Early Scotland

I have found it very useful in understanding our pioneering family to familiarise myself with the customs of the day as well as a grounding in general information about Scotland. These have been readily available in most libraries and make for fascinating reading. They can be found in books or by scanning old newspapers, as our pioneers brought their customs and lifestyles with them. I have listed some that have been particularly useful, especially traditions and customs prevailing in Scotland during the 1800's

Census Time in Early Scotland

The first census conducted in Britain was in 1801, although from a family historian viewpoint it can hardly be considered, as the census was purely a statistical exercise in which households were numbered but not named. It was not until 7 June 1841 that the first door-to-door, person-to-person census was carried out in Britain.[1]

The law of Scotland recognised two kinds of marriage - regular and irregular. A regular marriage was one performed by a minister of the Established Church of Scotland. Irregular marriages consisted of many types. Marriage vows taken in the presence of a witness, marriages performed by Catholic or Seceding clergy, promise of future marriage followed by intercourse, marriage by "habit and repute", and local customs such as "hand-fasting" were considered binding marriages, by the local community if not by the Church and law. It is notable that, under Scottish law, a bastard was legitimised by the subsequent marriage of its parents.

Scottish Naming Patterns

These vary greatly from place to place, but once a pattern has been established for an area, you can often calculate back what an ancestor's name will have been. Many Lowland patterns start with calling the first son after his father, but this is very unusual in the Northwest, if only because the extended family household of three or four generations would cause great practical difficulties[6].

The general custom, to which there were some variations, was to name children as follows:[7]

The eldest son after the paternal grandfather.

The second son after the maternal grandfather.

The third son after the father.

The eldest daughter after the maternal grandmother.

The second daughter after the paternal grandmother.

The third daughter after the mother.

Younger children would be named after earlier forbears, but the pattern in their case was less settled.

More often than not, the system was abandoned once the emigrants arrived on the shores of their new abodes.

Death of Married Women

Did you know that, accoding to Scottish custom, most married women are recorded at death and burial by their maiden name, not their married name? I didn't until recently!

[1] Scottish Roots by Alwyn James

[2] Scottish Genealogist, March 1979

[3] Scottish Roots by Alwyn James

[4] Scottish Roots by Alwyn James

[5] Scottish Genealogist, March 1979

[6] Scottish Genealogist, March 1979

[7] The Armstrong News, July 1993, Issue No. 36

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