Aerial View of East Lothian

............. Aerial view looking onto the Firth of Forth east of Edinburgh.

James FORSYTH and Helen SCOTT

(This post has been revised since parish registers were searched in Dec/10)

James Forsyth and his wife Helen appear in the 1841 census records for Haddington, a town now in East Lothian, but at that time a prosperous town which gave its name to the shire. They were living on the same street as their married daughter, Marion who was Mrs. John Cochrane. In this census, both James and Helen gave their birthplace as 'within the census county' while John and Marion Cochrane gave their birthplace as outside of the census county. This is in conflict with oral family history which provides Penicuik, about ten miles south of Edinburgh (now Mid-lothian) as James Forsyth's birthplace.

In the 1851 census, when Helen was widowed, she gave her place of birth as Selkirk, Selkirkshire which is not far from Penicuik, reportedly the birthplace of her husband, James. In looking at the marriage extracts, we find two which could be our James and Helen:

James Forsyth and Helen Scott
Married 25 Jan 1801,
Yarrow, Selkirk

James Forsyth and Jean Scott
Married 20 Feb 1801,
Penicuik, Midlothian

The following information about the proclamation of banns of marriage was extracted from 'Scotlands People' website:

'The proclamation of banns was the notice of contract of marriage, read out in the Kirk before the marriage took place. Couples or their 'cautioners' (sponsors) were often required to pay a 'caution' or security to prove the seriousness of their intentions. Forthcoming marriages were supposed to be proclaimed on three successive Sundays, however, in practice, all three proclamations could be made on the same day on payment of a fee. If the bride and groom lived in different parishes, the impending marriage was proclaimed in both parishes, although not necessarily on the same days, therefore the dates in each register may be different. You may also find that one register may show the proclamation date and the other the date of the marriage itself.'

One wonders if the above records from Yarrow, Selkirk and Pencuik, Midlothian are indeed for the same couple, the second record recording the bride's given name incorrectly. I will refer to these parish registers in the next few months. (Marriage in Yarrow has been checked and Helen Scott was of the parish of Yarrow and James Forsyth was 'in Pennycuik.' I'm not sure what this means. Could it mean he was from Yarrow, but living/working in Penicuik or does it mean he was from Penicuik? Will look into this.)

Death records for James and Helen's children suggest that Christian and Marion were the eldest children, but their baptisms in Penicuik (or any other place) do not appear on the IGI as parish extracts. Someone has submitted some information; however, the only extracts from parish records for Penicuik are for the three sons John, Robert and James. These records will be checked in the next few months. (Records now checked. See later posts for results.)

From the birth places of the children of James and Helen found in the census records, we can trace the movements of the family. It seems that they lived in and around Penicuik as a married couple from early in 1801. Their fifth child and third son James was probably born is Lasswade, closer to Edinburgh, but he was returned to Penicuik for baptism.) Their next known move was to Haddingtonshire (East Lothian). In 1814, their daughter, Helen, was born in Dirleton, now East Lothian and about 10 miles east of Edinburgh and very close to North Berwick. Their youngest daughter, Janet, was born in Dirleton in 1822.
By 1841, James and Helen were living in Haddington. In the 1841 census, James gave his occupation as 'shepherd,' and it should be noted that his son-in-law, John Cochrane, was a dyer, of wool no doubt. James was deceased by 1851 and apparently died in Calder which is south of Edinburgh and not far from Penicuik. (The significance of this place should be investigated.) Helen lived another ten years in Haddington, probably in the same home, but definitely on the same street. They are reportedly buried in the church yard of St. Mary's although no burial record has been found to date. There is a monument for their daughter, Marion Cochrane in St. Mary's churchyard. The records for burial are actually records for the purchase of mort cloths, and therefore not as complete as later burial records.

A Scottish Canadian Folksong

Click on the title above for more information about this song.

Several places mentioned in the song are close to Penicuik, Mid-lothian.

Penicuik, Midlothian

click on title for town website

Penicuik is located on the River Esk, in the Scottish county of Midlothian, approximately 395 miles north of London and 10 miles south of Edinburgh.The town has a population of around 25,000. Administratively it is within the unitary council region of Midlothian which covers an area of approximately 354 sq kms and which has a population of around 81,000.

It is an attractive town set amongst the Pentland Hills. At it's heart is the High Street, a busy wide tree-lined thoroughfare which is dominated by the Town Hall, Penicuik's most impressive architectural landmark. The pedestrianised John Street is the main shopping focus. There are some notable historic sites in the area, including several Iron Age forts on the Pentland Hills, the most interesting of which is Castlelaw which was occupied from Roman times, and the old Parish Church of St Mungo. Penicuik is home to the renowned Edinburgh Crystal works, and it is a good base from which to explore the surrounding area and its numerous visitor attractions.

The town's modern history dates from around 1770, when Sir John Clark planned and began building on the town's present site, and to the east of the original hamlet which had existed here. This development included High Street and John Street. The town grew as a result of its paper making industry which only finally ceased during the 1970s.

The nearby Pentland Hills saw the Battle of Rullion Green in 1666 when the Covenanters were defeated by the army of Charles II. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, around 1815, the paper mill was converted for use as a prison camp for captured French soldiers. The French Prisoners' Monument, built in 1830, commemorates this.

Historically the town's economy was based upon paper-making, but with this industry's decline the town has undergone a process of regeneration. Industries remaining include the Edinburgh Crystal works and Dalmore Paper mill, some eight miles outside the town. Midlothian Council is the area's largest employer, with many residents also commuting to work in Edinburgh.

The name Penicuik derives from the Cymric 'pen-y-cog' which means 'hill of the cuckcoo'.

Map of South-Eastern Scotland

Bartholomew Map showing south-eastern Scotland. Click on map to enlarge.

Distance from Edinburgh

Selkirk 31 miles, Penicuik 10 miles