How to Research Buccleuch Farm Rental Records by Andrew Armstrong

Our next meeting is our next meeting is on Sunday 24th February at 2.30pm in the Corn Exchange in Melrose, when Andrew Armstrong will be advising us how to research Buccleuch Farm rental records. These records of the Buccleuch Estates provide an excellent and little known source for family historians with an interest in the Scottish Borders, Dumfriesshire and parts of Midlothian.

Contrary to the widely held view that the rentals simply provide a list of names, Andrew will provide an insight into how much more can be found in the records and how they can help trace families in pre-census times, going back as far as the early 17th century.

I think this will be a fascinating talk. I've certainly found interesting information in these estate records that helped me when I wrote the Introduction to the Poor Law. I also found a letter from my 2 greats grandfather, John Munro, turning down an offer of employment as a joiner because the wage was insufficient. Instead, John became a joiner on the Mackintosh of Mackintosh’s estate who had offered 20% more money as well as other benefits and he remained there until he retired, having been promoted several times, finishing as estate manager. In other estates' records, I've found application letters for employment as a factor, receipts for wages, lists of duties to be performed, and wage bills.

If you need advice about any aspect of your family history, please do ask. As always, there’s a remote possibility that the speaker will need to be changed at the last minute.

As usual, the doors will open at 2.00pm and the talk starts at 2.30pm.

Admission is free and we’ll have usual sales tables and refreshments after the talk. I hope to see you there. Map.

February Magazine

The February edition of the magazine is now with the printers and in the normal course of events members in G.B. should expect to receive their copy some time around the end of this month. For overseas members, unless they have opted to receive their magazine by air mail, granted the speed of surface mail it will probably be some weeks, even in some cases months, before their copy comes thudding through the letterbox.

However quite a number of members - those who have opted to receive their magazines electronically have already received their copies.

 Sending magazines electronically means a significant saving in costs to the Society and Council is keen to encourage members to receive their magazine in this way.

 As an added inducement there will be additional content in the electronic version; in this issue a further 10 pages.

 If anyone who elected for this option has not in fact received their magazine - also all who would like to receive future editions in this way - please let me know. Go to our Contacts page, scroll down and click on contact magazine editor.

 This year on 11th. May we are of course hosting the annual Scottish Association of Family History Society Conference and associated Family History Fair. There are details in the magazine of the speakers and the various Societies and Organizations who will be at the Fair (although we do expect that there will also be a number of others).

 The theme of the Conference is "Migration and Scotland" and appropriately in the magazine there are articles on families who migrated including one on a Borderer who made good after being  transported to Australia for petty theft. There are also articles on a Hawick Worthy, William Wallace, a Border hanging and on the ' Dowie Dens o' Yarrow.' As ever too a number of references and snippets which we hope members will find of interest.

Included in the electronic version is an excellent article by former Society Membership Secretary, Fred Kennington on "A Journey through, Fact Fiction and Fairy Tales in the Borders"

 

Ronald Morrison

3 reasons to use Scottish Valuation Rolls

Until 1855, works carried out for the benefit of the public, for example, repair of the roads, removal of refuse and soil heaps, care for the sick and relief for the unemployed poor were carried out sporadically.

Initially these works were funded by the landowners, by the Crown, and public benefactors; as towns and cities grew in the 19th century, increasingly by levying a tax on householders.

However, with no standard system for determining the rate of the tax, its frequency, or penalties for non-payment; collection was often erratic, people refused to pay, could not be found to pay, could not afford to pay; in most years, the authorities had to scale down the works or relief offered to match the sums collected.

The most used valuation rolls are lists of properties, their owners, and occupiers produced for the purposes of taxation between 1855 and 1989 by assessors in council areas.

The Lands Valuation (Scotland) Act 1854 established a system of Assessors’ offices in each county and royal burgh in Scotland. Until the abolition of counties and burghs in 1975, these Assessors produced annual valuation rolls, listing properties whose actual or theoretical annual rental value was above a statutory minimum.         

Why use Valuation Rolls in your research ?
Well, mainly for 3 reasons:

1. to put some flesh on the bones of your family history
2. to help with finding people in the censuses
3. to check information in the census

The rolls include the address of the property, its description (cottage, dwelling house, shop, workshop, etc), the owner's name, the name of the tenant, and, in most cases, the name of the occupier, the annual rental value.

Scotland's People have announced the availability of Valuation Rolls for 1905. This adds to their collection for 1915.

The 1895 valuation rolls are expected to be released later in the year.

Alternatively, come to our conference on 11 May at Galashiels and search the rolls there on Scotland's People's stand.