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Makerstoun

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"A parish in the county of Roxburgh, of a rectangular figure, 5½ miles long by 4½ broad. It lies on the N. bank of the Tweed, from which the surface rises by a gentle ascent to the northern boundary ... Population in 1801, 248."

From the Gazetteer of Scotland published 1806, Edinburgh.

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Cemeteries

The Borders Family History Society has published a booklet of Makerstoun monumental inscriptions.

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Census

Graham and Emma Maxwell have transcribed and indexed the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census returns for this parish.

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Churches

Presbyterian / Unitarian
Makerston, Church of Scotland
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Church History

Rutherfurd's Southern Counties Register and Directory of 1866 lists the following non-conformist churches:

  • Free Church

There may have been other non-conformist churches at different times.

According to Rev. William Ewing's Annals of the Free Church of Scotland (published 1914 in Edinburgh) "at the Disruption [1843] a group of Free Church adherents formed a congregation here". The 1848 membership of this congregation was 78; in 1900 it was 95.

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Church Records

The parish church (Church of Scotland) has registers dating from 1692. Old Parish Registers (before 1855) are held in the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, and copies on microfilm may be consulted in local libraries and in LDS Family History Centres around the world. Later parish registers (after 1855) are often held in the National Records of Scotland as are any records of non-conformist churches in the area (often unfilmed and unindexed, and only available there).

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Civil Registration

Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. For further details of this see the National Records of Scotland website.

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Description & Travel

An account of the parish (history, topography etc.) may be found in the Borders Family History Society's booklet of monumental inscriptions.

You can see pictures of Makerstoun which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NT673332 (Lat/Lon: 55.590927, -2.519781), Makerstoun which are provided by:

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Population

Here are some figures showing the parish's population through time:

  • 1755 - 165
  • 1801 - 248
  • 1811 - 352
  • 1821 - 345
  • 1831 - 326
  • 1861 - 380
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Taxation

In the 1690s a tax was levied by Parliament on every hearth in Scotland. Both landowners and tenants had to pay this tax and are therefore recorded in the records which were kept at the time. A transcript of the hearth tax records for Makerstoun parish (NRS reference E69/21/1) is included with the list of monumental inscriptions published by the Borders Family History Society.

Most taxation records are held at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh.