Ayrshire deaths pre 1800

[Forfarian]

It very definitely implies that the place where they lived was called Bank, and that it was a place (maybe just a single house or croft) in the parish of Galston because if it had not been in the parish where he was baptised it would have said 'Bank in the parish of xxx'. That may just have been the name it was locally referred to rather than its full name, or its name on maps and estate plans.

[RJ_Paton]

I would agree with Forfarian it tends to point either towards a single house or steading which was known locally and in that Parish - it could well be a local abbreviation known to all locally but an enigma to outsiders.

Added :- There is an area of forest known as Bank Woods in Galston and there is also an area called Bankwood which from Google Street View looks like at one time it was a farmhouse - possibly that Bank is in or near that

Looking at the excerpt my eye is drawn to the word which has been obliterated and I wonder if this was "natural" as in natural son implying he was illegitimate. If the obliteration is from the original document it could indicate that it was wrongly recorded as such. A look at the Kirk Session Records might clear that one up but they are not online

[Josh Swann]

With the name I was think it was just an ink blob but do you think it points to something else ? I can see how bank would fit into bank woods and that area being near a river bank it’s looking more likely.

[RJ_Paton]

With the name I was think it was just an ink blob but do you think it points to something else ? I can see how bank would fit into bank woods and that area being near a river bank it’s looking more likely.

It looks more like a deliberate scribble over the word whether that means that the word was meant to be there or not is another matter

1. It could be a mistake corrected when it was realised by the Session Clerk or Minister
or
2. If the entry was correct this would imply that the child was Alexanders illegitimate child and given that he was already married to Janet Campbell the inference then is that the child was not hers.

But many of these Parish entries were completed after the events (sometimes long after) and mistakes do occur - the Kirk session records may hold further vital information or show that the whole matter was a simple clerical error.

[Josh Swann]

Ooo gets even juicier now so do you think he was natural then ? How would i go forward in my search for Janet Campbell? As one child seems very strange I’m guessing something must have happened.

[RJ_Paton]

I'm afraid that any further research may have to be conducted offline.

Kirk Session Records (basically the church elders sitting in judgement of the locals) - they have been digitised but we have been waiting for some time now for them to be made available (They are available at some centres but are not indexed and so require a lot of time)

Sasines (Property Records although these are only likely to assist in chasing Alexander)

Retours of Heirs again mainly limited to the male lines

Just to put some context - the late 1600's were a difficult time for some in Scotland - in 1685 the Government began punitive military action against the Covenanters which has been referred to as "The Killing Times" and Ayrshire did not escape. Later during the latter part of the 18th century there were also huge changes in living and working conditions in agricultural areas as the "Age of Enlightenment" led to the Lowland Clearances.

[loobylooayr]

Hi ,
Regarding the location of Bank -
There is a reference to Bank in the Parish of Galston on Ayrshire Ordnance Survey Books 1855-57 - It's described as a ruin.

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/ordnance-survey-name-books/ayrshire-os-name-books-1855-1857/ayrshire-volume-28/82

Looby

[Forfarian]

Bank is on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=55.5916&lon=-4.3524&layers=5&b=1

If you click on the blu button in the menu box on the left and slide it to and fro, you can see that what was Bank is now just inside the edge of Bank Wood.

[RJ_Paton]

Bank is on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=55.5916&lon=-4.3524&layers=5&b=1

If you click on the blu button in the menu box on the left and slide it to and fro, you can see that what was Bank is now just inside the edge of Bank Wood.

Nice find - it looks more like a row of houses rather than a single unit on that map.