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Traquair

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"TRAQUAIR, a parish, containing a post-office village of its own name, on the south-east border of Peebles-shire. It is bounded on the north by the Tweed, which divides it from Peebles and Innerleithen; on the west by Peebles and Selkirkshire; and on other sides by Selkirkshire. But it is so intersected by Selkirkshire as to have a large wing on the west entirely cut off, to the distance of 3 furlongs - another wing on the east, smaller but still considerable, cut off with the exception of a connecting belt of a furlong or two broad along the Tweed - and the intermediate district split asunder by a cuneiform insertion down one-half of its length ... Population in 1831, 643; in 1861, 687."
From the Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, edited by John Marius Wilson, 1868.
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Cemeteries

Nigel Hardie has transcribed and published parish of Traquair deaths for 1818-1854.

Pre-1855 inscriptions for the parish are contained in the Scottish Genealogy Society's volume of Peeblesshire Monumental Inscriptions.

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Census

Graham and Emma Maxwell have transcribed and indexed the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census returns for this parish.

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Churches

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Church History

  • The Church of Traquair and the Church of Kailzie, A.D. 1170-1930 by C.B. Gunn, published 1931 at Peebles
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Church Records

The parish church (Church of Scotland) has registers dating from 1694. Old Parish Registers (before 1855) are held in the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, and copies on microfilm may be consulted in local libraries and in LDS Family History Centres around the world. Later parish registers (after 1855) are often held in the National Records of Scotland as are any records of non-conformist churches in the area (often unfilmed and unindexed, and only available there).

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Civil Registration

Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. For further details of this see the National Records of Scotland website.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Traquair which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

A 19th century account of Traquair is available online.

Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, edited by John Marius Wilson and published by A. Fullarton and Co - 1868

TRAQUAIR, a parish, containing a post-office village of its own name, on the south-east border of Peebles-shire.  It is bounded on the north by the Tweed, which divides it from Peebles and Innerleithen; on the west by Peebles and Selkirkshire; and on the sides by Selkirkshire.  But it is so intersected by Selkirkshire as to have a large wing on the west entirely cut off, to the distance of 3 furlongs,—another wing on the east, smaller but still considerable, cut off with the exception of a connecting belt of a furlong or two broad along the Tweed,—and the intermediate district split asunder by a cuneiform insertion down one-half of its length.  These interferences render the boundaries intricate, but do not disturb the conveniences of parochial arrangement.  The greatest length of the parish, in a straight line east and west, is 7½ miles, but by the road is 10; its greatest breadth, in a straight line, is 5½ miles, and by the road nearly 7; and its superficial extent is nearly 30 square miles.  Except at the indentations, the boundary all round with Selkirkshire is high mountain water-shed, among whose summits are GUMSCLEUCH and MINCH-MOOR [which see], as well as several others of an altitude exceeding 2,000 feet above sea-level.  The surface of the interior diminishes from mountain to hill as it recedes from the water-shed and approaches the Tweed; yet is, for the most part, upland, rocky, and bleak.  The heights are of a cumbrous, lumpish form,—generally green on the south side, but heathy and of dark complexion on the north.  Glendean's banks, immediately south of Gumscleuch, exhibit a tremendous chasm, upwards of half-a-mile in length, faced with sheer precipices from 200 to 300 feet in height.  The haughs on the Tweed are not extensive; they lie from 400 to 500 feet above sea-level; and they have a soil of fine loam of considerable depth.  The other low grounds, though pos

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History

  • Innerleithen and Traquair, Ancient and Modern by H. Anderson, published 1984 at Bognor Regis
  • Reminiscenes of Innerleithen and Traquair by T. Dobson, published 1896 at Innerleithen
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NT323337 (Lat/Lon: 55.592123, -3.075622), Traquair which are provided by:

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Population

Here are some figures showing the parish's population through time:

  • 1755 - 651
  • 1801 - 613
  • 1831 - 643
  • 1861 - 687