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For the Parish of Muiravonside in 1768 I have encountered a page entitled "Register for the Seceders Children" which registers children born between 1761-1768. Another single entry in 1750 on the line naming witnesses to a birth, records "Unknown the parents being seceders". Some of the people involved originated in the neibouring parishes of Linlithgow, Torphichen, Bathgate.

I have read that Linlithgow and Torphichen, especially, were seceder congregation hotbeds at the time.

I am not interested in the "politics" of the seceder movement but rather in their day to day affairs. For example, did a seceder congregation, on some particular Sunday, haul its children off to Muiravonside to be registered in a sympathetic parish? Did the official church in Torphichen and Linlithgow refuse to deal with them or they with it? I have encountered only birth records for seceders and not, so far, marriage or death records.

Can anyone clarify the picture?

The James Wallace Problem.

Thanks for replying to my post, Thomass. I hoped that you would since you appear to have supplementary information. I cannot get to the "send" dialogue of personal messages right now so here goes!

In the time period 1761-1800 I see three marriages in the parish involving James Wallaces

(A)    31/01/73    James Wallace Margaret Thomson
(B)    01/10/75    James Wallace Elizabeth Coats
(C)    25/01/84    James Wallace Jean Ronald


Births to James Wallaces are as follows, my interpretation between the lines

(1)    27/02/74 Hugh Wallace (Jackton) legal birth

        (since legal, presumed son of (A) above)

(2)    28/04/75  Margaret Wallace (Netsnook) natural (i.e. illeg) birth

         (since marriage (B) occurs a few months later, I presume James (B) is father)


(3)    19/05/76 Janet Wallace (Allerish hole) birth,  11/08/76 James Wallace (Easter Common)

 (these births are too close to be of the same family and the locations differ from the marriages. I cannot tell which is which, but I note in the blog that you attribute Janet to James (B)).

(4)   07/06/78  Andrew Wallace (Allerish hole)  ?

(5)   18/01/81 Margaret Wallace (Allerish hole)  ??

       (but James (B) already had a Margaret. So, does this Margaret belong to James (A) and is Allerish hole now his home?)

(6)   08/05/83  Isobel Wallace (Bogton)  ??

<---------->      Now we come to the date at which James (C) is married    <--------------->

(7)   20/03/85  Jean Wallace (Mains)   James (C)
(   20/08/86  Janet Wallace (Mains)  James (C)

(9)   28/09/88     James Wallace (Lairhill)     ?
(10)   30/08/89   James Wallace (Mains)   James (C)
(11)   18/09/91   Bazil Wallace ?
(12)   20/04/94    Robert   
(13)   1800         William (Mains)  James (C)     

Some of the place names are variously spelled e.g. Allerish hole as Arrich hole, etc.

It seems to me that James (A) was born in 1751 (Cambuslang) and that James (B) was born in 1755 in Glassford. The second may be your ancestor.

Anything you can clarify in the above would be appreciated since my only source is ScotlandsPeople and you perhaps have supplementary material.