Help 1650s witness name, Innerleithen Birth, and Stow, Midlothian 1640s record

[dbb1960]

'Thomas lawful son to Robert Bruntoun in Caberstone was baptised witness ***** *** and Thomas Bruntoun'.

I'm interested to know the name of the witness. (Innerleithen birth record)

Also, this is from a record from Stow, Midlothian. All I can make out is 'Thomas Brunton in' , rest of it it beyond me. (stuff below the red)

Any help greatly appreciated.

[GR2]

The witness is Johne [    ]nsone. Can't quite see the start of the surname.

The entry in the kirk session minutes reads:

Ordanit thomas bruntoun in fairmhirst be at ye
p[resbyt]rie or els pay xx ss for his s[er]vand penaltie
q[uhi]lk he p[ro]meisit & to pay ye kirk stent

Ordained Thomas Brunton in Fairmhirst [to] be at the
presbytery or else pay 20 s[hilling]s for his servant's penalty
which he promised & to pay the kirk stent (= tax)

I had a wee look at the minute book and the place also appears as Farmhirst.

On 19th December 1644 there is the following entry:

The q[uhi]lk day thomas bru[n]toune in ffairmhirst p[ro]meisit to
pay Jonet pat[er]sone penaltie of xx ss and he is exhortit
to keip ye saboth day better yan he hes done
Ro[ber]t bru[n]toun is orda[n]it to keip ye saboth day better

The which day Thomas Brunton in Fairmhirst promised to
pay Jonet Paterson's penalty of 20 s[hilling]s and he is exhorted
to keep the Sabbath day better than he has done
Robert Brunton is ordained to keep the Sabbath day better

There are numerous entries dealing with Jonet Paterson's case. She was not always very co-operative with the kirk session. I suppose you can expect nothing else from a servant in the household of a godless lot of Sabbath-breakers like your ancestors

[dbb1960]

Exceptional useful info, thank you.

Possibly John Johnstone who was around at that time.
(A William Bruntoun married a MARET JONSTOUN in Stow in 1641, whether connected or not is unknown at this point)

And Ferniehirst ? about a mile from Lugate where Robert was living in 1645 before his move to Seithope.

I have 3 possible brothers, Robert (lived in Seithope in 1645 *At the time this was signed he was at Ludgate*, then moved to Caberston by 1650) , James (lived in Seithope in 1659),  also a possible Thomas who lived in Caberston in 1648. a Thomas being witness to a Roberts wedding in 1643 and witnessing the birth of Roberts child in 1654

(a Thomas Bruntoun threated to stab the minister at Traquair in 1628 for preventing his father being buried in the Kirk, he was from Corshope. Thats likely a prior generation/unconnected unless he was very young).

Robert was definately the father of John Brunton from 1650, born at Caberston. John was the portioner at Bold in 1684, lived in Cardrona in 1694 before moving to Grieston 1694 to his death aged 86 in 1736. A five time fornicator who claimed to be Catholic before repenting in 1682/3. marrying in the Cross Kirk in Peebles to Christian Horsburgh in 1684, then taking on many roles at Traquair Kirk including Ruling Elder and Boxmaster.

Another John was living in Bold in the 1650s who was friendly to the Stewarts of Traquair, and another John was the collector in Peeblesshire who was assaulted by Sir John Hay in 1650 (that ones ancestry is definitive to his great great grandfather thanks to a couple of documents from the mid 1600s.)

[GR2]

It could well read Fairnihirst.

I noticed an entry on 24-11-1644 that reads:

The q[uhi]lk day Ro[ber]t bruntoun in Ney[e]r Lugat thomas Bruntoun
in ffairnihirst The Laird of Torsonce his men patrik tait
Andro greirsone James hog & sundrie vy[e]rs ar ordanit to go
to ye [     ] to ye kirk on monanday nixt

The which day Robert Brunton in Nether Lugate, Thomas Brunton
in Ferniehirst, the laird of Torsonce's men Patrick Tait,
Andrew Greirson, James Hogg and sundry others are to go
to the [        ] to the kirk on Monday next.

[dbb1960]

"The q[uhi]lk day Ro[ber]t bruntoun in Ney[e]r Lugat thomas Bruntoun
in ffairnihirst The Laird of Torsonce... "

With placenames and dates the search is on for the parents of hopefully 3 brothers.

Roberts son, John (born 1650), had sons named Robert, James and Thomas. (how many children he had in total, I know of 9 with another 3 illigitimates, is unknown).

The Richard line goes into further depths (ie marriage to a tobacco cutter in Eddlestone in 1667 etc etc which isnt relevant)

Whether the 2 families are connected is unknown. Taking the easy route it would go Richard, John, John then his son John having 3 brothers, but unfortunately thats totally unproven.

The fact the 2 families ended up in the same places, Grieston, Bold and Caberston is a mighty coincidence. 

[dbb1960]

deleted

[GR2]

I had a wee skim through part of the session book for Stow and noticed the following. It's not exhaustive, just what leapt out.

17-4-1636 James Brunton in Stow  and Isobel Livingston from another parish contracting for marriage with Thomas Brunton in Stow as cautioner for both.

22-5-1636 James Brunton and Isobel Livingston married.

22-4-1636 Alexander Stoddart and Margaret Dalgleish contracting for marriage with Robert Brunton in Nether Lugat as cautioner.

16-2-1640 Thomas Brunton in Stow became cautioner for James Chisholm satisfying the kirk for his fornication with Isobel Hogg.

20-2-1642 John Brunton in Caldonheid guilty of working on the Sabbath (moving oats).

16-10-1642 Robert Brunton in Nether Lugat became cautioner for John Tait and Isobel Ranaldson there.

25-12-1642 Thomas Brunton, piper, guilty of fornication, failed to appear before the session.

1-1-1643 Thomas Brunton, piper in Bold, "confest his sine of furni[cati]oun w(i)t(h) bessie horsbrughe hi[m]self craveing god m[er]cie and wes ordanit to come to ye piller ye nixt saboth and pay xl s Ordans bessie horsbrugh pay xl s for hir relaps of fur[nicatio]un."

29-6-1643 "James scot in stow & his wyf wes warnit for selling aill on ye saboth nyt by order to tho[m]as bruntoun James bruntoun...."

16-7-1643 "Thomas bruntoun & James bruntoun wes in James scot drinking on ye saboth nyt till day sky brak."



 

[dbb1960]

many many thanks for this. Placing Thomas Bruntoun in Bold could tie in with a deed of mortifcation when a James Bruntoun in Bold was listed as a trustee on 15th September 1660. Also I know a John was living down in Bold prior to 1650 (definately son of John, one of the 5 brothers). and my John, the 5 x fornicator, was there as a portioner in 1684 (son of Robert from Lugat who was living across the Tweed in Caberston).
Whether all these men were sons of John, grandsons of John, and great grandsons of Richard is yet to be decided, but would make my life a lot easier !

Example, Thomas, the eldest of the 5 brothers had a son married in 1610, Richard, 2nd eldest brother had a son born around 1596, James (possible son of the 3rd brother John) was married 1636. My Robert was married 1643 and possibly again in 1646.

I take it piper, in this instance, is innkeeper. I know my 4th great grandfather ran an inn in Yarrowford late 1690s early 1700s. (by inn the front room of a house, something I have only been in once down in the shires of England)

[GR2]

"Pyper" in the minutes means just that, a piper, player on the bagpipes.