you watching “Who Do You think You Are ?” on TV ? Are you interested in tracing your family history . . . but don't know where to start? Then go along to a Family History Workshop at the Heritage Hub, Hawick on Tuesday 25 October from 7pm-9pm.

They will show you how the resources at the Heritage Hub can help you in your search. As well as the standard census returns, old parish records, and monumental inscriptions, you will have the opportunity to view a range of records including, business records, council records, family papers, militia lists, school, police and poor law records.

The setting is friendly and informal and you will go away with hints, tips and handouts.

Rachel Hosker, Archive Manager says “Family history is much more than being a collection of names and dates. We hold fascinating and unique evidence covering the whole of the Scottish Borders to help people gain a picture on how their ancestors lived and worked and so build up the story of their own family.”

Places are limited - so do please book early to avoid disappointment – the charge of £5 will include handouts and a family history chart. For more information, telephone 01450 360699.

Contrast and Compare

They say that comparisons are odious. However a holiday in eastern England included visits to two local record offices which triggered some thoughts on the differences between them - and the Heritage Hub - and between English and Scottish records.

First up was the Bedford Record Office housed in a late 20^th century building in need of a bit of TLC. No formalities required when you sign in and they’re happy for you to use your camera provided you sign a simple copyright declaration. One of the differences between Scotland and England is that Parish Registers and all the other contents of the Parish Chest are deposited in the local record office. Bedfordshire parish records were transcribed by the county archivist many years ago and they are justifiably proud of the quality of the transcript. In fact they seemed quite offended when I asked to see the film of the original register.  The Bedfordshire FHS has produced a county wide index of these transcripts - very useful for finding those intinerant relatives we all have.

We moved onto the Norfolk Archive Centre, a very modern purpose built archive a couple of years older than the Heritage Hub in Hawick. Whilst you merely had to sign in to look at micro-form records, identification with an address was required before you would be given access to original documents.  Norfolk is part of the CARN (County Archive Research Network) so that the ID they issue can be used at other record offices. They also charge for the privilege if you want to use your camera. I didn’t have a good day as I wanted to look at poor law records from the early 19^th century prior to the Poor Law Act of 1834. The records of the Parish Overseer form part of the Parish Chest but nothing had survived for either of the parishes I was interested in. Digging around however I did find a whole series of militia lists in the private papers from Felbrigg Hall - I wonder if the Norfolk FHS knows about them?

Leaving aside the fact that we’re stuck with the records from the places where our ancestors lived, do I have a preference ? Not really, there are good and bad features both nationally and locally. For example, Scots parish records have all been transcribed and images are available on the internet. English parish records always include marriages as well as banns (intimations) and deaths and beginning with marriages in 1754 were kept in pre-printed registers.

The picture at the head of this blog comes from the Time & Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth. It’s located in an old herring smoke house and includes reference to the significant influence that Scots had on the herring fishery.

Caddonfoot Primary School History Project

There was a subscription school at Caddonfoot from about 1840. When the school boards were formed in 1872 they took over the running of the schools. A school board was elected in 1873 and they quickly organised a new school to be built which was completed in January 1875. The original Caddonfoot School Log book plus other documents relating to the parish at that time, can be viewed at the Hawick Heritage Hub.

The school is due to close in early 2012, being replaced by a new school in Clovenfords and the pupils are undertaking a project to look at the history of Caddonfoot School through the decades.

If you have any memories of this school, any old photos, or any other knowledge of any relevant history that you would be prepared to share with the children, please contact Megan Hill at megan.hill AT virgin.net, replacing the AT with the @ symbol.

June 2011 Magazine

Our June 2011 magazine includes details of our new patron, the 18th Earl of
Lauderdale, a notice about Stirling University Conference - Monuments and Monumentality in Later-Mediaeval and Early Modern Europe, articles on the life of Dr. John Leyden, Maps as Historical Sources, Arrangements for a Victorian Wedding, examples of records at the Hawick Heritage Hub, Bi-gen Blogspot, Kelso Mail Marriage entries between 1808 and 1823, the Black Dwarf (at Manor, Peebleshire), some epitaphs written by Robert Burns; as well as details of new members and their interests.

The magazine was despatched to members on 29th June.

If you haven't received your magazine within a reasonable time, please let us know on the Contacts page as soon as possible, selecting the 'Magazine Non-Arrival' contact type, and specifying your full name, email address and postal address.

Due to the labour dispute at Canada Post, we understand there is a backlog of mail, so Canadian members may experience additional delays before receiving their June 2011 magazine.

Melrose Poor Law Records

In Scotland, the Poor Law was the means of providing food, accommodation, financial assistance and, latterly, care to those in need from the late 16th century onwards. There was a new Poor Law Act in 1845, which created a huge variety of records covering details on those who applied for assistance in specific areas, case studies, details on inspectors and much, much more. In many respects it saw the beginnings of local government, as we know it today. We’ve been transcribing the most important information from applications for relief and registers of the poor after 1845 in association with the Hawick Heritage Hub.

Apart from the obvious interest to the local historian, the publications open up a new horizon for the genealogist, providing details on peoples’ movement between the censuses, descriptions of illnesses suffered, domestic circumstances and more. Uniquely, the records provide details on people not born in the Borders but who lived or died there.

Although most of the people receiving relief lived in Galashiels, Melrose, or elsewhere in the parish of Melrose, some lived in other Borders localities: Clovenfords, Grantshouse, Hawick, Jedburgh, Redpath, Selkirk, St Boswells; in other parts of Scotland: Biggar, Dundee, East Duddingston, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Joppa, Macmerry, Murthly, Stirling, Stonehaven; or in England: Balsall Heath, Bournemouth, Cumberland.

The list of birthplaces is much larger, most of the applicants were born in an astonishingly wide variety of places in Britain or Ireland, but some were born in Australia, Barbados, Canada, Germany, India, Malta, or USA.

The information transcribed comprises names, place of birth, age or date of birth, address, other family members, description of disablement, date of death, and there’s more information on the images themselves, including occupation, benefit received.
You can see details of many people between the censuses, women’s maiden surnames, family details often not shown in the census, religion, and disabilities; and find people who moved away from their birthplace. If your family has lived here for 3 generations but you don’t know where they came from, these records may help you.

The Society has published the Poor Law records Melrose Parish in 3 volumes, each volume on a CD.
Each CD has chapters on Melrose parish – the historical context, English and Scottish Poor Law history, how it worked, using the Poor Law records, Dingleton asylum, duties of inspectors of the poor, a map of Melrose parish and a railway map, and the index to the Poor Law Records images contained on the CD, illustrations in the text, and digital images of the records transcribed, most of which have additional information.

Melrose Parish Poor Law Records Contents (1884-1930 volume)

In addition, the 1884-1930 volume contains legal cases and an additional map showing Melrose parish after the boundary changes of 1889 (see the Contents page).

The 1871-1874 and the 1884-1930 volumes each cover over 760 named people, the 1875-1883 volume covers over 820 named people.

Their surnames comprise Adams, Agnew, Aikman, Ainslie, Aitchison, Aitken, Alister, Allan, Anderson, Archer, Archibald, Armit, Armstrong, Askew, Atkinson, Auchincloss, Baillie, Bain, Ballantyne, Balmer, Barron, Bates, Bathgate, Beattie, Bell, Bennet, Bennett, Berry, Bishop, Black, Blackburn, Blackhall, Blair, Blyth, Boa, Bogg, Booth, Borthwick, Boston, Bower, Boyd, Bradley, Bradshaw, Braidie, Braidy, Bremner, Broad, Brockie, Brodie, Brogan, Broomfield, Brotherstone, Brown, Brownlee, Bruce, Brunton, Bryce, Brydon, Buchanan, Buist, Bunyan, Burn, Burns, Burrell, Burton, Cairns, Callaghan, Cameron, Campbell, Carey, Carlysle, Carmichael, Carnachan, Carr, Carruthers, Carson, Cartmill, Cassidy, Cavers, Chambers, Chapman, Charleston, Cheyne, Chisholm, Christie, Clark, Cleaver, Cleghorn, Clemiston, Clifford, Close, Closky, Cochrane, Cockburn, Coldwell, Colledge, Collier, Coltart, Colvin, Common, Connar, Connel, Conner, Connor, Conolley, Cook, Corcoran, Cormick, Cossar, Coulter, Cowan, Cowe, Craig, Craise, Cranston, Craw, Crawford, Crines, Crooks, Crosbie, Crossan, Cruden, Cruickshank, Culbert, Culbertson, Cunningham, Curle, Curran, Currie, Cuthbert, D'Agrosa, Dalgetty, Dalgleish, Dalgliesh, Danes, Danoir, Danvir, Darling, Darrie, Davidson, Dawson, Deans, Develin, Dewar, Dick, Dickson, Dinnany, Dobie, Dobson, Docherty, Dodds, Dods, Donachan, Donald, Donaldson, Donelly, Dorey, Douglas, Dowie, Downs, Doyles, Drawhill, Drummond, Dryden, Duncan, Duncanson, Dunlop, Dunn, Duthie, Edenton, Edgar, Egan, Elder, Elliot, Emmonds, Enterkin, Faed, Fairbairn, Fairgrieve, Fairley, Fairnie, Falla, Feely, Ferguson, Fernie, Ferries, Fiddes, Field, Finlay, Finlayson, Fitzpatrick, Fleming, Foggie, Foggs, Foley, Forbes, Ford, Forrest, Forson, Fortune, Fowler, Fraser, Frater, Freil, Friel, Fyfe, Galbraith, Gallocher, Galloway, Ganard, Ganyard, Garvie, Gavin, Gibson, Gilday, Gillespie, Gillies, Gillon, Gilmartin, Gilroy, Givan, Gladstone, Glen, Glover, Goldie, Goldsmith, Gordon, Gough, Graham, Grant, Gray, Green, Greenan, Grey, Grierson, Grieve, Griffen, Grossart, Grossert, Guthrie, Haig, Haldane, Haley, Hall, Halley, Halliday, Hally, Hamilton, Hanlon, Hannay, Hardie, Harkness, Harrison, Hart, Harvey, Hawkins, Hay, Helam, Henderson, Hendry, Henry, Hepburn, Herson, Hill, Hillock, Hislop, Hoban, Hobkirk, Hodson, Hogarth, Hogg, Holmes, Hood, Hope, Houstler, Howard, Hoyle, Huggan, Hughes, Hunter, Hutton, Imrie, Ingles, Inglis, Innes, Instant, Ireland, Irvine, Jackson, Jamieson, Jardine, Jenkinson, Jerdan, Jobblin, Johnston, Johnstone, Jollie, Jones, Keddie, Kelly, Kemp, Kempsell, Kennedy, Kerr, Kiernan, Killin, King, Knox, Laidlaw, Lamond, Lanerd, Larkin, Lauder, Laurie, Law, Lawrie, Lawson, Lawton, Learmonth, Lee, Leech, Lees, Leishman, Leitch, Lennie, Lennox, Leonard, Leslie, Lessels, Lever, Lidster, Lillico, Lillie, Lindsay, Lines, Linton, Little, Lockie, Loftus, Logan, Logree, Lowrie, Luke, Lumsden, Lunn, Lusky, Lynch, Lyons, Mabon, Mack, Mackay, Maginnies, Maguiness, Main, Maloney, Mann, Maquigan, Mark, Mars, Martin, Mather, Mathieson, Mathison, McAdam, McBryde, McCannon, McCardell, McCarron, McCorkindale, McDonald, McDougall, McEwan, McFayden, McFie, McGalvie, McGill, McGinn, McGlasson, McGlinty, McGowan, McGregor, McGrigor, McGuire, McInnes, McInspinte, McInspirit, McIvor, McKay, McKenna, McKingstree, McKinstrae, McLaren, McLauchlan, McLay, McLean, McLeish, McLeod, McLusky, McMichan, McMorran, McNab, McNair, McNamara, McNaulty, McNeill, McPartlan, McPheely, McPherson, McWilliams, Meenan, Meickle, Meikle, Mein, Melrose, Melville, Mercer, Middlemas, Middlemass, Miles, Millar, Miller, Milne, Mitchell, Moffat, Montague, Monteath, Monteith, Moran, Morris, Morrison, Morton, Mossman, Mowat, Mowbray, Muckersie, Muir, Mulvey, Munro, Murchison, Murphy, Murray, Neilson, Nevin, Nichol, Nicholson, Nicol, Nicoll, Nicolson, Nilson, Nisbet, Nixon, Noble, Norrie, O'Brien, O'Connell, O'Donnel, O'Donnell, O'Hara, O'Keefe, Oliver, O'Mailley, O'Neil, Ord, Ormiston, Orr, O'Shaughnessy, Ovens, Paisley, Parish, Parker, Paterson, Patterson, Peake, Peden, Phaup, Philipps, Philips, Phin, Piercy, Pirrie, Pittillo, Polson, Porteous, Porter, Pow, Preston, Pringle, Proudfoot, Pryde, Punton, Purvis, Quinn, Rae, Raeburn, Rankin, Rattray, Redpath, Regan, Reid, Reilly, Rennie, Renny, Renton, Renwick, Reynolds, Richardson, Riddell, Rigley, Robertson, Robson, Romanes, Ross, Rule, Russell, Rutherford, Ruthven, Saddler, Sanderson, Sandis, Schick, Scott, Scougal, Scoular, Screen, Sell, Semple, Sharp, Sheach, Shieils, Shiel, Shields, Shiell, Shiells, Shillinglaw, Short, Shortreed, Sibbald, Simpson, Simson, Sinclair, Sinton, Sked, Skeldon, Skellin, Skelling, Skirving, Slater, Smail, Small, Smellie, Smith, Smith Knox, Sneddon, Snowden, Solan, Somers, Sornbay, Spence, Spiers, Spott, Sprott, Stavert, Steele, Stenhouse, Stevenson, Stewart, Stirling, Story, Stott, Stuart, Sullivan, Sunderland, Sutherland, Swan, Swanston, Sweeny, Swinton, Symington, Tait, Taylor, Temple, Thin, Thomson, Thorburn, Tilly, Tinlin, Tocher, Tolmie, Tosh, Trenchard, Trotter, Tucker, Tully, Turnbull, Turner, Vair, Vallance, Veitch, Von, Waddell, Waite, Walker, Wallace, Wanlass, Ward, Warrick, Waters, Watson, Watt, Wayness, Weatherston, Weir, Welsh, Whillans, White, Wight, Wightman, Wilcox, Wilkie, Williams, Williamson, Wilson, Winning, Winton, Wintrup, Wishart, Wood, Woodend, Woods, Wright, Wylie, Wynne, Wyse, Young, Yule.

Search for people.

The CDs are priced at £12 each or £22 for two different volumes, or £30 for the set of 3; all plus postage.  Two other CD volumes were published last year, Jedburgh Parish 1852-1874 and Jedburgh Parish 1875-1893, both priced at £12, £22 for the pair, plus postage.

CDs can be purchased directly from us via our Contacts page using the contact type ‘Order for Publications’.

Family History Workshop at the Hawick Heritage Hub

Interested in tracing your family history . . . but don't know where to start ?  Then come along to a Family History Workshop at the Heritage Hub, Hawick on Tuesday October 12th, 7pm-9pm.  

They will show you how the resources at the Heritage Hub can help you in your search.  As well as the usual census returns, old parish records, and monumental inscriptions, you will have the opportunity to view a range of records including, business records, council records, family papers, militia lists and poor law records.

The setting is friendly and informal and you will go away with hints, tips and handouts.

Rachel Hosker, Archive Manager says "Family history is much more than being a collector of names and dates.  We hold fascinating and unique evidence covering the whole of the Scottish Borders to help people gain a picture on how their ancestors lived and worked and build up the story of their own family."  

Places are limited - so do please book early to avoid disappointment – the charge of £5 will include handouts and a family history chart.   
Phone 01450 360688 or 01450 360699 to book a place.

If you need help before October 12th, come along to our free talk, Local Families of Ancient Origin in Foulden, Berwickshire  on Sunday, 26th September or get free advice from us, the Hawick Heritage Hub and others at our Family and Local History Fair and Conference in Melrose on 9th October.

Historic Handwriting Workshop at the Hawick Heritage Hub

The Hawick Heritage Hub are running a workshop on reading old writing on Thursday 12th August, from 7 pm-8 pm.

Their poster says:

• Discover how to read old handwriting
• Decipher Scottish 'secretary hand'
• No previous experience necessary

It's led by one of their archivists, and uses reproductions of real historical documents. The cost is £5 which includes printed handouts and reproductions.

I think this is likely to be popular, so book early, and in any case, no later than Thursday 5th August 2010 on 01450 360 699, or see their poster for their email address. Please mention that you saw it advertised on the Borders Family History Society blog.

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