baptism near Turriff - COMPLETE

[whitehound]

I need help deciphering the baptism record of my great grandfather's eldest brother.  I'll give a bit of background because it may bear on what some of the words say.

The Scottish Records Office has dated the extract as 10/04/1853.  The surname at the side is Shirran or Sherran.  The boy's name was Adam, born in 1853 at a place called Shandscross near Turriff.

His parents were Alexander Shirran, son of John Shirran and Margaret Gray, and Jessie Tawse, daughter of Adam Tawse and Elspet Wisely.  Shandscross was where the Tawse family lived.  Alexander and Jessie had married at Shandscross in March 1852.

I see:

"Shirran: On the twenty fourth day of February eighteen hundred and fifty three Alexander Jessie Tawse Shandscross had a son born on the tenth day of April and named Adam Tawse ? Turriff."

[Alexander.]

My go - but the names and places are a bit iffy:

On the twenty fourth day of February eighteen
hundred and fifty three Alexander Shirran Farm
servant at Cottown(?) and his lawful spouse
Jessie Tawse residing at Shandcross had a son born
baptized on the tenth day of April and named
Adam. Witnesses Adam Tawse in Shandcross
and James Smart(?) in Turriff

Alexander

[GR2]

All the rest is correct. The farm is Cotburn.

[whitehound]

Thanks to both - that seems to make sense.  It's almost certainly Cottown - there's no Cotburn listed on the Ordnance Survey and there are a lot of Cottowns (= a group of cottages occupied by married farmhands) in Aberdeenshire.  I'm now poring over Streetmap to see if there's one near Turriff.

[Alexander.]

I agree with GR2, it looks more like Cotburn.

[Flattybasher9]

Cotburn is about 3 miles North East of Shandscross.

OS  ref :-  NJ772542

Regards

Malky

[whitehound]

Too small to show on the index, then.  OK ta, it probably is Cotburn then. as the nearest Cottown I've found is 8 miles SE of Turriff - albeit it's close to where Alexander would become a crofter 20 years later.

[GR2]

If you look at the National Library of Scotland maps website, you will get free access to 19th century large-scale Ordnance Survey maps of the area.