| His own roots are in the Langholm and
border country. Never one to just scratch the surface, he
explored every available resource in the Langholm area, beginning
with the Langholm Library Trust, where all local research
should start.
Bruce McCartney and Brenda Morrison
have produced a wonderful book. In 1953, John Elliot delivered
a lecture, entitled the Ewes Valley, to the Hawick Archaeological
Society. The authors were given permission to reproduce
the lecture with minor adjustments to bring the information
more up to date.
What a wonderful choice for a first chapter!
For any readers out there who may have
ancestors from this area, this first chapter will delight
you. You could not find a better introduction to the history
of this area. The chapter is full of historical information
interspersed with a bit of folklore. Such references to
some of the local folklore, transport you back to the beginnings
of the communities along the valley. John Elliot tells of
the settling of the lands in the Ewes Valley, the history
of the church, the poets and writers, the feudal customs
of the times and the various clans or families who settled
the area. It is said that in many family research projects,
one important step is often ignored, the research of the
history of the times. Without this step, all you have is
a collection of statistics and records. This chapter certainly
paints a vivid picture of life in the Ewes valley in earlier
times.
And now to those records and statistics!
The authors have delivered a wealth
of information. They have listed the Memorials of the Ewes
and Unthank Churchyards. Not only have they listed them,
they have indexed the MI’s for both churchyards. I
was fascinated by some of the memorials, some of which date
back to the early 1600's. There are 274 memorials for Ewes
and 51 for Unthank. From the Index, I estimate there are
over 210 family names to be found here. Chapter four outlines
the history of the church in Ewes and the following chapter
provides a list of ministers of the Ewes Parish Church from
1617 to 1973. Wills and testaments can sometimes be difficult
to find. Included in this book is a list of testaments,
dated as early as 1657, the most recent being dated 1789,
which are from the Commissariot Record of Dumfries County.
Chapter Seven perhaps is one that many will turn to. It
is an extract from an Act of Parliament dealing with an
amnesty dating back to the reign of James V1, in 1585. The
Chapter is entiltled Pardoned, or Amnesty List. There are
three pages of the names of those mentioned in the Act and
although they are too numerous to count, I would estimate
the number to be close to 500. Are you looking for someone
who lived in the 1500's in the area of Ewes or even in the
County of Dumfries?
But there is more.
The authors have included a list from
the Ewes War Memorial to those who fell in WW1. There are additional
notes on some prominent members of the community through
to the 1800s. There is also a Militia List, Session Minutes
and an extract from the Valuation Roll of the County of
Dumfries.
This is a wonderful resource and I would
highly recommend it.
The book itself is as someone said
a delight to hold. The quality of the page, the print, the
illustrations and above all the cover, both front and back
are beautifully designed. Obviously, the authors have devoted
great thought to the whole process from the content to the
cover. I have to admit that even though I cannot claim any
connection to this part of Scotland, I will certainly include
it in my future travels.
The authors are currently working on another book relating
to the Parish of Langholm which will provide even more information
for the historian and genealogist. I certainly look forward
to its completion.
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