Borders Family History Society

Chirnside

Chirnside is situated in eastern Berwickshire, being bounded on the north by the Parish of Coldingham, on the east by the Parishes of Ayton and Foulden, on the south by the Parishes of Hutton and Edrom and on the west by the Parishes of Edrom and Bunkle and Preston.

Old Parish Birth Records exist from1660 to 1854.
Marriage Records exist from 1660 to 1853.
Death Records exist from 1784 to 1815.

Sales List;

1841 census Chirnside.
1851 census Chirnside.
1861 census Chirnside

The Society has not yet transcribed the Chirnside Memorial Inscriptions

See our sales list for full details and cost of postage.

Chirnside Parish Church

Volumes available for consultation within our Archive;

Chirnside Past and Present by Erica Hunt.
Chirnside a Border Village by Chirnside Community Council
Pre 1855 Memorial Inscriptions of Berwickshire by David Cargill.
C.D. The Churches and Churchyards of Berwickshire by James Robson 1896.
The Churches and Churchyards of Berwickshire by G.A.C. Binnie.1995.
Index to Particular Register of Sasines for Berwickshire.
C.D. Berwickshire, Banffshire, Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire Trades Directory
1837 Rutherford's Southern Counties Register and Directory 1867.
C.D. Slater's Directory of Berwickshire 1903.
County Directory of Scotland 1912 - Borders Towns and Villages.

Magazine Articles;

Please note that the heading Author includes persons who have compiled or transcribed records; and that the topics indexed, and the synopses are subjective opinions.
See the Sales List to buy copies of the magazines containing articles in which you're interested.

Title	Synopsis	Size Description	Issue No	Author
Cockburns face to face	Cockburns and there likeness seems to have been the great asset of this family. From 1650 onwards this family have a interesting history.	2 pages or more	10	Anne Cockburn
The Ayton Bard Robert Mennon 1797-1885	This is a two part article abridged from the book of the title written by A. Michael Mennim. A copy of the complete book together with maps, photgraphs and poems is in Scottish Borders Council Library Headquartors with a family tree	4 pages or more	15	Michael Mennon
Dr George Henderson of Chirnside (1800 - 1864)	Part 1 of an account of George Henderson of Chirnside, a medical doctor, who also found time for his interests in local history and customs, botany and poetry.	12 pages or more	62
Letters of Slains 1569--A family puzzle	An intriguing tale of death and complaint in 1569.	2 pages or more	12	Jean Smithers
Border Murders	This is a stroll around the Borders looking into, with some depth, the murders in the 1800s.	2 pages or more	32	Norrie Mcleish
Life in Melrose--150 years ago	This is the account of family life in Melrose in the first half of last century, from an autobiography of Catherine Helen Spence.	3 pages or more	11	Colin Wood

Scottish Borders Archive and Family History Centre, The Hub Hawick hold the following records;

School Board Minute Books etc. 1873 to 1919 ref; B/ED/1/11-16.

The National Archives in Scotland hold the following records;

Chirnside Parish Church;

Session Records Accounts 1660-1669, minutes for 1704-1716 and records of discipline 1681-1683 - ref; 730/1.
Session Records; Accounts 1704 to 1810 - ref; 730/2.
Mortcloth Accounts 1801 to 1812 - ref; CH2/407/5.
Accounts of interments 1817 to 1828 - ref; CH2/407/7.
Minutes 1691 to 1703, 1748 to 1801, 1806,1811,1814. 1837 to 1838, 1846, 1850 to 1851 and 1858 to 1908.
Collections and Disbursements 1691 to 1704, 1768 to 1812 and 1819 to 1947.
Accounts of internments 1817 to 1828 and 1857 to 1908 ref; CH2/407.

Chirnside Associate Presbyterian Church;

Accounts 1837 to 1865 ref; CH3/337.

Chirnside Reformed, later Free and United West Free Church;

Baptisms 1843 to 1860.
Marriages 1844 to 1860.
Deaths 1843 to 1860.
Session Minutes 1839 to 1952.
List of members 1844 to 1891 ref CH3/336.

also the following Maps;

1805 Plan of Division of Chirnside Common ref. RHP.3550.
1838 Plan of Estate of Whitehill including Chirnside Village (houses numbered to correspond with occupants' name) ref. RPH.3703/1-5,3713.
1848 Chirnside Feus ref. RPH.3722.

Berwickshire Naturalists' Club has published the following articles;

Vols. 3 and 7 Chirnside by G Henderson.
Vol. 4 Chirnside by John Stuart.
Vol. 24 Chirnside Common by J. H. Craw.
Vol. 19 Chirnside - Its indwellers by John Ellem.
Vol. 36 Ministers of the 17th. century.
Vol. 38 The Chirnside Manuscripts by Grace A. Elliot. (available in Society Archives).
Vol. 39 Dr. G Henderson.
Vol. 40 Chirnside Parish School.
Vol. 49 Brewing in the Borders by Dr. Peter Maule (contains an account of Blackadder Brewery, Chirnside).

Websites;

Village Website contains a history of the Parish;

Chirnside History Group

First Statistical Account by the Rev Walter Anderson (click "browse scanned pages" and insert Parish name).

Second Statistical Account by the Rev. Thomas Logan M.D. (click "browse scanned pages" and insert Parish name).

RCHAMS website Scotland's Places contains details of;

Farm Horse tax 1797-1798.
Medical Officer's of Health Reports 1891.
Land Ownership Commission Report 1872 -1873. (available on C.D. in Society Archives).

Place and Farm names in Census Records;

1841 census: Chirnside, Nursery, Whitehill, Nethermains, Pearbank, Edington Mill, Edington Mains, Blackburn, Causeway Bank, Wheatacres, Oldcastles, Harelaw, Oxward, Easter Harelaw, Easter Crowbutt, Mains, Wester Crowbutt, Ninewells Mains, Rock House, Kirkgate, Ninewells, Broadhaugh.
1851 census: Chirnside, Whitehall, Broadhaugh, Ninewells, Rock-House, Oldcastles, Causewaybank, Wheatacres, Blackburn, Harelaw, Maines, Crowbutt, Oxward, Eding Hill, Edington, Nethermains, Pearbank.
1861 census: Chirnside, Ninewells, Oldcastles, Causeway Bank, Blackburn, Edington Toll, Edington Hill, Edington, Harelaw, Crowbutt, East Harelaw, Mains, Oxward, Nether Mains, Whitehall, Broadhaugh, Ninewells, Rock House.

Population;

The population has been recorded as follows: 1755 - 383,1791 - 961, 1801 - 1147, 1811 - 1239, 1821 - 1118, 1831 - 1248, 1841 - 1203, 1851 - 1384, 1861 - 1502.