Borders Family History Society

Maxton

Maxton is a rural Parish in north Roxburghshire being bounded on the north by the Parishes of Mertoun in Berwickshire and Makerstoun, on the south-east by the Parish of Roxburgh, on the south-west by the Parish of Ancrum and on the west by the Parish of St. Boswells. Maxton & Mertoun parishes have been combined and they are now linked with St Boswells. Old Parish Records cover the periods: Marriages: 1691 to 1848. Deaths: 1776 to 1803, 1837 to 1854.

Maxton Parish Church

Sales List

• 1841 census Maxton.
• 1851 census Maxton.
• 1861 census Maxton.
• Memorial Inscriptions Vol 14 Roxburghshire by Elspeth Ewan 1994 - includes:
  • history
  • hearth tax
  • militia list
  • list of ministers

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

Volumes available for consultation within our Archive

• Maxton 2000 by Charles Denoon - a detailed history of the Parish.
• 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.
• 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.

20 Most Common Surnames

The 20 most common surnames on gravestones recorded by us in the Maxton monumental inscriptions volume are (number of gravestones in brackets): THOMSON (19), SCOTT (10), WIGHT (6), DAVIDSON (5), WOOD (5), GRANT (5), TURNBULL (4), ROBSON (4), BROWN (4), LYALL (4), BELL (4), LAUDER (4), FIDDES (3), ROBERTSON (3), YOUNG (3), SIMPSON (3), DOUGLAS (3), RICHARDSON (3), HENDERSON (3), BURNS (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.3 p.276: Maxton, County of Roxburgh (click "browse scanned pages" and insert Parish name)
• The Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1834-45 vol.3 p.115: Maxton, County of Roxburgh (click "browse scanned pages" and insert Parish name)

Scottish Borders Archives, The Hub Hawick

• Maxton Parish Register of Applications for Poor Relief ref; P/PR/1/16/3.
• Maxton General Register of Poor 1855 to 1929 (indexed) ref; P/PR/1/16/4.
• Maxton Parochial Board Pay Roll 1855 to 1930 ref; P/PR/1/16/5.

The Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh

Maxton Parish Church (Ref - CH2/260

• Kirk Session Records 1722 to 1730, 1778 to 1808 and 1810 to 1947.

Berwickshire Naturalists' Club

• Vol. 6 Maxton by the Rev. M. H. Graham.
• Vol. 8 Maxton Church.
• Vol. 9 Maxton - the name.
• Vol. 11 Local sayings.

Websites;

Village Website - includes a detailed map of the Parish.
Stobie's Map of Roxburghshire of 1770 .
A description of Maxton from the Gazetteer of Scotland, 1806
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: Maxton Village, Morridgehall, Muirhouselaw, Muttonhole, Rutherford, Littledean, Ploughlands, Riddelton Mill, Craigover, Burnside, Rutherford Mains.

1851 census: Morridgehall, Muirhouselaw, Craigo'e, Littledean, Burnside, Ploughlands, Kiddletonhill, Rutherford,

1861 census: Littledean, Ploughlands, Rutherford, Riddletonhill, Muirhouselaw, Morridgehall, Craigo'er.

Population;

The population has been recorded as follows:

• 1755 - 397
• 1782 - 326
• 1801 - 368
• 1811 - 483
• 1821 - 463
• 1831 - 462
• 1841 - 459
• 1851 - 550
• 1861 - 497

Roxburghshire map