Author Topic: Handwriting deciphering  (Read 11402 times)

Offline grantleydawn

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #27 on: Friday 13 March 09 20:58 GMT (UK) »
I have purchased 2 more baptisms - neither gave an occupation, or clue.
But one did have a witness with an occupation of 'wreater', to confirm the earlier deduction.

For my records, can you please fill in my gaps (I am getting better at reading these documents now)

My guess;
Johnne CRAWFURD, Margaret HARLAW a. S N George w ?ol?home Humo McGeorge La??un wreater And George CRAWFOORD Cordiner.

Regards
Grantley

Offline Gadget

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #28 on: Friday 13 March 09 21:03 GMT (UK) »
I'm not brilliant at this script but I'd say it is McGeorge Layburn.

Also, there were some wills/testaments for John Crawfords,of Edinburgh who were cordiners (cordwainers).

Gadget
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Offline grantleydawn

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #29 on: Friday 13 March 09 22:18 GMT (UK) »
To hopefully bring this to a conclusion, I purchased all the baptisms.

He is crearly described as a Wreator in 1622 & 1626.

The only one with any possible clues is the one in 1620. It is 8 years earlier than the one we are trying to solve. This is my attempt.

Johnne CRAWFURD servitour to Mr James LAMATYNE, Margaret HARLAW a S N James w Sr James ? Laird of Mon?land & ? ? ? merchant.

Offline JAP

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #30 on: Saturday 14 March 09 01:33 GMT (UK) »
Johnne Crawfurd Servitour to Mr James bannatyne Mar
garet Harlaw a S.N. James w. Sr James Cle
Land of Monkland knight  Wm kincaid Merchant

That is to say - Sir James CLELAND of Monkland knight

If you Google for
"Sir James Cleland"
there are quite a lot of hits.
Here's an extract from electricscotland:
"CLELAND, a surname belonging to an old family on Lanarkshire, and derived from the lands of that name in the parish of Dalzeil. The Clelands of that ilk were hereditary foresters to the old earls of Douglas.  ... About the beginning of the seventeenth century, Sir James Cleland purchased the barony of Monkland from Sir Thomas Hamilton of Binning, first earl of Haddington, but his son and heir, Ludovick Cleland, sold it to James, marquis of Hamilton. On 6th September 1615, this Sir James Cleland of Monkland was, with two others, indicted for trial, for treasonably resetting Jesuits, hearing of mass, &c., offences very seriously punished in those days, but the diet was deserted against them. ..."


Offline JAP

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #31 on: Saturday 14 March 09 03:28 GMT (UK) »
Gadget, Just a very trivial point for interest.

A Google for
Laird + Luss
finds that there was indeed such a person.
They were COLQUHOUNs.
Apparently the current Laird of Luss is the 31st such.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Colquhoun

A Google for
"Laird of Luss"
even turns up a mention in the introduction to Walter SCOTT's Rob Roy:
'... There had been a long and bloody feud betwixt the MacGregors and the Laird of Luss, head of the family of Colquhoun, a powerful race on the lower part of Loch Lomond. ..."
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/scott/walter/robroy/introduction1.html

JAP

Offline grantleydawn

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #32 on: Saturday 14 March 09 04:13 GMT (UK) »
Well, I must send a huge thank you, to everyone who has contributed.

I am so glad that I sought help.

This has been a great experience and I have learnt so much.

I now have heaps to explore and research.

Thankyou again
Grantley

Offline JAP

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #33 on: Saturday 14 March 09 04:19 GMT (UK) »
Hello again Grantley,

I believe that the baxter (baker) in the first extract in reply #16 is Thomas SPENCE.

So it reads (you already had virtually all of it):

Johnne Crawfurd wreater  Margaret Harlaw a. d. N
Agnes w. George Crawfurd Goldsmyth  Thomas spence Baxt.

JAP

Offline JAP

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #34 on: Saturday 14 March 09 05:02 GMT (UK) »
The extract at reply #27 is difficult!

Johnne Crawfurd  Margaret Harlaw a S. N.
George w. ?-? Hume.  Mr George ?Laybun?
wreater  And George Crawfurd Cordiner

The letter after w. is exactly like the 'A' in 'Agnes' in the extract at reply #16.  Though nothing like the 'A' in 'And' immediately below in this extract.

I'm not even sure whether the 'A' is a first initial or part of the name ...

In full, it looks like Aselchome but I can't find such a name/word.  I've been trying to make it into something like Axholme but even if I could ...  And perhaps what I see as 'c' is a poorly formed 't'.  Perhaps felthame ...

The surname of the other witness is a problem.  It looks like La??un but ...  Perhaps Layburn as has been suggested but the 'y' is poorly formed (though the lack of a curve to the right at the top suggests that it is neither a long 's' nor an 'f'), the 'b' is not like 'b' in other extracts where there is a curve to the right at the top (it's more like an 's' at the end of a word), and I can't make out an 'r' .  But perhaps this is a different scribe?  Perhaps it could even be Lassun (Lawson)...

More suggestions/comments?

JAP

Offline grantleydawn

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Re: Handwriting deciphering
« Reply #35 on: Saturday 14 March 09 09:02 GMT (UK) »
Re #27,

I have the benefit of the whole document, which really isn't much help to me.

The first letter of the witness must be an A, as appeared in Archibald below. Using that image, the 5th letter looks like a c.
That makes a name of Asolchome, to me. Not very convincing.

The second witness would most probably be George LASSUN. The second s is similar to the style the scribe has used elsewhere in the document.

Neither of the witnesses are possible ancestors and so my main aim is satisfied. But I know, the challenge still exists.
 
Regards
Grantley