Borders Family History Society

Bedrule

Bedrule is situated in the centre of Roxburghshire the Parish of Ancrum lies to the north, the Parish of Jedburgh is on the east, to the south-west is the Parish of Hobkirk and the Parish of Cavers is on the west.

In 1975 the Parishes of Bedrule and Minto were combined as the Parish of Ruberslaw which is now linked with Hobkirk and Southdean.

Old Parish Records cover the periods:

Births: 1690 to 1854.
Marriages: 1690 to 1748 and from 1751 to 1854.

Bedrule Parish Church

Sales List

1841 census Bedrule
1851 census Bedrule
1861 census Bedrule
Memorial Inscriptions Vol XVI Roxburghshire 1996 edited by Elspeth Ewan - includes:
- Hearth Tax
- Militia List
- List of ministers
- War Memorial transcription

See our sales list for full details and cost of postage.

Volumes available for consultation within our Archive

The Churches and Graveyards of Roxburghshire by Dr. G.A.C. Binnie 2001.
Rutherford's Southern Counties Register and Directory 1867.
County Directory of Scotland 1912 - Borders Towns and Villages.
Ruleswater and its People by George Tancred of Wemyss 1907.
CD-ROM Pigot's 1837 Directory of Berwickshire and Roxburghshire.
CD-ROM Land Ownership Commission Report 1872 -1873.

Magazine Articles;

Please note that the heading Author includes persons who have compiled or transcribed records; and that the topics indexed, and the synopses are subjective opinions.
See the Sales List to buy copies of the magazines containing articles in which you're interested.

Title	Synopsis	Size Description	Issue No	Author
The relationship of place names and personal names	The relationship is two fold: (1) Place names derived from personal names, (2) Personal names derived or adopted from place names.	1 page or more	21	Jessie Macdonald
The Lillico Family - Chain Migrants to Gloucester Township, Ontario	The stort of a family that emigrated from Roxburghshire to Ontario	8 pages or more	70	Eleanor Lillico

Map of Bedrule from Quarter-inch to the mile, Scotland, 1921-1923 or One-inch to the mile, Popular edition, Scotland, 1920-1930
by kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
Use the control at the top left of the map to zoom in or out and drag the map left, right, up, or down as you wish.

20 Most Common Surnames

The 20 most common surnames on gravestones recorded by us in the Bedrule monumental inscriptions volume are (number of gravestones in brackets): TURNBULL (30), SCOTT (18), USHER (7), MURRAY (7), BELL (6), LEADBETTER (5), ANDERSON (5), ROBSON-SCOTT (4), RIDDELL (4), STEVENSON (4), REAY (4), RAE (4), PATERSON (4), COCKBURN (4), GREENSHIELDS (4), BRUNTON (4), THOMSON (4), DAVIDSON (3), CRAIG (3), VEITCH (3).

Other Sources

The History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire and adjacent Districts by Alexander Jeffrey 1864.
Two Centuries of Borders Church Life by J Tait Kelso 1891.
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791-99 vol.15 p.56: Bedrule, County of Roxburgh (click "browse scanned pages" and insert Parish name)
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1834-45 vol.3 p.279:Bedrule, County of Roxburgh (click "browse scanned pages" and insert Parish name)

Scottish Borders Archives, The Hub Hawick

School Records

Bedrule School Board Minute Books 1873 to 1928 (Ref - R/ED/1/3-4).
Bedrule School Log Book 1922 to 1945 (Ref - R/ED/2/3).
Bedrule School Log Nooks 1920 to 1937 (Ref - B/ED/2/4).

The Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh

Bedrule Parish Church

Minutes and accounts 1690-1725 (Ref - 782/1).
Minutes and accounts 1725-1748 (Ref - 782/2).
Minutes and accounts 1749-1778 (Ref - 782/3).
Minutes and accounts 1778-1819 (Ref - 782/4).
Minutes and accounts 1820-1840 (Ref - 782/5).

Hawick Archaeological Society

1877 Writings of the late Rev. Archibald Craig.
1917 Notes on sculptured fragments found in Churchyard.
1930 Shield of Arms of Bishop Turnbull.
1955 Turnbulls of Bedrule - plaque in Church.
1976 Running from Rome to Glasgow via Bedrule.
1976 I saved the King - story of the Turnbulls.

Berwickshire Naturalists' Club

Vol. 12 Bedrule - its owners.
Vol. 25 Bedrule - the name.
Vol. 28 Bedrule raided and burnt.
Vol. 36 Bedrule Church by Rev. T McGinn.
Vol. 36 Bedrule visited.

Websites;

Border Villages Website
A village website
Stobie's Map of Roxburghshire of 1770.
A 19th Century description of the Parish
Turnbull Clan Website contains video clips of service at Bedrule Parish Church.
The RCAHMS website Scotland's Places contains details of;

Farm Horse Tax 1797-1798.
Medical Officer's of Health Reports 1891.

Place and Farm names in Census Records

1841 census: Bedrule, Fulton, Spittal, Menslaw, Menslawhaugh, Newton, Knowsouth, Rewcastle, Kersfield.

1851 census: Bedrule, Rewcastle, Knowsouth, Newton, Menslaw, Guide Post, Bedrule Mill, Fulton, Wood End.

1861 census: Bedrule, Newton, Menslaw, Spittal, Guidepost, Bedrule Mill, Fulton, Rewcastle, Knowsouth.

Population;

The population has been recorded as follows:

1755 - 297
1801 - 260
1811 - 235
1821 - 344
1831 - 309
1841 - 296
1851 - 239
1861 - 222