Kirksessions for Speymouth

[Cjeff]

Hi

Would anyone have access to the kirksessions for the Speymouth area please.  I am trying to find out a little more about the family of an ancestor born 8 Oct 1822 in St Andrews Lhanbryde.  John Laing was born to Isobel Laing, his father was alleged to be physician Henry Palmer of Thistle Street, Edinburgh.  Isobel's father, John Laing, was sponser to the child  - he was a forrester at Bareflathills.  What exactly does the fact that he was sponser mean? 

I have found Isobel with her son on the 1841 census in Speymouth, she was born c1807 Scotland.  I have found son John on subsequent censuses.  I have been unable to advance my research on Isobel as I do not know any more about her, where exactly she was born and whom her parents and siblings were.  I was hoping some information may exist in the kirksessions for the area in relation to John's birth which may help. 

Any help would be appreciated.

Many thanks

CJ

[Forfarian]

What exactly does the fact that he was sponser mean? 

By standing sponsor John Laing was in effect taking on responsibility for the expense of keeping the child. This was normal in the case of an illegitimate child where the father could not be made to pay for its support, such as in this case, where Henry Palmer was too far away for the Kirk Session to get money out of him.

The surviving Kirk Session minutes are in the National Archives of Scotland www.nas.gov.uk and they have been digitised, but they are not yet available online. You need to find someone based in Edinburgh to go and look at them on your behalf.