The Borders

The county ~ Berwickshire

Berwickshire occupies the South East corner of Scotland. The River Tweed formed its southern boundary with England for several miles. Duns was its county town, not Berwick-Upon-Tweed which is in England. The inland areas are still heavily dependent on agriculture with the coastal towns and villages, notably Eyemouth, being important fishing ports. Historic houses located in Berwickshire include Paxton, Manderson, Mellerstain, Ayton and Thirlestane.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.

Home

Lindsay

Parishes

The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).

Abbey St Bathans,
Ayton,
Bunkle and Preston,
Chanelkirk,
Chirnside,
Cockburnspath,
Coldingham,
Coldstream,
Cranshaws,
Duns,
Earlston,
Eccles,
Edrom,
Eyemouth,
Fogo,
Foulden,
Gordon,
Greenlaw,
Hutton,
Ladykirk,
Langton,
Lauder,
Legerwood,
Longformacus and Ellim,
Merton,
Mordington,
Nenthorn,
Polwarth,
Swinton and Simprin,
Westruther

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the Library offices in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Museum and Heritage Centres

Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.

Eyemouth Museum
Old Kirk
Manse Road
Eyemouth
TD14 5JE
Tel: +44 1890 750678

Open: April-June and September, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 17:00, Sun 12:00 - 15:00. July-August, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 17:00 & Sun 12:00 - 16:00. October, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 16:00.

Exhibits on fishing, farming, milling, blacksmith and wheelwright. Tapestry sewn locally to commemorate the East Coast Fishing Disaster of 1881 when 189 fishermen were drowned.

Coldstream Museum
12 Market Square
Coldstream
TD12 4BD
Tel: +44 1890 882630

Borders Family History Society
Within Old Gala House and Scott Gallery
Scott Crescent
Galashiels
TD1 3JS
Tel: +44 1896 850 264
Email: cadmill@aol.com

Open: April-September, Mon-Sat, 10:00 - 16:00, Sun 14:00 - 16:00.
October, Mon-Sat, 13:00 - 16:00.

Local history museum with a section on the Coldstream Guards and also a temporary exhibitions gallery.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Borders Family History Society
Within Old Gala House and Scott Gallery
Scott Crescent
Galashiels
TD1 3JS
Tel: +44 1896 850 264
Email: cadmill@aol.com
www.bordersfhs.org.uk

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Amenity Services
Scottish Borders Council
Council Offices
4 Newtown Street
Duns
TD11 3DT
Tel: +44 1361 886 135
Fax: +44 1361 886 117
Email: LMcLean@scotborder.gov.uk

Searching for burial records is undertaken for a fee of £29 per hour.

The county ~ Peebleshire

Peeblesshire is the most northern of the Border counties. It is almost totally involved in forestry and agriculture, especially sheep farming. Peebles, the county town stands on the River Tweed which flows through the Borders from Tweedsmuir to Berwick. The historic house of Traquair is located in the county.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.

Maxwell

Waugh

Kerr

Parishes

The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).

Broughton,
Drummelzier, 
Eddlestone,
Innerleithen,
Kilbucho,
Kirkhurd, 
Lyne and Megget Manner (Manor),
Newlands,
Peebles, 
Skirling,
Stobo,
Traquair,
Tweedsmuir

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Museum and Heritage Centres

Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.

Tweeddale Museum & Gallery
Chambers Institute
High Street
Peebles
EH45 9AJ
Tel: +44 1721 724820
Fax: +44 1721 724424

Open: January-December, Mon-Fri, 10:00 - 12:00 & 14:00 -17:00.
Easter-October, Sat 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 -16:00.

In addition to several exhibits illustrating life in Tweeddale, the museum holds indexed press cuttings, some archives relating to local businesses and information on local people.

Robert Smail's Printing Works
High Street
Innerleithen
Tel: +44 1896 830206
Fax: +44 1896 833492
E-mail: smails@nts.org.uk
www.nts.org.uk

Open: Easter Fri-Mon and May-September, Mon-Sat 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00, Sun 14:00-17:00; October Sat 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00, Sun 14:00-17:00

Step back in time to see how printing was done at the beginning of the 20th century.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Borders Family History Society
Membership Secretary, Catherine Fish, 21 Barony Park, Kelso, Borders

www.bordersfhs.org.uk

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Environmental Health - Burials
Scottish Borders Council
Council Offices
Rosetta Road
Peebles
EH45 8HG
Tel: +44 1721 726 306
Fax: +44 1721 726 304

Searching for burial records is undertaken for a fee of £25 per hour.

The county ~ Roxburghshire

Roxburghshire lies alongside the border with England, with Berwickshire to the east and Dumfries-shire to the west. Its County Town was Newton St Boswells although the major burghs are still Hawick, Jedburgh, Melrose and Kelso, all but Hawick housing famous historic abbeys. The rural areas were predominantly sheep farms whereas the small urban areas, notably Hawick, were heavily into hosiery and knitwear industries. Floors Castle, near Kelso was built for the 1st Duke of Roxburgh, whilst Abbotsford, near Melrose was the home of Sir Walter Scott.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.

Armstrong

Elliot

Maxwell

Scott

Douglas

Turnbull

Rutherford

Parishes

The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).

Ancrum,
Ashkirk,
Bedrule,
Bowden,
Castletown (Castleton),
Cavers,
Crailing,
Eckford,
Ednam,
Hawick,
Hobkirk,
Hounam (Hownam),
Jedburgh,
Kelso,
Kirktown,
Lilliesleaf,
Linton,
Makerston,
Maxton,
Melrose,
Minto,
Morebattle and Mow (Morebottle),
Oxnam,
Roberton,
Roxburgh,
Smalholm (Smailholm),
Southdean,
Sprouston,
St Boswell's,
Stitchell and Hume,
Wilton,
Yetholm 

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-9) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the Library offices in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Museum and Heritage Centres

Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.

Hawick Museum and Scott Gallery
Wilton Lodge Park
Hawick
Tel: +44 1450 373457
Fax: +44 1450 378506

Open: April-September, Mon-Fri, 10:00 - 12:00 & 13:00 - 16:45 & Sat-Sun, 14:00 - 16:45. October-March, Mon-Fri, 13:00 - 16:00 & Sun 14:00 - 16:00.

Display reflecting manufacturing, domestic life and rich history of the area.

Drumlanrigs Tower
1 Tower Knowe
High Street
Hawick
Tel: +44 1450 377615
Fax: +44 1450 378506

Open: March-October, Mon-Sat 10:0-17:00, Sun 12:00-17:00.

Interprets Hawick's turbulent history from medieval times using the latest audio visual technology. Housed in beautifully restored period building. Audio tours available.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Borders Family History Society
Hon Secretary
Mrs Heather Lough
2 Fellowhills
Ladykirk
Berwickshire
TD15 1XN
www.bordersfhs.org.uk

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Environmental Health - Burials
Scottish Borders Council
Council Chambers
High Street
Hawick
TD9 9EF
Tel: +44 1450 364 736

Searching for burial records is undertaken for a fee of £25 per hour.

The county ~ Selkirkshire

Selkirkshire is a small county surrounded by Peeblesshire, Midlothian, Roxburghshire and Dumfries-shire. It comprises rolling hills mostly occupied by sheep farms; its two main towns were Selkirk and Galashiels. These were heavily dependent on the traditional local tweed industry. The County Town was Selkirk where Sir Walter Scott was Sheriff until his death in 1832. Bowhill, the ancestral home of the Dukedom of Buccleuch is situated within the county.

Clan and Family Heartlands

You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.

Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.

Scott

Bell

Hogg

Parishes

The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided, been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New Statistical Account (1834-1845).

Ettrick,
Galashiels,
Selkirk

* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative name or spelling

Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm is the individual views of the minister, which can include some fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment, landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the parishioners

Local Studies Libraries

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Local Archives Centres

Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.

The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:

Scottish Borders Archive & Local History Centre
Heritage Hub
Kirkstile
Hawick 
Roxburghshire
TD9 0AE

Tel: +44 1450 360 669
E-mail: archives@scotborders.gov.uk
www.heartofhawick.co.uk/heritagehub

Open: Mon 10:00 - 16:45, Tues 10:00 - 19:45, Wed - pre-arranged tours & talks only, Thurs 10:00 - 19:45, Fri 10:00 - 16:45, Sat 10:00 - 16:45 (closed 13:00 - 14:00).

Museum and Heritage Centres

Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.

Halliwell's House Museum
Market Place
Selkirk
TD7 4BC
Tel: +44 1750 20096
Fax: +44 1750 23282
E-mail: museums@scotborders.gov.uk

Open: April-September, Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00; Sun 10:00-14:00; October Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00 July-August, Mon-Sat 10:00-17:30; Sun 10:00-14:00

Situated in a row of 19th century cottages, this museum traces the growth of Selkirk up to its establishment as a major textile producing centre. Extensive collection of domestic ironmongering.

Old Gala House
Scott Crescent
Galashiels
TD1 3JS
Tel: +44 1896 752611
E-mail: museums@scotborders.gov.uk

Open: April-September, Tue-Sat 10:00-16:00; June-August, Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, Sun 14:00-16:00

Dating form 1583 the former home of the Lairds of Galashiels is now an interpretative centre with displays, changing exhibitions and family history.

Family History Society

Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in your chosen area, they will be listed below.

Borders Family History Society
Hon Secretary
Mrs Heather Lough
2 Fellowhills
Ladykirk
Berwickshire
TD15 1XN
www.bordersfhs.org.uk

It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.

Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.

If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.

By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.

The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.

Environmental Health - Burials
Scottish Borders Council
Council Chambers
Albert Place
Galashiels
TD1 3DL
Tel: +44 1896 754 751

Searching for burial records is undertaken for a fee of £25 per hour.