Broadridling/Broadridgland, Canonbie and the names Calvert and Lawson.

[This Boy]

Unlike many of my English friends I have always rooted for Scotland as well in international football. Now I know why perhaps. I have a lot of Scottish ancestry. Several of my Cumberland ancestors married other ancestors from Canonbie, Dumfriesshire. On one side of my family a common surname was CALVERT going back to a John Calvert b 16th April 1704 in Canonbie and on another line we go back to Walter LAWSON b 1760 Scotland who married a Susannah LAING b at Canonbie 1758. They raised their family there including daughter Mary b 1796 at Canonbie. Lots of complexity and twists and turns while researching what happened so I am interested in hearing from anyone researching or with knowledge of the same families and also any ideas for research methods pertaining to Canonbie that may not be familiar to someone more experience of English records.

One specific query I have is around a place that must be or have been in or near Canonbie called something like BROADRIDGLAND. In the parish records for Canonbie in 1796 I find the following entry, "Walter Lawson and Susannah Laing, Broadridgeland had a D born July 27th bapt 31st. Mary" In the 1861 census I find Mary living in Ainstable, Cumberland with a birthplace BROADRIDLING, Canonbie, Scotland. I cannot find this place on Google maps. Does anyone know if it ever actually existed? If, so does it still exist? Where can I learn more about the place? Where could I find old maps or old photographs of it?

I will be extremely grateful for any help or suggestions.

Thank you 

[Forfarian]

Not surprised that you can't find it on Google maps. Google maps are OK for large places that still exist, and businesses that are willing to pay to be featured. They are useless for smaller places, let alone places that no longer exist.

Braidridland is shown here https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=55.09490&lon=-2.96719&layers=257&b=1

If you slide the blue button to the left you can see that Braidridland has vanished.

[This Boy]

Forfarian,


Massive thank you my friend. Absolutely wonderful. Makes me want to visit. I am so grateful to you for helping me with this.

[MonicaL]

With Forfarian's link to location, have a look here for a description of Braidridland.

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/ordnance-survey-name-books/dumfriesshire-os-name-books-1848-1858/dumfriesshire-volume-04/134

Both the map and the entry from the Ordnance Survey Name Books are from circa the 1850s. Mary's birth that you mentioned was 50 years earlier. Likely not much different?

Monica

[This Boy]

Hey Monica,

Thank you so much. Wonderful. I have learned so much about this little place from the two replies I have had. I am so grateful to you. Also, I may have a lead to find out even more if the two houses there were owned by the Duke of Buccleuch. Maybe I can track down some ancient papers from his estate.

thanks again.

[Forfarian]

He was indeed - see attached.

Buccleuch Estate Papers - start with http://www.rootschat.com/links/01srv/

[This Boy]

Thanks again Forfarian. Appreciated mutchly 

Wow! I love finding non standard (BMD and census) information about my family history. This little enquiry has already massively exceeded any expectations I could have held. The prospect of finding out a little more from those Duke of Buccleuch records is both enticing and intimidating.

Can anyone suggest how I could go about finding the needle (of scraps of information about my ancestors living in one of his Braidridland properties certainly in 1796 and probably a few years either side) in that utter haystack of information?  I suspect the potential finds could be meagre yet the effort required huge. Meagre finds are always welcome but it is the effort/cost required that I am unsure about. I have zero experience of such research.

Thanks again to Forfarian and MonicaL. You literally made my day yesterday.

[Forfarian]

Can anyone suggest how I could go about finding the needle (of scraps of information about my ancestors living in one of his Braidridland properties certainly in 1796 and probably a few years either side) in that utter haystack of information?  I suspect the potential finds could be meagre yet the effort required huge. Meagre finds are always welcome but it is the effort/cost required that I am unsure about. I have zero experience of such research.

The needle is most likely to be rental records that would name the tenant.

The first thing to do is to go through the online catalogue to see if there are any rental records listed.

If there are, then you would either need to go in person to the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh to see them, or (assuming you're a long way away and it wouldn't be easy to get there) hire someone to go and do it for you. There's a list of accredited searchers at https://www.asgra.co.uk/

If you are in a position to go in person, you first need to check the NRS web site to find out about getting a reader's ticket, and then check the catalogue listings to see if the documents you want to see are on site or off site. If they are off site you have to order them two working days in advance of your visit so that they can be brought in for you.

[kall]

I also have Calvert from Canonbie who lived at Orchard…Halbert Calvert who married Margaret Johnstone. Do you have them in your tree