Category: Church History

West Kilbride Civic Society

Preceded by AGM

Tuesday, October 25 2016, 7.30 pm

Dundonald Castle

Venue: West Kilbride Community Centre, Corse Street, West Kilbride, KA23 9AX

Wednesday, October 26 2016, 4 pm

Not Like the Others: the excavation of an 18th century Inuit sod house

Patrick Jolicoeur, University of Glasgow

Venue: Lecture Theatre (109), Gregory Building

University of Glasgow

Wednesday, October 26 2016, 5 pm

Traditionalising Empire: Imperial Commodities in Gaelic Popular Culture

Dr Domhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI

Venue: Ross House, Dornoch

University of the Highlands and Islands Centre for History

This seminar examines how imperial commodities found a place within the domestic popular culture of the people of the Highlands from the seventeenth century onwards, at first as exotic, fashionable curiosities, then increasingly as household necessities. See the Centre for History website for details and to book a place/VC connection.

Wednesday, October 26 2016, 7.30 pm

Scott as a Literary Reviewer

David McClay

Venue: Volunteer Hall, Galashiels

Old Gala Club

Wednesday, October 26 2016, 9.30 am - 4.30 pm

Highland Life in the 18th Century

Venue: Am Fasgadh Collection, Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore

Highland Folk Museum

Following a highly successful seminar in 2015, which celebrated the museum’s 80th year, we are delighted to invite you to our next seminar, which explores Highland life in the Eighteenth Century. The seminar will be held in the Am Fasgadh collections’ facility, in amongst the museum’s collection, which has recently been acknowledged as a Recognised Collection of National Significance. Our prominent panel of speakers will cover topics exploring aspects of life in the 1700s including Sports and Pastimes, Livestock Improvement and Changes in Vernacular Furniture. A fascinating insight into how our ancestors lived and worked. Early bird tickets £22.50. Students £17.50. Adults £27.50. Click here to order tickets online. Lunch included, as well as a curatorial tour of the collection. Contact: Rachel Chisholm 01540 673551 rachel.chisholm@highlifehighland.com

Thursday, October 27 2016

The Loans Smugglers – An Update

Francis Wilkins

Venue: Blue Room, Town Hall, Ayr

Ayrshire Archaeological and Natural History Society

Thursday, October 27 2016, 2 pm - 4 pm

Find Your Ain Folk Drop in Service

Venue: Community Room, Largs Library, Allanpark Street, Largs

North Ayrshire Family History Society

Thursday, October 27 2016, 5.15 pm for 5.30 pm

Usurpations [and] infringements”: The Earldom of Mar in the 15th Century

Ms Katy Jack (University of Stirling)

Venue: New Seminar Room, St John’s House, 71 South Street, St Andrews

Institute of Scottish Historical Research

Thursday, October 27 2016, 6 pm - 7.30 pm

Newhailes: Exploring the 1797 Inventory

Ian Gow, chief curator emeritus, NTS

Venue: Newhailes House, Newhailes Road, Musselburgh, EH21 6RY

Newhailes House

£8, including complimentary glass of wine. Limited space, book online

Thursday, October 27 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm

Hidden Treasures of Glasgow in Pictures

David Walker

Venue: Glen Halls, Neilston

Barrhead & Neilston Historical Association

Thursday, October 27 2016, 7.45 pm

Drymen & District's Early Postal Service

John Mitchell

Venue: Drymen Village Hall, Main Street, Drymen, Glasgow, G63 0BP

Drymen & District Local History Society

Saturday, October 29 2016, 11 am - 2 pm

Brochtoberfest

Venue: St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall

Orkney Archaeology Society

Everything you ever wanted to know about brochs but were too afraid to ask. Discussion to be led by Martin Carruthers, site director, The Cairns; Kenneth McElroy and Iain Maclean, Caithness Broch Project; Amanda Brend and James Moore, ORCA

Saturday, October 29 2016, 2 pm

Guided Tour of Chapelton of Elsick

Dominic Fairlie

Venue: Chapelton of Elsick, near Newtonhill

The Heraldry Society of Scotland

Pioneered by the Duke of Fife, this new but traditional-styled town is nearing completion. Developer Dominic Fairlie will explain its ethos (£12.00 including tea). To book your place please contact the AHSS National Office: nationaloffice@ahss.org.uk | 0131 557 0019

Saturday, October 29 2016, 2 pm

Raising Community Flags in Scotland

Philip Tibbets

Venue: Royal Scots Club, Abercromby Place, Edinburgh

Sunday, October 30 2016

The Great Disruption of 1843 and the Wider Religious Implications

Kenneth Mclean

Venue: Corn Exchange & Ormiston Institute, Market Square, Melrose, TD6 9PN

Borders Family History Society

Kenneth McLean will talk about the Disruption nationally and in the Borders looking at the make-up of Scottish religious life and the United Secession, Relief and United Presbyterian churches in the middle decades of the 1800s.

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History talks and events 9 - 15 May 2016

3/5/2016

Broughton History Society

Upcoming family history talks and events in Scotland, 9 - 15 May 2016

Note that there may be a small charge for some of these events, and some may be for members only. We will be publishing lists of upcoming talks and events regularly - if you are organising a talk or event relating to Scottish genealogy or history, please let us know and we will be happy to add your events to our list.

Monday, May 9 2016, 7 pm for 7.30 pm

James Craig and the New Town

Tony Lewis

Venue: Drummond Community High School, Bellevue Place, Edinburgh

Monday, May 9 2016, 7.30 pm

Open Evening

Venue: Luncarty Church Centre

Stewarton and District Historical Society

Non-members: adults £3, concessions £2. (Open discussion meetings at Luncarty are free)

Monday, May 9 2016, 7.30 pm

1884 Reform Protests in Ayrshire

Dr Mark Nixon

Venue: John Knox Church Hall, High Street, Stewarton

Part of the largest political demonstration in Britain's history - "Our legislators should be chosen for the people by the people" as stated on a banner in Hawick

Monday, May 9 2016, 7.30 pm

AGM followed by A Local Topic and Refreshments

Venue: Dalkeith Baptist Church, North Wynd, Dalkeith

Dalkeith History Society

Tuesday, May 10 2016, 7.30 pm

Crail Fishing Disaster

Alan Runciman

Venue: Volunteer House (Vonef Centre) in 69 Crossgate Cupar KY15 5AS

Fife Family History Society

Tuesday, May 10 2016, 7.30 pm

1901 Census

May & Alisdair

Venue: Public Library, Airds Crossing, Fort William

Lochaber and North Argyll Family History Group

Tuesday, May 10 2016, 7.30 pm

Listen Up! A WW1 Experimental Station in Fife

Diana Maxwell

Venue: Dining Hall, Dollar Academy

Dollar History Society

Tuesday, May 10 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm

The Original Olympics

Valerie Reilly

Venue: Masonic Halls, Collier Street, Johnstone

Johnstone Historical Society

Wednesday, May 11 2016, 2.30 pm

Reconstructing Presbytery: Stirling and Dunblane Presbyteries 1688–1700

Andrew Muirhead

Venue: Edinburgh Theological Seminar, The Mound, Edinburgh

Scottish Church History Society

Wednesday, May 11 2016, 6.00 pm

‘Fair hotchin’ wi conchies’: Dundee war resisters and conscientious objectors 1914-1919

Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee

Abertay Historical Society

Thursday, May 12 2016, 7.30 pm

Members Night and Forum AGM

Venue: The Shawl Gallery, Paisley Museum, High Street, Paisley

Renfrewshire Local History Forum

Thursday, May 12 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm

AGM

Venue: Johnnie Walker Bond, Strand Street Kilmarnock

East Ayrshire Family History Society

Friday, May 13 2016, 4.00pm-5.30pm

The Female World of Love & Empire: Women, Family & East India Company Politics at the End of the 18th Century

Professor Margot Finn, University College London

Venue: Gannochy Room, Wolfson Building, - Glasgow University, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

University of Glasgow

Free tickets can be booked here

Saturday, May 14 2016, 2.30pm-4.30pm

Bereavement Services & Customs

Ian Burnett

Venue: Unitarian Church Centre

Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society

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R is for (Communion) Rolls

21/4/2016

Communion is a sacrament recognised by most Christian denominations in remembrance of the Last Supper. In Scotland it was generally held twice a year. Parishioners were expected to attend, and repeated failure to do so could result in parishioners being removed from parish membership.

In preparation for the sacrament, the Kirk Session would distribute communion tokens to would-be communicants. Without these tokens, parishioners were unable to take part in communion. Sometimes records were kept of the distribution of these tokens, but more commonly records were kept of attendance at communion itself. These records are generally referred to as Communion Rolls.

Within the Church of Scotland, when people moved and sought to join the parish in their new place of residence, they generally had to produce a certificate (sometimes referred to as a testificate) from their home parish, confirming that they were communicants. To qualify for such certification, they had to have attended communion at least once in the previous three years.

At their simplest, communion rolls are just lists of parishioners who attended communion. The earliest surviving rolls are merely lists of names. The oldest we have found is from St Madoes in Perthshire and covers the period 1596 to 1611. We have not found many surviving Church of Scotland communion rolls before the nineteenth century (5 in the 17th century, 7 more before 1750 and only 25 before 1800).

They really start to become more common – and more useful – around the middle of the nineteenth century. We have identified around 3000 nineteenth-century communion rolls from the Church of Scotland. By the mid-1800s they were sufficiently widespread that two separate church stationers were producing printed forms to simplify the job of clerks in recording communicants.

Printed Communion Roll [Kinclaven Parish, Church of Scotland, Communion Roll 1880-1894, held privately]

By this time, communion rolls were also becoming more detailed. In addition to recording names, they regularly include occupations and addresses, and crucially information on admission to communion and disjunction.

There were several ways for an individual to be admitted to communion. They could be admitted as Young Communicants (sometimes referred to as Catechumens). This involved someone, usually the Minister or sometimes an Elder, testing their knowledge of scripture and religious doctrine, often after a series of lessons. The term Young Communicant may in some cases be somewhat misleading – in most cases, Young Communicants would be around 18 to 21, but we have found a few instances of individuals significantly older being admitted for the first time. Indeed some clerks recorded this form of admission as “First Time” or “By Examination”.

The other main form of admission is by certificate. On moving to a new parish, church members would present certificates from their previous parish indicating that they were in communion with the church and not subject to scandal for misbehaviour. Some communion rolls only record the fact that an individual was certified, but others record the date and – more usefully – the parish that issued the certificate. This can help identify where an individual came from.

Disjunction information can also be very useful. Sometimes clerks would simply record that an individual “Left” or was “Certified”. In some cases, the fact that an individual died was also recorded – in many cases the date or year of death is given. Disjunction information becomes much more useful when the clerk records the place the parishioner moved to. Usually it’s just a parish, but sometimes a full address is given, and other times the clerk will record that the individual emigrated. This can be very useful as sometimes it can be the only confirmation of the identity of a Scottish emigrant to for instance the United States.

The completeness of information varies from parish to parish – and over time within the same parish. Even so, communion rolls can prove very useful in tracking individuals.

An example is James Wilson, a farm servant. He was recorded with his wife Catherine Methven at Lochton in Abernyte, Perthshire. The communion roll notes that he had been admitted by certificate from Kilspindie in 1881. They were then certificated to Kinnaird in 1882, where they were found living at Kinnaird in the communion roll. They were then again certificated to Longforgan in 1883. The Longforgan communion roll describes James as a ploughman at The Mains and shows that the family were certificated onwards to Perth in 1885.

If you look at census records for this couple, they were at Nether Durdie in Kilspindie in 1881 with 9 children. The second youngest, Jemima, aged 2, was born at Longforgan and the youngest, David, just a month old, was born at Kilspindie. By 1891, James was a farmer at Old Gallows Road in Perth (where he’d moved in 1885). Any attempt to track this couple relying solely on census and birth records would have missed their short stay in Kinnaird. Without the communion roll, this sojourn would have likely been unidentifiable.

We are working on a project to extract and publish information from Communion Rolls. We have so far transcribed around 50 rolls from Perthshire. You can see an example of the sort of information contained in the communion roll for Kinclaven 1880-1894. (Note that this particular communion roll is held privately, and is not recorded in any archive catalogue.) You can also browse the communion rolls that we have transcribed so far here.

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Q is for Quarter Days

20/4/2016

Quarter days are the four days used to mark the four quarters of the year. Scottish quarter days, also known as term days, have always been different from English or Irish quarter days. They originally occurred on holy days, although they have now been fixed by the Term and Quarter Days (Scotland) Act 1990 on the 28th days of February, May, August and November.

Historically, the quarter days were used for hiring fairs (to hire farm servants), rental contracts, the payment dates for rent, loan interest and salaries and stipends. As such, their names appear in all sorts of historic records, in which the writers and the intended readers would know exactly what they meant. As a modern researcher, it’s therefore very useful to know what they were.

The four quarter days traditionally were:

Candlemas
Candlemas fell on February 2. It marked the Feast of the Presentation, marking the occasion when Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth. In pre-Reformation Scotland, the feast was marked by candlelit processions by mothers who had given birth the previous year. The term is still used today by among others the University of St Andrews, as the name of one of the semesters. It coincides with the Celtic celebration of Imbolc.

Whitsunday
Whitsun fell on May 15 under the Gregorian Calendar (May 26 under the Julian Calendar before 1599). It commemorates the giving of the law to Moses at Sinai. In respect to genealogy, valuation rolls were in force from Whitsun to the day before the following Whitsun. Whitsun also often coincided with the celebration of the spring communion.

Lammas
The name Lammas comes from the Anglo-Saxon half-mas, or loaf-mass. It is celebrated on August 1, and marks the first fruits of harvest. It coincides with the Gaelic festival of Lunastal, when in the Highlands it was traditional to make a special cake known as a lunastain. It appears in a celebrated ballad, The Battle of Otterburn, of which the opening verse is:

It fell about the Lammas tide,
When the muir-men win their hay,
The doughty Earl of Douglas rode
Into England, to catch a prey.

The name is still used in the context of the Lammas Market, held in St Andrews in Fife in August every year, and purportedly the oldest surviving street market in Scotland.

Martinmas
Martinmas was November 11. It was originally the feast held to commemorate Martin of Tours, a celebrated 4th century bishop and hermit. St Ninian, an important figure in the Christianisation of Scotland often overshadowed by the better-known St Columba, studied at Marmoûtiers, St Martin’s monastery, and he dedicated one of the earliest churches in Scotland to St Martin. Martinmas is still used as the name of the winter semester at the University of St Andrews, and was historically used by the other ancient universities of Scotland (Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh). The date is of course now better known as Remembrance Day, marking the end of the First World War.

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P is for Poor Law, paupers and payments

19/4/2016

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In January 1843, the Conservative government under Sir Robert Peel established a Commission of Enquiry to study the Scottish system of poor relief. There had been growing concerns about the effectiveness of poor relief in Scotland, which at the time was in the hands of the Kirk Sessions of the Church of Scotland. A few months after the Commission was set up, the Church of Scotland split in the Disruption, with around 40% of ministers leaving to form the Free Church. This further eroded the position of the Church of Scotland, and made substantive reform inevitable.

The earliest record of poor law in Scotland dates back to 1425 (not 1424 as is sometimes incorrectly stated). Those aged between 14 and 70 who were able to earn a living themselves were forbidden from begging, on pain of branding for a first offence and execution for a second offence:

Of thygaris nocht to be thollyt
Alsua it is ordanyt that na thigar be thollyt to thyg nor bege nothir in burghe nor to lande betuix xiiij and iij score [and ten] of yheris of age bot thai be seyne be the consall of the toune or of the cuntre at thai may nocht vyne thar leyffing othir vays. And thai that sa beis fundin sall have a takin to land of the schera and in bwrowis off the aldirmen and baylyheis, and that undir the payn of birnynge on the cheyk and bannyssing of the cuntre.

Translation:
Of beggars not to be suffered
Also it is ordained that no beggar be suffered to thig or beg either in burghs or in the land between fourteen and seventy years of age, unless it is seen by the council of the town that they cannot make their living in other ways. And they that are so found shall have a token from the sheriff in the land, and from the aldermen and bailies in the burghs, and that under pain of burning on the cheek and banishing from the country.
[The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2016), 1425/3/22. Date accessed: 17 April 2016.]

Three years later, the king decreed that officials who failed to implement this act would be fined.

In 1535, the system was further formalised. Poor relief was only to be granted to individuals in their parish of birth, and the “headmen” of each parish were to award tokens to eligible paupers, thereby introducing the concept of a licensed beggar. People caught begging outside of their parish of birth were subject to the same harsh penalties as before.

An Act for punishment of the strong and idle beggars and relief of the poor and impotent was passed in 1579. This established the basic system of poor relief which was to continue for hundreds of years.

Sic as makis thame selffis fuilis and ar bairdis or utheris siclike rynnaris about, being apprehendit, salbe put in the kingis waird and yrnis salang as they have ony guidis of thair awin to leif on
[RPS, 1579/10/27]

If they had no means of sustenance, their ears were to be nailed to the tron or any other tree, and they were then to be banished. The penalty for repeat offenders was death. As for able-bodied beggars:

all personis being abone the aige of xiiij and within the aige of lxx yeiris that heirefter ar declarit and sett furth be this act and ordour to be vagabundis, strang and ydle beggaris, quhilkis salhappyne at ony tyme heirefter, efter the first day of Januar nixtocum, to be takin wandering and misordering thame selffis contrarie to the effect and meaning of thir presentis salbe apprehendit; and upoun thair apprehensioun be brocht befoir the provest and baillies within burgh, and in every parochyne to landwart befoir him that salbe constitutit justice be the kingis commissioun or be the lordis of regalities within the samyne to this effect, and be thame to be committit in waird in the commoun presoun, stokkis or irnis within thair jurisdictioun, thair to be keipit unlettin to libertie or upoun band or souirtie quhill thai be put to the knawlege of ane assyse, quhilk salbe done within sex dayis thairefter. And gif they happyne to be convict, to be adjuget to be scurget and brunt throw the ear with ane hett yrne
[RPS, 1579/10/27]

So “strong and idle” beggars were to be captured, imprisoned or put in stocks or irons, and brought before a court within 6 days. Upon conviction, they were to be burnt through the ear with a hot iron. The law puts in this caveat:

exceptit sum honest and responsall man will, of his charitie, be contentit then presentlie to act him self befoir the juge to tak and keip the offendour in his service for ane haill yeir nixt following, undir the pane of xx libris to the use of the puyr of the toun or parochyne, and to bring the offendour to the heid court of the jurisdictioun at the yeiris end, or then gude pruif of his death, the clerk taking for the said act xij d. onlie. And gif the offendour depart and leif the service within the yeir aganis his will that ressavis him in service, then being apprehendit, he salbe of new presentit to the juge and be him commandit to be scurgit and brunt throw the ear as is befoirsaid; quhilk punishment, being anys ressavit, he sall not suffer the lyk agane for the space of lx dayis thairefter, bot gif at the end of the saidis lx dayis he be found to be fallin agane in his ydill and vagabund trade of lyf, then, being apprehendit of new, he salbe adjuget and suffer the panes of deid as a theif.
[RPS, 1579/10/27]

In other words, the convicted idle beggar would be spared this punishment if someone offered him a job for a year. If he were to leave such employment without his master’s approval, he would be burned through the ear, but if convicted a second time, he would be put to death as a thief.

The law then moves on to detail who should be subject to punishment. Not just beggars, per se, but also:

all ydle personis ganging about in ony cuntrie of this realme using subtill, crafty and unlauchfull playis, as juglarie fast and lowis, and sic utheris, the idle people calling thame selffis Egyptianis, or ony utheris that fenyeis thame selffis to have knawlege of prophecie, charmeing or utheris abusit sciences, quhairby they persuaid the people that they can tell thair weardis deathis and fortunes and sic uther fantasticall imaginationes
[RPS, 1579/10/27]

So people claiming to use witchcraft, self-styled “Egyptians” (i.e. Gypsies or Romanies), those claiming to have the gift of prophecy, charms, or fotune-telling. Other people to be punished include those with no visible means of support, minstrels, singers and storytellers not officially approved, labourers who have left their masters, those carrying forged begging licences, those claiming to be itinerant scholars, and those claiming to have been shipwrecked without affidavits:

utheris nouthir having land nor maister, nor useing ony lauchfull merchandice, craft or occupatioun quhairby they may wyn thair leavingis, and can gif na rekning how they lauchfullie get thair leving, and all menstrallis, sangstaris and tailtellaris not avowit in speciall service be sum of the lordis of parliament or greit barronis or be the heid burrowis and cieties for thair commoun menstralis, all commoun lauboraris, being personis able in body, leving ydillie and fleing laubour, all counterfaittaris of licences to beg, or useing the same knawing thame to be counterfaittit, all vagabund scolaris of the universities of Sanctandrois, Glasgw and Abirdene not licencit be the rectour and deane of facultie of the universitie to ask almous, all schipmene and marinaris allegeing thame selffis to be schipbrokin, without they have sufficient testimoniallis
[RPS, 1579/10/27]

Those hindering the implementation of the law would be subject to the same penalties. Having established the penalties, the Act requires all poor people to return to their parish of birth or habitual residence within 40 days of this act. Parishes were to be responsible for supporting their native-born paupers or those who had been habitually resident there for seven years, and were to draw up rolls of the poor. Aged paupers could be put to work, and punished if they refused. Children of beggars aged between 5 and 14 could be taken into service until the age of 24 for boys or 18 for girls, and could be punished if they absconded.

An Act of 1597 on “Strang beggaris, vagaboundis and Egiptians” explicitly transferred responsibility for poor relief to Kirk Sessions. The 1649 Act anent the poore introduced a stent or assessment on the heritors of each parish to pay for poor relief.

The 1672 Act for establishing correction-houses for idle beggars and vagabonds ordered the opening of

correction-houses for receaving and intertaining of the beggars, vagabonds and idle persones within their burghs, and such as shall be sent to them out of the shires and bounds aftir specified

in Edinburgh, Haddington, Duns, Jedburgh, Selkirk, Peebles, Glasgow, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Ayr, Dumbarton, Rothesay, Paisley, Stirling, Culross, Perth, Montrose, Aberdeen, Inverness, Elgin, Inveraray, St Andrews, Cupar, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline, Banff, Dundee, Dornoch, Wick and Kirkwall.

By the time the Commission of Enquiry was set up, it was clear that provision was inadequate. The Commission’s exhaustive report (nearly 6000 pages in total, including evidence; even the index is 300 pages long!) made a series of recommendations:

Establishing a Board of Supervision to monitor implementation of the Act
Appointing a Parochial Board in all 880 parishes, with responsibility for implementing the Act, and deciding whether to raise funds voluntarily or through a compulsory assessment
Each Parochial Board would appoint an Inspector of the Poor to examine all applications for relief
Poor relief should be limited to the sick or destitute, and should not be given to the able-bodied poor
Parishes could combine to form Combinations to administer relief
Poorhouses could be founded by parishes or combinations of parishes with a population of more than 5,000

These recommendations were enacted by the 1845 Act for The Amendment and better Administration of the Laws Relating to the relief of the Poor in Scotland, more commonly known as the Poor Law (Scotland) Act. From this point on, poor relief was at least theoretically in the hands of civic rather than ecclesiastical authorities. However, Section 22 of the 1845 Act stipulated that:

in every such Parish as aforesaid in which the Funds requisite for the Relief of the Poor shall be provided without Assessment the Parochial Board shall consist of the Persons who, if this Act had not been passed, would have been entitled to administer the Laws for the Relief of the Poor in such Parish; and in every such Parish as aforesaid in which it shall have been resolved, as herein-after provided, to raise the Funds requisite for the Relief of the Poor by Assessment, the Parochial Board shall consist of the Owners of Lands and Heritages of the yearly Value of Twenty Pounds and upwards, and of the Provost and Bailies of any Royal Burgh, if any, in such Parish, and of the Kirk Session of such Parish, and of such Number of elected Members, to be elected in manner after mentioned, as shall be fixed by the Board of Supervision

This meant that where a mandatory assessment was used to raise funds for poor relief, the Kirk Session no longer controlled the system, although it was still entitled to appoint up to six members of the Parochial Board. When the Act entered into force, 230 of 880 parishes were subject to statutory assessment. Within a year, that almost doubled to 448 (compared to 432 using voluntary contributions). By 1853, 680 parishes were using statutory assessments, compared to just 202 relying on voluntary contributions. The number of parishes relying on voluntary contributions continued to decline steadily, with only 108 doing so in 1865, and just 51 by 1890.

For genealogists, the implications are clear: after 1845, records of the poor will mostly be found among local government records, mostly held in local council archives around the country. That said, there are significant post-1845 poor records found among the Kirk Session records, not least because as we have seen, in many cases responsibility for poor relief remained with Kirk Sessions long after the Poor Law was enacted.

However, the records of the Board of Supervision, being a national body, are held at the National Records of Scotland. One of the responsibilities of the Board of Supervision was to hear appeals against inadequate relief. These appeals are an excellent source for family history – they will tell you much about the individuals, as well as their families. They often include medical reports, information on the earnings of applicants and their families, names and details of children and the like.

Before 1845, records of poor relief are more often with Kirk Session records. We saw in a previous post how it was possible to trace individual paupers in for instance Kirk Session accounts and other church records. Some of these records can provide excellent detail - we've seen examples of church poor relief records giving names, relationships, occupations, details of payment in kind, poor children being lodged out with other families and so on. They can be therefore be an excellent source for family historians, and should not be neglected.

We are currently working on a national index to a particular set of Poor Law records from 1845 to 1894, which we plan to release later this year.

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K is for Kirk Session

13/4/2016

The Church of Scotland is a Presbyterian church. Although the term Presbyterian is now often associated with a stern, austere form of Christianity, strictly speaking the term refers to the Church's hierarchical organisational structure. The supreme body of the Church of Scotland is the General Assembly, which meets annually in Edinburgh. The next level down from the General Assembly are the Synods, which are organised on a territorial basis. Synods are further subdivided into Presbyteries (whence the word Presbyterian). Finally, presbyteries are in turn divided into parishes. The parish is the basic unit of church governance.

Each parish had its own governing body, known as the Kirk Session. Each Kirk Session was convened by a Moderator, who in practice was the parish minister. The Session also had a Session Clerk who, in addition to his (until relatively recently, all members of the Kirk Sessions were men) duties as minute taker and record keeper, also had a significant role as an intermediary between the minister and the congregation. Parish schoolmasters often served as Session Clerks to supplement their meagre teaching incomes. The other members of the Kirk Session were the elders, generally chosen by the congregation. Elders were ordained for life, or until they resigned their position (usually through ill health, but occasionally elders were effectively forced out by scandal).

Perhaps the best way to understand the role of Kirk Sessions is to consider them as a combination of court and management body. In some parishes – particularly larger urban parishes – the administrative functions of the Session were hived off to a separate management committee, responsible for such matters as maintaining the church buildings, secular business and the like. Before 1845, and to some extent afterwards, Kirk Sessions were also responsible for provision of support to local paupers – often including members of other denominations – and Kirk Session records contain a great deal of information about payments to poor people. These records can be particularly informative where a dispute arose as to which parish was responsible for supporting paupers. Parishes would often make interim payments to poor people, and then claim the money back from the responsible parish. We will consider Sessions' role in poor relief in a future post.

But perhaps the most useful role of the Kirk Session was its quasi-judicial role. Kirk Sessions were notoriously inquisitive about what were considered sexual improprieties – particularly children born outwith marriage – and records of their interrogations of unmarried mothers are among the most interesting and useful of the Kirk Session records (see for instance here, here and here). Even if your ancestors were not cited to compear before the Session for sexual misdemeanours, they may have been cited as witnesses, or for other “scandals”, such as Sabbath breaking and irregular marriage.

Other records produced by the Kirk Session include Communion Rolls (see here for an example from Kinclaven), accounts (which can include payments for mortcloth hire, which can serve as a substitute where no burial or death registers survive), testificates (the system used when parishioners moved from one parish to another, certifying that they were members of the Church), registers of marriages and baptisms (which continued after the introduction of civil registration of births and marriages in 1855, and as we have seen, can sometimes contain important information not included in the statutory registers), as well as many other records.

Kirk Session records are a fantastic resource for genealogists and family historians. Unfortunately, unlike birth, marriage and death records, they have for the most part not been indexed, and are therefore much harder to access, particularly if you don’t live in Scotland. That is why we have started offering a lookup service, to make them accessible to Scottish genealogists around the world. To see which records we are currently able to lookup, browse our parish pages starting here. If we haven’t yet listed the available records for your parish, let us know and we will be glad to do so.

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H is for Heads of families

9/4/2016

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On 31 May 1834, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, meeting in Edinburgh, enacted the Overtures and Interim Acts on the Calling of Ministers. This was the latest instalment in a long-running dispute within the Church about who should appoint the minister when a parish fell vacant. The right of patronage – the right of patrons, usually nobles or major landowners, to appoint ministers – had been controversial since the Reformation. An Act of the Scottish Parliament in 1690 vested patronage in the heritors and elders of each parish. They were given the right to propose a candidate, with the whole congregation then given the right to accept or reject the proposal.

In 1711, the British Parliament passed the Church Patronage (Scotland) Act, which restored the rights of the original patrons. The Church was strongly opposed to this, and made an annual protest to Parliament every year until 1784. Two factions emerged, the Moderates, who reluctantly accepted the Patronage Act, and the Evangelicals, who opposed it in principle.

In 1730, the General Assembly passed an Act removing the right of objectors to have their objections officially recorded. The Evangelicals viewed this as an attempt to silence them. Two years later, the General Assembly granted the right of patronage to heritors and elders where a patron failed to nominate a candidate within six months. Some in the Church – notably Ebenezer Erskine – wanted this right to be transferred to the Heads of Families within a congregation. But the fact that objections could no longer even be recorded led to a schism in the Church, known as the Original Secession.

A hundred years later, in 1834, the General Assembly passed the Overtures and Interim Acts on the Calling of Ministers, more commonly known as the Veto Act. The Veto Act was a victory for the Evangelical party, preventing a patron from presenting a minister if a majority of the heads of households objected to the candidate.

This led to a series of court actions by patrons, and eventually led to the Veto Act being declared ultra vires in the House of Lords. For many this was the final straw, and the main consequence of the annulment of the Veto Act was the Great Disruption of 1843, with about 40% of ministers walking out of the Church of Scotland, founding the Free Church of Scotland and leaving the Church of Scotland as a minority church.

Aside from the consequences for genealogy research of the Disruption itself – less than half of Scots were now members of the Church of Scotland, so researchers often have to look elsewhere than the Old Parish Registers to find their ancestors – the Veto Act is also relevant for family historians. The Act required all parishes to draw up rolls of "male heads of families, being members of the congregation, and in full communion with the Church" within two months, and to insert these rolls into the Kirk Session records.

While not all of these rolls of heads of families survive, hundreds of them do, and they provide a very useful record of inhabitants all over Scotland in the years before the first nominal census of 1841. We have transcribed them (more than 150,000 names), and made them available on our website free of charge. The table below gives a complete list of them, with links to the individual parishes.

Rolls of Heads of Families
Parish volume	County volume
Abercorn	West Lothian
Aberdalgie	Perthshire
Aberdeen Greyfriars	Aberdeenshire
Aberdeen St Clements	Aberdeenshire
Aberdeen St Mary's	Aberdeenshire
Aberdeen St Nicholas	Aberdeenshire
Abernethy	Perthshire
Acharacle	Argyll
Airlie	Angus
Airth	Stirlingshire
Alva	Clackmannanshire
Alvah	Banffshire
Alvie	Inverness-shire
Anstruther Easter	Fife
Ardclach	Nairnshire
Arrochar	Dunbartonshire
Auchtergaven	Perthshire
Auchterless	Aberdeenshire
Avondale	Lanarkshire
Ayton	Berwickshire
Baldernock	Stirlingshire
Balfron	Stirlingshire
Ballantrae	Ayrshire
Beith	Ayrshire
Biggar	Lanarkshire
Bolton	East Lothian
Bo'ness	West Lothian
Borgue	Kirkcudbrightshire
Bothwell	Lanarkshire
Bowden	Roxburghshire
Buittle	Kirkcudbrightshire
Cambusnethan	Lanarkshire
Canisbay	Caithness
Carmichael	Lanarkshire
Carmunnock	Lanarkshire
Carmyllie	Angus
Carnoch in Strathconon	Ross and Cromarty
Carnock	Fife
Carriden	West Lothian
Carrington	Midlothian
Carstairs	Lanarkshire
Castleton	Roxburghshire
Chirnside	Berwickshire
Clackmannan	Clackmannanshire
Cleish	Kinross
Cockpen	Midlothian
Coldingham	Berwickshire
Colinton	Midlothian
Coull	Aberdeenshire
Coupar Angus	Perthshire
Coylton	Ayrshire
Craig	Angus
Cramond	Edinburgh
Cranstoun	Midlothian
Crichton	Midlothian
Cromarty	Ross and Cromarty
Cruden	Aberdeenshire
Cumbernauld	Dunbartonshire
Currie	Midlothian
Dailly	Ayrshire
Dairsie	Fife
Dalkeith St Nicholas	Midlothian
Dallas	Moray
Dalmeny	West Lothian
Dalry	Kirkcudbrightshire
Dalrymple	Ayrshire
Dalziel	Lanarkshire
Denny	Stirlingshire
Deskford	Banffshire
Dingwall	Ross and Cromarty
Dirleton	East Lothian
Dollar	Clackmannanshire
Drumelzier	Peeblesshire
Duirinish	Inverness-shire
Dull	Perthshire
Dumbarton	Dunbartonshire
Dumfries Greyfriars	Dumfriesshire
Dumfries St Michaels	Dumfriesshire
Dun	Angus
Dunbog	Fife
Dunfermline Abbey	Fife
Dunipace	Stirlingshire
Dunkeld	Perthshire
Dunnichen	Angus
Dunnottar	Kincardineshire
Dunrossness	Shetland
Duns	Berwickshire
Dunscore	Dumfriesshire
Duror	Argyll
Dyce	Aberdeenshire
Dysart	Fife
Eassie and Nevay	Angus
Echt	Aberdeenshire
Eday	Orkney
Edderton	Ross and Cromarty
Edinburgh Greyfriars	Edinburgh
Edinburgh Lady Glenorchy's	Edinburgh
Edinburgh Old Kirk	Edinburgh
Edinburgh Roxburgh Place	Edinburgh
Edinburgh St Andrews	Edinburgh
Edinburgh St Giles	Edinburgh
Edinburgh St Marys	Edinburgh
Edinburgh St Stephens	Edinburgh
Edinkillie	Moray
Ednam	Roxburghshire
Edzell	Angus
Errol	Perthshire
Eyemouth	Berwickshire
Fala	Midlothian
Falkirk	Stirlingshire
Ferryport on Craig	Fife
Fetteresso	Kincardineshire
Findo Gask	Perthshire
Fintray	Aberdeenshire
Fintry	Stirlingshire
Fodderty	Ross and Cromarty
Fordyce	Banffshire
Forgandenny	Perthshire
Forglen	Banffshire
Forres	Moray
Forteviot	Perthshire
Foulden	Berwickshire
Foveran	Aberdeenshire
Fyvie	Aberdeenshire
Gamrie	Banffshire
Gargunnock	Stirlingshire
Girthon	Kirkcudbrightshire
Gladsmuir	East Lothian
Glamis	Angus
Glassford	Lanarkshire
Glenbuchat	Aberdeenshire
Glencorse	Midlothian
Glendevon	Perthshire
Glenelg	Inverness-shire
Glenshiel	Ross and Cromarty
Gorbals	Glasgow
Gordon	Berwickshire
Govan	Glasgow
Greenlaw	Berwickshire
Greenock West	Renfrewshire
Halkirk	Caithness
Hamilton	Lanarkshire
Heriot	Midlothian
Inchinnan	Renfrewshire
Innerwick	East Lothian
Inverarity	Angus
Inverkeilor	Angus
Inverkeithing	Fife
Keir	Dumfriesshire
Kelso	Roxburghshire
Kelton	Kirkcudbrightshire
Kennoway	Fife
Kilbrandon and Kilchattan	Argyll
Kilchrenan and Dalavich	Argyll
Kilconquhar	Fife
Killearnan	Ross and Cromarty
Killin	Perthshire
Kilmallie	Argyll
Kilmarnock Laigh Kirk	Ayrshire
Kilmore and Kilbride	Argyll
Kilmuir Easter	Ross and Cromarty
Kilninver and Kilmelfort	Argyll
Kilspindie	Perthshire
Kinellar	Aberdeenshire
Kinfauns	Perthshire
Kingarth	Bute
Kingussie	Inverness-shire
Kinloch Rannoch	Perthshire
Kinloss	Moray
Kinross	Kinross
Kintail	Ross and Cromarty
Kippen	Stirlingshire
Kirkbean	Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcaldy St Bryce	Fife
Kirkgunzeon	Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkliston	West Lothian
Kirkmahoe	Dumfriesshire
Kirkmichael	Perthshire
Kirknewton	Midlothian
Kirkpatrick Irongray	Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkpatrick Juxta	Dumfriesshire
Kirkwall	Orkney
Lady	Orkney
Ladykirk	Berwickshire
Lanark St Nicholas	Lanarkshire
Langton	Berwickshire
Larbert	Stirlingshire
Lasswade	Midlothian
Latheron	Caithness
Lauder	Berwickshire
Legerwood	Berwickshire
Lerwick	Shetland
Lethendy	Perthshire
Lethnot and Navar	Angus
Liberton	Edinburgh
Lintrathen	Angus
Lismore And Appin	Argyll
Little Dunkeld	Perthshire
Livingston	West Lothian
Lochlee	Angus
Lochrutton	Kirkcudbrightshire
Lochwinnoch	Renfrewshire
Logierait	Perthshire
Manor	Peeblesshire
Maryculter	Kincardineshire
Meigle	Perthshire
Melrose	Roxburghshire
Menmuir	Angus
Midcalder	Midlothian
Moneydie	Perthshire
Monkton and Prestwick	Ayrshire
Montrose	Angus
Monzie	Perthshire
Mordington	Berwickshire
Morebattle	Roxburghshire
Morningside	Edinburgh
Morton	Dumfriesshire
Moulin	Perthshire
Muckairn	Argyll
Muckhart	Perthshire
Muiravonside	Stirlingshire
Muthill	Perthshire
Nenthorn	Berwickshire
New Abbey	Kirkcudbrightshire
New Cumnock	Ayrshire
Newbattle	Midlothian
Newburn	Fife
Newton	Midlothian
Nigg	Kincardineshire
Nigg	Ross and Cromarty
North Berwick	East Lothian
North Leith	Edinburgh
North Yell	Shetland
Northmavine	Shetland
Oathlaw	Angus
Old Kilpatrick	Dunbartonshire
Ordiquhill	Banffshire
Ormiston	East Lothian
Orwell	Kinross
Peebles	Peeblesshire
Penicuik	Midlothian
Perth East	Perthshire
Perth Middle	Perthshire
Perth St Pauls	Perthshire
Perth West	Perthshire
Peterculter	Aberdeenshire
Pettinain	Lanarkshire
Polmont	Stirlingshire
Polwarth	Berwickshire
Portmoak	Kinross
Portpatrick	Wigtownshire
Prestonkirk	East Lothian
Prestonpans	East Lothian
Rafford	Moray
Redgorton	Perthshire
Rerrick	Kirkcudbrightshire
Resolis	Ross and Cromarty
Rosemarkie	Ross and Cromarty
Rosneath	Dunbartonshire
Rosskeen	Ross and Cromarty
Rothesay	Bute
Roxburgh	Roxburghshire
Salton	East Lothian
Sandwick	Shetland
Scone	Perthshire
Scoonie	Fife
Selkirk	Selkirkshire
Skene	Aberdeenshire
Skirling	Peeblesshire
Slains	Aberdeenshire
Slamannan	Stirlingshire
Smailholm	Roxburghshire
South Queensferry	West Lothian
Sprouston	Roxburghshire
St Madoes	Perthshire
St Ninians	Stirlingshire
St Quivox	Ayrshire
Stanley	Perthshire
Stirling Holy Rude	Stirlingshire
Stitchel	Roxburghshire
Stobo	Peeblesshire
Stonehouse	Lanarkshire
Stracathro	Angus
Strathblane	Stirlingshire
Strathmiglo	Fife
Strathy (Farr)	Sutherland
Strichen	Aberdeenshire
Stronsay	Orkney
Symington	Ayrshire
Temple	Midlothian
Tibbermore	Perthshire
Tillicoultry	Clackmannanshire
Tingwall	Shetland
Tongue	Sutherland
Torphichen	West Lothian
Torthorwald	Dumfriesshire
Traquair	Peeblesshire
Trinity Gask	Perthshire
Troqueer	Kirkcudbrightshire
Tweedsmuir	Peeblesshire
Tynron	Dumfriesshire
Uphall	West Lothian
Urr	Kirkcudbrightshire
Weem	Perthshire
West Calder	Midlothian
Westray	Orkney
Whitburn	West Lothian
Whitekirk	East Lothian
Whitsome	Berwickshire
Whittinghame	East Lothian
Wick	Caithness
Wilton	Roxburghshire
Wiston and Roberton	Lanarkshire
Yester	East Lothian

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History talks and events 28 March - 3 April 2016

21/3/2016

Torrance Heritage and History Group

Upcoming family history talks and events in Scotland, 28 March - 3 April 2016

Note that there may be a small charge for some of these events, and some may be for members only. We will be publishing lists of upcoming talks and events regularly - if you are organising a talk or event relating to Scottish genealogy or history, please let us know and we will be happy to add your events to our list.

Monday, March 28 2016, 7.30 pm

Glasgow Humane Society

George Parsonage

Venue: Caldwell Halls, 16 Campsie Road, Torrance, G64 4BN

Monday, March 28 2016, 7.30 pm

Perthshire monasteries and their local communities

Prof Richard Oram

Venue: Bankfoot Church Centre

Clackmannanshire Field Studies Society

Non-members: adults £3, concessions £2. (Open discussion meetings at Luncarty are free)

Monday, March 28 2016, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm

Finlaggan, Islay – excavation at the center of the Lordship of the Isles

Dr David Caldwell

Venue: Alloa Town Hall (Tommy Downs Room)

Speaker Society of Antiquaries Scotland, Fife Cultural Trust

Thursday, March 31 2016, 7.30 pm

Clyde Upper Reaches : Imports & Exports

Iain Quinn

Venue: Glen Halls, Neilston

Barrhead & Neilston Historical Association

Thursday, March 31 2016, 7.30 pm

Blackfriars Monastery Dig

Bob Will, Guard Archaeology

Venue: Smith Museum and Art Gallery

Stirling Local History Society

Thursday, March 31 2016, 7.30 pm

Glasgow's Bridges

Tom Marchmont

Venue: FCCS Office, Soutbank Marina, Kirkintilloch

Forth and Clyde Canal Society

Thursday, March 31 2016, 8 pm

Ayrshire's Railway Heritage

Alasdair Wham

Venue: Chapel Hall, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, 2 Crummock Street, Beith, Ayrshire

Beith Historical Society

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History talks and events 21-27 March 2016

14/3/2016

Clydebank Local History Society

Upcoming family history talks and events in Scotland, 21 - 27 March 2016

Note that there may be a small charge for some of these events, and some may be for members only. We will be publishing lists of upcoming talks and events regularly - if you are organising a talk or event relating to Scottish genealogy or history, please let us know and we will be happy to add your events to our list.

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Monday, March 21 2016, 7.30 pm

Frae a’ the Airts

Bill Black

Venue: Morison Memorial Church, Dumbarton Road, Clydebank

Monday, March 21 2016, 7.30 pm

100 Years of the Usher Hall

Ruth Boreham

Venue: Millennium Room, Cramond Kirk Hall

Cramond Heritage Trust

Preceded by AGM

Monday, March 21 2016, 7.30 pm

Family History on the Internet

Ronnie Scott

Venue: Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow

Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society

Monday, March 21 2016, 7-9 pm

Tranent Old Graveyard

Venue: Augustine Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

Scottish Genealogy Society

Monday, March 21 2016, 8 pm

A Scottish Doctor in Russia

John Gooding

Venue: Dreghorn Loan Hall, Colinton, EH13 0DE

Colinton Local History Society

Tuesday, March 22 2016, 6 pm

The Grants of Inverquharity Castle: The Early Castle Restores - a dialogue with archive illustrations

Alisoun Grant, castle restorer in conversationwith Simon Green, architectural historian

Venue: Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, University of Dundee, DD1 4EN

Tuesday, March 22 2016, 6 pm

The Grants of Inverquharity Castle: Keys to the Castle, award-winning documentary film introduced by its director

Darren Hercher, documentary photographer, film director and producer

Venue: Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, University of Dundee, DD1 4EN

Carmyllie Heritage Society

Tuesday, March 22 2016, 7 pm

Angus Castles

David Orr

Venue: Carmyllie Church Hall, Carmyllie, Arbroath, DD11 2QZ

Preceded by AGM

Wednesday, March 23 2016, 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm

Member’s Afternoon & AGM

Venue: Kincardine Community Centre - Hepburn Room

Kincardine-on-Forth Local History Group

A relaxed and informal opportunity for members to show slides from their own collections

Wednesday, March 23 2016, 2.30 pm

Becoming Atheist; how the Scots lost religion in the 20th Century

Professor Callum G Brown, University of Glasgow

Venue: Edinburgh Theological Seminar, The Mound, Edinburgh

Scottish Church History Society

Wednesday, March 23 2016, 7.00 pm

The two Andrew Morays and the Wars of Independence

Dr Iain MacInnes, University of the Highlands and Islands

Venue: Highland Archive Centre, Bught Park, Inverness

Highland Family History Society

Preceded by AGM

Wednesday, March 23 2016, 7.30 pm

Jacobite Relics: Myths and Realities

George Dalgleish

Venue: Volunteer Hall, Galashiels

Old Gala Club

Thursday, March 24 2016, 2.00 pm

Perth – A comprehensive guide for locals and visitors

Dr John Hulbert

Venue: Sandeman Room, AK Bell Library

Friends of PKC Archives

Thursday, March 24 2016, 6 pm

Glasgow’s Nineteenth Century Monument(al) History

Rachael Purse

Venue: GCHT, 54 Bell Street, Glasgow

Glasgow City Heritage Trust

GCHT Statues & Monuments Officer Rachael Purse will discuss her research from the Council funded project she has been managing; to record and research all of Glasgow’s statues and monuments. She will delve into Glasgow’s industrial past and examine its monumental legacy.

Thursday, March 24 2016, 7 pm for 7.30 pm

Audacious Imaginings

Colin Mackay

Venue: Adelaides, 209 Bath Street, at the corner of Pitt Street, Glasgow

Ayrshire Archaeological and Natural History Society

Colin MacKay, award-winning journalist with BBC Scotland, will explore the considerable contribution of the Victorian railway to style and elegance, in public buildings and permanent way alike.

Thursday, March 24 2016, 7.30 pm

The Loans Smugglers—an Update

Frances Wilkins

Venue: Town Hall, Ayr

Followed by AGM

Thursday, March 24 2016, 7.45 pm

Defending the Clyde, 1914-45

Geoffrey Stell

Venue: Drymen Village Hall, Main Street, Drymen, Glasgow, G63 0BP

Drymen & District Local History Society

Geoffrey is a buildings historian and worked for many years for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). At a time when we are aware of World War I and II anniversaries this talk will highlight the strategic role of the Clyde.

Saturday, March 26 2016, 2.00 pm

Livery Colours - Playing the Fool (it's all said in jest)

John Malden, FHSS

Venue: Royal Scots Club, Abercromby Place, Edinburgh

The Heraldry Society of Scotland

Sunday, March 27 2016, 2.00 pm

How to Get the Best out of FamilySearch and Family Tree

Karen Allan

Venue: Corn Exchange & Ormiston Institute, Market Square, Melrose, TD6 9PN

Borders Family History Society

FamilySearch is a really useful website which is free to use but there are many search features. Which one is best for you ? Karen will explain how to use the site more effectively.

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History talks and events 14-20 March 2016

8/3/2016

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

Upcoming family history talks and events in Scotland, 14 - 20 March 2016

Note that there may be a small charge for some of these events, and some may be for members only. We will be publishing lists of upcoming talks and events regularly - if you are organising a talk or event relating to Scottish genealogy or history, please let us know and we will be happy to add your events to our list.

Monday, March 14 2016, 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm

Living and dying at Auldhame, East Lothian

Dr Anne Crone, Project Manager, AOC Archaeology

Venue: Auditorium, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street

Excavations on the headland at Auldhame have uncovered a millennium of burial activity, from the 7th century to the 17th century AD. The earliest phase saw the establishment of a monastic settlement probably associated with the Anglian saint, Balthere. A grave with Hiberno-Norse connections signaled the end of this settlement, possibly violently, and the site subsequently became a parish church and graveyard, finally ending up as a family burial aisle or mortuary chapel for Adam Otterburn, four times provost of Edinburgh.

Monday, March 14 2016, 7 pm

The Old Turkey Red Textile Industry in West Dunbartonshire

Katy West, Glasgow

Venue: Newton Lounge

Cumbrae Historical Society

Monday, March 14 2016, 7.30 pm

The Innocent Railway

Jim Waugh

Venue: Dalkeith Baptist Church, North Wynd, Dalkeith

Dalkeith History Society

Monday, March 14 2016, 7.30 pm

Open Evening

Venue: Luncarty Church Centre