Brownlee at Headless cross farm

[Turner0502]

Hello I am doing my ancestry, I am a descendant of James Brownlee 1769 in Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire. He Married Martha Thomson. I am looking for information on the Headlesscross Farm
I have records that say James was the proprietor, so I am looking for any background history?
Were this might be located? I have Shotts but is there a road?
Also If anyone knows where some of the Brownlee families are buried?
I am planning a visit to Scotland this summer and would love to visit some of these places

[Forfarian]

Welcome to RootsChat

Headlesscross isn't really on a named street or road. It's at a country crossroads south-west of Fauldhouse.
See https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NS9158 and
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=55.81073&lon=-3.73277&layers=5&b=1&marker=55.80755,-3.73270

It's in the parish of Cambusnethan, quite near its boundary with the parishes of Shotts and Whitburn/Fauldhouse.

According to the 1865 Valuation Roll at Scotland's People www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk James Brownlie owned Headlesscross in 1865.

However there is no mention of Brownlies in Headlesscross in the indexes to the Registers of Sasines before 1780, so to find out when and how the Brownlies acquired it you'd need to get access to the later indexes, which are only available to consult in the National Records of Scotland.

[Turner0502]

Thank you for your reply
Could you please tell me what (indexes to the Registers of Sasines) mean?
I found www.brownlee.com.au/pages/chart%2010164.html a link to Chart 10164 James Brownlee of Headlesscross farm in Shotts and Martha Thomson.
It says James Brownlee born 1769 and that he was the proprietor of Headlesscross farms

Thank you

[GR2]

The link below takes you to the page in the 1797-98 Farm Horse Tax Rolls showing "James Brounlie Headlescorss" paying 6/- tax on three horses.

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/historical-tax-rolls/farm-horse-tax-rolls-1797-1798/farm-horse-tax-1797-1798-volume-04/91

The link below takes you to a description of the farm in the 1858-61 Ordnance Survey Name Book.

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/ordnance-survey-name-books/lanarkshire-os-name-books-1858-1861/lanarkshire-volume-08/31

[GR2]

Below is a link to the entry in the (riding) Horse Tax Roll dated 14th July 1794 showing "James Brounlee of Headlesscross" paying tax on one horse.

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/historical-tax-rolls/horse-tax-rolls-1785-1798/horse-tax-volume-27/39

Below is a link to the Horse Tax Roll for 1797 showing "James Brounlie Headlesscross" paying tax on one horse.

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/historical-tax-rolls/horse-tax-rolls-1785-1798/horse-tax-volume-30/15

[GR2]

The farm in 1752-55.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14&lat=55.81901&lon=-3.75109&layers=4&b=1&marker=55.80755,-3.73270

[Lodger]

Headlesscross farm is probably still there, the area is practically unchanged and is very rural, historically it was probably as Forfarian rightly states, in the parish of Cambusnethan.
However there was a boundary change around 1895? and it then became part of Shotts parish.

There are certainly Brownlie's of Headlesscross interred in the parish burial ground of Cambusnethan.
There used to be a chap by the name of Alex Steele who was researching this same family, he lived in Shotts but I don't know if he's still alive now. Do a search of the archives on this List and you should find some information.

[Forfarian]

Could you please tell me what (indexes to the Registers of Sasines) mean?

Sasines are the records of change of ownership of land.

See https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=26232.0

[Forfarian]

As it happens some of my family lived almost next door at Badallan, and they intermarried with the Brownlee family, so I have a little information about the Headlesscross family. See attachment.