Burntisland Town Council Minutes: 30 October 1633

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The Burntisland Town Council minutes of 1633 were a major source in Gill Paterson's research into the Burntisland events of that year. For example, the minutes of 30 October 1633 contained the stent list (taxation roll) which gave us the names of 277 of the town's residents at that time.

The Town Council records are contained in narrow bound books and are not available online. They are written in secretary hand and contain many archaic Scots words. Spelling is haphazard, as is the use of punctuation and capitals. Words are often abbreviated to save space. The Council usually met weekly. This extract is from the record of the meeting at which the stent list was discussed: “The Council meeting's were held with strict decorum and regularly weekly. The hours of meeting were unearthly, modelled on the daylight saving lines.”

To give readers a flavour of the original documents, two images of pages of the minutes are provided below. They are accompanied by Gill's transcriptions.
 

[Transcription of the image on the right, which is the first page of the 30 October 1633 entry.]

Penultimo Octobris 1633
The quhilk day
being appointit for setting doun of the
townis parte of the fyft termis payment
of the kingis ordinare taxatione grantit
by the estaittis of this kingdome to his
Majestie at the General convention of the
estaittis hauldin at edinburgh in the moneth
of July 1630 herein. And of the
townis parte of the taxatione grantit
to the senators of the college of justice
by the estaittis of this kingdome in the last
parliament hauldin at Edinburgh in the month
of [June] 1633 herein.
The townis parte of the fyft terme of the
King his majestie his ordinare taxation extends
To the somme of [not transcribed]


National Records of Scotland B9/12.

[Transcription of the image on the right, which is a specimen page from the stent list. We do not know what the 'x' in front of some names means; nor were we able to transcribe the sums due.]

(Left hand column)

jone anderson alias [brasone]

alexander gib

johne arnot

jone stedman

jone watsone

wm andersone

walter malcolme

wm broun skippar

andro barclay

adame stevinsone

margaret danzeill

jone henrysone

david bissitt

robert schaddo

james angus

jone [ninckarsie]

alexander stanhone

andro cregh

jone broun younger baxter

jone stoddart flesher

 

(Right hand column)

james orrok

janet geddie

margaret russell

jone cusing

david gourlay

alexander ged

agnes broun

jone scot younger

james huntare

rbt huggone

james wat elder

david marshall

david archibald

jone [hainisun]

jone allane

bessie thomsone

w(a)m hair

alexander finlay


National Records of Scotland B9/12.


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