Gordon Arms Hotel Yarrow Valley

Scottish Genealogy Research the leading Borders genealogist have been appointed as the in house genealogist to The Gordon Arms Hotel Yarrow Valley http://www.thegordonarms.com/
If you have ancestors that lived or worked in the old Border counties The Gordon Arms Hotel is the place to visit. Scottish Genealogy Research will provide free genealogy advice to visitors on an appointment basis. To make an appointment contact Scottish Genealogy Research via our web site
www.scottishgenealogyresearch.com or call us on 01896 754314
or Contact The Gordon Arms via their web site http://www.thegordonarms.com/ or give them a call on 01750 82261  

Stange Occupations

A recent death certificate stated that the deceased's occupation was a woollen cheese winder. I thought at first my eyesight was acting up. But it was correct. After further investigation it all made sense. The yarn was wound on to cones and the cones were not as cheeses . Still to find out why they were named cheeses as they look nothing like any cheese I have ever scene. Good hunting from Scottish Genealogy Research 

Missing Scottish Marriage Records

We are often asked "Why can't I find an ancestors marriage record"? There are a number of possible reasons. I will explain by using examples.

A client informed us: “My great grand-fathers birth certificate sates that his parents were married on the 28^th December 1878. In the period of Statutory Registration It must be remembered that that the marriage index is indexed by the year of registration and not the year of marriage. Because of the forthcoming New Year and a public holiday the parents would have been unable to register the birth in year of birth but in the subsequent year.  You also have to consider that the child’s father may have forgotten the true date of his marriage. He would not have been the first man and certainly not the last man do to so! There is also the possibility that the parents were not married. There was no need for the parents to produce their wedding certificate or schedule as registrars accepted information a face value. A further possibility was that the parents had gone through a form of irregular marriage.

 

Scottish Irregular Marriages:

 

Scottish Irregular Marriages were established under Scottish Common Law.

 

The best to forms of “irregular Marriages” were

 

BY HABIT AND REPUTE: This was often referred to as a common law marriage.

 

The legal concept was that a couple who resided together in one household and acted as if they were married referred to (as my wife, my husband)  and were thought to be married by other family members, neighbours, and friends were deemed to be married and any children born were considered legitimate.   

 

MARRIAGE BY DECLARATION:

 

A marriage by declaration was one where the two parties declared in the presence of witnesses that they took each other for husband and wife.  This form of marriage did not require a religious celebrant and did not require banns of marriage to be proclaimed. There are many cases in the Scottish Kirk Session Minute Books where a couple are recorded as being rebuked for their irregular marriage.

 

Once we enter the period of Statutory Registration a couple could obtain a marriage certificate and their marriage could be registered. To do this the couple having made their declaration had then to appear before a Sheriff to have their declaration confirmed and receive a warrant. Once that warrant was granted they could the present it at their local registration office. I am sure that you will understand that all our services include a promise of confidentiality. However as an example I will relate to my own uncle and his marriage by declaration. My mother informed me that my maternal grandfather was a very strict man and did not agree to my uncle getting married. My uncle and his fiancé took a train ride to Edinburgh (secretly) and made their declaration in the presence of 2 witnesses and on the same day appeared before the Sheriff Substitute to have their declaration confirmed. With that confirmation and on the same day they attended St Giles Edinburgh Registration Office to register their marriage and duly received the appropriate documentation. By evening they had returned to St Boswells to inform my grandfather “fait accompli: “Creation of a situation which is irreversible and with which other parties will have to live, even if grudgingly”

 

There are of course other reasons for going through this form of marriage. The most common was where there was a need for haste.

 

Scottish colloquial language

A recent investigation proved how important it is to have good knowledge of the Scottish colloquial language. Most areas of Scotland have their own colloquial language which in turn can lead to how surnames were recorded (phonetics). As an example the surname we were researching was Gardener. It looked as if the trail had come to a dead end. However we made the break through by searching with our indepth knowledge of the Scottish colloquial language. We found our required birth record under "GAIRDENER".
To explain further a garden in Scotland was often referred to as the gairden. I must admit that I still often use the term gairden rather than garden.
Please feel free to contact Scottish Genealogy Research if you have problems with the spellings of Scottish surnames
www.scottishgenealogyresearch.com
       

11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

The 11th November is always a day I well rember my grandfather who served during the 1st World War. He was one of 6 sons who served in the army. He was fortunate to survive along with 4 of his siblings. His youngest sibling Thomas John Roseburgh was killed on the 16th January 1918. He and hundreds of other Gala men are remembered on the Galashiels war memorial. In this year of 2011 a special ceremony that will not happen again in my life time took place on the 11th November 2011. I remember my grandfather telling me the phenomenon of the angels wings. Behind the statue of the Border Reiver a sculptured  angel stands over the plaque that records those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Modern day street lighting  was switched off to allow those assembled to view the "angel wings". Local photographer Bill Baird has kindly allowed me to include his photograph for others to enjoy. Please see below. Thank you Bill.