New Monumental Inscriptions volume for Cranshaws, Berwickshire

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

Like many other volumes in the series, the CD contains a hearth tax list, a list of kirk ministers and a militia list, as well as the full inscriptions from the 123 gravestones in the old burial ground and the churchyard, and photographs of all the stones. Also included are 331 mortcloth records from 1731 - 1853, mostly with the name of the deceased. There are indexes to the surnames and places mentioned.

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

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

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Business Archives Scotland Launches Draft Strategy for Consultation

Business Archives Scotland has launched a draft strategy for consultation. It can be downloaded from Business Archives Scotland, and you can comment by email, online, or by downloading a Word document.

The closing date for the responses is Friday 28th May 2010.

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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.