Researching Scotts in Hawick

[ghscott]

Hi
I'm  researching my Scott family in Hawick - and have come across something I don't understand inthe parish birth records. A father (in 1707) is referred to as:
John Scott distinctio causa called Cloaks
Does this just mean a person of distinction and is Cloaks a title or address. I've found a Robert Scott of Cloak but he was in the previous century. Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[ScottishAncestry]

I would suggest, I could be wrong here, but it could mean that 'Cloaks' was another name given to him to distinguish him from other John Scotts; a kind of nickname.

This was a practice done in the area in years gone by although it was a much more common practice in the North East of Scotland until more recently. In the NE they are called 'tee names'. Genealogist Chris Paton has written a blog on the 'tee names' in regard to searching Valuation Rolls: http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/scottish-tee-names-in-valuation-rolls.html

As I say though I'm not 100% confident about this one.

Emma

[Iandj]

I was about to say the same as Emma.

The phrase 'distinctio causa' literally means 'in order to distinguish'. The word 'Cloaks' might mean a place - there are several Cloaks around in Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and elsewhere, though I haven't found any in Roxburghshire. It might mean a person's name but I haven't spotted any Cloaks born in Roxburghshire in the last 500 years. Or it might simply be a garment.

My guess is that because there are a few Scott families in the area - I'm connected to one - and there are probably quite a few John Scotts, the term 'distinctio causa' is simply the clerk's posh way of saying 'nicknamed', possibly on the basis of what he habitually wears.

Iandj