20 Most Common Surnames - New Feature on Parish Pages

I've always been fascinated by the diversity of surnames and their geographical distribution, and my mind takes a leap when I speak to somebody with a surname new to me. This week's new names were DRAGE, ABLITT and QUICKFALL.

When I was a child holidaying in West Mersea, Essex, the dominance of particular surnames was really obvious; MUSSETT by a long way the most common, other common names being PAYNE, COX, CLARKE.

There is a new feature on our parish pages that shows the 20 most common surnames in the burial places that we've recorded and published. For example, on the Galashiels parish page, the 20 most common surnames on gravestones recorded by us in the Galashiels - Eastlands and St Peter's monumental inscriptions volume are (number of gravestones in brackets): SCOTT (132), BROWN (109), THOMSON (71), WILSON (69), MURRAY (67), DAVIDSON (57), ANDERSON (54), SMITH (53), HENDERSON (53), ROBERTSON (48), SANDERSON (47), TURNBULL (41), BELL (41), DOUGLAS (39), STEWART (38), DICKSON (37), WOOD (37), HALL (35), McLAREN (35), WELSH (35),

and the 20 most common surnames on gravestones recorded by us in the Galashiels - Old Ladhope monumental inscriptions volume are (number of gravestones in brackets): BROWN (29), SANDERSON (21), SCOTT (20), ROBERTS (14), PATERSON (13), HALL (13), MURRAY (12), THOMSON (10), WALKER (9), WILSON (9), DICKSON (9), MARK (8), CAIRNS (8), SIME (8), LAIDLAW (8), CLARK (7), HEWAT (7), HOGARTH (7), MAXWELL (7), ANDERSON (7).

Some of our monumental inscriptions volumes include burial grounds in more than one parish, for example, Channelkirk and Legerwood . As the composite index for the volume is included in the Gravestones Index, the parish pages for these parishes show the 20 most common surnames in the composite index.

We've created this list for each of our publications and we'll add more lists as we revise or issue new monumental inscriptions books and CDs. See our parish pages for the parishes that interest you.

However, it’s not a totally accurate guide to the popularity of surnames in a parish. Obviously, the surnames of people for whom there is no gravestone aren’t included, and the burials in each cemetery are over a long period of time, so some surnames might have been more common in the 1820s than they were in the 1920s.

Innerleithen Wins Competition for Fastest Broadband

Earlier this year, Innerleithen was one of six winners in a BT competition to find communities where there was highest demand for super-fast broadband. All the other winners are in England.

According to the BBC "BT has announced that Innerleithen is to become the first place in the country to benefit from fibre to premises superfast broadband".

More about the BBC News item 'Innerleithen to get fastest broadband speed in Scotland'.

That's good for our chairman, David Rudram, because he lives in Innerleithen but it's good for the town as well, because business will be attracted by the availability of super-fast broadband.

It's also good for another of our trustees, Gwen Stein, who provides family history research at The Wells, Innerleithen from March till October and maintains a photographic archive of people and events after World War II for Innerleithen, Traquair, and Walkerburn and can help with your research in those localities.

Innerleithen was in the news last July, too, when we announced the completion of our Innerleithen Monumental Inscriptions (gravestone inscriptions) volume.

Minto Monumental Inscriptions

Minto Monumental Inscriptions is the 24th volume of Roxburghshire Monumental Inscriptions to be published by us.

The parish of Minto lies to the north of the River Teviot and to the east of Hawick, surrounded by the parishes of Lilliesleaf to the north, Ancrum to the east, Cavers to the south and Wilton to the west. Part of the old parish of Hassendean was transferred to Minto in the 17th century.

Monumental (gravestone) inscriptions are listed for the 249 of the 257 gravestones at the Parish Church, together with those in the old churchyard which were recorded by the Hawick Archaeological Society.

There are 257 gravestones listed in the volume with colour photographs of all.
Names of householders listed in the Hearth Tax of 1694 are included, together with the Militia Lists of 1813 and 1831, which show an interesting mix of occupations within the parish, reflecting the demands of a rural community and an estate.
There are lists of ministers of Hassendean and Minto, and photographs of Minto War Memorial together with the inscriptions.
Surnames, place names and occupations have been indexed and there are plans of both churchyards showing the location of the stones.

The surnames included are:
Ainslie, Aitchison, Aitken, Aitkin, Anderson, Armstrong, Bain, Ballantine, Barbour, Baring, Bayne, Beattie, Bell, Berry, Biggar, Black, Blackie, Blaikie, Blair, Blake, Blythe, Boa, Borthwick, Brack, Briggs, Brokie, Brown, Brunton, Brydon, Buchan, Budgen, Buglass, Bunyan, Burn, Burnet, Burton, Cairns, Campbell, Caskie, Clark, Cockburn, Cook, Cowe, Craig, Cranston, Crawford, Crichton, Dalgleish, Davidson, Davies, Dawson, Deans, Derham, Dickinson, Dickson, Dilnot, Dobson, Dods, Doherty, Donald, Donaldson, Douglas, Drawhill, Dryden, Duguid, Earle, Easton, Eliot, Elliot, Ewart, Fairbairn, Fergusson, Forsyth, Frame, Gage, Galbraith, Galloway, Gardner, Garnet, Gault, Gibson, Glen, Gotterson, Graham, Gray, Greive, Grey, Grieve, Hall, Halliday, Hanbury, Harvey, Heatlie, Helm, Henderson, Hendry, Herkes, Hill, Hislop, Hobbs, Hogg, Hope, Houd, Hughes, Hume, Hymers, Inglis, Irvine, Jackson, Jardine, Jeffrey, Jewell, Kennedy, Ker, Kerr, Kirkland, Korkis, Lambert, Lambie, Landell, Lang, Lariston, Larner, Lascalles, Lawrie, Lawson, Lillico, Livingstone, Logan, Lowrie, Luke, Macdonald, Mack, Mackie, Mackintosh, Mader, Magson, Matthe, Mauchlen, Maxwell, Mcculloch, Mckenzie, Mckerrow, Mclean, Mcvittie, Melrose, Merchant, Middlemiss, Miller, Minto, Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Montgomery, Murray, Naismith, Newington, Nichol, Norman, Notman, Oliver, Olszowka, Pages, Paterson, Patterson, Peden, Plenderleith, Pollock, Purdie, Ramage, Rennie, Renwick, Rich, Ritchie, Ritson, Robertson, Robson, Romanes, Ross, Routledge, Rutherford, Sanderson, Scott, Selby, Shakespeare, Shanks, Sharp, Shiel, Simson, Skeugh, Smail, Smaill, Smith, Somerville, Spiers, Spindie, Sprott, Steel, Steele, Stenhouse, Stewart, Stirling, Stopford, Strachan, Tait, Taylor, Telfer, Temple, Thomson, Troops, Trotter, Turnbul, Turnbull, Tweedie, Waddell, Wale, Wallis, Ward, Watson, Whitaker, White, Whitelaw, Williamson, Wilson, Witherington, Wood, Wyllie, Young.

Search for surnames in which you're interested in our Gravestones Index Search.

The CD is priced at £7 (plus postage). To buy a copy, please contact Mary Thomson on the Contacts page using the contact type 'Order for Publications'.

Our thanks to all Society members, and friends who assisted in the recording and transcribing.

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.

Open Afternoon at Coldingham Priory

Borders Heritage Week (Sep 10 – 18, 2011) celebrates the rivers and coast with talks and walks on the rivers Tweed and Teviot, all the way down to St Abbs, Coldingham and Eyemouth. More information at www.doorsopenday.org.uk and www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk.

On Wednesday the 14th, there will be an open afternoon (2.00pm to 4.00pm) at the church, ruins and new garden at Coldingham Priory with informed guides at the medieval priory and the modern church (More information from Julia Carter 01890 771420).

Last year, Borders Family History Society and the Friends of Coldingham Priory recorded the Monumental Inscriptions in the graveyard which surrounds the Priory. The MI is still a work in progress but we will be at the church during the open afternoon. As well as having the draft MI, we will have transcriptions of the names recorded in the Hearth Tax of 1694 and the Militia Lists of the 1801 for the parish. If you are researching your family history in Coldingham, please come along.

If you can’t visit Coldingham on the 14th, there will be two more events on Saturday the 17th. The Priory will be open from 10.00am to 12.00noon. Contact www.stebba-coldinghampriory.org.uk for more info about the Priory opening. Scottish Borders Council Ranger Service (Tel 01835 826750) will lead a guided walk around St Abbs and Coldingham (11.00am to 4.00pm).

Roxburghshire Monumental Inscriptions - No 20: Kelso Rosebank Cemetery

Contains a militia list, as well as the monumental inscriptions/gravestone inscriptions from the 2454 gravestones in the cemetery. There is an index to the surnames. Covers stones installed between 1870 and 2002.
Available as a CD or an A4 format book, each has the same content. 2454 gravestones. Book 202 pp including index and illustrations. ISBN 1 874232 07 0.
CD price £10.00 plus postage. Weight 70g.
Book price £21.00 plus postage. Weight 620g.

See our Publications Sales List to buy.

Roxburghshire Monumental Inscriptions - No 19: Cavers & Kirkton (including Denholm)

Contains a hearth tax list, a list of kirk ministers, as well as the monumental inscriptions/gravestone inscriptions from the 820 gravestones in Cavers Old churchyard and new cemetery, Kirkton churchyard and Denholm cemetery. Includes War Memorials.
There is an index to the surnames.
138 pp including index and illustrations. ISBN 1 874232 06 2. 820 gravestones. Price £8.50 plus postage. Weight 205g.

See our Publications Sales List to buy. 

Roxburghshire Monumental Inscriptions - No 21: Melrose Abbey

This volume was researched and published by us.
It's available as a CD or an A4 format book, each has the same content.
It contains a hearth tax list and a militia list, as well as the monumental inscriptions/gravestone inscriptions from the 564 gravestones in the churchyard, and a plan of the Abbey burial ground. Includes photographs of gravestones. There is an index to the surnames.
We regard monumental Inscriptions, gravestone inscriptions, tombstone inscriptions to be identical terms.
See Monumental Inscriptions for this and other volumes produced by the Society.
Search the Gravestones Index for names in which you're interested.

Surnames in the index: Aitchison, Aitkin, Akenhead, Alexander, Allan, Amas, Amos, Anderson, Angus, Armstrong, Bainbridge, Ballantyne, Barham, Barrie, Bartleman, Bathgate, Bell, Belly, Bennetts, Biggar, Bilton, Black, Blaikie, Blakie, Blythe, Borthwick, Boston, Bourdon, Bouston, Boustone, Bower, Boyd, Brack, Brewster, Broadwood, Brodie, Broomfield, Brown, Bruce, Brunton, Brydon, Brydone, Buchanan, Bunyan, Bunyie, Burn, Burnet, Burton, Butler, Cairncross, Campbell, Carmichael, Carr, Charters, Chisholm, Church, Clapperton, Clark, Cochran, Cochrane, Collier, Common, Cook, Cornel, Craik, Cranston, Cranstoun, Crawford, Crosbie, Cully, Cumming, Cunningham, Curle, Dalgleish, Dalgliesh, Darling, Davidson, Dawney, Dick, Dickenson, Dickinson, Dickison, Dickson, Dirom, Dodds, Dods, Donaldson, Douglas, Drummond, Drysdale, Duncan, Dunlop, Easton, Eddington, Edgar, Elder, Elliot, Ellis, Ewart, Fair, Fairbairn, Fairbarn, Fairgrieve, Falla, Farbairn, Ferguson, Fetherstonhaugh, Fiddes, Fisher, Fleming, Forbes, Ford, Forest, Forsyth, Forsythe, Fowler, Fraser, Freer, Frier, Galloway, Gardener, Gardiner, Gibson, Gill, Gillies, Gladstone, Glen, Glendinning, Goddard, Goodfellow, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greig, Grieve, Guthrie, Haig, Hall, Halliburton, Hamilton, Hardie, Harken, Harper, Hart, Hatton, Hay, Heath, Heiton, Henderson, Hepburn, Heriot, Hervie, Hill, Hogg, Hoke, Holland, Home, Hope, Hopkirk, Hoppringle, Howden, Hudson, Hunter, Huntly, Hutchison, Inglis, Innes, Ireland, Isaac, Jackson, Jamieson, Jenkins, Johnston, Karr, Keddie, Keith, Kells, Ker, Kerr, Ketchin, Kirkwood, Knox, Laidlaw, Laidlow, Lamb, Landreth, Lauder, Laurie, Law, Lawrie, Lawson, Lawton, Layell, Leadous, Learmonth, Lee, Lees, Legge, Leith, Lillico, Lillie, Lindsay, Linton, Little, Lockhart, Lockie, Lookup, Lukup, Lumgair, Lumisdon, Lundie, Lyal, Lyall, Mabon, Mack, Macpherson, Mahoney, Main, Mann, Manuel, Marr, Martin, Mather, Matheson, Mathieson, Mathison, Matthewson, Maxwell, Mcaulay, Mcewan, Mckenzie, Mclean, Mcnair, Mcneil, Mebon, Mein, Melville, Mercer, Merton, Middlemas, Mien, Miles, Mill, Millar, Miller, Millne, Mills, Milne, Mitchelhill, Mitchell, Mofet, Moffat, Monteath, Moodie, More, Morow, Morris, Morton, Moss, Muir, Mulvie, Munro, Murray, Myles, Nelson, Nepean, Newton, Nichol, Nicholson, Nicol, Nimmo, Noble, Oliver, Ommanney, Ormiston, Park, Paterson, Pawson, Pigot, Pitman, Pott, Preston, Price, Pringle, Purdie, Purves, Rae, Ramsay, Rankine, Redpath, Reid, Renolson, Richards, Richardson, Riddell, Riddle, Rintoul, Robertson, Robson, Rogers, Romanes, Ronaldson, Rule, Russell, Rutherford, Ruttledge, Sandilands, Scerven, Scoon, Scott, Sharp, Shelley, Shiel, Shields, Shillinglaw, Shultz, Sibald, Sibbald, Simson, Sinclair, Skinner, Skirving, Smail, Smith, Somervile, Spence, Spiers, Steel, Stenhouse, Stephenson, Stevenson, Stewart, Stoddart, Sutherland, Swanston, Tain, Tait, Taket, Taylor, Thin, Thinn, Thompson, Thomson, Thorburn, Tinlin, Tocher, Tod, Trotter, Tudhope, Turnbull, Turner, Usher, Vair, Vogan, Waldie, Walker, Wallace, Walsh, Watson, Wauchope, Waugh, Wayness, Weatherston, Weatherstone, Weir, Welsh, Whiteford, Whitehead, Whitworth, Wight, Wilkinson, Wilkison, Williamson, Willson, Wilson, Winter, Wintrup, Wood, Wybergh, Yellowlees, Young, Zair.
Book 73 pages including index and illustrations. Photos contained in CD attached to back cover. Card Covers. A4 size.
ISBN 978-1-874232-11-7.
CD price £10.00 plus postage. Weight 70g.
Book price £12.00 plus postage. Weight 285g.
See our Publications Sales List to buy.

Changes to the Site

The Website Committee has been discussing changes to this website, the Borders Family History Society website. The changes will be introduced gradually over the next 6 to 8 weeks, as time permits; we are all busy people.

Eventually, the What's New page will disappear; the details of publications changed into blogs, and the Changes section removed, as we think that it's more informative to announce major changes in our blog.

We're also going to be adding more informative descriptions about our monumental inscriptions (gravestone inscriptions) and poor law records volumes.

Lastly, if there are any changes you would like to see, please let us know.
If you use the 'Comments about the website' contact type on our Contacts page, your comment will get right to me.

Recording Gravestone Inscriptions at Edrom Churchyard - Saturday 18th June 2011

We have another day planned for recording gravestone inscriptions/monumental inscriptions; in Edrom churchyard, Edrom, Berwickshire on Saturday 18th June from 10am to 4pm.

Even if you have not been involved in transcribing stones before, do consider joining us, as training can be given.

You’ll need a notebook and a pencil and also it can be helpful if you have a soft brush, chalk, water spray and a kneeling mat.

Most people coming for the whole day bring along a picnic, and a bottle of water; deciphering faded and weathered inscriptions can be thirsty work.

If you would like to take part, even for a few hours on either day, please contact our organiser, Ronald Morrison via our Contacts page using the contact type Gravestone Recording.

Gravestones Inscriptions Recording at Manor, Edrom, and Lilliesleaf

Morag and Ian Carter Recording Stones at Jedburgh Abbey

Like last year, we will be holding open weekends to record gravestone inscriptions/monumental inscriptions in cemeteries and churchyards.

The events planned for this year are:

Saturday 21st May and Sunday 22nd May at Manor Kirkyard, Kirkton Manor, Peeblesshire, EH45 9JH;

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June at Edrom, Berwickshire, TD11 3PX; and

Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th August at Lilliesleaf, Roxburghshire, TD6 9JD.



In each case, we will probably work from 10am to 4pm on the Saturday, and 1pm to 4pm on the Sunday.

Even if you have not been involved in transcribing stones before, do consider joining us, as training can be given. Everybody who took part last year thoroughly enjoyed themselves. You’ll need a notebook and a pencil and also it can be helpful if you have a soft brush, chalk, water spray and a kneeling mat. Most people coming for the whole day bring along a picnic, and a bottle of water; deciphering faded and weathered inscriptions can be thirsty work.

If you want to come but don’t have transport, we may be able to arrange a lift.
If you would like to take part in any of the events on one or both days, even for a few hours on either day, please contact our organiser, Ronald Morrison either on 01361 882166, or via our Contacts page, using the contact type Gravestone Recording. This will allow us to coordinate the work, confirm to you more precisely what is involved and advise in the event of any change in the arrangements.

New Monumental Inscriptions for Galashiels Eastlands and St Peter’s Episcopal Church

  Only 2 years in the making, from planning to publication, we are pleased to have completed the Monumental Inscriptions for Galashiels Eastlands and St Peter’s Episcopal Church.  With almost 3,300 gravestones in Eastlands, the recording has been virtually the solo effort of a very dedicated volunteer, and long-standing member of the Society, Cyril Corcoran. The checking and photography of all gravestones, carried out by Society members and friends, has been both challenging and interesting.

Opened in 1863, Eastlands is typical of so many cemeteries of the late 19th and the 20th centuries, where the Victorian fashions dominate.  Many large mural monuments and plaques are found around the perimeter walls, memorials to the manufacturers and merchants of the town.  Large stone and granite obelisks are found throughout.  The white marble and limestone memorials, many with intricate carving, were favoured in the 1920s and 1930s and into the 1950s and although blackened over the years, remain in excellent condition to this day.  Lead lettering used on many 20th century stones is disappearing, leading to difficulties in reading the inscriptions.  Some stones, which have fallen from their original position, have been reset directly into the ground and the lower part of the inscription is buried and unreadable.  The trees and bushes planted throughout the cemetery are cut back regularly but the regrowth doesn’t take long to hide the stones again.

There are many stones that have been placed by fellow workers, friends and neighbours of the deceased. Some remind us of the dangers of working in industrial environments as in the case of one young man "killed accidentally at Dalmeny Oil Works".  The mills, the foundation of the town, are recorded on many of the memorials, not only for the mill owners and managers.  Small memorials have been placed by workers from several of the mills in memory of their colleagues. One, which appears to be the only memorial on the grave, simply says "From the neighbours".  Many of the graves remain unmarked. 

Memorials in the burial ground that lies to the south of St Peter’s Episcopal Church have also been recorded.  This small, peaceful area, with less than 30 stones is a haven for wildlife.  St Peter’s has an unusual memorial window, which includes an infantryman, a kiltie, an air force subaltern and a chaplain to the Forces in memory of the members of the congregation who fell in the 1914-1918 war and of their own Rector.

Transcriptions of the Galashiels War Memorial, together with War Memorials in Galashiels Academy, St Peter’s Church and the Old Parish and St Paul’s Church, have all been included in our publication.

There are over 1,360 different surnames included in the inscriptions on the gravestones for the Galashiels Eastlands and St Peter’s Episcopal Church Monumental Inscriptions CD, and they are: Ackroyd, Adam, Adams, Adamson, Addie, Addison, Affleck, Aikman, Aimers, Ainslie, Aird, Aiston, Aitchison, Aitken, Alison, Allan, Allison, Allister, Alstone, Amos, Anderson, Andison, Andrew, Andries, Angus, Archer, Archibald, Armitage, Armstrong, Arnot, Arnott, Arrol, Arthur, Ashton, Assman, Atkinson, Auchincloss, Babington, Baillie, Bain, Baird, Bairstow, Bak, Baker, Balfour, Ballantyne, Balmer, Banks, Baptie, Barbour, Barker, Barr, Barrett, Barrie, Barron, Barrow, Bartlett, Batchan, Bateman, Bathgate, Baxter, Beaton, Beattie, Beck, Bedford, Begg, Bell, Bennet, Bennett, Benzie, Benzies, Berg, Berry, Bertram, Beveridge, Biggar, Birbeck, Bird, Birnie, Bishop, Bisset, Black, Blackie, Blacklaw, Blackley, Blacklock, Blackstock, Blackwood, Blaikie, Blain, Blair, Blake, Blakie, Blanch, Blyth, Bohmke, Boland, Bold, Bolton, Bookless, Booth, Borthwick, Boswell, Boudrea, Bowers, Bowes, Bowie, Bowman, Boyce, Boyd, Boyle, Bradley, Bradly, Brady, Braid, Bramhall, Brand, Brander, Brannan, Bremner, Briggs, Broad, Brockie, Brodie, Brogan, Brotherston, Brotherstone, Brotherton, Brough, Brown, Brownlee, Bruce, Brunton, Bryce, Bryden, Brydon, Bryson, Buchan, Buchanan, Buckham, Bulloch, Bullock, Bunyan, Burgess, Burian, Burn, Burnett, Burns, Burnside, Burrell, Burton, Bushfield, Butler, Byers, Cairney, Cairns, Calder, Caldwell, Cameron, Campbell, Candlin, Cannon, Cardno, Carlyle, Carney, Carr, Carradice, Carrie, Carruthers, Carss, Carter, Carver, Cass, Cassie, Cavine, Cessford, Chalmers, Chamberlain, Chambers, Chapman, Charters, Chesney, Chirnside, Chisholm, Christie, Christopherson, Chrobak, Chruszcz, Church, Civis, Clancy, Clapperton, Clark, Clarke, Cleeson, Cleghorn, Clelland, Clerk, Clinton, Close, Clubb, Clyde, Clynick, Cochrane, Cockburn, Codd, Coldwell, Cole, Collier, Collins, Collyer, Colquhoun, Coltart, Colthard, Coltman, Combat, Common, Compton, Conacher, Connell, Connelly, Connochie, Connolly, Connor, Conroy, Cook, Cooper, Corcoran, Cornish, Cornwall, Corry, Cossar, Coulthard, Coutts, Cowan, Cowburgh, Cowe, Cowie, Cox, Crabb, Craig, Craighead, Craigie, Craise, Cramb, Cramond, Cran, Cranston, Crawford, Creamer, Crerar, Cribbes, Crichton, Croan, Crombie, Crooks, Crosart, Crosbie, Cross, Crossan, Crossart, Crowe, Crozier, Cruickshank, Cuerden, Culbertson, Cullinan, Cumming, Cunningham, Curle, Curran, Currie, Curtis, Cuthbertson, Dalgetty, Dalgleish, Dalgliesh, Dalglish, Dallas, Dalziel, Daniel, Darling, Darnley, Darrie, Davidson, Davie, Davies, Dawidowski, Dawson, Deans, Dees, Delgaty, Dembinski, Denby, Denham, Denholm, Denoon, Dew, Dewar, Dewing, Dewison, Dewsnap, Diaz, Dick, Dickie, Dickinson, Dickson, Dilger, Dillon, Din, Dinnell, Dixon, Dobbie, Dobson, Docherty, Dodds, Doherty, Doig, Donachie, Donald, Donaldson, Donalson, Donochue, Donoghue, Doogan, Dorward, Dotherty, Douglas, Doull, Dove, Dow, Downie, Drum, Drummond, Dryden, Drysdale, Du Bois, Dudgeon, Duff, Dumble, Dun, Dunbar, Duncan, Duncanson, Dunlop, Dunn, Dunnachie, Dunnett, Dunse, Duthie, Eakron, Easson, Easton, Eckford, Eddington, Eden, Edgar, Edington, Edmunds, Effingham, Eggie, Elder, Elliot, Ellis, Elwes, Emmerson, Emond, Emslie, Entwistle, Erskine, Espie, Esson, Euman, Ewart, Faichney, Fair, Fairbairn, Fairgrieve, Fairley, Fairweather, Falconer, Faragher, Farish, Farrell, Farrer, Faulkner, Fenton, Fergus, Ferguson, Ferrier, Fiddes, Findlay, Finlay, Finlayson, Finney, Finnie, Fisher, Fitch, Flach, Flanders, Flannaghan, Fleming, Fletcher, Flucker, Flynn, Foley, Forbes, Ford, Forrest, Forson, Forsyth, Forsythe, Forte, Fortune, Foster, Fowler, Fox, Franck, Fraser, Frater, French, Friel, Frier, Frost, Fulton, Fusciardi, Fyfe, Fyffe, Gall, Galloway, Gardiner, Gardner, Garnock, Garrett, Gash, Gass, Gavin, Gear, Gebbie, Geddes, George, Gerrard, Gethin, Gibb, Gibson, Gilchrist, Gilday, Gill, Gillan, Gillespie, Gillie, Gillies, Gilmartin, Gilmour, Gilroy, Girvan, Given, Gladstone, Glen, Glendinning, Glover, Godwin, Gold, Goodbrand, Gooder, Goodfellow, Goodman, Goodsir, Goodwill, Gordon, Gorman, Gotterson, Gourlay, Graham, Grahamslaw, Grainger, Grant, Gray, Green, Greenwood, Gregory, Greiner, Grey, Grieson, Grieve, Grosart, Grossart, Gueldner, Gulland, Gunn, Gunter, Guntert, Gurr, Guthrie, Haberstein, Haddow, Haig, Haigh, Hainsworth, Hair, Haldane, Hall, Halliday, Halliwell, Hamilton, Hancock, Hannah, Hannan, Hannay, Hardie, Hardy, Harkin, Harkness, Harley, Harrison, Harrower, Hart, Harte, Hartey, Hartley, Harvey, Hastie, Havery, Hawkins, Hay, Hayward, Hazard, Heaney, Heard, Heatley, Heatlie, Henderson, Hendry, Henry, Henson, Hepburn, Herbert, Herbertson, Hercik, Hermiston, Heron, Heslop, Hessel, Hewat, Hewitson, Hewitt, Hey, Hilbert, Hill, Hinchcliffe, Hincklieff, Hislop, Hitchins, Hobkirk, Hodge, Hoey, Hogarth, Hogg, Hoggan, Hoggarth, Holmes, Home, Homson, Honig, Hood, Hookes, Hope, Hopkirk, Hopton, Hopwood, Horsburgh, Hossack, Housler, Howden, Howie, Howieson, Hoy, Huck, Hudson, Hughan, Hughes, Humble, Hume, Hunter, Huntley, Hurst-hodgson, Hush, Hutcheson, Hutchison, Hutton, Hymers, Hynes, Hyslop, Illingworth, Illis, Imrie, Ingles, Inglis, Innes, Ireland, Irvine, Irving, Iwasiow, Jack, Jackman, Jackson, Jaffney, Jagger, Jameson, Jamieson, Jardine, Jaworski, Jeffrey, Jenkins, Jobson, Johnston, Johnstone, Jones, Jordinson, Juler, Kay, Keaney, Keddie, Keen, Keith, Kellock, Kelly, Kemp, Kennedy, Keppie, Ker, Kerr, Ketchion, Kidd, Kigie, Kilburn, Kilcannon, Kimber, Kimberley, King, Kinghorn, Kinnaird, Kinnear, Kinross, Kirkpatrick, Kirkwood, Kitching, Kittel, Kivlichan, Klein, Knowlson, Knox, Knuth, Kozakiewicz, Krzeminski, Kuzmierkiewicz, Kyle, Lacon, Laidlaw, Laing, Lamb, Lambert, Lambton, Lamont, Lanchbury, Langford, Langsdon, Lassen, Latham, Lauder, Laurie, Law, Lawman, Lawrence, Lawrie, Lawson, Layzell, Lazzari, Leadbetter, Learmouth, Leask, Lee, Lees, Leeson, Leete, Leid, Leighton, Leishman, Leitch, Leithead, Lennox, Leslie, Lethbridge, Lewis, Liddle, Lillico, Lillie, Lind, Lindley, Lindores, Lindsay, Linton, Lister, Litster, Little, Livingston, Livingstone, Locke, Lockhart, Lockie, Lockwood, Lofthouse, Logan, Logie, Lorimer, Lorraine, Lothian, Lough, Lountain, Love, Low, Lowe, Lowes, Lowrie, Lucas, Ludlow, Lugton, Lumsden, Lunn, Lyall, Lynch, Lynn, Lyon, Lyons, Mabon, Macari, MacDonald, MacDougall, MacFarlane, MacGilvray, MacGown, MacGregor, MacIntyre, MacIvor, Mack, Mackay, Mackenzie, Mackie, Mackintosh, Mackison, MacLachlan, MacLachlin, MacLaren, Macleod, MacNab, Macnamara, Macnaughton, Macphail, Macpherson, Macrae, Madder, Magee, Maguiness, Maguire, Mahon, Main, Mair, Malley, Manderson, Manderston, Mann, Manson, Marchbank, Mark, Mars, Marshall, Marshall-roberts, Martin, Mason, Massie, Mather, Matheson, Mathew, Mathieson, Mathison, Matthew, Matthewson, Mauchline, Maule, Maxwell, May, Maywood, Mcadam, McArdle, McArthur, McAulay, McAuley, McBain, McBride, McCafferty, McCaig, McCall, McCallum, McCann, McCartney, McClory, McCord, McCormack, McCracken, McCready, McCrirrick, McCubbin, McCudden, McCuire, McCulloch, McDonald, McDonouch, McDougal, McDougall, McDowall, McElroy, McEwan, McFadyen, McFadzean, McFarlane, McGee, McGennis, McGhee, McGill, McGillivray, McGinniss, McGirr, McGlasson, McGliskie, McGlynn, McGregor, McGuire, McGurie, McInnes, McIntosh, McIntyre, McKay, McKean, McKellar, McKendrick, McKinney, McLachlan, McLagan, McLaren, McLauchlan, McLauchlin, McLaughlan, McLaughlin, McLay, McLean, McLeish, McLellan, McLelland, McLeod, McMahon, McMillan, McMorran, McMorrin, McMurdo, McNab, McNairn, McNeill, McNish, McPartlin, McPherson, McQueen, McQuillan, McRae, McRay, McRobie, McRuvie, McSeveney, McVinnie, McWalter, Meadows, Mearns, Meenan, Meikle, Meiklejohn, Meiklejon, Mein, Melchers, Meldrum, Melrose, Melville, Menzies, Mercer, Messer, Methven, Michie, Middlemas, Middlemass, Middlemiss, Middlemist, Milivoyevich, Mill, Millan, Millar, Miller, Milligan, Mills, Milne, Milroy, Milven, Mirtle, Mitchelhill, Mitchell, Moffat, Moir, Moncreiff, Montgomery, Moodie, Moody, Mooney, Moonie, Moor, Moran, More, Morgan, Morison, Morris, Morrison, Moultrie, Mowat, Mraz, Mucklie, Mudie, Muir, Muirhead, Muldoon, Mulligan, Mulvie, Mundle, Munro, Munsie, Murdie, Murdoch, Murphy, Murr, Murray, Mycock, Myles, Nairn, Naismith, Napier, Naylor, Neil, Neill, Neilson, Nelson, Nemeth, Ness, Nevin, Newbigging, Newlands, Nichol, Nicholson, Nicol, Nimmo, Nisbet, Niven, Nixon, Noble, Norrie, Notman, O’Brien, O’Donnell, O’Hara, O’Kane, O’Malley, O’Neill, O’Reilly, Oakley, O'Donoghue, Officer, Ogilive, Ogilvy, Ogle, Oldham, Oliver, Ormiston, Orr, Outerson, Ovens, Owen, Owens, Padkin, Paisley, Park, Parker, Pastor, Paterson, Paton, Patterson, Pattie, Pattison, Paull, Payne, Peacock, Pearson, Peden, Pegler, Pender, Penman, Penny, Pentelton, Pentland, Pepler, Petisme, Petrie, Philips, Phillips, Philp, Phimister, Phin, Pietrzak, Pirie, Pirrie, Pitman, Pittar, Pittillo, Playfair, Plenderleath, Plenderleith, Plummer, Pocknall, Poddubecki, Pollock, Polson, Porteous, Potts, Poulton, Poustie, Pow, Power, Prentice, Preston, Pretsell, Pringle, Prior, Pritchard, Proctor, Proud, Proudfoot, Pryde, Pudlik, Purdom, Purves, Quarry, Quinn, Rae, Raeburn, Ragg, Raley, Ralston, Ramage, Ramsay, Rankin, Rankine, Rathie, Rattray, Rayner, Reavely, Redpath, Reed, Reid, Reilly, Rendall, Renney, Rennie, Renton, Renwick, Riach, Richardson, Richter, Riddell, Riddle, Rieple, Rigg, Rintoul, Ritch, Ritchie, Roach, Roalfe, Robb, Roberts, Robertson, Robeson, Robinson, Robson, Rochford, Roddan, Roden, Rodger, Rodgers, Rodgerson, Roebuck, Rogerson, Romanes, Romanis, Ronald, Rooney, Roseburgh, Ross, Rothschild, Rowan, Roy, Royds, Runciman, Russell, Rutecka, Rutherford, Ruthven, Salton, Salvesen, Samolej, Sanderson, Sands, Scholan, Schulze, Scott, Screen, Segesdi, Selkirk, Semple, Senior, Service, Sewell, Shand, Shanks, Shannan, Sharp, Shaw, Shearer, Sheldrick, Shepherd, Sheridan, Sherriff, Shiel, Shields, Shiell, Shiels, Shillinglaw, Short, Shortreed, Sibbald, Sidell, Silver, Sim, Sime, Simpson, Sinclair, Sinton, Skea, Skene, Skillen, Skinner, Slack, Slater, Slight, Smail, Small, Smart, Smellie, Smibert, Smith, Smyth, Sneddon, Snowden, Sojka, Solan, Somerville, Sommerville, Souter, Sowman, Spalding, Sparks, Speed, Speirs, Spence, Spiers, Spouse, Sprat, Spratt, Spreng, Sprott, Squair, Stalker, Stanners, Stark, Stavert, Steel, Steele, Stein, Steinbach, Stenhouse, Stephen, Steven, Stevens, Stevenson, Stewart, Stillie, Stimson, Stirling, Stobie, Stoddart, Storie, Story, Strachan, Strang, Stratford, Stronach, Stuart, Stubbs, Sutherland, Swan, Swanson, Swanston, Swatton, Sweeney, Swinton, Syme, Symington, Tacket, Taddei, Tait, Taket, Taylor, Telfer, Telford, Temple, Templeton, Tennant, Tereszczyn, Terry, Tetulics, Teviotdale, Thom, Thomarson, Thomas, Thompson, Thomson, Thorburn, Thripland, Thwaites, Thwaits, Tilston, Tinlin, Tinline, Tocher, Tod, Todd, Tomlinson, Tomsett, Torrie, Tough, Townley, Towns, Townsend, Trilloe, Trotter, Tudhope, Tully, Turbett, Turkington, Turley, Turnbull, Turner, Tweedie, Tyson, Upton, Ure, Valentine, Vanhegan, Vannan, Vaughan, Veitch, Vuckovic, Waddell, Wade, Wagstaffe, Wait, Wakeford, Waldie, Walker, Wallace, Ward, Wares, Warrington, Warwick, Waters, Waterson, Watherston, Watson, Watt, Watters, Waugh, Wear, Weatherhead, Weatherson, Weatherston, Weatherstone, Webb, Webster, Weddell, Weir, Wells, Welsh, Wemyss, West, Weston, Whamond, Whelan, White, Whitecross, Whitefield, Whitehead, Whitelaw, Whitie, Whiting, Whitson, Whittaker, Whittle, Whitton, Whyte, Wight, Wightman, Wilk, Wilkie, Wilkinson, Williams, Williamson, Willison, Willocks, Wilson, Windram, Wingate, Winlaw, Winslow, Winter, Wintrup, Wood, Woods, Wotton, Wray, Wren, Wright, Wylie, Wyllie, Wyper, Yeaman, Yellowlees, Yorkston, Young, Younger, Youngson, Yule, Zawadecky, Zerek, Zielinski, Zumbusch, Zumwalt, Zwozdiak.

The recording of Galashiels Old Ladhope burial ground was completed in 2007 and is also available on CD, price £10 plus postage.  The older Gala Aisle burial ground has been recorded by Selkirk Genealogy, in booklet form, price £4.95 plus postage.

Galashiels Eastlands and St Peter’s Monumental Inscriptions are available on CD at £15 plus postage.

To buy these publications, please contact Mary Thomson on our Contacts page using the contact type Order for Publications.

More Seats Available at our Family and Local History Fair and Conference in Melrose, Scotland on 9th October 2010

We underestimated the demand for the talks at our forthcoming family and local history fair and conference, so we've moved the talks into a bigger room and allocated more seats to the seat booking site.

We will hold some seats back so that those who don't have internet access can still go to the talks, and I expect there will be some people who don't turn up on the day.

However, admission to the fair and conference is free, the seats are free, there is no booking fee, and there'll be people from the Hawick Heritage Hub as well as others in our research room waiting to help you with your research.

You don't need to bring lunch or drinks with you as we're providing light refreshments at very low prices.

Programme

• 10.30 am - Welcome and Brief History of Borders Family History Society
• 11.00 am Keynote Lecture - Haunted Borders - noted local author, Norrie McLeish
• 1.00 pm Borders Police Records - Juline Baird and Sarah Chapman, Hawick Heritage Hub
• 2.00 pm My Life in Textiles - Ellis Macgregor
• 3.00 pm Poor Relief in Melrose 1871-1890 - Peter Munro

Exhibitors

• Borders Family History Society
• Clan Johnston
• Clan Moffat
• Dumfries & Galloway Family History Society
• Dunse History Society
• Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society
• Hawick Heritage Hub
• John Smith - Jedburgh's Wartime Sacrifice
• Lanarkshire Family History Society
• Lothians Family History Society
• Melrose Historical Association
• Northumberland & Durham Family History Society
• Recording Angels
• Scottish Genealogy Research
• Tay Valley Family History Society
• The Scottish Association of Family History Societies
• The Scottish Genealogy Society
• West Lothian Family History Society

Most of these exhibitors have new publications for sale including monumental inscriptions, local history, and social history.

We hope to see you there.

If you've joined recently, please do come and speak to us.

Monumental Inscriptions Recording at Stow and Coldingham Priory

We had planned another weekend recording gravestone inscriptions in the new graveyard at Stow (near Galashiels) on 11th and 12th September. Already, though, tremendous progress has been made with this project. Gwen Stein has photographed all the stones and this being a very modern graveyard it has been possible to transcribe about 95 % of them from the photographs.

All that is now required is final checking for which we have enough people.

Accordingly, unless anyone is particularly interested in being involved and no offer of help is ever spurned, you are all excused and we hope nobody is too disappointed.

However, transcription work at Coldingham Priory is far from complete with much still to be done and we have arranged for a further session for  the following Saturday 18th September from 10am to 4pm. We have received a lot of assistance from The Friends of Coldingham Priory who are anxious to push on. We hope as many as possibly of you, refreshed from your week-end off, will be able to join us then. Anyone who would wish to join us, do please come along (even for a couple of hours).
Further details from Ronald Morrison via our Contacts page, using the contact type Gravestone Recording.

New Monumental Inscriptions volume for Innerleithen, Peeblesshire

We’re pleased to report that we have just published another new Monumental Inscriptions volume on CD, this time for Innerleithen in Peeblesshire; the compiling of which has been a mammoth task.

The first record of a parish church in the parish of Innerleithen was during the mid 12th century when Malcolm IV gave the church to the monks of Kelso. He later granted the right of refuge to the church after the body of his young son, drowned in the River Tweed, was carried there and lay in the church overnight.

In the early 1700s, Innerleithen was a village of a few thatched cottages close to the church, all built in the narrow haugh between Pirn Craig and Lee Pen.
The discovery of the mineral water springs on Lee Pen, together with a visit from Robert Burns in 1787, made Innerleithen a popular destination. Alexander Brodie, a native of Traquair, and a blacksmith to trade, had been successful in the iron industry in Shropshire and was acquainted with the Dumfriesshire born engineer, Thomas Telford. He used his wealth to build a mill in Innerleithen in 1791. The population of the parish was under 600 at the time and provided a pool of workers for his mill, while the farmers in the district, provided the wool. It was the ample supply of clean water from the Leithen and the Tweed that allowed the growth of the textile industry and the subsequent growth in population in the village of Innerleithen and the building of the new village at the Walker Burn.

By 1881, the population in the parish had grown to over 3,600 with more than 1,000 living in the village of Walkerburn.
The building of churches, within the town, mirrored the growth in the population. The parish church at Kirklands was built in 1791. Between 1844 and 1879, St John's Free Church in Horsburgh St, the United Free Presbyterian Church in Princes Street, the Second Free Presbyterian Church in Pirn Road, the Congregational Church and the St James Roman Catholic Church in the High Street, and the new parish church were erected.

This volume on CD comprises a plan of Innerleithen in 1849, historical notes on Innerleithen parish, transcription of the Poll Tax of 1694 which lists 264 people including many couples, a list of the ministers of Innerleithen and Walkerburn churches, plans of Kirklands in Leithen Road and Traquair Road cemetery, interments in the Old Kirkyard, inscriptions on over 1200 gravestones in Kirklands and Traquair Road cemetery, photographs of all the gravestones, Innerleithen War Memorial, Walkerburn War Memorial, rolls of honour and other memorials, an obituary of Nannie Kirk, the Pipers Grave, list of Standard Bearers, as well as indexes of the surnames in the Poll Tax and the gravestone inscriptions.

There are almost 800 different surnames included in the inscriptions on the gravestones, and they are: Aaronson, Adam, Adams, Adamson, Aiken, Ainslie, Aird, Aitchison, Aithie, Aitken, Alexander, Allan, Amos, Anderson, Angus, Archibald, Armstrong, Arthur, Atkinson, Austin, Baigrie, Baillie, Bain, Ballantyne, Banks, Bannatyne, Baptie, Barber, Barbour, Barnett, Barr, Barrett, Barrie, Bastianelli, Baxter, Bean, Beattie, Beck, Becker, Bell, Bennett, Berridge, Berry, Bertram, Beveridge, Bewsey, Biggar, Binnie, Birch, Birnie, Bishop, Bisset, Bissett, Blackie, Blacklaw, Blair, Blake, Blakie, Bly, Blyth, Blythe, Booth, Borthwick, Bowie, Boyd, Bradford, Braidwood, Branston, Brett, Bridgeford, Broadfoot, Broadley, Brockie, Brodie, Brown, Brownlee, Bruce, Brunton, Bryce, Brydone, Buchan, Buchanan, Bulloch, Burnett, Burns, Bursby, Burton, Butters, Cadenhead, Cairncross, Cairns, Calder, Caldwell, Cambridge, Cameron, Campbell, Carr, Carrie, Cattanach, Chalmers, Chapman, Cherry, Cheyne, Chisholm, Chisholme, Christie, Christison, Cieszynski, Clapperton, Clark, Clarke, Cleghorn, Clifford, Clive, Cluggie, Clyde, Cochrane, Cockburn, Coia, Collier, Collins, Colquhoun, Condie, Connelly, Constable, Conway, Cook, Cooksey, Cornish, Cornwall, Corsie, Cossar, Cotter, Coulthard, Couper, Cowan, Cowe, Cowen, Cox, Coyle, Craig, Crainiey, Cranston, Crawford, Crichton, Crombie, Crosbie, Crozier, Cuerden, Cumming, Cummings, Cunningham, Currie, Dalgleish, Dalgliesh, Dalling, Darling, Davidson, Davies, Dawidziak, Dawson, Deans, Dempster, Denver, Devine, Dewar, Dewhurst, Dick, Dickison, Dickson, Dobie, Dobson, Docherty, Dodd, Doherty, Doig, Donald, Donaldson, Douglas, Dryden, Drysdale, Duffy, Dunn, Dyer, Easson, Easton, Eaton, Eckford, Eddy, Elder, Elliot, Elliott, Ellis, Erskine, Euman, Evans, Fairbairn, Fairfull, Fairgrieve, Fairley, Falconer, Farnie, Farrant, Faulds, Fayrer, Featherston, Ferguson, Finlayson, Finnie, Finugane, Fionda, Fishburn, Fisher, Fleming, Flett, Flynn, Foot, Ford, Forrest, Forrester, Forsyth, Foster, Frame, Fraser, French, Frizzel, Fullarton, Fulton, Galbraith, Gallocher, Galloway, Gardner, Garrett, Gasson, Gdula, Geddes, Gerrard, Gerry, Gibb, Gibson, Giegerich, Gilchrist, Gill, Gillespie, Gillon, Gilroy, Glass, Glendinning, Goldie, Goodfellow, Gordon, Goskirk, Goudie, Gow, Gowans, Graham, Granger, Grant, Gray, Green, Greenwood, Gregor, Greig, Grierson, Grieve, Hackett, Haig, Hailstone, Halapup, Halkett, Hall, Hamilton, Hammell, Hannah, Hannestad, Harbottle, Hardie, Hare, Harkes, Harkess, Harris, Harrold, Harrower, Hart, Harvey, Haston, Hawley, Hay, Heaney, Heath, Heatlie, Hegarty, Henderson, Hendry, Henry, Henshaw, Herbertson, Heuch, Hewitson, Highland, Hill, Hinshelwood, Hislop, Hobson, Hodge, Hogg, Hojda, Holt, Honeyman, Hook, Hooper, Hope, Horsburgh, Howie, Howieson, Howitt, Hume, Hunnam, Hunter, Husband, Hutcheson, Hutchison, Hutton, Hymers, Hyslop, Imrie, Inch, Ingles, Inglis, Ingram, Inman, Innes, Irvine, Irving, Jack, Jackson, Jamieson, Jardine, Jarvis, Jeffrey, Jenkinson, Johnston, Johnstone, Jones, Kane, Kasperczyk, Keddie, Keith, Kelly, Kennedy, Kerr, Ketchen, Ketchin, Keyden, Kidd, King, Kinnear, Kinnon, Kinross, Kippie, Kirk, Knox, Kolodziej, Kruger, Kurowski, Kurys, Kydd, Kyle, Laidlaw, Laing, Lamb, Lambert, Landers, Lauder, Laurie, Lawson, Lawton, Learmond, Learmonth, Leask, Lees, Leithead, Lennie, Leonard, Leslie, Lessel, Lewis, Liddle, Lindsay, Linton, Little, Livingston, Lloyd, Lockhart, Lockie, Logan, Lorimar, Lorimer, Lothian, Lowrie, Lumsden, Lunn, Lyle, Lynn, Maben, Macadam, Macalister, Macartney, Macdiarmid, Macdonald, Macdougall, Macfarlane, Macgregor, Mack, Mackay, Mackenzie, Mackinnon, Mackintosh, Maclellan, Macleod, Macnaught, Macnaughton, Macqueen, Maguire, Maher, Main, Mair, Makin, Malcolm, Manson, Marjoriebanks, Marr, Marshall, Martin, Mastalerz, Mathie, Mathieson, Mathison, Matthews, Maul, Maule, Mcadam, Mcbeath, Mccaig, Mccall, Mccallum, Mcclune, Mcclure, Mccormack, Mccormick, Mccowan, Mccrorie, Mccutcheon, Mcdonald, Mcdougall, Mcdowell, Mcewan, Mcfadzean, Mcgill, Mcginley, Mcginn, Mcglashan, Mcglasson, Mcgovern, Mcgowan, Mcgregor, Mcintosh, Mcintyre, Mckay, Mckean, Mckellar, Mckelvie, Mckenna, Mckie, Mckimmie, Mcknight, Mclaren, Mclauchlan, Mclean, Mclellan, Mcleman, Mclennan, Mcleod, Mcmichael, Mcmillan, Mcmorran, Mcmurchie, Mcmurdo, Mcnab, Mcnairn, Mcnaught, Mcnaughton, Mcnee, Mcnie, Mcpake, Mcphail, Mcpherson, Mcskimming, Mcteir, Mcwhirter, Meail, Meikle, Mellross, Melrose, Melville, Menzies, Mercer, Michie, Middlemas, Middlemist, Millar, Miller, Miller-thomas, Mills, Milne, Milns, Mirtle, Mitchelhill, Mitchell, Moffat, Molus, Montgomery, Moon, Moore, Morison, Moritz, Morrice, Morris, Morrise, Morrison, Mortan, Morton, Motion, Mowat, Mowatt, Muir, Muirhead, Mungai, Munro, Murray, Myers, Myles, Nairn, Naylor, Naysmith, Neil, Neilson, Nelson, Newall, Newlands, Nichol, Nicholson, Nicol, Nimmo, Nisbet, Nisbett, Noble, Norman, Norris, Norval, Notman, Oliphant, Oliver, Ormiston, Ostrowski, Overend, Owen, Page, Paisley, Pajak, Palmer, Panter, Park, Parker, Parson, Paterson, Paton, Patterson, Paxton, Payne, Pearce, Peat, Peden, Pederson, Pendrich, Pennel, Pentland, Percy, Phaup, Philip, Phillips, Philp, Pickles, Plastow, Poll, Porteous, Potts, Pow, Pownall, Preston, Pretsell, Pringle, Prosser, Proudfoot, Purslow, Purves, Purvis, Pyrzyk, Rae, Raeburn, Ralston, Ramage, Ramsay, Ramsey, Rangecroft, Rathie, Rawbon, Readman, Redpath, Reid, Rendle, Rennie, Renton, Renwick, Richardson, Rickettes, Riddell, Riddle, Ridgway, Ritchie, Roberts, Robertson, Robson, Rodger, Rosie, Ross, Rowntree, Roxburgh, Roy, Ruickbie, Russell, Rutherford, Rydak, Salton, Samuel, Sandeman, Sanderson, Sandiland, Sands, Schofield, Scot, Scott, Scougal, Scougall, Scullion, Sewart, Seymour, Shand, Shanks, Sharland, Sharpe, Shaw, Shearer, Shearme, Shiel, Shiell, Shortreed, Sibbald, Silk, Simmons, Simpson, Sinclair, Sivewright, Sked, Slide, Slingsby, Smail, Small, Smart, Smeeth, Smelt, Smibert, Smith, Sneddon, Snowdon, Somers, Somerville, Sommerville, Soroka, Spence, Stalker, Stalkers, Stark, Stavert, Stebie, Stein, Stenhouse, Stephenson, Sterricks, Steuart, Stevenson, Stewart, Stirling, Stobie, Stoddart, Storie, Storrie, Strachan, Strasser, Strathie, Stroyan, Struthers, Strutthers, Stuart, Sudden, Sutherland, Swan, Swanston, Sword, Sykes, Taggart, Tait, Tarbet, Taylor, Telfer, Tempelton, Temple, Temporal, Tennant, Thatcher, Thomas, Thompson, Thomson, Thorburn, Tod, Todd, Todrick, Toulman, Townend, Trevor, Tucker, Tulloch, Tully, Turnbull, Turner, Turyk, Twining, Umpherston, Urquhart, Vallance, Varrie, Veitch, Vernon, Virtue, Waddell, Wagstaff, Waldie, Walker, Walkingshaw, Wallace, Wallis, Ward, Waters, Watson, Watt, Waugh, Weatherston, Weir, Weir, Weston, Wheeler, White, Whiteford, Whitehead, Whiteley, Whitson, Wight, Wilkin, Wilkins, Wilkinson, Willett, Williams, Williamson, Willison, Wilson, Winks, Winter, Winton, Wintrope, Wood, Wright, Wyper, Yeatts, Yorke, Young, Yuill-walker, Yule, Ziegler.

The CD costs £12 plus 51p for 2nd class UK postage.

In Innerleithen, you can get a copy at Smail’s Printing Works, alternatively, please contact Mary Thomson on our Contacts page using the contact type Order for Publications.

To comment on this article, please click the 'comments' link below. 

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 2nd class UK postage 51p, EU postage £1.31, rest of world £1.82) can be obtained from us at Old Gala House, Galashiels, TD1 3JS, Scotland.

To comment on this article, please click the 'comments' link below.  

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.

New Monumental Inscriptions Volume for Longformacus, Berwickshire

We’re delighted to announce the publication of our new Monumental Inscriptions volume for Longformacus, Berwickshire. Longformacus parish sits in the Lammermuir Hills in the north of Berwickshire and has some fine heather moorland and hill farms.  The village was recorded as Langeford Makhous, around 1340 and later in 1430, as Lochrymacus, from the Gaelic Lann Fathir Maccus, the church on the field or slope of Maccus. Ellem and Longformacus churches were dedicated in 1243. James IV met his commanders at Ellem church in 1496 and the Scots army mustered there before Flodden. The parish has grown since it was split from Mordington in 1666. Ellem was added early in the 18th Century, but in 1891, boundary changes moved Ellem to Cranshaws parish.

Like many other volumes in the series, the CD contains a hearth tax list, war memorial inscriptions, a list of kirk ministers and a militia list, as well as the full inscriptions from the 221 gravestones in the old churchyard and new burial ground.
Also included are 392 mortcloth records from 1716 to 1856, mostly with the name of the deceased; and an extract from the Longformacus Public School Admission Log from 1873 to 1913, listing 424 admissions to the school, showing names of pupils and parents, addresses, occupations and dates of pupils’ births. There are indexes to the surnames and places mentioned.

The surnames contained in the monumental inscriptions are Aikman, Allan, Allon, Anderson, Auld, Baillie, Ballantyne, Barrie, Bell, Berry, Bertram, Biggar, Black, Blackhall, Blakbell, Blake, Blong, Bonsema, Boyes, Bradford, Brockie, Broun, Brown, Buchan, Buckham, Burnet, Burns, Cairns, Calder, Cameron, Campbell, Carnegie, Chisholm, Christie, Clark, Cockburn, Collins, Colvin, Connell, Cook, Cowe, Craik, Craise, Creas, Currie, Dale, Dalgliesh, Davidson, Deans, Dickson, Dingwall, Dinwoodie, Dodd, Dodds, Dods, Donaldson, Douglas, Dun, Dunn, Dwdgen, Edgar, Elliot, Erskine, Fair, Fairbairn, Fergie, Ferguson, Flint, Flynn, Ford, Forrest, Fortune, Fouller, Fowler, Galbraith, Gardiner, Garvie, Gaylard, Gibb, Gibson, Graham, Grant, Gray, Grieve, Hall, Hardie, Harkness, Henderson, Henry, Herberson, Hill, Hodge, Hogg, Holme, Hood, Hop, Hope, Horsburgh, Hume, Hunter, Hutcheson, Hwem, Ingles, Ireland, Jaffray, Jeffrey, Johnston, Kay, Kemp, King, Kirk, Kirkpatrick, Kirkwood, Knox, Kyte, Laidlaw, Lamb, Landale, Lauder, Leitch, Liddell, Lindsay, Linton, Lisle, Litter, Luke, Lunn, Macdougall, Mack, Macvie, March, Marchant, Mason, Mccormick, Mcdonald, Mclaren, Mclean, Mcleish, Mcleod, Mickle, Miller, Milne, Moffat, Morrison, Morton, Moscrip, Murdie, Murray, Myln, Neal, Neil, Neish, Oliver, Ord, Ovens, Palmer, Pate, Paterson, Philips, Playfair, Porteous, Purves, Raitt, Rankin, Rankon, Rathie, Redpath, Renton, Richardson, Robertson, Rodger, Ross, Russell, Rutherford, Scott, Sergant, Shannon, Sharp, Sherlaw, Sherriff, Shirlm, Simpson, Sinclair, Smith, Stobie, Sturrock, Swan, Tait, Taylor, Tennent, Thomson, Todd, Trotter, Tunnah, Turnbull, Turner, Tweedie, Usher, Veatch, Veitch, Waldie, Walker, Walkinshaw, Waller, Wanless, Waters, Watson, Weatherly, Weatherston, Webb, Weir, Welsh, Whitehead, Whitlaw, Wight, Wightman, Wilson, Wood, Wtterson, Young.

The Longformacus Monumental Inscriptions CD (price £7.50 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.

Top gift is not an iPhone, iPod Touch or XBox

Talking to one of my neighbours, I was interested to learn that her young son's Christmas wish list contained no mention of iPhone, iPod Touch, Wii, PS3 or XBox, and it's not because he's already got them, he hasn't.

She's a pious woman who frequently visits churches on her days out, and she takes her son with her. About 6 months ago he told her that he was bored and she allowed him to wander around the churchyard.

He became interested in the gravestone inscriptions and symbols, and they have become a major interest. He started off a project to do his family history with the help of his mother, other kids, and a teacher.

Clearly, it's useful for him to have started young, as there are still plenty of the older generations to tell him their stories. So this Christmas, Santa's been asked for family history software, various volumes of monumental inscriptions, and a paper record book.

He hasn't completely ignored modern technology; he's asked for a mobile phone - he says it's so he can let his mother know when he's ready to be collected from a graveyard.

His mother, thinks that Santa will deliver on most of his wishes, though perhaps she'll just lend him a mobile phone for when he's researching in remote places.

Have a great Christmas !

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Recording Gravestones at Minto (Ruberslaw Parish Church)

On the last weekend of May, a group of volunteers from the Society met to record the gravestone inscriptions at Minto church, near Denholm.

This was a training event for volunteers new to recording gravestones, and something of an experiment for us.
There were 11 of us working from 10am to 3.30 pm on Saturday, and 8 on Sunday from 1pm to 3.30 pm.

There are 214 gravestones in the churchyard, and we divided ourselves into 5 pairs to record stones. One person entered inscriptions straight into our recording database on a laptop set up next to the church.

It was an unusually hot and very sunny day, which proved slightly difficult for those trying to read faded inscriptions.

Reading inscriptions on the older stones was harder than I expected. We spent a lot of time gently rubbing the weathered lichen covering inscriptions to uncover them, and almost as much time trying to puzzle out the inscriptions. It is greatly tempting to guess what the inscription is, and a huge mistake. One stone took us nearly an hour, as we tried to decipher the text.

Having entered all the inscriptions, they were printed out for us to check, most of which was done on the Sunday. Just to be sure, we checked transcriptions on stones we hadn't recorded; and we found a few mistakes, which we corrected.

All in all, a very enjoyable couple of days, and we did some useful work which will be published soon, another volume in our hugely popular Monumental Inscriptions volumes.

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