Hide

Cranshaws

hide
Hide

"CRANSHAWS, a parish at the middle of the northern verge of Berwickshire; but consisting of two parts ... The northern part is bounded on the north and west by East Lothian, and on the east and south by the parish of Longformacus ... The southern section is bounded on the south by Westruther, and on the west by Lauder and Longformacus ... Near the centre of the northern section stands the castle of Cranshaws, formerly a fastness of a kinsman of the Douglases" From the Gazetteer of Scotland published 1806, Edinburgh.

Hide
topup

Cemeteries

Pre-1855 inscriptions for the parish are contained in the Scottish Genealogy Society's volume of Berwickshire Monumental Inscriptions (Pre-1855).

Presbyterian / Unitarian
Cranshaws, Church of Scotland
topup

Census

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

topup

Churches

Presbyterian / Unitarian
Cranshaws, Church of Scotland
topup

Church Records

The parish church (Church of Scotland) has registers dating from 1731. 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).

The parish registers available worldwide on microfilm include some kirk session records:

  • In part 734/1: minutes and accounts for 1731-1761
  • In part 734/2: minutes and accounts for 1761-1819
  • In part 734/3: minutes and accounts for 1819-1827

More information on kirk sessions and their records can be found in the Church Records section of the Berwickshire page.

topup

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.

topup

Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Cranshaws which are provided by:

topup

Gazetteers

topup

Maps

Ordnance Survey maps covering Cranshaws include:

  • Landranger 67: Duns, Dunbar & Eyemouth area - scale 1:50000, or 1.25inch:1mile, or 2cm:1km
  • Pathfinder 422: Abbey St Bathans - scale 1:25000, or 2.5inch:1mile, or 4cm:1km

Cranshaws is also covered by an old Victorian one-inch to the mile Ordnance Survey map published by Caledonian Maps. The relevant sheet is sheet number 34 "Eyemouth" which also includes Burnmouth, Chirnside, Cockburnspath, Coldingham, Edrom, Foulden, Grantshouse, Preston and St Abb's Head.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NT698612 (Lat/Lon: 55.843497, -2.483736), Cranshaws which are provided by:

topup

Population

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

  • 1755 - 214
  • 1791-2 - 164
  • 1801 - 166
  • 1811 - 186
  • 1821 - 156
  • 1831 - 136
  • 1861 - 134

There was a noticable drop in population between Dr Webster's survey of 1755 and the survey undertaken by the parish minister circa 1791 as part of Sir John Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland. The minister, Rev. George Drummond, explained the drop in population as follows:

"The only reason that can be assigned for this diminution is the monopoly of farms. About 50 or 60 years ago there were above 16 farmers in the parish; the whole is now in the possession of 3 only."
From the Statistical Account of Scotland compiled by Sir John Sinclair