Borders Family History Society

Swinton and Simprim

The joint Parishes of Swinton and Simprim (united in 1761) are situated in the south east of Berwickshire, being bounded on the north by the Parishes of Edrom and Whitsome, on the east by the Parish of Ladykirk, on the south by the Parish of Coldstream and on the east by the Parishes of Eccles and Fogo.

Old Parish Birth Records exist from 1668 to 1674 and from 1700 to 1854.
Marriage Records exist from 1698 to 1717 and from 1769 to 1854.
Death records exist from 1697 to 1719 and from1769 to 1841.

Sales List;

1841 census Swinton.
1851 census Swinton.
1861 census Swinton.

The Memorial Inscriptions have not been transcribed except as below.

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

Swinton Parish Church

Volumes available for consultation within our Archive;

Pre 1855 Memorial inscriptions of Berwickshire by David Cargill.
The Churches and Churchyards of Berwickshire by G.A.C. Binnie.
C.D. The Churches and Churchyards of Berwickshire by James Robson 1896.
Trotter of Prentonan by George Baird Trotter.
Index to Particular Register of Sasines for Berwickshire.
Pigot's 1837 Directory of Berwickshire and Roxburghshire.
Rutherford's Southern Counties Register and Directory 1867.
C.D. Slater's Directory of Berwickshire 1903.
County Directory of Scotland 1912 - Borders Towns and Villages.

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 Story of a Stray	Account of Robert Burgon, a fisherman from Berwick who was drowned in 1850 with William Burgeon, Joseph Cowlin, George Swinton, and the boy David Lyle, and buried in Inverbervie.	2 pages or more	47	Murray Nicoll

Map of Swinton 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.

Other Sources;

Scottish Borders Archives and Family History Centre The Hub Hawick hold the following records;

Swinton Public School Log Book 1874-1913. ref; B/ED/6/1.
Swinton Public School Junior Division Log Book 1875-1904 ref; B/ED/6/2.

Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh hold the following records;

Swinton Parish Church;

Simprim Minutes 1699 to 1714 and 1734 to 1761.
Simprim Cash Record 1668 to 1684.
Swinton Collections 1769 to 1776.
Swinton Minutes and Accounts 1697 to 1706.
Accounts of the Combined Parishes 1800 to 1819 ref; CH2/346.

Swinton Free Church;

Minutes 1843 to 1900 ref; CH3/393.

Berwickshire Naturalists' Club has published the following articles;

Vol. 8 Swintons of that Ilk by A Campbell Swinton.
Vol. 13 Swinton Church.
Vol. 31 Swinton and Simprim Churches by the Rev. J. B. Langmuir.
Vol. 31 Swinton House.
Vol. 36 Ministers of the 17th. century.
Vol. 36 Swinton Church.
Vol. 38 Swinton Post Office.
Vol. 42 Dr. George Johnston (1797-1855).
Vol. 43 Simprim and the Merse by R. C. Wood (Part 1) (available in Society Archives).
Vol. 44 Simprim and the Merse by R. C. Wood (Part 2) (available in Society Archives).
Vol. 44 The Session Records 1699 to 1761 by R. C. Wood (available in Society Archives).

Websites;

History of the family of Swinton .

Photographs and transcriptions of some 'Moffat' stones in Swinton Churchyard.

First Statistical Account by the Rev. George Cupples. (click "browse scanned images" and insert Parish name).

Second Statistical Account by the Rev James Logan (click "browse scanned images" and insert Parish name).

RCHAMS website Scotland's Places contains photographs of Swinton and Simprim and details of;

Farm Horse tax 1797-1798.
Medical Officer's of Health Reports 1891.
Land Ownership Commission Report 1872 -1873. (available on C.D. in Society Archives).

Place and Farm names in Census Records;

1841 census: Swinton, Mountfair, Simprim Mains, Simprim, Butterlaw, Little Swinton, Swinton Hill, South Greenriggs, Crowfoot Bank, Bitterigside, Harcase Hill, Longbank, Old Longbank, Delgado, Bridge End,
1851 census: Swinton, Fiddler's Hall, Swinton Quarter, Greenriggs, Mountfair, Swinton Hill, Simpim, Simprim Mains, Butterlaw, Little Swinton, Swinton Mill, Longbank, Harcase, Crowfoot, Bitterickside.
1861 census: Swinton, Greenriggs, Swinton Quarter, Mountfair, Simprim Mains, Simprim, Swinton Hill, Fiddlers Hall, Bridgend, Butterlaw, Little Swinton, Swinton Mill, Longbank, Harcasehill, Crowfootbank.

Population;

The population has been recorded as follows: 1755 - 494, 1791 -898, 1801 - 875, 1811 - 866, 1821 - 919, 1831 - 971, 1841 - 1095, 1851 - 994, 1861 - 964.