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This thread is now old, but in case it's still consulted, this is to confirm that any ancestors from Berwickshire, Lothian or parts of north-east Scotland with the names Broomfield, Brownfield, Bruntfield or Brounfield are part of the same family. They came originally from Lothian and I think took their name from the Bruntsfield district of Edinburgh. The main line moved to Greenlaw in Berwickshire with a royal grant of land early in the 16th century, and bred quite prolifically with about eight different branches emerging by 1600, as lesser lairds mainly. Younger sons either stayed around Greenlaw as farmers and millers, or moved back to Edinburgh as tradesmen, merchants or lawyers. Others were attached to households of the nobility or greater gentry (earls of Home, earls of Atholl) as servitors and attendants. The history is well-documented in the Register of the Privy Council, and is stormy. 'Three brethren of the  Brounfields, gentilmen' were killed at the battle of Flodden. In 1597, Adam Bruntfield was the victor in the last occasion that 'trial by combat' was used in Scotland - he was avenging the death of his brother, Stephen, governor of the royal castle at Tantallon, who had been killed in a duel in which the rules were broken (his assailant having been helped by accomplices). Norwegian DNA as mentioned above can be explained - like many Scots, several Brounfields/Bruntfields served in Swedish and Danish armies in the 1630s, and some settled overseas. Some of their careers can be seen on this database:
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/ssne/
It's a great family history, but difficult to build family trees, sadly, because Berwickshire birth and marriage records are patchy before 1700.

The testament of my ancestor Agnes Gilchrist (from Whitsome) is listed in the Commissariot Record of Lauder (3 October 1677). But she doesn't come up under any spelling form on the Scotland's People Database. Does this mean the document has been lost? Is there any way I can search for it other than through Scotland's People? Would be grateful for any thoughts.

Wondering if anyone could shed light on the parentage of Nicholas Bell ('Nicholas' as in the old Lowland female name), whose memorial inscription suggests she was born sometime around 1789-91. She married John McLachlan c. 1812, and the family had connections in Anwoth, Kirkmabreck and Barholm. The family used traditional Scottish naming patterns, so the third son, David McLachlan, might be the name of Nicholas's father. The likely candidate seems to be David Bell of Hinton and Anwoth, who had another child, Peggy, christened in Anwoth in early 1789. His mother was called Nicholas, and his siblings all named a child after her. But the many gaps in Kirkcudbrightshire records has made this impossible to prove.
Many thanks,
Matthew

Many thanks -the antiquarian books seem confused as to whether it was a place or a nickname, but the evidence suggests it was probably the location of the mill. Having just been to the records office catalogue, I can see that Broomfield of Slape crops up quite a lot. The absence of Greenlaw birth records suggests it might not be possible to track down Robert's father, though.
Thanks again,
Matthew

I'm wondering if anyone can suggest how likely it might be that one person bearing the name of a clan might be related to the chief. All of the official clan societies tend to suggest that everyone goes back to the same founder of the name, but can this really be the case? My own family interest is Maclachlan, and my ancestors can certainly be traced to an area where the clan was active, but I've always doubted whether this actually means we are all related! Would be grateful for any insights.

Matthew