Payments to Kirk Sessions

[douglas]

In the Traquair Kirk Sessions, I came across an entry in 1738 where a bill was presented for payment to James Hope, a shoemaker in Peebles and James Hope a merchant in Peebles for the sum of 120 Scots Pounds. No detail was given as to what this sum was in payment for. Allowing for 12:1 Scots Pounds to Sterling and RPI from 1738 to now, this sum is equivalent to around £1400 in today's value.

What sort of thing would the Kirk Session provide that would require a payment of this amount? Could it have been some sort of tax?

Douglas

[paddyscar]

Hi Douglas:

I'm not able to answer your question directly, even checking on ScotlandsPeople didn't provide an answer to Why?

Until someone familiar with the Kirk Sessions comes online, doing a search on TS may answer some of your questions.

Go to the upper right corner of the page, click on Search

Below the heavy blue banner in the first block labelled Search for keywords: enter fines Kirk sessions

Without filling out any other fields, go directly to, and click on Search directly above the heavy blue banner at the bottom of the page.

This will provide two threads where money is discussed in relation to Kirk Sessions.

In case my directions are off - you can also click directly using the following links:

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... ns#p132891

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... k+sessions

Frances

[Anne H]

Most probably would have been a loan for money borrowed. I've come across some records where this has occurred.

Here's a bit information on loan funds. http://preview.tinyurl.com/j23d8qx

Regards,
Anne H

[douglas]

Thanks for the information.

I did not know that Kirk Sessions gave loans to those in need and the considerable amount involved seems to fit with the idea of a loan. If the loan was to help those on hard times, its seems odd that the bill was to two different people (though the same name).

Looking through the minutes (so far from 1738 - 1763), there is no mention of payments to the poor. Would they be in other documents?

Douglas

[Anne H]

I’m afraid I’m not much help in this area. If you leaf through a couple of years of Kirk Session records you might get lucky and find another mention of it. However, £120 was a substantial amount of money in 1738 and may have been needed on a short-term basis for business purposes possibly he and his partner were involved in. I would also research his partner’s name to see if anything came up.

Regards,
Anne H

[Anne H]

Looking through the minutes (so far from 1738 - 1763), there is no mention of payments to the poor. Would they be in other documents?

Meant to mention I usually find money given to the poor is normally mixed in with the OPR's. I sometimes find a mixture of monies due for mortcloths, proclamations and births on the same image. By the way, money to the poor may be as much as a pound or two or as little as a sixpence, or a pair of boots or something like that.

Regards,
Anne H