Robert Balmer - One of Berwick's Most Esteemed Ministers

Family Search lists Robert Balmer's birth on 22nd November 1787 and christening, 8 days later, at Eckford, Roxburghshire, Scotland.

According to his Academical lectures and pulpit discourses which includes a memoir of his life, his father was Thomas Balmer and his mother, Margaret Biggar and they lived at Ormiston Mains.

Thomas was probably a farmer; he had been offered a farm by the Duke of Buccleuch but he preferred to be a land-steward, first at Ormiston and later at Crailinghall. He was a member of the congregation at Morebattle, connected with the General Associate (Antiburgher) Synod.

Margaret was a granddaughter of the James Biggar mentioned in the autobiography of the venerable Boston of Ettrick. She adhered to the congregation at Jedburgh, connected with the Associate (Burgher) Synod. Family Search lists Thomas Balmer and Margaret Biggar's marriage on 6th January 1786.

They had 2 other sons, Walter (probably born 30 January 1790; later emigrated to USA) and James (probably born 14th March 1794) and a daughter, Helen, (probably born 22nd April 1796). The memoir doesn’t mention Stephen (christened 19th October 1788 in the same place as the others) or Nelly  (christened 5th August 1792 at Hobkirk).

At the age of 9, Robert went to a school at Crailing Mill, taught by Richard Scott, later one of the elders of Golden Square congregation, Berwick. Thomas died about a year later and Mrs Balmer opened a shop at Eckford-moss. Robert moved to Eckford parish school and attended Morebattle parish school to learn Latin.

At age 14, he went to Kelso Grammar School, stating during the week with his aunt at Maxwellheugh.
He went to Edinburgh University at the beginning of the session 1802-3.
In the autumn of the year 1806, after undergoing an examination by the Associate Presbytery of Selkirk, he was admitted to the study of Divinity under the Rev. Dr George Lawson, supporting himself by teaching.

He was licensed to preach the Gospel on 4th August 1812. He was offered posts by congregations in Lochwinnoch, Leslie, Ecclefechan, and Berwick, and in autumn 1813 picked Berwick (perhaps because his mother and his brother, James, lived in Berwick).

He said in a letter to a friend “My ordination took place on Wednesday, the 23rd of last month (March 1814). The person who preached first, and who ordained (presided at the ordination), was Mr Lee of Horndean, a most intimate acquaintance, and one of the best men, I believe, in the Burgher Synod. A friend and relation not less dear, Mr Paterson of Alnwick, preached after him. Mr Peddie from Edinburgh was present, and introduced me on the following Sabbath.”
He was clearly prized by his Berwick congregation; the Caledonian Mercury reported:
“on 13th July 1819, an elegant silver cup and ….. a beautiful set of table plate, value 50 guineas (£52.50) were presented by the principal members of the Burgher Associate Congregation of Berwick, ….. at the Red Lion Inn, as a token of the high esteem they entertain for him.”

On 18th July 1826, Robert married Jane Scott, daughter of Alexander Scott of Aberdeen. One of Jane’s sisters was a landlady in Slateford, Edinburgh, her brother, John wrote ‘Visits to Paris’.
No children are mentioned in the memoir.

 In 1833, he was appointed Professor of Systematic Theology to the United Secession Church.

Robert’s mother, Margaret Biggar, died in 1839.

In 1840, the University of St Andrews conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor in Divinity. He preached in many places including London, Glasgow and Edinburgh and was an active participant in the controversy that, ultimately, led to the disruption of the churches.

He died on the morning of Monday, July 1, 1844 after several weeks with a severe and painful illness and was buried on 9th July. His death was reported in many newspapers in England and Scotland. Apart from a volume of sermons in 1819, he published little during his lifetime, except in newspapers.

There's a photograph of an imposing column and its inscription in Holy Trinity churchyard, Berwick, on the Find A Grave website.

Are you related to one of Robert Balmer's brothers or sisters ?

What Did Your Ancestor Sound Like ?

If your ancestors came from another area of the country or if you're outside the UK, you may not be familiar with different British accents.

When I visited America, I was surprised to find that most people I met were disappointed or surprised that I did not speak with a London Cockney accent.

I was astonished that those people thought the London Cockney accent was pleasant - I don't.

On the other hand, I can't determine whether people are American or Canadian by their accent.

The BBC have a quick introduction to the range of accents in Britain but it doesn't have many Scots accents. There are some Scottish Borders people speaking on the Scottish Borders Memory Bank website but it's usually not clear which accent they have and it's difficult to find a particular accent. One set of interviews is with Mary McQueen from Thornielee, near Clovenfords between Galashiels and Innerleithen. The British Library have Walter Elliot from Selkirk but I haven't found any others.

Carving History - the Life and Works of Andrew Currie of Darnick - 11 March 2014

Melrose Historical & Archaeological Association's talk in the Upper Hall of the Ormiston Institute, Melrose on Tuesday, 11th March is called 'Carving History' and it's about the life and works of Andrew Currie of Darnick.

The speaker is Bob Johnstone, who has researched his family tree to find the link to Andrew, his great-great-grandfather. Bob will be signing copies of his book.

Admission is £3 to non-members.

Andrew Currie (1812 to 1891) is famous for his stone monuments like Mungo Park in Selkirk, the Ettrick Shepherd at St Mary’s Loch and King Robert the Bruce, erected on the esplanade at Stirling Castle in 1877; as well as other pieces in plaster, wood and marble. He was also an enthusiastic antiquary, an oral historian, and a writer who wrote colourful stories of life in the Borders of the early nineteenth century. Born to a Selkirkshire sheep farmer who fell on hard times, Andrew Currie was obliged against his will to take up a trade. He worked as a millwright until his mid forties, when his health broke. Only then did he become a sculptor, which had long been his dream.

Railway Stations Quiz Results

Entries for our prize quiz of jumbled up railway station names closed last Saturday.

There were just 21 entries from as far away as Ballindalloch and Otterburn but only 9 were completely correct.

Several people gave non-existent places as stations, others, stations that haven't existed for over 60 years.

Many, including I, thought it was a hard quiz. Comments included "That was very difficult but passed 3 damp evenings in a caravan in Bellingham ! Thanks !", "Sorry, stations don't seem to be my forte but I have tried. Hope your quiz has been a big success."

We feel our quiz was a big success, and our thanks go to Barbara Scott, our Secretary's sister, who devised the quiz, to all those who sold quiz entry forms for us, including Dean & Simpson, Hawick; From Me to You, Jedburgh; Taylors, the newsagents, Jedburgh; McCuddens, the newsagents, Selkirk; Lunch Box in Newtown St Boswells.

The winner lives in Selkirk, and will get £10.

Those who provided an SAE will get the answers in the post, but for everybody else, you can download the quiz answers.

John Haddon's Trip Around the World in 1882

I found yesterday's talk after the AGM very interesting.

The speaker, Andrew Haddon, told us a bit about the family tree. John was descended from Andrew Haddon (born 1690) a flesher or butcher in Selkirk.

John's father was another Andrew Haddon (1818-1894), his mother was Anne White (1821-1878) and John had 10 siblings.

Andrew showed us two books written by John, 'A Doctor's Discovery and the Elixir of Life' and 'Diary of a Trip Around the World in 1882'. The latter book was reprinted from the Hawick News.

John became a well-to-do doctor with a thriving practice in Manchester, but after an illness, he decided to go around the world to recover.

Initially, he crossed the Atlantic in the SS Parisian (it didn't look like a luxury ship). He visited various places in Canada and in the USA including Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Francisco; he was very impressed by the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and said it would one day be the best hospital in the world. He also visited the Sandwich Islands (now called Hawaii), Samoa, New Zealand and Australia. He met fellow Scots, including Kentucky senator James Burnie Beck.

There was a lot more but unfortunately my pen dried up about halfway through the talk,

February 2012 Issue of Borders Family History Society Magazine Just Out

The latest issue of our 44 page Borders Family History Society magazine was posted to members on 27th and 28th February.

Although the first issue of the calendar year was previously in March, the editor has decided that February is more suitable.

This issue contains articles about

• new maps at the National Map Library
• Coldingham monumental inscriptions
• the memoirs of George 'Celery' Taylor
• Borders surnames
• the family of William Oliver (1812 - 1888) and Elizabeth Turnbull (1813 - 1887) who emigrated from Southdean, Roxburghshire to South Australia
• a pair of silver sugar tongs
• Andrew Currie, Border sculptor
• the remaining part of the talk "Granny's Bawbees" about Scottish coinage that I gave on 29th May 2011 (including an illustration of a halfpenny-sized advertising token below issued by John Pringle & Co of Kelso)
• an intriguing story titled "What might have been"
• 17th century Border witchcraft
• Cadwallader Colden
• Gunsgreen House, Eyemouth

The cover shows the Mungo Park Memorial at Selkirk.

Scott's Selkirk - 3rd and 4th December

Just a reminder that it's Scott's Selkirk in Selkirk (Scotland) on 3rd and 4th December !

This annual event is loads of fun, people in old-fashioned clothes walking around, decorated shops, stalls in the High St with interesting things to taste and unusual presents you can buy for Christmas presents.

It commemorates Sir Walter Scott, and there's re-enactments of him presiding in the Court-house; but there'll also be tours of the prison under the main road, the A7, music in the streets and the Square, childrens activities at Halliwell's House museum and fireworks to finish the festival off.
According to the website there's tours of Haining House (with mulled wine) but that's not mentioned in the program.

More info about Scott's Selkirk.

I try to go every year, however the weather caused its cancellation last year.

Even though there's snow on Soutra, I hope it's going ahead this year.

See you there ?

Transcribing at Lilliesleaf

This week-end (27^th. and 28^th.) August we shall be transcribing the stones at Lilliesleaf.

Lilliesleaf is a very old Church which can trace its history back to 1116 although perhaps fortunately from our point of view we shall not be called upon to transcribe stones quite so far back although there will certainly be a number going back to the 18th. and 19th. centuries which will no doubt prove challenging.

The transcribing of these stone is a vital service for family research as often information contained on the stones is simply not available from any other source and if not recorded is in real danger of being lost. Once transcribed the information with photographs of every stone and also other information pertinent to the parish such as the Hearth Tax, Militia Lists, lists of Ministers etc. is produced on C.D. and is available both to purchase and to view within our Archive. For a full list of the parishes/graveyards which we have transcribed to date see our Sales List.

We shall be transcribing on Saturday between 10 and 4 p.m. and on Sunday between 1 and 4 and we invite anyone interested in helping to come along even for a brief period during these hours. Don’t worry if you have no previous experience in transcribing as full training will be given. Bring though a notebook and pen/pencil and also a soft brush and also optionally chalk, water and a kneeling pad.

This is an opportunity to meet with other members of the Society who usually bring along a picnic so it becomes quite a social occasion.

Lilliesleaf is situated about 7 miles north-east of Hawick, 7 miles south-east of Selkirk, 7 miles north-west of Ancrum, and 7 miles south-west of Melrose so very central for all these places. The Church is situated on the left hand side of the village approaching from Melrose.

If you can manage let me know as this helps with organizing or if you wish further information please contact.

Looking forward to a successful week-end and fingers crossed the weather holds.

Ronald Morrison

Selkirk Prison Index 1828-1840

Maxwell Ancestry have just published Selkirk Prison Index 1828-1840 (284 entries) at £4.99 plus postage. These records have lots of interesting information about the people who were in prison, including their offence and sentence, date of admission, by whom committed, name, sex, age, birthplace, residence, where spent greater part of their life, height, hair colour, eye colour, distinguishing marks etc., clean/dirty, drunk/sober, clothes good repair/ragged, direct from arrest or from another prison, if so which one, occupation, previous imprisonments, liberated without trial – when and by whose authority, tried – when and by whom, convicted or acquitted, sentence, liberated or removed after conviction – when, by whose authority, to what place, number of days in prison, conduct during confinement.

The surnames indexed are: Adams, Aitken, Allan, Amos, Anderson, Armary, Baillie, Baird, Ballantyne, Baptie, Beattie, Berrie, Black, Bogie, Bradly, Brash, Brown, Bruce, Campbell, Carruthers, Cavers, Chisholm, Clapperton, Clark, Cochrane, Coltherd, Cowan, Crawford, Cumming, Currer, Curror, Dacons, Dalgleish, Dalgliesh, Davidson, Dobie, Dodds, Douglas, Dryden, Dunlop, Elliot, Emond, Evat, Ewans, Fairbairn, Fairgrieve, Findlay, Fleming, Fletcher, Gill, Gillies, Glen, Govenlock, Graham, Gray, Green, Hallyday, Hanah, Hardie, Harrison, Hay, Heiton, Henderson, Heuchan, Hislop, Hogg, Hopkirk, Howden, Hume, Ingles, Inglis, Johnston, Johnstone, Laidlaw, Lawson, Leyden, Lillico, Macally, Maccan, Mackay, Mackinnon, Mackintosh, Macpherson, Marshall, Martin, Mathewson, McIntosh, Melross, Mercer, Miller, Milloy, Mills, Minto, Mitchell, Moffat, Muir, Murray, Nicol, Oliver, Ormestone, Ormiston, Orr, Paterson, Philip, Pringle, Rae, Reid, Renton, Renwick, Riddell, Rieve, Robertson, Rodger, Russell, Scott, Shearer, Short, Smail, Smith, Stewart, Stoddart, Straigin, Thomson, Turnbull, Vaire, Walker, Watson, Welsh, White, Williamson, Willieson, Wilson, Wintrope, Young, Yous.

Their previously published volume, Selkirk Prison Index 1853-1878, (about 3,000 entries) is also available at £11.99 plus postage.

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

James Sligh's Diary

One of the visitors to our stand at the family history conference in Livingston in April is the grandson of James Sligh, born 9th September 1863 in Selkirk, the son of David  Sligh, whose grocer’s shop was at 12 Market Place, Selkirk.  James had three older brothers, David, Thomas and Robert; and two older sisters, Agnes and Janet (known as Jessie).  His mother’s maiden name was Thomson and her parents ran a bakery in Dalkeith.  He was a keen churchgoer and Bible student. James' grandson has kindly sent us a transcription of James’ diary written in 1881, and has allowed us to make it available. James worked for the British Linen Bank (now part of the Bank of Scotland), and the end of his 4-year apprenticeship is recorded. There’s nothing of great importance in the diary, it is after all, an 18 year old’s diary; but there are a lot of personal names and some amusing incidents. He was a keen cyclist and often rode 60 miles a day on a ‘penny-farthing’ bicycle. Sometime after his apprenticeship he was transferred to the Queen St, Glasgow branch of the bank, and he spent the rest of his life in Glasgow. The diary transcript (25 A4 pages) is also available to read at our archive in Old Gala House, Galashiels.  If you want to be put in touch with the donor, please contact us via our Contacts page using the contact type 'Contact the Webmaster'.

An Interesting and Useful Photo Site

I found this very nice photo site yesterday, while looking for a photo of Dingleton Asylum to use in the volumes of Melrose Poor Law Records being researched now and in preparation for a talk I'm giving in October, and I saw a reference to their postcard index.

Although the bulk of the photos are based in and around Edinburgh, there are others from further afield including some in the Borders: a Texaco petrol pump at Peebles, a postcard of Coldingham,  and as we've recently published our Monumental Inscriptions volume for Longformacus, Berwickshire, I'm showing with Peter Stubbs' kind permission, a photo of Longformacus village well.


There's also a nice selection of railway pictures including Jedburgh Railway Station and Selkirk Railway Station,  maps and a host of links to other sites.

I didn't find a picture of Dingleton Asylum, so if you've got one, and would be happy for me to use it, please let me know. I'd also like a picture of Millholme Asylum, Musselburgh, as that's where many people went before Dingleton was opened.

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Scott's Selkirk

Yesterday and today, the Scott's Selkirk festival took place in Selkirk.

It's been very good in past years, and previous festivals have included a barrel-organ and monkey outside the Co-op in the High St, as well as stalls lining both sides of the High St, in the Market Square, the front garden of the Southern Reporter office and in the back yard of the County Hotel, as well as decorated shops, people dressed up in period costume and re-enactments, with a finale of fireworks at about 4.30 pm on the Sunday.

This year it was not so good. Admittedly, I didn't go yesterday, but today there seemed to be fewer stalls than there were on the Sunday last year. The shops were decorated, and there were a few people in period costume, but far fewer than last year. The tunnel underneath the main A7 road linking the Court house and the old Gaol (now where the library is), was open, and that's new.

It would be sad if this festival had had its day, because it's a nice celebration of Sir Walter Scott and other famous local people. In the past, I've felt it's brightened up a drab and dreich cold December weekend and been something to which to look forward, and an opportunity to buy last minute Christmas presents, particularly for people that seem to have everything.

And why has Borders Family History Society not had a stall ?
I don't know the answer to that question, and it's something to think about for next year, which will be our Silver Jubilee year.

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A Busy Weekend

For possibly the first time the Borders Family History Society had a presence at two events on the same day. Both events were associated with the celebrations for Homecoming 2009. In the west, we had a stand at the Muster at Bowhill House near Selkirk
whilst at Coldingham on the east coast, we were present at Coldingham History Weekend. The team will be back at Coldingham today.

The Bowhill Muster started as the Scott Clan Gathering but grew to encompass a slew of other clans. It was held in a field below Bowhill House on a really beautiful September day. The clan associations, the Heritage Hub and we were in a marquee devoted to genealogy and family history - the Family History Tent.
There was a whole range of events going on in the arena outside and at one point during the afternoon two vapour trails from passing jets left a perfect saltire in the blue sky. Does the Duke of Buccleuch have that kind of pull or was it merely good fortune ?

Coldingham History Weekend was held in the village hall next to the priory, and over 150 people came. There was a lot of interest in our publications, and we talked to several people about their family history research; one of whom returned to show us his family tree and he allowed us to copy it. On other stands there were archaeological finds, local photographs, old maps, and historical accounts. We were blessed with a beautiful day, with lots of sunshine, though it was cold in the wind. A highlight of the day was access to the inside of the priory, and Julia Carter, Friends of Coldingham Priory, gave me a guided tour of the priory.

Many people enquired about the gravestone inscriptions for Coldingham, and unfortunately these haven’t yet been recorded and transcribed, but that’s intended for next year. If you would like to help, please let us know.

As is normal for this type of events we spoke to a number of people with an interest in family history and hopefully were able to point some of them in the right direction. We sold a few of our publications and may recruit one or two members as a result. Overall it was an interesting and satisfying day.

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