April 1, 1997 Irish & Scot Newsletter COUNTIES OF IRELAND - The following brief histories for the counties of Ireland are taken from "Irish Records Sources for Family & Local History" by James G. Ryan, Ph.D., Copyright Ancestry Incorporated (USA), ISBN # 0-916-489-22-1 COUNTY MAYO Situated on the northwestern shore of Connaught, County Mayo contains the towns of KiRala, Castlebar, Crossmolina, Westport, and Ballina. The main Gaelic families in the area were O'Malley, O'Flaherty, McEvilly, O'Henaghan, and O'Flannery. Among the Norman families who settled in this county were the Burkes, Barretts, Nangles, Costelloes, and Jordans. Other septs related to these Norman families and now found in the county, include the McPhilbins, McAndrews, Prendergasts, and Fitzmaurice. After the seventeenth-century redistribution of Mayo land to English adventurers, the major estate-holders included Browne, Altamont, and Cuffe. During the seventeenth century there were a few attempts to settle parts of Mayo with people from England or northern Ireland. One such settlement was that of the Mullett Peninsula with families from Ulster. Several of these, including the Dixons, established themselves in the area. Many families who were forced to leave the northern counties because of the sectarian fighting of the 1790s also settled in Mayo. These incidents have been relatively well documented. In 1798 the French landed 1100 men in Mayo under General Humbert to assist the rebellion of United Irishmen. This invasion was too late to be effective, however, as the main rebellion had been defeated earlier in the year. Assisted by local rebels, this army took control of Mayo but was eventually defeated at Ballinamuck. The land in Mayo is relatively poor. In spite of that the county was one of the most densely populated at the beginning of the nineteenth century when there were 474 people per square mile of arable land in the county. This dense population was very badly affected by the Great Famine of 1845-47. The population dropped from almost 390,000 in 1841 to 274,000 in 1851. Around 45,000 people died between 1845 and 1850, and huge numbers emigrated. Between 1850 and 1855 alone, over 21,000 people emigrated. By 1891 the population had dropped to 219,000 and is currently around 115,000. COUNTY MEATH This Leinster county contains the towns of Navan, Trim, Kells, Oldcastle, and Athboy. In the old Irish system of ministration, the present county of Meath was part of a larger area of the same name which was the territory of the High King of Ireland. The High King's residence was situated on the Hill of Tara which is within the present county of Meath. The major Irish families in the county were O'Melaghlin or McLoughlin, McGogarty, O'Loughnane, Hayes, (O')Kelly, (0')Hennessy, and O'Reilly. Following the Norman conquest of Leinster, the county was given to Hugh de Lacy, who built an extensive castle on the site of the present town of Trim. The Normans also built castles at Navan and Kells. Over the succeeding centuries, however, the effective control of the English administration in the county waned as the Normans assimilated into the Irish way of life, and the native families became more powerful. The area controlled by England gradually shrunk to an area around Dublin, the Pale, which included the eastern parts of the present County Meath. It was in this area of rich farmland that many Norman families settled. The main families which settled were those of Preston, Plunkett, Cusack, Darcy, Dillon, Nangle, Dowdall, Fleming, and Barnewall. Some of the native families migrated from the county as a result of the Norman conquest, but most remained either as tenants or servants of the Normans or on their own lands. During the 1641 rebellion most of the Irish and Norman families of the county, led by a Preston, rebelled against English rule. This rebellion was defeated and the lands of many of the rebels were confiscated and given to soldiers and officers of Cromwell's army. Once described as "the great grazing ground" of Ireland, County Meath has an abundance of pastureland. Large farms prospered on these lands, but few small farmers were able to earn a sufficient living. The population of the county dramatically dropped during the 1840s, the period of the Great Famine. The population was183,000 in 1841, making Meath one of the least densely populated counties in the country (200 people per square mile). By 1857 this population had dropped to141,000. Almost 20,000 died between 1845 and 1850 from starvation and disease, and further thousands emigrated. The population is currently around 96,000. COUNTIES OF SCOTLAND - The following brief histories of the counties of Scotland are taken from "A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland" by Samuel Lewis, reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc. ISBN # 0- 8063-1256-4 ELGINSHIRE, or MORAYSHIRE, a county in the north-east of Scotland, bounded on the north by the Moray Firth, on the east and south-east by Bauffshire, on the south by a detached portion of the county of Inverness, and on the west by Nairnshire. It lies between 57 degrees 11 minutes and 57 degrees 43 minutes (N. Lat.) and 3 degrees 2 minutes and 3 degrees 58 minutes (W. Long.), and is about 40 miles in length, and 23 miles in extreme breadth; comprising an area of 840 square miles, or 537,600 acres; 8526 houses, of which 8154 are inhabited; and containing a population of 35,0112, of whom 16,090 are males and 18,9912 females. This county constituted a portion of the ancient province of Moray, which contained the shires of Nairn and Elgin, with a large part of the county of Banff, and which was for many ages distinguished as the "granary of Scotland". At a very early period Moray had an establishment of Culdees, and it subsequently became the seat of various religious societies, that emigrated from Italy, and settled here about the commencement of the tenth century. In the year 1100 it was made a diocese, and in 1150 an abbey for Cistercian monks was founded at Kinloss by David 1. The priories of Urquhart, Pluscardine, and Kingussie were soon afterwards established; and in the year 1224 Andrew, Bishop of Moray, erected a cathedral for his diocese at Elgin, the remains of which form one of the most interesting ecclesiastical relics in the country. During later times the county has been included in the synod of Moray; it comprises parts of several presbyteries, and consists of about twenty parishes. For civil purposes it is joined with the shire of Nairn, under the jurisdiction of one sheriff, who appoints a sheriff-substitute for each. It contains the royal burghs of Elgin and Forres, the former of which is the county town; the towns of Garmouth and Lossiemouth, and a few villages. Under the act of the 2nd of William IV., the two counties return one member to the imperial parliament. The surface of Morayshire, which rises gradually from the shores of the Firth towards the Grampian range, is beautifully diversified with parallel ranges of hills of moderate elevation, intersecting the county from east to west, and between which are fertile valleys of pleasing appearance. The chief rivers are the Spey, the Lossie, and the Findhorn, the first of which enters the county from that of Inverness at Aviemore, and pursuing a north-eastern course, and receiving the waters of the Dulnan and the Avon, falls into the Moray Firth at Garmouth. It is scarcely navigable, from the extreme rapidity of its current, except for the floating of timber from the forests of Strathspey; but abounds with salmon, the fisheries of which produce a rental of 7000 pounds- sterling per annum. The Lossie has its source in a loch of that name, within the county, and, taking a direction nearly parallel with the Spey, flows by the town of Elgin into the Firth at Lossiemouth. The river Findhorn rises in the county of Inverness, and soon after entering the county receives the streams of the Dorbac and the Divie, and runs northward into Findhorn bay in the Moray Firth. In Elginshire the chief lakes are, Lochnaboe, covering about sixty acres, and surrounded with a forest of ancient firs; Inchstellie, of very small dimensions; Loch Spynie, which has been almost wholly drained; and Lochindorb, on the boundary between Elgin and the detached portion of the county of Inverness. Of these the last is four miles in length, and about one mile broad: on an island within its limits are some remains of a castle, which was occupied for a time by Edward I of England. About one-fifth of the land is arable and in cultivation, and of the remainder less than one-half is in pasture, woodlands, and plantations. The soil in the lower districts is sand, alternated with clay and loam, which last is the most predominant; the system of agriculture, though inferior to that of some other counties, is still greatly improved, and the farm-buildings and offices are generally substantial and commodious. Considerable attention is paid to the rearing of live stock: the cattle are mostly a mixture of the Shetland and Lancashire breeds, and the sheep of the black-faced breed; the horses are the Clydesdale and the Lanark, with a few of the Suffolk and the Yorkshire. The natural wood with which the county formerly abounded has been greatly diminished, and only some remains of it are found on the banks of the rivers: plantations have been formed of late years. The minerals are riot very important. Iron-ore was wrought, but the works have long been discontinued; and there are indications of lead-ore and coal. Limestone is found in several parts near the coast, and there are quarries of excellent freestone; slate is also wrought in some places. In this county the principal seats are Innes House, Duffus House, Darnaway Castle, Brodie House, the Grange, Burgie Castle, Ortown House, and Elchies House. The chief manufactures are the woollen and cotton, the former of which has been long established; there are likewise some bleaching-grounds, and the spinning of flax affords employment to a considerable number of persons. There are some tanneries, and also distilleries on an extensive scale, the latter paying collectively duties to government amounting to 50,000 pounds-sterling a year. The annual value of real property in Elginshire is 98,115 pounds-sterling, of which 84,082 pounds-sterling are returned for lands, 7350 pounds- sterling for houses, 5439 pounds-sterling for fisheries, and the remainder for other kinds of real property. In the county are numerous remains of antiquity, of which the chief are the ruins of Elgin cathedral, the episcopal palace at Spynie, the priory of Pluscardine, and the castles of Lochindorb, Durphail, and Relugas: there are also many memorials of the frequent battles that occurred between the inhabitants and the Danes, by whose incursions this part of the country was much infested. NAIRNSHIRE, a county, in the north-east Of Scotland, bounded on the north by the Moray Firth, on the cut by Elginshire and a detached portion of the county of Inverness, on the south by Elginshire, and on the west and south-west by Inverness-shire. It lies between 57 degrees 22 minutes and 57 degrees 38minutes (N. Lat.), and 3 degrees 40 minutes and 4 degrees 7 minutes (W. Long.), and is about twenty-two miles in length and fifteen miles in breadth; comprising an area of 200 square miles, or 128,000 acres; 2338 houses, of which 2235 are inhabited; and containing a population of 9217, of whom 4231 are males and 4986 females. This district formed part of the ancient province of Moray, and was in the diocese of that name; the county is now in the synod of Moray and presbytery of Nairn, and includes four parishes, with small parts of others. In civil matters, it and Elginshire are under the jurisdiction of one sheriff, but it has a resident sheriff-substitute for itself. It contains the royal burgh of Nairn, which is the county town, and a few villages. Under the act of the 2nd of William IV., it is associated with Elginshire in returning one member to the imperial parliament; the election, so far as Nairnshire is concerned, takes place at Nairn, where also all the civil courts of the county are held. In the northern part the surface is tolerably level, but in the southern part hilly and mountainous. The principal heights are, Ben-Bui, Crag-Ower, Cragerachan, and the Leonach, on the confines of Inverness-shire; and Cairn-Glaschurn and Cairn-Dui towards the border of Elginshire; but none of them have any very great elevation. The rivers are the Findhom and the Nairn, of which the former enters the county in Strathdearn, on the south-west, and, flowing with a rapid current, in a north-eastern direction, falls into the Moray Firth at the fishing-village of Findhorn, in the county of Elgin. The Nairn also pursues a northeastern course through the county, which it enters at its western extremity from Inverness-shire; and flows into the firth, at Nairn. Both rivers abound with excellent salmon. There are several lakes, but the only one of any considerable extent is the Inch of the Clans, about a mile in length and half a mile broad, with a small island in the centre, and from which a streamlet flows into the firth. Rather more than one-half of the land is arable; of the remainder, the greater portion is meadow and pasture, and the rest unprofitable moss. The soil of the arable lands is in some places a rich clayey loam, and in other parts a light sand, with other varieties in the system of agriculture has been much improved, but is still inferior to that pursued in the south. The minerals are not important. Limestone is found near the coast, and marl of different kinds has been applied to the improvement of the lands; freestone of valuable quality is also abundant at Nairn, of a beautiful colour, and compactness equal to the Portland stone. There is a considerable quantity of natural wood remaining; and extensive plantations have been formed, which are generally in a thriving state. The chief commerce is the export of timber, corn, sheep, cattle, and salmon. Facility of communication is afforded by roads kept in excellent repair. The annual value of real property in the county is 16,796 pounds-sterling, of which 15,202 pounds-sterling are returned for lands, 1403 pounds-sterling for houses, and the remainder for other species of real property . SURNAMES OF THE MONTH - This month the Irish surnames taken from EDWARD MacLYSAGHT's book "IRISH FAMILIES Their Names, Arms & Origins", SciPrint Limited, Copyright Irish Academic Press Limited, ISBN # 0-7165-2364-7 are: BROWNE Though this is one of the commonest of all surnames in England (more often without the E there), it is included here because the Brownes were one of the "Tribes" of Galway. The arms illustrated on Plate II are those of the Galway Brownes. There are many other distinguished families of Browne in Ireland, notably in Connacht - that of Lord Oramnore and Browne and the Brownes of Breaghwy, Co. Mayo - and in Kerry the Brownes of Killarney, whose historic Kenmare peerage has recently become extinct. No less important were the Brownes of Camus, Co. Limerick; Field-Marshal Maximilian Ulysses Browne (1705-1757) was son of Col. Ulysses Browne, of Camus, Co. Limerick. George Count de Browne (1698-1792) was yet another famous continental soldier of the Camus family. The Galway Brownes are descended from a Norman, le Brun, who came to Ireland at the time of the Anglo- Norman invasion. The Brownes, or Brunachs, are mentioned by MacFirbis in his H Fiachrach as one of the four Norman tribes who wrested the territory of Tirawley from the Fiachrach following the invasion. They established themselves in Galway by intermarriage with its leading family, the Lynches. By similar alliance with the O'Flahertys and the O'Malleys they secured their position as an Irish family of the West. The Brownes of Killarney, on the other hand, stem from an Elizabethan Englishman, but there again intermarriage with influential Gaelic families in Kerry consolidated their position. A very full account of this family is given in The Kenmare Manuscripts, published by the Irish Manuscripts Commission. Referring to the Brownes of Connacht mention should also be made of John Browne, the first high sheriff of Mayo (1583). He was of the family already at that time well established at the Neale, in the barony of Kilmaine. His descendants who became, in the senior line, Barons of Kilmaine and, in the junior, Earls of Altamount, have since been closely associated with Co. Mayo. Seated at Westport the 3rd Marquis of Sligo (5th Earl of Altamont) was, prior to the land legislation of the late nineteenth century, owner of an estate of 114,000 acres. Admiral William Brown (1777-1857), celebrated as the creator of the Argentine navy, was born at Foxford, Co. Mayo. It is thought that his family was a branch of the Connacht O'Breens whose name appears in the sixteenth century Fiants, inter alia, as O'Browne. No conclusive proof, however, of this descent is as yet forthcoming. Recently two of the most important men in Galway city were Brownes: Michael Browne, Bishop of Galway, and Patrick Browne, President of University College, Galway, and a Gaelic poet of distinction. O'BRODER, Broderick, Brothers Broderick is a fairly common indigenous surname in England. Nevertheless very few Irish Brodericks are of English extraction. The name affords a good example of the practice, which grew up during the two centuries of English and Protestant domination in Ireland after the Williamite Wars, of assimilating old Gaelic surnames to well-known English names somewhat resembling them. Thus for Lehane Lane was widely adopted, MacFirbis became generally Forbes and Cunnigan Cunningham; and in the same way O Bruadair and Mac Bruadair, which were at first anglicized as Broder and Brouder, acquired the forms Broderick and Brothers. Father McErlean, in his introduction to the poems of David O Bruadair, referring to a recent generation remarks "those who to their neighbours are Broders become Brodericks when they go marketing in the country town or when they enter a rent office or a court of law". It has been held that this sept is of Norse origin but there is no basis for this beyond the fact that Bruadar was a common name in the Scandinavian countries. Even had it been taken from this source that is no proof of Norse blood, but the fact is that many Bruadars are on record in Ireland before the "Danish" invasions began and before surnames came into existence. Several distinct septs of O Bruadair existed in early mediaeval times of which two may be mentioned here since their descendants are still found in or near their original territory. One was located in Co. Cork in the barony of Barrymore to which David or Daithi O Bruadair the poet belonged. It was presumably a branch of this which settled as a Munster family in Iverk (Ossory), where they were well established in the seventeenth century. In Co. Limerick, where the name is now quite numerous, they are registered as Brouder and Broderick in about equal numbers. The other belonged to Co. Galway, the most famous of whom was Fr. Anthony O'Bruadair, O.S.F., the martyr; the existence of two townlands called Ballybroder (in the parishes of Kilmeen and Loughrea) should be mentioned; Mr. P. J. Kennedy tells me that he knows more than 30 families of the name in the area between Galway and the Shannon. The best known of all Broderick families in Ireland is that of which Lord Midleton is the head. The first of these to come to Ireland was an Englishman, Sir Alan Broderick who was appointed Surveyor General of Ireland in 1660. This month the Scottish surnames taken from Roddy Martine's "SCOTTISH CLAN AND FAMILY NAMES Their Arms, Origins and Tartans", Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh and London, 1992, ISBN # 1-85158-418-8 are: ELLIOT(T) A family of southern Scotland, one of the great 'riding' clans of the Borders. The Elliots of Redheugh were recognized as the principal family; one fell at Flodden and one became Captain of Hermitage Castle near Langholm. There was a feud between the Elliots and the Pringles, and at one time it was taken to the Privy Council. James VI took positive steps to curtail the lawless Border clans and there were executions and banishments. The lands of the Elliots of Redheugh passed to the Eliotts of Stobs, who took over the chiefship. Gilbert Elliot, who descended from a branch of the Stobs family, and had been under forfeiture in 1685 as an accessory to the rebellion of i679, received a knighthood, then a baronetcy, having become a Lord of Session as Lord Minto. His son, Sir Gilbert, also became a Lord of Session. The 3rd Baronet, Sir Gilbert, became Lord of the Admiralty and Keeper of the Signet in Scotland. The 4th Baronet, also Sir Gilbert, became Viceroy of Corsica and Governor-General of Bengal, 1807-13. He was created Baron Minto, Viscount Melgund and I st Earl of Minto. The 4th Earl was Governor-General of Canada (1898-1904) and Viceroy and Governor-General of Canada (1905 -10). DUNCAN descended from the ancient Earls of Atholl, the name was taken from a chief of Clan Don-nachaidh, 'Fat Duncan', who led the clan at Bannockburn. The Robertson appellation derived from their chief, Robert, in the time of James I. Considered as a sept of Clan Donnachaidh, the Duncans possessed lands in Forfarshire including the barony of Lundie and the estate of Gourdie. Adam Duncan of Lundie became an admiral and was responsible for the defeat of the Dutch navy off Camperdown in I797. His son was created Viscount Duncan of Camperdown. USEFUL WEB PAGES Below are some Web pages you may want to visit to help with your research. They contain a lot of useful information as well as links to other Web pages you can visit. If you like what you see here and want to go back, make sure you add them to your Favorite Places before you leave. There are some 1700s passenger lists (Ireland to Canada) online at: http://www.rootsweb.com:80/~ote/iriship.htm Thanks to the interest in ClanSearch, we've set up our Web page. Visit us at http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~jargon/clans.htm New Register House - http://www.open.gov.uk/gros/groshome.htm West Register House - http://www.open.gov.uk/gros/nrh.htm The Family Tree (Odom Payne) - http://www.teleport.com/~binder/famtree.shtml Scottish ancestry - http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/genealogy.html FROM THE WEB Subject: Call for Irish Canadian Surnames Call for Irish Canadian Surnames for Commercial Newsletter "The Canadian-American Genealogical Digest" is publishing a list of Irish immigrants to Canada in its March/April, 1997 issue. Over 700 names have been collected so far, and they will be published for worldwide distribution. If anyone is interested in having Irish surnames added to the list free of charge, please send along the following information - Name of immigrant(s) / Date they came to Canada / Place they left in Ireland / Name of spouse and/or children / Place settled in Canada. The contributor will have his/her name listed as the source, along with their snail mail address, e-mail address, and telephone number, if desired. (DISCLAIMER: The Canadian-American Genealogical Digest is a commercial off-line publication and this is not a call for subscribers, only contributors.) Thank you. Regards, Elizabeth Barclay-Lapointe U.E., B.A Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Elizabeth Barclay-Lapointe U.E., B.A. Editor - The Canadian-American Genealogical Digest Proudly entering its third year of publication! Buckingham Press, 10 des Castors, Buckingham, Quebec, Canada J8L 2W7 Tel: Fax: (819) 281-7575 E-Mail: editor@buckingham-press.com Website: http://www.buckingham-press.com (Commercial Site) Canadian Commissioner - Clan Barclay International Researching Nova Scotia Loyalists ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Family Histories are the Collective Memory of a Nation" Subject: GRO Marriage Tutorial 1 To understand some of the current complexities of marriage in this country it is necessary to understand some of the historical background. Marriages in this country (until very recently) fell into one of six categories. The four most commonly occurring ones were marriages 1)in the Established Church (Church of England in England, the Church in Wales in Wales), 2)in a Register Office 3) in a non-conformist Church 4) by Jewish or Quaker ceremony. These tutorials - while much of the information will be the same for these four - are specifically about marriages in Register Offices, non-conformist Churches and those of Quakers and Jews as the Established Church has always taken total responsibility for its marriages and I am not entirely familiar with the fine detail. The way in which the process of marriage shall take place was laid down in Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1754. This Act laid down that marriages (with the exception of Quakers and Jews) could only take place in the Parish Church and were either by banns or by license. They had to take place between the hours of 8am and 12 noon (remember poor in Far from the Madding Crowd who went to the wrong church and got to the right one after midday?!) This was later extended from 8am to 3pm and finally to the current hours of 8am to 6pm. Marriage by banns meant that a couple had to be resident in the parish for one week before the banns could be read, banns had to be written into a banns notice book and were either called in the church or proclaimed in a public place such as a market. The total process thus took one month from the start of residency to the completion of banns when the marriage could take place. Notice that the couple (or individual) only had to be resident for that one week - it was not necessary to be resident for the whole month. A huge number of couples used this loophole to have a marriage in a place other than the one they truly lived in and they married in other places for a variety of reasons ranging from wanting to be married in a particularly pretty church, to wanting to return to their parents area, to wanting to keep the marriage hidden from the people who would know them (and they couldn't afford the license fee). I do not know the specific requirements for marriage by license that were laid down at the same time but the marriages also had to be written in to the marriage license book. All marriages including Catholic and other non-conformist ones had to be performed in the parish church with the exception of the Quakers and the Jews. The reason for the exception of the last two groups was twofold. Firstly neither group was baptised in the Christian faith, the Jews for obvious reasons and the Quakers because they believed that each man could communicate himself with God and it was not necessary to have an intermediary. Secondly both groups did not believe that a specific building was necessary for the practice of religion. The Jews only require 10 members of the synagogue and the Ark of the Covenant to be present and the Quakers only need 2 people gathered together in Christs name for there to be a religious gathering. Quakers and Jews were therefore exempt from the rule that marriages had to be performed in the parish church - helped no doubt by their outstanding record keeping and thorough investigation by their societies into the bride and grooms marital status and relationship to one another and reasons for marriage. While most of their marriages did in fact take place in a Synagogue or Meeting House they did not have to and it was perfectly possible for the marriage to take place in a private house or other building of their choice. 250 years later while the place of marriage has been widened to include a large number of other secular buildings it is still not possible for the vast majority of people to get married in any building they choose (only registered ones) and they certainly can't get married outside. This was the legal basis of marriage in 1837 and still remains essentially the same today. Marriages may be in the Church of England in which case all the legal preliminaries are made by the Church, and the marriage is solemnized in a Church. The only difference that the 1837 introduction of registration made to the Established Church was that it now had to keep two identical registers one of which stays with the Church authorities when completed and the other is given to the Superintendent Registrar. Marriages may be entirely civil with notice given to the Superintendent Registrar(s) of the district(s) in which the parties lived. There is still the dual system of 1 weeks residency followed by 3 weeks in which the notice is displayed (for any legal objections to marriage to be made) or of 15 days residency by one party followed by the issue of the license for marriage after one clear working day. Saturday is a working day in this respect but all Sundays, Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are not. Marriages may take place in a non-conformist church that has been registered for marriages in which case all the preliminaries will take place as stated above but the actual marriage would be in a church. Marriages may take place anywhere for Quakers and Jews after the proper civil preliminaries have been made. The fifth type of marriage is reserved for the housebound or detained. If someone is too ill to be moved, or is in prison and cannot be allowed to go to a register office for a marriage then it is possible, after the proper civil preliminaries and various other extra ones too (such as evidence from a doctor about the health of the housebound) for the marriage to take place at a private home or in an institution or prison. Lastly there are marriages by Registrar General's license. These are reserved for the dying when all the usual preliminaries are waived and the marriage may take place at any place at any time of the day or night once permission from GRO has been obtained. Subject: Re: Sessions records & illegitimacies? Yes, indeed kirk session records make interesting reading on this subject as pressure is put on the girl to name the father and both are called before the session. Frequently, the alleged father does not show up and another meeting is arranged. If he belonged to another parish, that parish is notified. The father in some cases will deny the allegation and witnesses may be called. The names of the places where the people lived may also be given. I found an ancestor who was a witness. Also one of my ancestors was irregularly married and the places where they lived was given. Sometimes the Session even enlisted the help of the midwives to interrogate the mother-to-be when she was in the throes of childbirth, by putting pressure on her to spill the beans. It even worked sometimes, and it was thought that if a confession was obtained in those circumstances, with the fear of death very present, it was likely to be a true confession. -- Ann Watt Brignall Edinburgh Scotland The following is from the O.P.R. for Logie Easter (1788); On Thursday the 17th July by 5 OClock of the morning there was found by Donald Mckenzie Gardener at Scotsburn a male child laid on the threshold of the main door of the house of Scotsburn; immediately there after there was a minute search made among the unmarried women of this & Rosskeen Parishes in order to discover the mother, & a Guinea of reward ordered & promised to any person that would give information that would lead to her discovery, but as all the trouble & pains that Elders & Midwifes wear at did not discover her, the Session ordered him to be baptized. on the 21st and gave him to name Nicolas and engaged David Munro's Wife at Scotsburn to nurse him for a Guinea wages & a boll of meal a Quarter, with payment for his necessary Clothing Subj: *Summary* 18th Century Scotland What follows is a summary of the information I received in response to my query about every-day life in 18th century Stirling Scotland. What a WONDERFUL bibliography! I can't wait to begin reading and writing :) (I'm including names of submitters only if they posted their reply publicly) Several people recommended the "The Statistical Account of Scotland" and here are some of the comments and information about it.... *** The Statistical Account of Scotland, written in 1791 (and two further series in 1830 and 1960) give overviews of each parish in Scotland. These accounts were written by the local parish minister and can be wonderful. You may have them in your State library (or equivalent) or try the University libraries. Parish life in 18th Century Scotland (on which it is based) and is available in most libraries in Scotland. If you are writing from outside the UK, you could write to the Stirling Library and they would probably send you a photocopy of the parish you require. Probably the best source is the Statistical Account of Scotland (edited by Sinclair, a much under-rated enlightenment figure). Many of the parish accounts are very readable, and some are highly amusing. PARISH LIFE IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY SCOTLAND (A review of the Old Statistical Account) by Maisie Steven published 1995 by Scottish Cultural Press ISBN: 1 898218 28 5 If you can get these books they will tell you all you want to know. These books are brilliant. The only place I was able to get them was at the WA University (Perth Western Australia) The church authorities, who in the late seventeen hundreds decided that they needed to know a little more about the parishes within their domain. Every minister was given the task of compiling a report on his parish. The project took eight years to complete and was edited by Sir John SINCLAIR. It consisted of twenty county volumes and was called:- THE STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND 1791 - 1799 Forty years later the church decided to update its information and another statistical account was commenced. This new project was called:- THE NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND BY THE MINISTERS OF THE RESPECTIVE PARISHES, UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF A COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE CLERGY In 1961, THE THIRD STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND WAS COMPLETED. These accounts describe day-to-day life of the people. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next most highly recommended were several books by TC Smout: *** You also can't go past TC Smout's books, particularly "A History of the Scottish People 1560-1830". [ISBN 0-00-686027-3][ published by Collins, St. James's Place, London, 1969] I like his work because he just doesn't dwell on the rich or high and mighty but talks about what life was life for the ordinary Scot. He's written quite a few books and I have enjoyed all the ones I've seen. -- I'd endorse that recommendation: it's well researched but not a dry academic tome! Smout has also written a companion volume, "A century of the Scottish people, 1830 - 1950". London: Collins, 1986, which I've read for the 19th century background. Fascinating reading on the social conditions, e.g.., in the middle of the 19th century, about two-thirds of homes in Glasgow had only one or two rooms, and the political movements of the time. *** "A Century of the Scottish People 1830 - 1950" by T. C. Smout ISBN 0-00-686141-5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few recommended reading about Robert Burns: *** You could also try reading about Robert Burns and his cronies. Although mostly Ayrshire and Dumfries-orientated, I don't think they are atypical of Scottish life (except that Burns himself was a genius, of course). *** The Scottish poet Robert Burns was born on the 25 January1759 in Ayrshire Scotland. There have been many books written about the bard, so his life style is well documented. One that I recall reading was called "The wind that shakes the barley" I don't recall the author. This book was informative about his life style, as he was growing up in Scotland. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And then there were also these books: *** "People and Society in Scotland Volume 1, 1760 - 1830" Edited by T. M. Devine and Rosalind Mitchison ISBN 0 85976 210 6 *** Another wonderful book is John Galt's 'Annals of the Parish', again set in Ayrshire, but a book I found immensely enlightening about the day-to-day concerns of Scottish folk. Things like food, sex, leisure etc. ***What Jane Austen ATE and Charles Dicken KNEW, by Daniel Pool, Simon + Schuster, 1993, ISBN 0-671-79337-3 Can't recall the price, but its a hefty paperback--hardback sized--I would guess $15. Don't be misled by the title--it does deal with all levels of class. *** The best book I have on Scottish Life is. Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character by Dean Ramsy 1872. This wonderful book in full of everyday life and sayings. *** I also recommend "People & Society in Scotland, vol. 1, 1760-1830 (there vols. 2,3) edited by T.M.Devine and Rosalind Mitchison, The Econ. + Social History Society of Scotland, 1988--ISBN 0-85976-210-6. A bit dry and academic, but with many pictorial and prose illustrations incorporated. Also good reference lists for further study. *** Scottish Customs, by Margaret Bennett. This talks about the superstitions, beliefs and customs for everyday life in Scotland throughout history. Fascinating stuff! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEWSPAPERS OF THE TIME: You will find a good summary of what papers survive from that era in Jeremy Gibson's guide, 'Local Newspapers, 1750-1920' - details on the GENUKI web pages. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Regarding my question about what school children learn in the way of Scottish History: ***Try the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh's High Street. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And some of you gave me some basic information as follows: Much of what happened in non-Highland Scotland was also happening in England. One of the best and most readable accounts of the development of social life in England is Asa Briggs's "A social history of England" which has just come out in a 2nd edition. ISBN on the 1st edition was 0 670 65549 X. ~~~~~~ search for "Scotland" on Yahoo or similar search engine. I think you will find that there are newsgroup(s) dedicated to discussion of Scottish life and culture, but I could not give you a URL for them. Best of luck ~~~~~~ Kate, I've had the best luck with the local librarians. Write and ask for a recommendation for a reading list based on what is on their local shelves. With title and author (and anymore detail they can provide) you'll be amazed at how many books can be found thru inter-library loan. I've gotten books from all over the country, some more than 100 years old, and am constantly amazed by what is found in university and city libraries. Perhaps some kind soul can look up the libraries addresses in the St. Ninians/Stirling area for you. ~~~~~~ From Barnie Tyrwhitt-Drake: It is often easy to overplay the idyllic side of life before the industrial revolution, but the reality for most of our ancestors was that it was a very hard life with little time for leisure and socializing. Much of your ancestor's social life will be determined by what position he held in life. If he was a laborer or a servant the probability was that he could neither read nor write, so newspaper reading wouldn't have entered into his life. One of my great grandfather's was illiterate in this century - you didn't need literacy in his days to work on a farm. Many local newspapers were based on the early national papers which were just beginning at the time your man was growing up. You will find a good summary of what papers survive from that era in Jeremy Gibson's guide, 'Local Newspapers, 1750-1920' - details on the GENUKI web pages. Unless teenagers were from families wealthy enough to put them into full time education, they did one thing only. They worked. Even 100 years later it is common in the 1851 census to find 12 year olds and younger with laboring occupations. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And from Marjorie Jodoin, Regarding her recommendation of "What Jane Austen ATE and Charles Dicken KNEW": However, I would warn against direct equation of English social histories with Scottish experience. I have found that the Scots do some things very differently. Their culture is uniquely theirs and cannot be --and they don't want it to be-- equated with English cultural values. Of course, some basics do apply, but be prepared for great differences. For one thing, life was very primitive in some ways much later than one would expect. Mud and barefeet. There was a lot of fairly accurate detail in the recent "Rob Roy" movie. On the other hand, one can't assume illiteracy at the expected levels of society--the pervasive atmosphere of religious debate in Scotland encouraged learning to read the Bible. And most Scots would read anything else they could get their hands on. Lack of formal education did not mean Scots were uneducated. Debate was a constant and daily occurrence while working, honing the mind ... and fueling argument. If you saw the piece I posted a couple of weeks ago on apprenticing at a legal firm and the young man's judgement of the profession--the maturity and sophistication of his writing at age 19 was astounding--and he was a farmboy with only a rough, school house education at that point. I have learned I need to put aside all pre-conceptions. And that includes those that underlie recently published books. The original documentation, local newspapers, published works of the era--Walter Scott is highly romanticized, but contains accurate local detail--will surprise you every time! Browse old book stores for Victorian era writings. I found a "Rambles Around Glasgow" 1870 that was very interesting. Read travelogues of foreign visitors to the region of the period. Biographies of ministers and missionaries were popular and can contain a wealth of detail in describing their early life. Root around and enjoy! Marge ~~~~~~ What a great list huh! Subject: Re: Help with LDS catalog and Scottish records In article <32fe4003.9885568@nntp.ix.netcom.com> chast@ix.netcom.com "Chuck Thompson" writes: I have the following questions/problems: The 1888/1889 Index of Births, Male and Female, which I received on film is from a typewritten or printed book and shows a Name, a Location (e.g. St. Andrews, Edinburgh), and a Number. I recognized none of the names as parishes but perhaps they were. They seemed to be locations which were much larger than parishes. After the Location there is a number, but I don't know to what it refers. It obviously isn't a parish number since entries for the same location can have different numbers....and the numbers can go quite high, well into four digits. The index shows: , Brodiejb writes The word "Beddendo", very clear and distinct in a Sasine dating 1759 from Moray, Scotland. Anyone know the meaning of this word? Take a closer look and I think you'll find that the word is 'Reddendo'. A redenndo was a sum of money paid to a superior or lord. No redenndo is due for this information :) -- Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake Drake Software web site at http://www.tdrake.demon.co.uk/ Subject: Index to Sasines I'm thrilled to hear it may be possible to order microfilm of the indexes. I've only dealt with the original books at Register House, Edinburgh. Although, on second thought, it will only get you so far. This is a 3-part process. The index is organized by name or by place-name, alphabetically, by year or a set of years--you may have an A-Z for 1800, then A-Z for 1801 etc. So look through the whole reel to see the organization. The index provides just the name and a string of numbers. You won't really know what you have until you can go to the next phase. The second phase are the printed abstracts of the filed sasines. They are in date order of when the sasines were filed in the court books, again by year or set of years, numbered sequentially--this is what the code numbers refer to. The number sequence will repeat itself in the new set, so be sure to write down carefully your name--year--code number from the indexes. These paragraphs are abstracts of the origianl document and can be very useful, listing the properties and names of all parties involved. In fact, being printed, without the legalese, they may be easier to understand than the original. The problem is that you need to check out all the code numbers or paragraph numbers in this second set of books to separate out which people are yours. Or if you aren't sure, you will have enough info to segregate them into sets of related entries. You need to write down the abstract and MOST IMPORTANT, the court reference number at the end. This is the call number code which then gets translated with the help of the staff to an actual call number of the relevant court volume. The third part, if you are interested, is pulling the court book in which the original documents were copied. These are handwritten--sometimes hard to decipher--full of legalese, but formulaic--once you get used to them, they read easier. The great part is that most contain title histories, refs to past transactions you may not have seen in your search, with the court book reference included! Now, while the indexes may be microfilmed, I have a feeling the abstracts have not been--if they have, let me know!!!! If you aren't comfortable dealing with original documents, it would be worthwhile hiring an experienced researcher. I had a background in history and real estate work that made things a little easier for me. (Sorry, I'm in the USA, but I have seen researcher refs on the list.) This sounds terribly complicated, but I must say, I have gotten more out of Register House in the sasines than almost any other source. Good luck. Marge. Subject: Re: Irish Census Rcords Except for a few rare fragments, no Irish censuses prior to 1901 exist. It is available on FHC microfilm. The 1911 census is the latest available, but only the original in Dublin. The new Family History Center Library computer catalog lists the 1911 Irish census as being available for most counties or most electoral districts of most counties. They list film numbers so I suspect that it is indeed available. The catch is the films are indexed by EDs and you need to know the ED in which the townland your ancestory lived is located. There is an index to that if you cannot tell from the basic census list on the catalog. CONTRIBUTIONS: Subj: Irish Genealogical Society, Intl. From information found at the Irish Gen.Soc. Intl. web site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~irish, I became a member of the I.G.S.I. I received my first mailing from them today that included their journal "The Septs" plus a lot of other helpful sheets on Irish research. I just want to recommend membership in this society to anyone researching their Irish roots. The journal is full of useful information. It also has a surname list for members, printed in the Journal with past lists available by year for about $10.00 a year. The Society is also putting together a research library, that they will check for surnames if you are a member . Yearly membership is $15.00, which is fairly reasonable.