Borders Family History Society

Our archive and search room is now open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm. Keep up to date via our Facebook page and Twitter.

What's On - Forthcoming Events

We warmly invite you to attend talks whether you are a member or not. Doors open at 2pm. The meeting begins at 2.30pm.
There is no admission charge but donations are welcome.
We'll have a range of family history publications available to buy.
Light refreshments (donation expected) available after the talks.
If you have a problem with your family history, please discuss it (no charge) with one of our volunteers.
Except where otherwise indicated, meetings are held in St. Peter's (Scottish Episcopal) Church Hall, Parsonage Road, Galashiels, TD1 3HS (inside the church grounds.)
See this map for directions.
If you're coming by bus, ask for the St Peter's School (Galashiels) bus stop; the Church Hall is less than 2 minutes walk.
The Church Hall is about 12 minutes walk from our Archive and about 16 minutes walk from the Bus Station or the Railway Station.

Speakers at meetings occasionally need to be changed at the last minute, due to circumstances beyond our control.

Please do not attend if you have Covid symptoms or are self-isolating due to symptoms in your household or if you have been identified as a close contact of a case.
Face coverings are no longer mandatory, though several people still wear them.

Sunday, 29 October 2023
Society Meeting
The Border Burnings by Mary Craig
An exploration of the witch persecution that took place in the Scottish Borders in the 17th century, this talk looks at why there were so many 'witches' in the Scottish Borders. Looking at the causes and the effects this talk explores how the mundane became murderous for so many in the Scottish Borders.

Sunday, 26 November 2023
Society Meeting
The British Honduran Forestry Unit in Duns: Police Raids and Moral Panic in Wartime Scotland by Dr David Smale
During the Second World War, Britain required vast quantities of wood. The U-Boat threat and the advance of Japanese forces in the Far East meant that homegrown timber had to be harvested. Forestry units from around the Empire came to Britain including a contingent from British Honduras arriving in Duns. The talk will examine why the Hondurans were treated differently from other foreign workers in Scotland.