15 September1999 alan.hewat@gmail.com

Roxburgh Parochial Records (1609-1854) - Wives Order

This is a transcript of the old Roxburgh Parochial Records of Marriages, births and christenings, ordered according to the year. Unfortunately the deaths are not yet indexed, so cannot be included. The original spelling of names has been preserved in the years list, but this often depended on the particular minister who recorded the event (though some more literate families may have been able to dictate the spelling of their name). The families are easier to understand if we systemise the spelling, and re-arrange these records according to the years, or the husband's name.

The columns of the Parochial records list first the childs name if it was a birth (b) christening (c), or adult christening (a) then normally the husband's name followed by the wife's name and an (m) as the Act if it was a marriage (with the first columns blank). The husband/wife order is apparently reversed if the wife declared the act. The first single letter column is not explained in the records, but apparently shows the relation Rel between the parties, (m) for married and (u) perhaps for unmarried or unknown.

Marriage in Scotland was much less formal than in England (cf Gretna Green), and the Kirk may have put (u) against anyone who wasn't actually married by its minister. Other abbreviations in the first column are (w) wife? and (h) husband?. Finally the date and Parish are given. Sometimes weddings were declared in two Parishes at intervals of a fortnight or so. James Hewat and Bessie Penman's marriage was recorded 1 Dec 1703 in Kelso, then 13 Dec 1703 in Roxburgh.

Alan William Hewat (alan.hewat@gmail.com)