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Borders Family History Society

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Galashiels

Galshiels is the second largest town in the Scottish Borders and was once home to a thriving textile industry. The ancient Parish of Galashiels is bounded on the north and east by the Parish of Melrose, on the south by the Parish of Bowden and on the west by the Parishes of Selkirk and Caddonfoot. The history of the church in Galashiels in the 19th and 20th centurues is complex but there are now three ecclesiatical parishes in the town - Galashiels Old & St Pauls, Galashiels St John and Galashiels Trinity which is linked with Caddonfoot.

Old Parish Birth Records exist from 1714 to 1854.
Marriage Records exist from 1728 to 1776 and for 1837.
Death records exist from 1715 to 1781 and from 1831 to 1841.

Sales List

1841 census Galashiels.
1851 census Galashiels.
1861 census Galashiels.
Gala Aisle Monumental Inscriptions by Selkirk Genealogy.
Caddonfoot Monumental Inscriptions by Selkirk Genealogy.
Galashiels Death Records 1762 to 1788 by Selkirk Genealogy.
CD Galashiels Eastlands and St Peter's Episcopal Church Monumental Inscriptions.
CD Galashiels Heatheryett Monumental Inscriptions.
CD Old Ladhope Cemetery Monumental Inscriptions.
CD Hall's History of Galashiels.

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

Galashiels Parish Church

Local Pictures

Volumes available for consultation within our Archive

Transcription of Old Gala Aisle Cemetery.
Transcription of Ladhope Cemetery.
Galashiels; - A Modern History by Galashiels History Committee and Ettrick and Lauderdale Council - Galashiels 1983.
History of Lindean and Galashiels Churches by Rev D. Butler.
Bygone Galashiels by Norman Henderson - Ochiltree - 1993.
Bygone Galashiels by Margaret C Lawson - 1996.
Forgotten Families of Galashiels by Margaret C Lawson.
Guid Auld Galashiels by Margaret C Lawson - 1998.
The Story of Peel Hospital by Trevor Austin - Selkirk - 1996.
General Register relating to Wilderhaugh Mill - 1914 to 1926 (contains details of young persons employed and accidents - fully indexed).
Accounts Charge and Discharge for Old Gala House for Whitsunday and Martinmas 1656 (indexed).
Galashiels through the Ages by Old Gala Club.
Rutherford's Southern Counties Register and Directory - 1867.
County Directory of Scotland 1912 - Borders Towns and Villages.
CD-ROM Berwickshire, Banffshire, Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire Trades Directory - 1837.

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
Newspapers published in the Borders	Border newspapers published in the Borders, 65 in total.	2 pages or more	5	Peter Elliot
Baillie John Smail of Galashiels	Baillie Smail, born at Clovenfords, was First Baillie in 1867, and was renowned for severe punishment. He died of chronic alcoholism.	1 page or more	36
Alexander Turnbull and his Family	If you have any Turnbulls in your family and you think that you came from the Borders, this is a must for you. Turnbulls from Galashiels, Selkirk and Hawick.	5 pages or more	25	Jane Gibson
Parochial Return of the Parish of Galashiels	This is a transcript of a list of Galashiels men willing to serve their country during the Napoleonic times as pioneers, guides, and providing horses, carts, and drivers. This information was obtained from a document lent by Murray Dickson of the Old Gala Club.	1 page or more	47
Galashiels through Time	A review of the book 'Galashiels through Time' published by Amberley Press.	1 page or more	91
Galashiels History Tour	Review of a book entitled 'Galashiels History Tour' by Sheila Scott.	less than 1 page	94
Coercion or Consensus? The Government of a Border Burgh in the Sixteenth century	The burgh of Selkirk, their trades, who controlled them. The baillies sergeants and how they came into being. Continued from issue 25.	4 pages or more	26	Peter Symms
Know Your Parish - Ladhope	Description of Ladhope (now Galashiels) and historical notes. Includes a drawing of Ladhope Parish Church.	1 page or more	20
New Premises - 52 Overhaugh Street	An announcement of the opening of the Society's new premises.	less than 1 page	82
Pringles	A letter regarding the Pringles of Overhaugh Street, Galashiels, and a Captain George Sharp Pringle, with response and follow-up.	2 pages or more	87	Alexander Watson/ Liz McGregor
Great Tapestry of Scotland	Some notes on the proposed housing of the Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels.	less than 1 page	93	Ronald Morrison
A Borders Man in the American Civil War	A research for Borderers who fought in the American Civil War with particular reference to Thomas Affleck born in Galashiels.	3 pages or more	94	Michael Hammerson
One of the many Brown Families	A family tree of Browns in Galashiels and Selkirk areas.	1 page or more	26	I.M. Brown
The Walter Mason Papers	The Walter Mason Papers. This is a brief description of the collection held by the museum services of Scottish Borders Council.	1 page or more	19	Walter Elliot
Premises Report	Report on proposed works to the Society's new premises in Overhaugh Street, Galashiels.	2 pages or more	83	Bill Stewart
New Collections at the Heritage Hub	County council records, diaries & estate papers were identified amongst the backlog of un-catalogued material at the Scottish Borders Archive.	4 pages or more	69	Juline Baird
New Premises	An account of the opening of the Society's new premises at 52 Overhaugh Street, Galashiels.	2 pages or more	86
My Namesake	About the Telford family from the Hawick area. He moved around from Langlee, Ancrum. They were buried in Melrose.	less than 1 page	3	Helen (Telford) Reichenbach
The Power of the Family History Community	An account of a successful attempt to return war medals belonging to an Andrew Colville born in Galashiels to his family (now in New Zealand).	2 pages or more	90
The Cairncross family - an example of a 16th-17th century family of feuars	This is the text of the author's talk to the Society on 18 September 2005 titled 'Cairncross, a Border Family'. Outline of a typical noted old family in the Lauderdale/Melrose/Galashiels district, with descriptions of some of the local areas and ownership.	12 pages or more	59	Gregory Lauder-Frost
Charles Lapworth and the Borders connection	An account of the life of Charles Lapworth, the renowned geologist, who although born in Berkshire became a schoolmaster in Galashiels where he married and had a family. He carried out much of his early work on the rocks in the Galashiels area before moving to St Andrews and subsequently obtaining a professorship of Geology at Birmingham University.	3 pages or more	83	Enid Cruickshank
Transcribing the Stones	Notes on the publication of the gravestone inscriptions at Heatheryett, Galashiels, with some notes on the history of Galashiels Parish and the first Church at Lindean burial place of the second wife of John Knox.	2 pages or more	84
Torwoodlee Tower	Some history of Torwoodlee Tower, Galashiels, and proposals to restore and renovate.	1 page or more	88	James Pringle
Band of Brothers	An account of the First World War experiences of the Murdoch family, originally from Perthshire but who settled in Galashiels, their deaths and tragedies and the effect of the families back home.	3 pages or more	88	Trevor Stewart
Rev. Robert Douglas, 1747-1820 The father of Galashiels	The Rev Robert Douglas, minister of Galashiels, 1747-1820, was a man of great ability and served his parishioners so well he was called 'The Father of Galashiels'.	2 pages or more	37	Donald Whyte
Tracing Your Family Tree May Not Always Be Pleasant	Account of research into one specific family. Very detailed - a lot of research.	3 pages or more	42	Margaret C. Lawson
Galashiels and some of its families	Talk given to the society by Ian Miller, President of the Old Gala Club. Galashiels goes back a long way, perhaps even to 7000 BC. It covers the history up to the 19th Century.	3 pages or more	31	Ian Miller
Coulter's Candy	Some investigation into the life and background of Robert Coltart, confectionery manufacturer. Who probably compiled the song 'Coulter's Candy', his connections with Galashiels and the history of the song.	3 pages or more	86	Ronald Morrison

Map of Galashiels from Quarter-inch to the mile, Scotland, 1921-1923 or One-inch to the mile, Popular edition, Scotland, 1920-1930
by kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
Use the control at the top left of the map to zoom in or out and drag the map left, right, up, or down as you wish.

20 Most Common Surnames

The 20 most common on gravestones recorded by us in the Galashiels - Eastlands and St Peter's monumental inscriptions volume are (number of gravestones in brackets): SCOTT (132), BROWN (109), THOMSON (71), WILSON (69), MURRAY (67), DAVIDSON (57), ANDERSON (54), HENDERSON (53), SMITH (53), ROBERTSON (48), SANDERSON (47), TURNBULL (41), BELL (41), DOUGLAS (39), STEWART (38), WOOD (37), DICKSON (37), WELSH (35), McLAREN (35), HALL (35).

The 20 most common on gravestones recorded by us in the Galashiels - Old Ladhope monumental inscriptions volume are (number of gravestones in brackets): BROWN (29), SANDERSON (21), SCOTT (20), ROBERTS (14), PATERSON (13), HALL (13), MURRAY (12), THOMSON (10), WALKER (9), WILSON (9), DICKSON (9), MARK (8), CAIRNS (8), SIME (8), LAIDLAW (8), CLARK (7), HEWAT (7), HOGARTH (7), MAXWELL (7), ANDERSON (7).

Other Sources

Galashiels in History by William Rutherford - Galashiels, 1930.
A Border Woollen Town in the Industrial Revolution by Karen McKechnie - Harlow, 1968.
Galashiels (part of Scotland in Old Photographs) by The Old Gala Club - Sutton Publishing 1996.
St John's Church Galashiels - the first 150 years by David Leckey - Galashiels, 1993.
A Glimpse of Galashiels 1939-1945 by David Leckey - Galashiels, 1996.

Statistical Accounts of Scotland

Scottish Borders Archives, The Hub Hawick

St Peter's Episcopal Girls' School Log Book 1873-1880 (pages 1 to 221) ref: S/ED/2/34.
St Peter's Episcopal School Log Book 1874-1903 (pages 1 to 450) ref: S/ED/2/35.
Burgh School Admission Books 1931 to 1947 ref: S/ED/3-5.
Ladhope School Log Book 1911 to 1954 ref: S/ED/2/26-27.
Ladhope School admission registers 1913 to 1957 ref: S/ED/3/6, 8-9.
Galashiels School minute books, cash books, ledgers, 1873 to1919 ref: S/ED/1/23-60.
Galashiels School Log Books 1878 to 1952 ref: S/ED/2/13-18.
Lindean School admission book 1890 to 1960 ref: S/ED/3/10-11.
Lindean School Log Books 1874 to 1961 ref: S/ED/2/28-29.

The National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh

Galashiels Parish Church (Ref - CH2/1255

Minutes 1692 to 1710, 1715 to 1748, 1757, 1760 to 1782, 1791 to 1835 and 1835 to 1908.
Baptisms 1672 to 1690 and 1693 to 1718.
Accounts 1672 to 1683.
Register of Processes and Discipline 1673 to 1689.
Testimonial 16701 to to 1687.
Marriages 1672 to 1689.
Proclamation register 1845 to 1861.
Communion Roll 1848 to 1863.
Collections and Disbursements 1714 to 1759.

Ladhope Church (Ref - CH2/734)

Trustees' Minutes 1843-1923

Free Church of Scotland (St John's) (Ref - CH3/529)

Minutes 1844 to 1892.
Deacons' Court Minutes 1844 to 1880.
Accounts 1847 to 1876 .

Galashiels Relief Church (Ref - CH3/1257)

Minutes 1836 to 1855.
Baptismal Register 1838 to 1915 .

Galashiels East Church (Burgher)(Ref - CH3/920)

Minutes 1845 to 1861.
Managers' Minutes 1854 to 1881.

Galashiels Roman Catholic Church (Ref- RH21/78)

Baptisms 1852 to 1946.
Marriages 1853 to 1908.

Galashiels Branch Church of Latter-Day Saints

Records of members 1851 - Family History Library Film no.: 0104151.

Map

Plan of Land north of Gala Water at Gala Bridge, ref: RHP.68.1.

The Southern Annual

1961 - Days that are Gone - Characters who visited Old Galashiels by Elizabeth Alexander (available in Society Archive).
1965 - The Deil o' Buckholm by William Keddie (available in Society Archive).
1965 - Ellwyn Glen by Robert Baptie (available in Society Archive).

Websites

Old Gala Club - contains a detailed history of the Town - also a fine collection of Old Photographs and a Sales List.
Town Web Site.
History of Galashiels.
Old Parish and St. Paul's Church.
Gala Rugby Club
RCAHMS 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 CD in Society Archives).

Place and Farm names in Census Records

1841 census: Galashiels, Huddersfield, Netherhaugh, Corn Mill, Tent, Damside, Cuddie Green, Hunterfield, Overhaugh, Clearburn, Cowgate, Chingle, Wilderhaugh, Linty Mill, Wilderburn, Hemphaugh, Mossilee, Kilnknowe, Meigle, Caddonfoot, Fairnalee, Netherbarns, Boldside, Cascade, Portage, Rink, Holy Bush, Bridgeheugh, Lindean Mill, Lindean, Faldonside, Long Moss, Wester Whitlaw, Faldenside.

1851 census: Galashiels, Huddersfield, Neither Haugh, Damside, Cuddy Green, Clearburn, Overhaugh, Willderburn,, Rosebank, Hemphaugh, Mosilee, Meigle, Caddonfoot, Fairnilee, Kilnknowe, Calfshaw, Rink, Cascade, Mossend, Boleside, Netherbarns, Faldonside, Lindean, Nether Whitlaw, Over Whitlaw, Bridgeheugh.

1861 census: Galashiels, Huddersfield, Mossilee, Hemphaugh, Kilnknowe, Leabrae, Meigle, Fairnielee, Calfshaw, Rink, Mossend, Hollybush, Rink Barn, Waitknow, Netherdale, Netherbarns, Boleside, Lindean, Lindean Mill, Bridgehaugh, Long Moss, Over Whitlaw, Nether Whitlaw, New Faldonside, Old Faldonside.

Population

The population has been recorded as follows:

1755 - 998
1791 - 914
1801 - 844
1811 - 986
1821 - 1358
1831 - 1364
1841 - 2141
1851 - 3015
1861 - 3379

Selkirkshire map

Local Pictures

Abbotsview Convalescent Home and the Eildon Hills (before 1905)

Ashiestiel House, Galashiels

The Meeting of Ettrick Water and River Tweed (before 1945)

Galashiels - Abbotsford and Eildon Hills, Melrose Abbey, Galashiels

Galashiels - Gala Hill, Cornmill Square, Abbotsford

Bank St, Galashiels

Gala House Lodge, Galashiels

Cornmill Square, Galashiels

Galashiels from Bruce's Hill

Galashiels - War Memorial, Bank St Gardens, Cprnmill Square, Abbotsford Ferry

Valley of the Gala from Old Buckholm, Galashiels

Galashiels from Bruce's Hill, Bank St, Channel St, Abbotsford, Scott Park, Tweed Valley from Caddonfoot (before 1965)

Galashiels from Bruce's Hill, Bank St, Channel St, Abbotsford, Scott Park, Tweed Valley from Caddonfoot

Galashiels - Abbotsford and Eildon Hills, Melrose Abbey, Galashiels

Rivers Tweed and Ettrick, near Selkirk

Tweed Valley

So far as we are aware, the copyright on these pictures has expired. However, if you wish us to remove the images and you can demonstrate that you hold the copyright, please contact us.