Cautioner

[trish1]

On a page of OPR Marriages from kettle Fife in 1792 each marriage has one cautioner listed. These are records of the marriages although the date of the contract of marriage is given. The cautioner in my case could be the father or brother of the bride. Is this likely?

From what I google the cautioner provides a guarantee that the marriage will take place - who would receive the guaranteed amount if the marriage did not take place? the groom? the Church?

thanks

Trish

[Russell]

Hi Trish

The Church would recieve the money and it would be added to the cash from Mortcloth hires, fines paid for non-attendance, cash from registering births i.e. any income which would go to the fund for supporting the poor, indigent and infirm in the parish.
By enforcing the standards of spirituality, morality and good behaviour the Kirk Session acted as the Social Security of the time and made sure that a fellow who had promised he would marry her had a financial shotgun held to his head.

Russell

[trish1]

Hi Russell

I became quite intrigued with the amounts - on the one page I found 10 shillings (3 times) 5 pounds! (3 times) and in one case 10 pence. It presumably was a case of paying what one could afford & I assume the church knew what its family could afford.

Thankyou for the reply

Trish

[LesleyB]

Hi Trish

The cautioner in my case could be the father or brother of the bride. Is this likely?

Yes, that is likely.

I have a fair bit of interest in Kettle parish in the 1700s - if you don't mind me asking, what surnames are you researching there?

Best wishes
Lesley

[trish1]

Hi lesley

My Dun family came from the parish of Kettle. The patriarch as we call him, David Dun married 3 times
Jean Buist 1792, Isabella Fleming 1804 and Margaret Sharp (who I haven't researched further) 1824

David was born 1765 - his parents were John Dun and Grizel Morton - I have Grizal being born in Leith (not really sure if this is correct) - she was from Ceres at the time of her marriage. Parents of John Dun were David Dun and Janet Adamson. There are a few other names I've looked at (inlaws etc) incl Ballingall, Wemyss but I haven't researched them alot.

The OPRs I have recently downloaded (after thinking about getting them for a few years) show them coming from Kettle Bridge (Hole Kettle). The will of David Dun describes him as Tenant in Rossie & the death certificate of my direct relative says he was born Rossie - however his baptism says they lived at Hole Kettle.

Trish

[LesleyB]

Hi Trish

My 4th great grandaunt "merrit intae" the Ballingalls - she married a Thomas Ballingall in 1773, so any subsequent generations of that particular Ballingall line are distant cousins. Some of my lot ended up in Ontario.

The Ballingalls are a very large family in that area and most of the folk with that surname in that area appear to be inter-related as far as I can work out - have you any names or dates and I'll have a look and see if I've any mention of them.

Not connected to the other surnames you mentioned as far as I'm aware, but always interested in Kettle folk.

I have Grizal being born in Leith (not really sure if this is correct)

I would certainly not discount it - from my own research, there seem to be quite a few Leith/Kettle connections.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Russell]

Hi Trish

Looks like you have locate a distant cousin =D>

I haven't found many 'Cautioners' amongst my lot but picking out Mort cloths as an example, they came in different grades/qualities and hiring one for a child could be just a few pence, while the 'best' mortcloth could cost quite a few shillings.
As you suggested the Kirk Session - or probably the Sesson Clerk - would know what each of his parishioners could afford and set the fees accordingly but....
5 POUNDS was an exorbitant amount in those days. Were they wealthy farmers or merchants Often a man of considerable means would be referred to as Esq or Burger or mercht even if they were bit part players in an official event.
The old records throw up some fascinating glimpses don't they ?

Russell

[trish1]

Hi Russell

When I saw the 10 pence, I thought my folks 10 shillings quite impressive - but the 5 pounds I found almost unbelievable. There was nothing in the register to indicate that they were folks of wealth - I just went to double check - it wasn't the first page that caught my interest, this one was 1729 & folks were giving their own pledges - cautioner not mentioned e.g.

Were contracted in order to marry Robert Annan of Collessie parish and Christian Gray mys? parish and gave their pledges 6 pounds (6 not 5!) ...

In my youth 6 pounds was more than my weeks earnings! - who knows in 1729

Trish

[trish1]

Hi Lesley

The most distant Ballingall I have looked at is James Ballingall c. 1750 who married Alison Miller 1777 at Scoonie - so of an age with the Thomas you mention.
The second child of James & Alison was a Thomas b. 1779. However I traced his brother George baptized 1783 at Scoonie - who married Grizel (known later as Grace) Dun, at Kettle - daughter of the first marriage of my David Dun. George was a farmer - in his will referred to as George Ballingall of Ballinkirk, farmer at Rameldrie, his children were all baptised at Kettle.

Trish

PS Grizel/Grace Dun was the half sister of my gg grandfather

[LesleyB]

Hi Trish

I have a George Ballingall b abt 1714 possibly Clatto, d. 20 May 1793 (from MI at Kettle, died aged 79 in 1793) who was at Rameldrie (possibly son of Thomas B & Grizel Swan who married 1713 Kettle) who seems to have married 3 times and had 16 children (no wonder there are no many blinking Ballingalls in the area.... )

m.1736 Margaret Christie - one child, Margaret b. 1737

m.1739 Christian Goodsir , she d. 1760 "aged about 43" - nine children including a James in 1746 - could this be your one???? (from my notes: Sasine dated Nov 19 1800 [NAS 5742, PR52.40 seen 8 Feb 2007] suggests this James was a "tenant at Balgrumie,[Balgrummo] as heir to George Balingal, son of Thomas Balingal, tenant Clattie [Clatto] his father")

m.1763 Janet Jelly d. 1802 - six children, eldest of whom is George b. 1764 Kettle who it appears married Grace Dunn abt 1818 Meldrum, had I gather 4 kids; George, Jane, Peter & David, (the marriage and these children from a tree complied by a Ballingall descendant - no refs for them, so not sure) and died 27 July 1827, aged 62, a tenant at Rameldrie (from MI and stone still standing at Kettle...cannot have been born later, in 1783, given his stated age at time of death). I believe the elder George b.1714 to be a brother to Thomas b. 1830, who married my 4x great grandaunt Janet. I don't have note of a James in that generation, and the above, b.1746, is the only James B I have note of, but I've not looked too deeply at the Ballingalls in detail, parlty because they are pretty confusing, there being so many of them, and also because is is the later ones I'm related to, not the earlier ones!

Hope this is of some help, rather than just confusing you more!!

Best wishes
Lesley