How do I research land owners?

[Ceryswyn]

I have a Lochhead family who resided at High Commore farm, near Nielston in Renfrewshire. I've done a lot of digging with the available online maps and have located the spot where the farm once stood. There is still a Commore Farm, but it doesn't look like High Commore is there any more. I'm attaching the old map. If you google Commore farm neilston and look at google maps you'll see the same area. Commore is aka Cummore.

A little family backstory:

William Lochhead
b. 1693
d. 24 May 1771 High Commore, Neilston, Renfrewshire

Married 25 June 1745 to Janet Gemmell b.1717

Had a son:

John Lochhead b.1746 High Commore d.1841

John married Barbara Spreul and they had several children including a John Lochhead who's OPR reads "John Lochead & Barbara Spreul spouses at High Cummore had a son born June the twentieth & ninth and baptised July the third named John."
There are other children but I won't go into that here as we're looking backwards not forwards.

I located a poll tax record from 1695 there is a record of a John Lochhead as an apprentice.

Whole document
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/neilston/chapter23.htm

John is listed at the bottom of this page.
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/neilston/chapte61.jpg

This is obviously right around the time the aforementioned William Lochhead was born, so I think that John the apprentice might be his father.

I traced as far back as I could with OPR's when I was in Glasgow a few years ago, so I think I have to get creative from here on out  if I'm going to prove anything futher back that William. I was wondering about looking into Estate records but I have no idea how to find out who actually owned the land that the farm was on at that time.

This is where you come in. Can anyone offer advise in that regard?

Cheers!

[RJ_Paton]

The "Retours of Heirs" and the Sasine records may be your best bet but neither are online.

http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/inheriting-land-and-buildings

[robesur]

You could try Scotland Places :-  http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/

[Ceryswyn]

Thank you both.

Scotland's places seems to be 1700's onwards for that area, but wow! I didn't know all that was there so I shall certainly be making use of it.

The Sasines and Retours I've added to my list of things to research next time I make it up to Scotland.

[DonM]

This should save you some running around.

Commore wasn't just the two farms it was an area that contained many farms the superior was Wm Mure/Muir of Caldwell (and his heirs).  They held the bulk of this parish going back to the 16thC.  By 1771-73 they still held the lands and feu duties for smaller portions of Commore held by Mr. Robertson and Mr. Stevenson as well as James Pollock of Arthorlies who had 14 poundland.

Don

[Ceryswyn]

Thank you so much Don, I really appreciate the information. That will save me a lot of time I'm sure!

[Cora-Lee Scheller]

hey Ceryswn, please contact me as we are distant relatives. My mothers maiden name is Lochhead and I have reseached my family tree back to william from Renfrewshire