Colbrandspeth
Cockburnspath is a parish on the coast of Berwickshire. It is bounded on the north-east by the German Ocean (North Sea), on the south-east by the parish of Coldingham, and part of Oldhamstocks, on the south-west by Abbey St Bathans parish, and on the north-west by the shire of Haddington. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Cockburnspath, Cove, Linkhead
The parish of Abbey St Bathans had two detached parts, one of which lay to the north of the main portion of the parish within the parish of Cockburnspath, while the other was separated from the main portion of the parish by a detached part of the parish of Longformacus. The first of these detached parts was transferred to the parish of Cockburnspath. The second of these detached parts was united with the main portion of the parish of Abbey St Bathans by the transference to that parish of the detached part of Longformacus. See affected properties and landholders. (1892: Boundary of counties and parishes in Scotland as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government Act, 1889, by Hay Shennan)
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Cockburnspath. Originally a chapelry of Oldhamstocks, which, with Abbey St Bathans and part of Coldingham, embraced the entire area of the parish prior to the Reformation.
Aldcambus. The church was dedicated to St Helen, and previous to the Reformation belonged to the Abbey of Coldingham. It was united to Cockburnspath probably about 1610.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Cockburnspath (QO)
Aldcambus (QO)
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1642-1854 | Cockburnspath | 731 | OPR |
| 1855-1971 | Cockburnspath | 732 | RD |
| 1972-1978 | Cockburnspath | 780 | RD |
| 2009 | East Lothian, Dunbar | 724 | RD |
| 2026 | Scottish Borders Council; Cockburnspath and Cove Community Council | ||
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Anderson, Cockburn, Fairbairn, Gordon, Henderson, Johnston, Oliver, Paterson, Trotter, Young
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr Andrew Spence.
"The present number of souls, by an exact account taken in April 1793, is 883; of these 406 are males and 477 females. There are at present 197 householders. The number of married persons is 287. There are 5 widowers, and 35 widows. There are 16 farmers, 16 fishermen, 12 weavers, 12 day-labourers, 9 tailors, 7 wrights, 6 smiths, 5 grocers, 3 masons, 2 coopers, 1 wheel-wright, 1 baker, 1 brewer, 1 gardener, and 1 shoemaker."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 13, p. 221
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 2, Section III, p. 290
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
