This is the first in a series of posts about old papers of the WALKER family, from Kirkliston, West Lothian, Scotland. I will compile a list of these papers HERE.
In January 2014 (just after I began this blog), I came home from a family gathering with an old wooden box from my aunt, stuffed full of old WALKER family papers. Many of these papers date from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. But I’m going to start by posting the contents of one particular envelope – labeled “Old Wills etc. of the Walker family”. The contents of this envelope all date from the 1700’s, and I’m going to start with the oldest document of them all – probably the oldest of any document that I’ve yet handled. It’s a marriage contract is dated “17th May 1728”.
Please click on the images to see the scans at full resolution. Transcribed text appears in a Maroon colour below each scanned image. Then there are some notes of my own at the end.
Cover; 
Transcription of cover;
Contract of mariage
betuext
Wiliam Waacker
and
Elizabeth Barron
Page 1; 
Transcription of Page 1;
At Carshall the seventeen day of may on[e] thousand seven hunder and #
tewentie eight years it is appointed matrimonially contracted —- — #
and finnally ended betuext the parties following they are to say William #
Waacker in Punchunla, he for himself
and Elizabeth Barron, lafull daughter to the deceast Thomas #
Barron in Carshall with special advice and consent of her sd brother Thomas #
on the other part in manner following that is to say ye sd William Waacker #
and Elizabeth Barron have accepted & be their presents accepts and take each other #
to be their lawfull spous & faithfully promises to solemnieze the mariage with all #
conveninl speed & sollemneity requisit in Contemplation of the which #
mariage the sd William Waacker hereby binds & oblidges him his heirs execur- #
-or succors To provid and have in readiness of his oun proper means & effects all and #
haill the soume of four hundereth — — — merks scots money & [shail] #
betuext and the term of martimess next to come and to take and add the soum to #
the locher underwritten to be payed by the sd Thomas Barron taking the burden upon his #
for his sd sister Elizabeth the soum of three hundereth merks scots money making in hail #
the soume of seven hundereth merks money forsaid and to wear #
Imploy and bestow the same upon houses lands or @rent and to take the rights and #
securities therof in favers of himself and his fuller spoues the longest liver of them #
tuo in conjunct fie & and lifrent and to the children to be procreat be- #
-tuext them in fie whilk feleazeing on third part of the sd soum of #
Seven hundereth merks to be disposed of all the pleasur of the first decea- #
sser he or she and the other two pararts to the surviver their hairs #
exers or asigness and how oft the sd soum beis uplifted the sd William #
Waacker binds & and oblidges him his hair and successers aas oft #
of new again to Imploy the samen to the effect above writen and #
[..]ever lands heritages tenements good gear of oyers the sd #
William Waacker shall happen to conquise or suceed to dureing #
William Walker
Elizabeth Barron
Thomas Barron
Page 2; 
Transcription of Page 2;
And whatever lands heritages tenements goods gear or oyers the sd William #
Waacker shall happen to conquise or suceed to dureing the sd marriage #
He binds and oblidges him and his fore[sd] to take the rights and seccuriets yr of #
to himself and his fuller spous the longest lived of them two in lifrent #
and to the children of the marraige in fie whillks felleazeing on thrid #
part therof to the pleasure of the first deceaser & the other two #
to the surviver their hairs exer or asaigness.
For the which causes on the other part the sd Thomas Barron hereby binds #
and obledges himself to contend and pay to the sd William Waacker or Elizab- #
-eth his fuller spous the soum of three hundred merks scots money & that #
betuixt the date hereof and the term of martimess next to come in name #
of locher with his sister and for more seccurity both and all parties consents #
to the registration hearof in the books of counsell and sesion or any oyer #
Judges books comelent within this Kingdom to have the strength of ane #
decreet Enerponed thereto that letters of horning on six day warning #
and others needfull may pass hereon in form as effairs and constituts #
Their presence in wittness hereof both the sd parties #
have subscrived their with their hands (writen by James Barron brother #
to [ye] sd Elizabeth upon stampt paeper befor both place day moneth and #
year of god above written befor these wittnesses, John Lieshman in #
Craigie, James Waacker in Corstorphin rige, Thomas Honis- #
-sun in Douphington, Thomas Harde in West Craiges, John #
Barron wright in Portsbrugh, James Barron writer hereof #
William Walker
Elizabeth Barron
Thomas Barron
John Lishman, witt
James Waker, witnes
Thomas Honison, witness
Tho Hardie, witness
John Barron, witness
James Barron, witness
Notes;
Terms used in the text;
- solemnize; http://www.thefreedictionary.com/solemnized
- Scots Merk; =14 shillings (originally 13s 4d, or ⅔ of a Scottish pound). For more details, see Wikipedia, or TheReformation.info.
- martimess = Martinmass; see Wikipedia
- oyers ? (I’m not sure what is meant here!)
- Waacker – the writer of the text clearly mis-spells the Walker surname repeatedly. It is “Walker” because that’s how William Walker signs himself on both pages.
- wright; probably a carpenter, a worker of wood – Wikipedia.
Locations;
I believe that “Carshall” (named at the beginning of the document) lay N.W. of Gogar Mains, on the south side of Gogar Burn – about where the carpark of Edinburgh airport now sits!). Old maps from the National Library of Scotland use several different spellings, including; Kersshall, Kershall, Claywalls, & Clay Was. Parish registers of the time record Thomas Barron as a “tenant in Clay-walls”.
Likewise “Punchunla” appears on these old maps with several different spellings – the most regular (I believe) being “Punchinlaw” or “Puncheonlaw”. It lay on the south side of the road which runs N.E. out of Kirkliston towards Cramond and Dalmeny. It appears to have been part of the Carlowrie estate.
“Douphington” (which I believe is Dolphington) and Craigie lay further up the same road as Puncheonlaw. On the maps they appear due north of Carshall/Kershall.
West Craiges (or West Craigs) lays East of Gogar, towards Corstorphine village.
“Corstorphin rige” (or Corstorphine Rigg”) lay north of East Craigs, and west of Clermiston.
Portsbrugh; probably Portsburgh – the area of central Edinburgh, south of the castle – Wikipedia.
Witnesses;
Thomas, James, & John Barron are Elizabeth Barron’s brothers. I’ve not found out anything else about James or John! But from Corstorphine parish registers (which I’ve viewed on microfilm, and from IGI transcriptions) I have details of Thomas Barron, “tenant in Claywalls”, marring Anne Bartholomew (or Bartleman) on 17th February 1727, and having 5 children christened between 1729 and 1744.
James Walker in Corstorphine – I don’t know where he fits in! He is presumably a relative of William Walker – most likely a brother! I am aware of a well recorded Walker family living in the Corstorphine area, dating back to the early 1600’s (I obtained details from a visit to the Corstorphine Heritage Centre in 2008). (Also see HERE). I suspect there is a link here somewhere! I have just found a transcribed record HERE of James Walker in Corstorphine Rigg, married to Isabel Dowie, with a son, John, chr.19/12/1730. A number of other records of these names appear to show their marriage in Cramond in Nov. 1729, and a number of children christened in several different parishes.
John Lieshman in Craigie – I don’t know if he’s a relative. The envelope labeled “Old Wills etc. of the Walker family” also contains the Disposition of John Lishman, and the “Discharges” by his heirs in response (which I will post to the site later). William Walker appears to have been John Lishman’s executor. The surname “Leshman” appears in a family tree of “Walkers in Corstorphine”, so John Lieshman might be a cousin of William Walker!
Thomas Harde in West Craiges – When I googled “Baron family Gogar” I found this publication in Google Books. Originally published in 1890, “Some Old Families”, by Hardy Bertram McCall contains a chapter on the Hardie family (p.51), including Thomas Hardie “tenant of West Craigs” (who is a witness in the document, above). Thomas Hardie grew up at Gogar Mains, and his mother was a “Janet Baron” (shown in a Baron family tree in Some Old Families, p.53). So although its not shown in McCall’s tree, it looks highly likely to me that Thomas Hardie would be a cousin of Elizabeth Barron.
Thomas Honison in Dolphington – I have no other details about him! The surname may be mis-spelt!
I would be really interested in any other information that anyone may have about the people mentioned above, particularly if it can prove (or disprove) any family relationships to William Walker and Elizabeth Barron. Please leave a comment below, or use the Contact Page to get in touch.
Currently William Walker is my earliest known ancestor in the direct male line (my 5x Great-Grandfather – see HERE ), and I’d love to have more evidence for my assumption that Elizabeth is related to the Baron family recorded by Hardy Bertram McCall in “Some Old Families”.
A Family History Blog 