Guthrie Research Sketches
from the
Burgh of Edinburgh Records
Volumes 1 – 14

Guthrie Research Sketches

Three Generations of Alexander Guthrie

John Guthrie, Clerk and Notary of Leith

James Guthrie, Burgess and Envoy

Jonet Guthrie, Widow of Master James Lawson

Two Master David Guthries—and Charles Guthrie

Master John Guthrie, Minister & Bishop of Moray

Bethia Guthrie, Wife of William Maule & Walter Murray

James Guthrie, Skinner and Councillor

Samuel Guthrie, Litster, and His Family

Jean Guthrie, Prisoner in Edinburgh’s Tolbooth

Rev. James Guthrie, Covenanter Minister

Alexander Guthrie, Tailor

James Guthrie, Feltmaker and Hatmaker

William Guthrie, Archbishop’s Factor

James Guthrie, Dingwall Pursuivant

James Guthrie, Merchant and Tacksman

Three Generations of Alexander Guthrie:
Edinburgh’s Common Clerk Dynasty
^{_{~A civic office passed from father to son across nearly a century~}}

Key Evidence

Three successive generations of the same Edinburgh family served as Common Clerks:

The records distinguish these men through direct statements of fatherhood, sonship, age, and the transfer of the clerkship.

First Generation: Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk

Alexander Guthrie was active in Edinburgh’s government from at least 1551. He served as Common Clerk or Town Clerk, Dean of Guild, commissioner, civic envoy, and municipal administrator.

On 9 February 1579/80, he resigned the common clerkship because of age and infirmity. The following day, the council appointed his eldest son, Master Alexander Guthrie, as his successor.

Alexander died before the confirmation of his testament on 6 December 1583. He was subsequently described as the deceased Alexander Guthrie, elder, distinguishing him from his son and successor.

Alexander married Jonet Henderson, also recorded as Henryson. After Alexander’s death, Jonet married Master David Carnegie of Kinnaird. Her testament was confirmed on 23 May 1600.

Their known or probable children were:

• Master Alexander Guthrie, eldest son and succeeding Common Clerk.
• John or Jhonn Guthrie, notary and Clerk of South Leith, explicitly identified as the second Alexander’s brother.
• Bethia Guthrie, explicitly identified in the 1579 burgess record as Alexander’s daughter. She married first William Mauld or Maule, merchant, and secondly William Murray.
• Marion Guthrie, identified in The Red Book of Scotland as a daughter of Alexander Guthrie, burgess of Edinburgh. She married first David Borthwick of Lochill, King’s Advocate and Lord of Session as Lord Lochill, and secondly John Lindsay, 1st of Balcarres, later Lord Menmuir.
• Matillo Guthrie, probably a daughter of Alexander Guthrie of Edinburgh. She married the Rev. Patrick Gallowayin May 1583 and died in June 1592. The published Galloway account treats her parentage as probable rather than proven.

Second Generation: Master Alexander Guthrie

Master Alexander Guthrie was first securely distinguished as the younger Alexander in January 1578/79. When he succeeded to the clerkship on 10 February 1579/80, he was expressly identified as the eldest son of the retiring Common Clerk.

His civic responsibilities included service as:

• Common Clerk of Edinburgh
• Procurator Fiscal
• General Clerk of the Burghs
• assessor and commissioner
• compiler and custodian of civic records

His brother John Guthrie served as one of his clerk deputes before becoming Clerk of South Leith.

Master Alexander was the father of the third Common Clerk. In May 1618, he formally demitted the clerkship in favor of his son and John Hay, although he remained active through at least 19 November 1619.

No explicit notice of his death has yet been identified in the records reviewed.

Third Generation: Master Alexander Guthrie

The third Alexander was the son of the second Common Clerk and grandson of the first.

On 18 March 1608, he received a joint grant of the clerkship with his father. A later provision required him to serve personally upon reaching the age of twenty-two, indicating that the original grant secured his eventual succession while he was still young.

In May 1618, he became joint Common Clerk with John Hay. He also served as Clerk of the Kirk Session, notary, commissioner, and civic envoy.

His most distinctive contribution was the organization of Edinburgh’s archives. In 1638, he compiled the catalogue of the town’s writs and charters known as “Guthrie’s Inventory.” References to that inventory concern Alexander’s archival work and should not be treated as separate historical appearances of people named Guthrie in the documents he catalogued.

In 1647, he received 1,000 merks for creating an alphabetical index to the council acts.

On 12 March 1652, the council declared the clerkship vacant because of Alexander’s death. His testament was confirmed on 1 May 1654 and again on 2 July 1655.

Family Structure

• Alexander Guthrie, first-generation Common Clerk
  • wife: Jonet Henderson/Henryson
  • eldest son: Master Alexander Guthrie, second-generation Common Clerk
    • son: Master Alexander Guthrie, third-generation Common Clerk
  • son: John Guthrie, notary and Clerk of South Leith
  • daughter: Bethia Guthrie
    • first husband: William Mauld/Maule
    • second husband: William Murray
  • daughter: Marion Guthrie
    • first husband: David Borthwick of Lochill
    • second husband: John Lindsay, 1st of Balcarres
  • probable daughter: Matillo Guthrie
    • husband: Rev. Patrick Galloway

Genealogical Significance

The clerkship succession is securely documented across three generations. John’s position is established by his identification as the second clerk’s brother, while Bethia is explicitly named as the first clerk’s daughter.

Marion’s identification rests upon The Red Book of Scotland and is consistent with the family’s chronology and Edinburgh connections. Matillo’s placement is credible, but the published Galloway account describes her as only probably a daughter of Alexander Guthrie of Edinburgh.

The marriages of Alexander’s daughters broaden the family’s documented network:

• Bethia connected the family with Edinburgh’s merchant community.
• Marion connected it with prominent legal and landed families.
• Matillo’s probable marriage connected it with the Reformed ministry and royal church service.

Later pedigrees associate the first Alexander with Sir William Guthrie of Lunan or the Guthries of Lunan. The Edinburgh records reviewed here do not identify Alexander’s father, birthplace, or territorial origin. That ancestry remains a research possibility rather than an established relationship.

Assessment

The records establish a multigenerational Edinburgh family whose public importance extended beyond the three men who held the common clerkship.

The three Alexanders must remain separate individuals within one family-level Sketch. The father-to-son succession is explicit, but the clerkship was not automatically inherited: each transfer required civic authorization.

The expanded family evidence also places the dynasty within Edinburgh’s wider administrative, mercantile, legal, landed, and ecclesiastical communities. Matillo’s parentage and the proposed Lunan ancestry remain the principal unresolved relationships.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 2 — early civic activities of the first Alexander.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 4 — retirement of the first Alexander, succession of his eldest son, and John Guthrie’s identification as the second Alexander’s brother.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 6 — later service of the second Alexander.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 7 — grant and eventual transfer of the clerkship to the third generation.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 9 — the third Alexander’s archival work and death.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — William Maule’s admission through Bethia, daughter of Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk.
• Commissariot of Edinburgh — testamentary evidence concerning the first and third Alexanders and Jonet Henderson.
• The Red Book of Scotland, “Lindsay of Balcarres” — Marion Guthrie’s parentage and marriages.
• Galloway family account — Matillo Guthrie’s probable parentage, marriage, death, and children.

John Guthrie, Clerk and Notary of Leith
_{^{~Younger son establishes his own Civic Career~}}

Key Evidence

John Guthrie belonged to Edinburgh’s common-clerk family but developed a distinct career as a notary and clerk in Leith.

On 10 February 1579/80, he was explicitly identified as the brother of Master Alexander Guthrie, the newly appointed second-generation Common Clerk of Edinburgh. John and William Stewart were appointed Alexander’s clerk deputes. John was authorized to sign acts, decreets, sasines, and other documents when both Alexander and Stewart were unavailable.

The first Alexander was the father of Master Alexander, who was repeatedly identified as his eldest son. John was therefore another son of the first common clerk and apparently a younger brother of the second.

Clerk and Notary of Leith

On 30 December 1580, Edinburgh’s council granted John the clerkship of South Leith, which the burgh controlled as Leith’s feudal superior. In July 1581, the court books belonging to the previous Leith clerk were formally delivered into his custody.

John also served as Clerk of the Burghs, maintaining records for the Convention of Royal Burghs. His surviving protocol books cover 9 June 1579 through 26 April 1593, documenting more than thirteen years of notarial activity.

The Calendar of State Papers, Scotland supplies a distinctive example of that work. In November 1586, David Stewart of Vezines appeared before the Leith bailies and “John Guthré, our notary” to execute a bond concerning money advanced during Stewart’s detention in plague-stricken Edinburgh.

The matching name, occupation, location, and date securely identify this notary as the same John Guthrie who held the Leith clerkship.

Illness and Death

By June 1593, John was sufficiently ill that his brother Alexander was performing some of his work as Clerk of the Burghs. On 8 August 1593, the council appointed Patrick Glasfurd as depute because of John’s “present disease and sickness.”

John remained recognized as Clerk of the Burghs on 12 September 1593. Despite his incapacity, the council ordered payment of his £107 fee.

The testament of John Guthrie, clerk in Leith, was confirmed on 2 September 1596. The agreement of name, occupation, and location securely identifies the testament holder as the same man.

Death window: After 12 September 1593 and before 2 September 1596.

The published testament abstract does not identify a spouse, children, or executor. The original testament papers may contain additional family and property information and should be treated as a priority research target.

Genealogical Significance

The combined records place John within the following documented family:

• Alexander Guthrie, first-generation Common Clerk of Edinburgh
  • eldest son: Master Alexander Guthrie, succeeding Common Clerk
  • younger son: John Guthrie, clerk, notary, and Clerk of Leith

John’s relationship to the family is established indirectly but securely. Master Alexander was expressly identified as the eldest son of the retiring common clerk, while John was expressly identified as Master Alexander’s brother.

The brothers’ cooperation during John’s illness demonstrates an ongoing professional and family relationship. Alexander did not merely share John’s surname or occupation; he temporarily preserved John’s work as Clerk of the Burghs when John became unable to perform it.

Jonet Henryson or Henderson is documented as the widow of their father, Alexander Guthrie. The available abstract does not establish whether she was John’s mother.

Outside pedigrees associate the first common clerk with the Guthries of Lunan, but no contemporary evidence confirming that ancestry has yet been identified. John’s placement as a son of the Edinburgh common clerk is secure; his connection to Lunan or any other landed Guthrie branch remains unproven.

Assessment

John Guthrie was a significant civic legal officer in his own right rather than simply his brother’s deputy. His career progressed from notarial work and service in the Edinburgh clerk’s office to the clerkship of South Leith and the Convention of Royal Burghs.

The surviving protocol books provide unusually precise boundaries for his documented notarial activity. His appearance in the State Papers confirms that his work included authenticating legal instruments before the Leith magistrates.

The testament confirmation greatly narrows his death window and provides a potential route to discovering a spouse, children, executors, property, or other relatives.

John must remain distinct from the later Master John Guthrie who served as minister at Perth and Edinburgh before becoming Bishop of Moray.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 4: 1573–1589 — appointment as his brother’s depute, grant of the South Leith clerkship, and custody of the Leith court books.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 6: 1589–1603 — service as Clerk of the Burghs, illness, appointment of a depute, and payment of his fee.
• Commissariot of Edinburgh — testament of John Guthrie, clerk in Leith, confirmed 2 September 1596.
• Close Rolls / State Papers — John Guthré acting as a notary in Leith in November 1586.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — independent confirmation that John’s brother was the eldest son of the first common clerk.

James Guthrie, Burgess and Envoy:
^{_{Civic representative entrusted with financial, charitable, political, educational and business affairs}}

Key Evidence

James Guthrie was admitted burgess and guild brother of Edinburgh on 24 September 1563. During the following two decades, a man of that name repeatedly appears among the burgesses selected to handle sensitive business for the town.

The records do not provide his occupation, family relationships, or territorial designation. His documented civic activity extends from 1563 to 1583 if the burgess and council references belong to the same man.

Civic and Diplomatic Service

On 1 July 1575, James Guthrie was one of four men ordered to advance £26 apiece toward settling a claim involving an English ship unlawfully taken at Leith. The substantial payment and diplomatic character of the dispute suggest that he possessed both financial means and the council’s confidence.

In March 1577/78, he joined a committee charged with addressing the difficult problems of able-bodied beggars and people suffering from leprosy. This placed him within the burgh’s administration of poverty, public order, and disease.

During the political tensions of 1578, James was entrusted with more sensitive assignments. He participated in a delegation instructed to affirm that Edinburgh remained directly loyal to the king and would not join competing noble factions. He was also sent on missions to the king, the Earl of Morton, and other lords.

These were not ceremonial appearances. James was repeatedly chosen to communicate Edinburgh’s position during a period when the council was attempting to protect the burgh’s liberties while avoiding entanglement in national political conflict.

His last identified appearance occurred on 6 December 1583, when he was ordered to travel with the Archdeacon of Lothian to negotiate the surrender of a benefice for the benefit of Edinburgh’s college. The council promised to ratify whatever agreement the two men reached, demonstrating considerable trust in their judgment.

Identity and Genealogical Position

The clustered civic references from 1575 through 1583 almost certainly concern one James Guthrie. It is also reasonable to identify him with the James Guthrie admitted burgess and guild brother in 1563, although the admission supplies no occupation, parentage, or other identifying detail that proves the match.

No record in this collection connects James with the family of Alexander Guthrie, Edinburgh’s common clerk. Their overlapping dates and service within the same civic government make acquaintance likely, but they do not establish kinship.

James must also remain distinct from James Guthrie, skinner, who became a burgess in 1613 and served on Edinburgh’s council from 1620 onward. The forty-year interval between the earlier James’s final known appearance and the skinner’s mature civic career strongly favors two separate men.

No corresponding testament has been identified in the published Commissariot of Edinburgh index. His spouse, children, parentage, occupation, and death therefore remain unresolved.

Assessment

James Guthrie occupied no single office identified in these extracts, yet Edinburgh repeatedly selected him for work requiring money, discretion, and political judgment. His assignments ranged from financing the settlement of an international claim to regulating public welfare, negotiating with powerful nobles, and securing an ecclesiastical benefice for the town’s college.

The records establish him as a trusted and financially established Edinburgh burgess. They do not presently support attaching him to either the common-clerk family or a landed Guthrie branch.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 4: 1573–1589 — financial responsibility in 1575; committee service; political missions of 1578; negotiation concerning the college benefice in 1583.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — admission of James Guthrie as burgess and guild brother on 24 September 1563.

Jonet Guthrie, Widow of Master James Lawson
^{_{~A Minister’s Family after Religious and Political Upheaval~}}

Key Evidence

Jonet Guthrie was the wife of Master James Lawson, a prominent Presbyterian minister of Edinburgh. Two council records from 1584–86 document the consequences of Lawson’s flight to England following his opposition to the Black Acts of 1584, his subsequent death in London, and the town’s provision for his widow and children.

The records explicitly identify two children:

• James Lawson
• Elizabeth Lawson

Jonet’s parentage and connection to other Guthrie families are not stated.

The Minister’s Lodging

On 16 September 1584, while Lawson was in England but apparently still alive, Jonet appeared personally before Edinburgh’s council concerning the recovery of the official ministerial lodging. Her presence establishes that she had remained—or was then present—in Edinburgh. The record does not state where the children were living.

Jonet Guthrie explained that she had already offered the keys to the town’s officers. She therefore seems to have cooperated with the recovery of the property rather than resisting removal.

Although the entry identifies her as Lawson’s spouse, he had left Edinburgh for England around May 1584. The council was consequently reclaiming an official residence that was no longer occupied by its minister.

Widowhood and Provision for Her Children

By 4 March 1585/86, James Lawson had died in England. Jonet, now described as his relict, petitioned the council together with their children, James and Elizabeth.

Her petition recalled Lawson’s faithful service as minister of Edinburgh and explained that he had withdrawn to England for the safety of his conscience. Because his death had left his family without adequate provision, the council granted:

• an annual income of £40 from the common mills;
• held by Jonet during her lifetime;
• with the hereditary right secured to James and Elizabeth Lawson.

The arrangement gave Jonet the immediate benefit of the income while preserving it for the children after her death. It represents both financial assistance and formal recognition of the town’s obligation to the family of its former minister.

Cross-Source Evidence

The Commissariot of Edinburgh records the testament of Jonet Gray, servant to Jonet Guthrie, relict of Master James Lawson, confirmed on 30 November 1588.

This entry independently confirms Jonet’s identity and widowhood. It also shows that she maintained a household with at least one named servant after Lawson’s death.

No corresponding testament for Jonet herself has yet been identified on the Commissariot page.

Genealogical Significance

The records securely establish the following family:

• Master James Lawson, minister of Edinburgh; died in England before 4 March 1585/86
  • wife: Jonet Guthrie
  • son: James Lawson
  • daughter: Elizabeth Lawson

The wording of the council grant identifies James and Elizabeth as the children of both Jonet and her late husband.

Jonet’s own ancestry remains unresolved. No evidence presently connects her with the family of Alexander Guthrie, Edinburgh’s common clerk, despite their shared surname, residence in Edinburgh, and overlapping chronology.

The original testament of Jonet Gray may contain additional household or kinship information, although any reference to Jonet’s family would be incidental rather than guaranteed.

Assessment

Jonet Guthrie’s entries preserve more than the conventional identification of a woman through her husband. They document her direct appearance before Edinburgh’s council, her management of the former ministerial lodging, and her petition for the long-term support of herself and her children.

The council’s grant demonstrates the esteem retained for James Lawson and provides unusually clear evidence naming the couple’s children. Until Jonet’s parentage or testament is discovered, however, she should remain genealogically separate from Edinburgh’s other documented Guthrie households.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 4: 1573–1589 — recovery of the ministerial lodging in 1584 and provision for Jonet and her children in 1585/86.
• Commissariot of Edinburgh — testament of Jonet Gray, servant to Jonet Guthrie, confirmed 30 November 1588.

Key Evidence

The Edinburgh records contain two distinct men styled Master David Guthrie:

The earlier David cannot be the clerk depute appointed in 1585. The explicit description of him as deceased more than three years earlier settles that question.

Master David Guthrie, Deceased Before 1581/82

On 9 March 1581/82, Charles Guthrie was identified as the brother of the late Master David Guthrie. Charles claimed a right or interest inherited or otherwise derived through property occupied by Edinburgh’s ministers’ lodgings.

The record does not explain the nature of David’s original interest. The property included lands, yards, and houses, and Charles negotiated with the town for payment of 200 merks in return for his claimed right and “kindness.”

David’s use of the title Master suggests university education, but the record supplies no occupation, civic office, spouse, children, or parentage.

Death: Before 9 March 1581/82.

Charles Guthrie and the Ministers’ Lodgings

Charles’s property negotiations continued for nearly a decade.

In 1581/82, Edinburgh agreed to pay him 200 merks and obtain appropriate legal security for the ministers’ lodging property. On 8 July 1590, the town paid Charles £10 in expenses so that he could obtain its security from Lord Drummond.

On 16 July 1591, Charles finally transferred his interest in the ministers’ lodgings and kirkyard property to the town. In return, Edinburgh remitted a debt and granted him an additional 50 merks.

These entries document a continuing property claim rather than three unrelated appearances. They also show that Charles possessed an interest the council considered sufficiently credible to require negotiation, compensation, and formal legal security.

No evidence presently identifies Charles’s occupation, spouse, children, or relationship to Edinburgh’s common-clerk family.

Master David Guthrie, Civic Legal Officer

A different Master David Guthrie appears on 24 September 1585, when Master Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh, appointed him depute in the clerk’s office. David accepted the appointment and gave his oath.

This David was clearly alive and professionally active more than three years after Charles’s brother had been described as deceased. He must therefore be treated as a separate person.

A Master David Guthrie reappears on 7 January 1601 among those involved in the administration of Edinburgh’s neglected kirk livings. On 30 October 1601, he succeeded Master Alexander Guthrie as Procurator Fiscal.

The compatible chronology and concentration of legal and administrative duties make it likely that the clerk depute, the man involved with kirk livings, and the Procurator Fiscal were one individual. The records do not repeat enough personal information to make that identification completely explicit.

The Advocate and His Wife

The Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses records the admission of Master David Guthrie, advocate, as burgess and guild brother on 1 February 1604. He received the privilege through his wife, Martha Murray, daughter of the deceased John Murray, merchant and burgess.

The Commissariot of Edinburgh records the testament of Master David Guthrie, advocate and indweller in Edinburgh, confirmed on 4 June 1605.

The title, legal occupation, Edinburgh residence, and close chronology strongly suggest that this advocate was the same Master David who served as clerk depute and Procurator Fiscal. Nevertheless, the published entries do not explicitly equate them, so the identification should remain a well-supported probability.

If the identification is correct, the following family information applies:

• Master David Guthrie, advocate, probable Clerk Depute and Procurator Fiscal
  • wife: Martha Murray
  • father-in-law: John Murray, deceased merchant and burgess of Edinburgh

The full 1605 testament may identify additional relatives, heirs, property, or executors.

Genealogical Significance

The only explicit relationship concerning the earlier David is his brotherhood with Charles:

• Master David Guthrie, deceased before 9 March 1581/82
  • brother: Charles Guthrie, property claimant active through 1591

Nothing presently connects these brothers with the three generations of Alexander Guthrie who held Edinburgh’s common clerkship.

The later Master David worked closely with the second-generation Alexander and occupied offices requiring legal education and civic trust. That professional association makes kinship possible, but shared surname and employment within the clerk’s office do not prove a family relationship.

The later David’s probable identification as the advocate married to Martha Murray provides a separate family connection through Edinburgh’s merchant community. No evidence currently associates either David or Charles with the Guthries of Lunan or another landed branch.

Assessment

Chronology provides the decisive distinction:

• Charles’s brother was already dead by March 1581/82.
• The civic officer accepted appointment as clerk depute in September 1585.

The earlier page note suggesting that Charles’s deceased brother later became Alexander Guthrie’s clerk depute should therefore be corrected. These cannot be the same man.

The later civic references probably trace one legally trained Edinburgh resident from clerk depute to Procurator Fiscal and advocate. That reconstruction is strong but not yet explicit enough to label every appearance as proven.

Charles and his deceased brother belong together in one property-and-family group. The later Master David should remain separately identified within the same Sketch so that the chronological distinction is immediately visible.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 4 — Charles’s 1581/82 property claim and appointment of the later Master David as clerk depute in 1585.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 6 — Charles’s continuing negotiations in 1590–91; Master David’s involvement with kirk livings and appointment as Procurator Fiscal in 1601.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — admission of Master David Guthrie, advocate, through his wife Martha Murray in 1604.
• Commissariot of Edinburgh — testament of Master David Guthrie, advocate and Edinburgh resident, confirmed 4 June 1605.

Master John Guthrie,
Minister & Bishop of Moray
^{_{~From a Contested Edinburgh Call to the Bishop’s Seat~}}

Key Evidence

Master John Guthrie was already minister at Perth when Edinburgh selected him for one of its vacant ministerial charges in 1620. He initially resisted his transfer but eventually accepted the call and entered the Edinburgh ministry in 1621.

By November 1623, the Burgh records styled him Bishop of Moray, confirming that the Edinburgh minister and subsequent bishop were the same man.

He must remain distinct from John Guthrie, Clerk of South Leith, who had died before September 1596.

Minister at Perth

John Guthrie graduated Master of Arts from the University of St Andrews in 1597. He subsequently served as reader at Arbroath and minister at Kinnell and Arbirlot before becoming minister of Perth in 1617.

His participation in the General Assembly at Perth in 1618 aligned him with the crown’s efforts to introduce the Five Articles of Perth, including practices regarded by many Presbyterians as concessions to episcopal worship.

John therefore entered the Edinburgh records as an established minister who already supported the king’s ecclesiastical policies.

The Contested Transfer to Edinburgh

On 17 May 1620, Edinburgh’s council and ministers elected John Guthrie to serve as one of the town’s ministers. The council sent representatives to Perth to secure his release and arrange his transfer.

John did not immediately consent. The surviving Burgh entries document continuing negotiations and his reluctance to leave Perth. His resistance should not be interpreted as opposition to Edinburgh’s religious direction: his earlier and later careers show that he supported royal and episcopal church policy.

The records do not state one simple reason for his hesitation. Translation from one charge to another involved the minister, both congregations, civic authorities, and church courts. John’s reluctance may therefore have reflected attachment to his Perth ministry or objections to the circumstances of the transfer rather than a doctrinal disagreement.

He ultimately accepted and was admitted to the Edinburgh ministry in June 1621, serving at St Giles.

Bishop of Moray

John’s Edinburgh ministry was brief. James VI nominated him to the bishopric of Moray in July 1623, and he was consecrated that October.

A Burgh entry dated 12 November 1623 identifies him as Bishop of Moray. Edinburgh granted him money for the purchase of a horse, apparently connected with his departure for his new office.

His promotion was consistent with his support for royal supremacy and episcopal government within the Church of Scotland.

Opposition to the Covenant

As Bishop of Moray, John supported Charles I’s ecclesiastical program and authorized the use of the controversial Scottish prayer book within his diocese.

The Glasgow General Assembly deposed him from the bishopric in December 1638. John rejected both the Assembly’s authority and the National Covenant, continued to preach against the Covenant, and was excommunicated in 1639.

He fortified his residence at Spynie Palace but surrendered it to government forces in July 1640. He was taken to Edinburgh and imprisoned in the Tolbooth—the same city where he had formerly served as minister.

John was therefore not a Covenanter. He became one of the Covenanting movement’s clerical opponents.

Family and the Lands of Guthrie

John was the eldest son of:

• Patrick Guthrie, goldsmith and bailie of St Andrews
• Margaret Rait

He married Nichola Wood. Published accounts identify several children, including sons John, Patrick, and Andrew and daughters Bethia, Nicolas, and Margaret or Lucretia. The precise identification of the latter daughter requires care because some pedigrees may have confused a daughter with a similarly named granddaughter.

In 1636, John acquired the lands and barony of Guthrie from his kinsman Patrick Guthrie. This made the bishop a later proprietor of Guthrie but did not place him in the direct line of the medieval lairds by simple father-to-son succession.

Published pedigrees trace his ancestry to John Guthrie of Hiltoun, traditionally identified as a younger son of Sir Alexander Guthrie of Guthrie. That descent is important to the family’s later history but should be supported by the relevant charters and contemporary records rather than accepted solely from nineteenth-century pedigrees.

John died at Guthrie on 28 August 1649 and was buried in the Guthrie Collegiate Aisle.

Genealogical Significance

The bishop provides a documented link between a professional St Andrews household and the later possession of the territorial estate:

• Patrick Guthrie, goldsmith and bailie of St Andrews
  • wife: Margaret Rait
  • eldest son: Master John Guthrie, minister, Bishop of Moray, and later proprietor of Guthrie
    • wife: Nichola Wood
    • children documented in later family and legal records

The acquisition of the estate should not be mistaken for evidence that John inherited it directly from his father. He obtained Guthrie through a later family transaction.

His daughter Bethia Guthrie became particularly important to the estate’s succession. She married Francis Guthrie of Gagie, through whom the lands continued in another Guthrie line.

This Bethia must remain distinct from the Edinburgh woman or women named Bethia/Bathia Guthrie whose testaments identify them as widows of William Mauld and Walter Murray.

Assessment

The Burgh records capture a short but decisive transition in John Guthrie’s career: his contested selection from Perth, admission to Edinburgh, and promotion to the bishopric within approximately three years.

His initial resistance to the Edinburgh call should not be presented as Presbyterian opposition to episcopal policy. His established support for the crown, later episcopal career, and rejection of the National Covenant point in the opposite direction.

John’s family background and eventual acquisition of the Guthrie estate give this sketch considerable genealogical significance. However, the claimed descent from the early Hiltoun line deserves the same distinction maintained elsewhere in the project between documented relationships and later pedigree tradition.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 7 — election from Perth, negotiations over his transfer, admission to Edinburgh, and identification as Bishop of Moray.
• Guthries of Guthrie — career, family, acquisition of Guthrie, and later succession through Bethia Guthrie.
• Dictionary of National Biography: John Guthrie — education, ministries, episcopal career, deposition, and imprisonment.

Key Facts

Bethia Guthrie was a daughter of Alexander Guthrie, the first-generation Common Clerk of Edinburgh, and Jonet Henderson/Henryson. Her parentage, two marriages, daughter, charitable gift, and commercial property are documented across several Edinburgh collections.

Her parentage is established by the burgess admission of her first husband:

• 25 July 1579: William Mauld/Maule, merchant, was admitted burgess and guild brother by right of his wife, Bethia, daughter of Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk.

Bethia married:

1. William Mauld or Maule, merchant, burgess, and former Dean of Guild
2. Walter Murray, master-overseer of the king’s works

The records also identify one daughter:

• Bethia Mauld, wife of James Murray, merchant

Widow of William Maule

By 9 February 1621, Bethia was the widow of William Maule.

William had directed that 1,000 merks be devoted to a common work or godly purpose. Acting through Master Alexander Seton of Gargunnock, Bethia contributed the money to the drapery enterprise being established at St Paul’s Work.

The council responded by granting Bethia a lifetime lease of the merchant booth beneath the old Tolbooth that she already occupied. The lease could pass after her death to her daughter Bethia Mauld, wife of James Murray, for an annual rent of £20.

This entry shows Bethia independently administering her late husband’s wishes and holding valuable commercial property in central Edinburgh.

Her testament as Bathia Guthrie, relict of William Mauld, merchant burgess of Edinburgh, was confirmed on 1 September 1627.

Marriage to Walter Murray

On 20 July 1632, Edinburgh admitted Walter Murray, spouse of Bethia Guthrie, as burgess and guild brother. The council ordered his name entered in the guild book and directed that his admission payment be returned.

Walter was later identified as master-overseer of His Majesty’s works.

The Commissariot of Edinburgh records another testament for Bathea Guthrie, relict of Walter Murray, confirmed on 2 November 1636.

The sequence is consistent:

• Bethia was William Maule’s widow in 1621 and 1627.
• She was Walter Murray’s wife in 1632.
• She was Walter Murray’s widow by November 1636.

Together with the uncommon name and continuous Edinburgh setting, this supports identifying the records as appearances of the same Bethia Guthrie.

Genealogical Significance

Bethia belongs securely within Edinburgh’s Common Clerk family:

• Alexander Guthrie, first-generation Common Clerk
  • wife: Jonet Henderson/Henryson
  • daughter: Bethia Guthrie
    • first husband: William Mauld/Maule
      • daughter: Bethia Mauld
        • husband: James Murray, merchant
    • second husband: Walter Murray, master-overseer of the king’s works

Her records add a female line to a family otherwise documented primarily through its succession of male civic officers. They connect the Guthries with Edinburgh’s merchant community, municipal commerce, and the administration of royal building works.

Bethia must remain distinct from:

• Bethia Guthrie, daughter of Bishop John Guthrie and wife of Francis Guthrie of Gagie
• Bethia Guthrie, wife of Robert Hamilton of Milburne, whose testament appears in 1646
• Bethia Mauld, her daughter and the wife of James Murray

Assessment

Bethia’s identity is unusually well supported across separate record groups. Her parentage is explicit, her first marriage and daughter are documented, and the chronology strongly supports her later marriage to Walter Murray.

The principal correction required on the current Burgh page is that the 1621 widow and the 1632 wife should no longer be treated as potentially unrelated women. The combined Burgess, Burgh, and Commissariot evidence supports one continuous identification.

The second husband’s name is Walter Murray, not William Murray.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 7 — Bethia’s 1,000-merk contribution, merchant-booth lease, and identification of her daughter in 1621.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 8 — Walter Murray’s admission as burgess and guild brother in 1632.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — Bethia’s identification as the daughter of Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk, through William Maule’s 1579 admission.
• Commissariot of Edinburgh — Bethia’s testaments as widow of William Maule in 1627 and widow of Walter Murray in 1636.

James Guthrie,
Skinner and Edinburgh Councillor
^{_{~From Craft Burgess to Trusted Civic Commissioner~}}

A skinner whose long public career extended from guild representation to hospital, burgh, and church business.

Key Facts

James Guthrie was admitted a burgess of Edinburgh as a skinner on 13 October 1613. His admission was through apprenticeship to the deceased Robert Tennant, skinner.

By 1620, James had entered Edinburgh’s civic government. His documented service continued through 1645–46 and included:

• councillor and Deacon of the Skinners;
• Master of the Hospital;
• commissioner to conventions of burghs;
• commissioner and procurator to the Synod Assembly;
• overseer of town works;
• custodian of church silver.

The continuity of name, craft, and civic standing strongly indicates that these entries concern one man.

Civic and Guild Career

James first appears on the Town Council in 1620–21. He subsequently represented the Incorporation of Skinners as an Ordinary Deacon or Deacon of Council in 1622–24, 1629–30, 1636–38, and 1640–42.

His work extended beyond the interests of his craft. The council appointed him to:

• committees concerning Leith and other burgh business;
• conventions of the Estates and royal burghs;
• the valuation of rents for ministerial stipends;
• a committee examining Edinburgh’s merchant government;
• hospital administration.

In 1631, James became one of the Masters of the Hospital. The surviving entries show him receiving a legacy of 1,000 merks and producing assignments of debts belonging to the institution.

On 23 April 1641, he and merchant John Bynnie were sent as Edinburgh’s commissioners and procurators to the Synod Assembly at Linlithgow. They were authorized to answer complaints against the town and present the council’s own petitions.

These assignments show that James had become a trusted representative of the burgh rather than merely an occasional craft delegate.

Later Responsibilities

In 1642, James served on a committee concerning hospital affairs and represented Edinburgh at a particular Convention of Burghs.

A 1644 entry identifies James Guthrie as overseer of the town’s works and records his detailed inventory of municipal ladders, hooks, drums, and leather buckets. The records do not repeat his craft in this entry, but the chronology and continued civic involvement make identification with the skinner probable.

In 1645–46, James received and was later ordered to return silver objects belonging to the church. Their placement in his custody provides further evidence of the council’s confidence in him.

His last presently identified appearance is therefore in 1645–46, more than thirty years after his admission as a burgess.

Possible Relationship to John Guthrie, Tailor

When John Guthrie, tailor, was admitted burgess on 28 October 1618, James Guthrie, skinner, acted as his surety.

This establishes a direct association between the two craftsmen but does not define their relationship. James may have been a relative, employer, business associate, or simply an established burgess willing to guarantee John’s admission.

No evidence presently identifies James’s wife, children, parents, or connection to Edinburgh’s Common Clerk family.

Genealogical Significance

James must remain distinct from the earlier James Guthrie, burgess and civic envoy, whose documented activity ended in 1583. The younger man was admitted as a skinner thirty years later and remained active into the 1640s.

The Roll of Burgesses securely connects the later James with the skinner trade and supplies the beginning of his documented Edinburgh career:

• James Guthrie, skinner
  • apprentice of the deceased Robert Tennant, skinner
  • admitted burgess: 13 October 1613
  • associate or possible relative: John Guthrie, tailor

No corresponding testament has yet been identified in the published Commissariot of Edinburgh index. His immediate family and ancestry remain unresolved.

Assessment

The records trace James Guthrie’s advancement from trained skinner and burgess to one of Edinburgh’s regularly trusted civic representatives.

His repeated election as Deacon, management of hospital finances, diplomatic commissions, care of municipal equipment, and custody of church silver support treating the appearances from 1613 through 1645–46 as one sustained career.

The principal unresolved question is whether James had a family connection with John Guthrie, tailor. His relationship to the Common Clerk dynasty or any landed Guthrie branch is likewise unproven.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 7 — council and craft service from 1620 through 1623.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 8 — hospital administration, conventions, committees, and continued service as Deacon through 1641.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 9 — hospital work, burgh representation, town works, and custody of church silver.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — admission as a skinner in 1613 and service as surety for John Guthrie, tailor, in 1618.

Samuel Guthrie, Litster, and His Edinburgh Family
^{A Probable Younger Son of Alexander Guthrie, 5th of Guthrie}

~Apprenticeship, burgess, parish, and testamentary records reconstruct a large Edinburgh family, and a connection to Woodbridge, New Jersey~

Key Facts

Samuel Guthrie, litster or dyer, was a documented son of Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk.

• 16 March 1601: Samuel was apprenticed to John Gairdyn, litster.
• 21 January 1608: He married Isobel Gairdin/Gairdyn.
• 13 April 1608: He was admitted burgess of Edinburgh through Isobel, daughter of David Gairdin, litster and burgess.
• 2 September 1612: He was admitted guild brother and described as a merchant.
• He was deceased by 11 November 1640, when his son Alexander was admitted by right of his late father.

Samuel’s placement as a younger son of Alexander Guthrie, 5th of Guthrie, and Agnes Falconer is strongly supported by chronology and family circumstances, but the apprenticeship record names only “Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk.” It does not identify Samuel’s mother or number the laird.

Brother: Hercules Guthrie

A second apprenticeship provides evidence of Samuel’s probable brother:

• 26 March 1606: Hercules Guthrie, son of Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk, was apprenticed to James Gairdyn, litster.
• Hercules was admitted burgess and guild brother in 1619.

Samuel and Hercules were therefore sons of a man styled Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk and entered the same Edinburgh trade through members of the Gairdin family.

Wife and Gairdin Connections

Samuel’s wife, Isobel Gairdin, was the daughter of David Gairdin, litster and burgess.

The surviving records reveal an extensive occupational and family connection:

• Samuel trained under John Gairdyn.
• Hercules trained under James Gairdyn.
• Samuel married Isobel, daughter of David Gairdin.

The relationship among John, James, David, and Isobel Gairdin requires further study, but the repeated association shows that Samuel’s entry into Edinburgh’s dyeing trade was closely connected with the Gairdin family.

Children of Samuel Guthrie and Isobel Gairdin

Edinburgh parish records identify twelve children:

1. Alexander Guthrie, born 1609; merchant burgess; died 1646
2. Sarah Guthrie, born 1611
3. David Guthrie, born 1612; litster; married Agnes Fairlie; died 1661
4. Hercules Guthrie, born 1613
5. Isobel Guthrie, born 1615; married John Meakle, tailor
6. Agnes Guthrie, born 1617; married William Chisholm
7. John Guthrie, born 1618
8. Jean Guthrie, born 1620
9. Nicolas Guthrie, born 1621
10. Barbara Guthrie, born 1623
11. James Guthrie, born 1624; merchant burgess; married Margaret Broun; died before November 1661
12. Andrew Guthrie, born 1626

The available records do not yet trace every child into adulthood.

The Sons’ Burgess Admissions

On 11 November 1640, Alexander Guthrie was admitted burgess and guild brother as the eldest son of the deceased Samuel Guthrie, litster.

On 26 September 1655, two other sons were admitted through their father:

• David Guthrie, litster, described as the eldest son;
• James Guthrie, merchant, described as the second son.

These descriptions are not necessarily contradictory. Alexander, the original eldest son, died in 1646. Hercules and John also appear to have died before the 1655 admissions. David could consequently be described as Samuel’s eldest surviving son, with James as the second surviving son.

David Guthrie, Litster

David continued his father’s trade.

In 1659, merchant Alexander Noble complained that David’s “litster trees”—frames or equipment used in dyeing—obstructed the doors of Noble’s house and shop. The Dean of Guild inspected the site and ordered adjustments.

David married Agnes Fairlie and died in 1661.

A Samuel Guthrie admitted burgess in 1691 through a deceased brother named David should not presently be placed in this household. Samuel and Isobel’s recorded children include no son Samuel, and their son David died about thirty years before that admission. The 1691 relationship requires separate investigation.

James Guthrie and the New Jersey Connection

Samuel and Isobel’s son James Guthrie became a merchant burgess and married Margaret Broun.

Their children included another Samuel Guthrie, born in 1654. This younger Samuel became a merchant burgess and later settled at Woodbridge, New Jersey, where he died in 1685/86.

The evidence therefore supports the following probable line:

• Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk
  • probable son: Samuel Guthrie, litster
    • son: James Guthrie, merchant
      • son: Samuel Guthrie, merchant and New Jersey emigrant

The first relationship is explicit as to Alexander’s style but not yet conclusive as to which numbered laird he was. The later generations are supported by the combined Edinburgh family records discussed in the AGAF research.

Genealogical Significance

Samuel’s apprenticeship establishes that an otherwise omitted son of Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk entered Edinburgh’s artisan and burgess community.

Chronology strongly favors identifying Samuel and Hercules as younger sons of Alexander Guthrie, 5th of Guthrie, who died in 1588/89. This would also explain why they are absent from accounts concentrating on the principal succession.

The reconstruction is particularly significant because it may connect the Guthries of that Ilk with a documented Edinburgh family and, through James and the younger Samuel, with an early Scottish emigrant in New Jersey.

Samuel’s precise placement under the fifth laird should nevertheless remain labeled strongly probable until a contemporary record identifies his mother or otherwise distinguishes his father from the succeeding Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk.

Assessment

The combined records transform Samuel from an isolated Edinburgh tradesman into the head of a substantially reconstructed family.

His father’s designation, his probable brother Hercules, his marriage into the Gairdin litster family, and his twelve children are the central findings. The deaths within the family also provide a reasonable explanation for the changing use of “eldest son” in the burgess admissions.

The most important remaining task is to confirm that Samuel’s father was specifically Alexander Guthrie, 5th of Guthrie, husband of Agnes Falconer. Until then, Samuel is securely a son of an Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk and strongly, but not conclusively, placed in that generation.

References

• AGAF Mysteries — apprenticeship evidence, proposed parentage, parish-register family reconstruction, testaments, and the line to Woodbridge, New Jersey.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — Samuel’s admissions through Isobel Gairdin; Hercules’s apprenticeship; and the later admissions of Alexander, David, and James.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 9 — David Guthrie’s 1659 dispute concerning his litster trees.
• Commissariot of Edinburgh — testamentary evidence used to distinguish and trace members of Samuel’s family.

Jean Guthrie,
Prisoner in Edinburgh’s Tolbooth
^{_{~An Unidentified Woman Buried at the Town’s Expense~}}

Key Facts

On 22 April 1659, Edinburgh’s council authorized the necessary expenses for the burial of Jean Guthrie, who had died while imprisoned in the Tolbooth.

George Cheyne was instructed to arrange the burial, and the Town Treasurer was ordered to reimburse his expenses. The council described the payment as “a work of mere charity.” Her death survives in a brief act of municipal charity, but her identity and reason for imprisonment remain unknown.

Identity Unresolved

The entry provides no information about Jean’s:

• age or marital status;
• parents, husband, or children;
• residence or occupation;
• reason for imprisonment;
• length of confinement.

No evidence presently connects her with Edinburgh’s Common Clerk dynasty, Samuel Guthrie’s family, or another documented Guthrie household.

Genealogical Significance

The record establishes that a woman named Jean Guthrie died in Edinburgh’s Tolbooth shortly before 22 April 1659.

Because the town paid her burial expenses as charity, Jean may have died without money or relatives immediately available to claim and bury her. That is a reasonable inference from the council’s action, but it is not proof that she lacked family in Edinburgh.

Her identity remains unresolved within the records reviewed.

Research Suggestions

The strongest possibilities for identifying Jean are:

• Tolbooth prisoner or criminal-court records from 1658–59;
• Edinburgh burial registers for April 1659;
• Kirk Session records concerning imprisoned or impoverished women;
• contemporary legal proceedings explaining her confinement.

Assessment

Jean Guthrie’s surviving Burgh entry is too brief to support a family reconstruction. Its value lies in preserving her name, place of death, and approximate death date while identifying a focused avenue for further research.

She should remain a separate, unidentified Edinburgh woman unless another record explicitly connects her to a documented Guthrie family.

Reference

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 10, page 144 — authorization dated 22 April 1659 for the charitable payment of Jean Guthrie’s burial expenses.

Rev. James Guthrie,
Covenanter Minister

The Minister of Stirling Executed at Edinburgh in 1661

~Edinburgh’s records place him among the imprisoned Protesters, while family and burial evidence identifies his wife, daughter, and young son William~

Key Facts

Rev. James Guthrie, born about 1612, was a prominent Covenanter and Protester minister.

• Graduated from the University of St Andrews and later served there as a regent.
• Ordained minister at Lauder in 1642.
• Transferred to Stirling about 1649–50.
• Arrested with other Protester ministers in Edinburgh in 1660.
• Tried for treason and executed at Edinburgh on 1 June 1661.

His body was buried at St Giles, while his head was displayed at the Netherbow Port.

Arrest and Execution

Following the Restoration, James and other Protester ministers met in Edinburgh to prepare an address to Charles II. They were arrested in August 1660.

The Burgh collection’s editorial material identifies James among the imprisoned ministers and associates him with The Causes of God’s Wrath, a Protester work publicly burned during the Restoration crackdown.

James was subsequently tried for treason and executed at Edinburgh’s Cross. The Volume 10 editorial footnote gives his execution date as 5 June 1661, but the accepted date—and that used in the biographical evidence—is 1 June 1661.

These references are historical editorial notices rather than separate appearances of an otherwise unidentified James Guthrie.

Wife and Children

James married Jane Ramsay, traditionally described as a daughter of Ramsay of Shielhill. The precise date and place of their marriage have not been identified.

They had two documented children:

• William “Willie” Guthrie
• Sophia Guthrie

Jane and Sophia were imprisoned in 1666 after a prohibited Covenanter book was found in their home. Their proposed place of banishment was the Shetland Islands, although Jane petitioned to be sent to Holland instead. Their ultimate destination remains uncertain.

In 1669, Jane received permission to return temporarily to Edinburgh because William was ill.

William “Willie” Guthrie

Early biographers estimated that Willie was only four or five years old when his father was executed in 1661, placing his birth about 1655–57.

He reportedly intended to follow his father into the ministry but died before becoming a licensed preacher.

The Greyfriars burying-ground interments record his death on 14 April 1674, identifying him as:

“Mr. William Guthrie son of Mr. James Guthrie late minister of the gospel at Stirling.”

This explicitly establishes William’s identity and relationship. He survived his father by nearly thirteen years but was probably only about seventeen or eighteen when he died.

No son of Rev. James Guthrie is known to have survived to continue the Guthrie surname.

Daughter: Sophia Guthrie

Sophia was probably still a child when her father died. She was imprisoned with her mother in 1666, but no later record securely identifies her marriage, death, or descendants.

It therefore remains possible that James and Jane had descendants through Sophia, but none have yet been documented.

Unresolved Parentage and the Fenwick Kinship

Early biographers consistently described James as a son—sometimes specifically a younger son—of a Laird of Guthrie. No contemporary record reviewed so far identifies his father or mother.

Later pedigrees have assigned him to particular Guthrie lairds, but those placements should not be treated as proven.

The reported kinship between James and the Rev. William Guthrie of Fenwick may provide useful circumstantial support for the tradition. William was the eldest son of the Laird of Pitforthie, but his connection to the Guthries of that Ilk did not depend solely upon the male Pitforthie line.

William’s maternal grandmother was an unidentified daughter of a Guthrie of that Ilk. If James was a younger son of one of the men who inherited, disponed, or sold the barony of Guthrie, James and William would have belonged to the same extended family through William’s maternal ancestry.

The precise degree of relationship depends upon the unidentified generations involved. James might have been a brother, nephew, or cousin of William’s maternal grandmother rather than William’s cousin in the modern, narrowly defined sense. Seventeenth-century references could use “cousin” more broadly for a recognized kinsman.

The reported relationship is therefore consistent with James’s claimed descent from a Laird of Guthrie, although it does not identify which laird was his father. His precise parentage remains unresolved within the records reviewed.

Genealogical Significance

The combined evidence reconstructs James’s immediate family:

• Rev. James Guthrie, minister of Lauder and Stirling; executed 1661
  • wife: Jane Ramsay, traditionally of Shielhill
  • son: William “Willie” Guthrie, born about 1655–57; died 14 April 1674
  • daughter: Sophia Guthrie, last securely identified in 1666

William’s Greyfriars entry is especially valuable because it names both his father and his father’s former ministry. It converts the probable 1674 burial match into a securely identified record.

The reported kinship with William Guthrie of Fenwick also deserves continued investigation. William’s maternal descent from an unidentified daughter of a Guthrie of that Ilk provides a plausible route for the relationship and offers circumstantial support for the claim that James belonged to that extended family.

James must remain distinct from the several contemporary Edinburgh men of the same name, including the skinner and councillor, the later hatmaker, and other burgh officers.

Assessment

The Burgh entries document James’s place in the Restoration conflict but provide little direct genealogical information. His separate biographical and family records identify Jane, William, and Sophia and reveal the consequences of his political and religious activities for his household.

William’s burial record supplies the clearest surviving evidence concerning either child. His early death ended the known male line, while Sophia’s fate remains unresolved.

The tradition that James was a younger son of a Laird of Guthrie remains unproven, but the reported Fenwick relationship is compatible with it. Because William of Fenwick descended maternally from the Guthries of that Ilk, the two ministers could have been cousins or other close kinsmen through that family.

This evidence strengthens the general tradition of James’s connection to the Guthries of that Ilk without establishing his exact father or genealogical position.

References

• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 10, introduction page xii — Restoration reprisals and James’s execution.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 10, introduction page xxviii — arrest, imprisonment, and execution.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 10, page 213 — James among the arrested Protester ministers.
• Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 10, page 218 — The Causes of God’s Wrath and its suppression.
• Biography of Rev. James Guthrie — ministry, execution, family, parentage problem, Fenwick kinship, and William’s burial record.
• Jane Ramsay — her proposed Shielhill origins, imprisonment with Sophia, and temporary return to attend William.

Alexander Guthrie, Tailor

A Fife Craftsman Who Settled in Edinburgh

~Parish records identify the Bible donor’s probable wife, children, and connections within Edinburgh’s Guthrie artisan community~

Key Facts

On 16 October 1663, Alexander Guthrie, tailor, presented Edinburgh’s council with a well-bound quarto Hebrew Bible “of an excellent character.” He dedicated it for the use of Edinburgh’s College.

Old Parish Registers appear to identify him as the husband of Jean Gilchrist. The couple married at Kirkcaldy, Fife, in April 1623 and had two children baptized there:

• Margaret Guthrie, baptized 3 December 1624
• John Guthrie, baptized 2 April 1626

They had moved to Edinburgh by 1632, where Alexander was repeatedly described as a tailor. Five additional baptisms have been identified:

• Margaret Guthrie, baptized 4 May 1632
• George Guthrie, baptized 31 January 1634
• Marione Guthrie, baptized 24 February 1636
• Issobell Guthrie, baptized 6 January 1639
• James Guthrie, baptized 9 January 1642

The reuse of the name Margaret probably indicates that the daughter baptized in 1624 died before 1632, although no burial record has yet been identified.

Edinburgh Guthrie Connections

The baptismal witnesses place Alexander within a recurring network of Edinburgh Guthrie craftsmen:

• Samuel Guthrie, litster or dyer, witnessed baptisms in 1632, 1636, 1639, and 1642.
• Johnne Guthrie, tailor, appeared in 1632, 1634, and 1636.
• A James Guthrie appeared several times, although the occupational descriptions require confirmation from the original entries.
• John Meakle, tailor, witnessed James’s baptism in 1642. He was probably the man who married Isobel Guthrie, daughter of Samuel Guthrie, litster.

These repeated appearances suggest a close social, occupational, and possibly familial connection. They do not, however, establish Alexander’s precise relationship to Samuel, Johnne, or James Guthrie.

Alexander was not Samuel Guthrie’s known son Alexander. That Alexander was born in 1609, became a merchant burgess, and died in 1646.

Probable Supporting Identifications

The Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses records an Alexander Guthrie, tailor, admitted burgess and guild brother on 16 August 1643. The matching name, occupation, location, and chronology make him very probably the husband of Jean Gilchrist and the later Bible donor.

The couple’s son James is also a strong candidate for the James Guthrie, wright, who:

• probably married Bessie Scott in Edinburgh on 6 December 1678; and
• was admitted burgess and guild brother on 28 December 1681 through his deceased father, Alexander Guthrie, tailor.

If this identification is correct, Alexander died sometime between his Bible donation in 1663 and James’s admission in 1681.

Genealogical Significance

The combined records reconstruct a probable sequence:

• 1623–1626: Alexander and Jean began their married life in Kirkcaldy.
• By 1632: The family had settled in Edinburgh, where Alexander worked as a tailor.
• 1643: Alexander was probably admitted burgess and guild brother.
• 1663: He donated the Hebrew Bible to Edinburgh’s College.
• By 1681: He was deceased, and his probable son James claimed burgess rights through him.

Alexander’s origins can now be traced to Fife before his move to Edinburgh, but his parents remain unresolved within the records reviewed. The recurring Guthrie witnesses provide promising evidence for investigating his place within the wider Edinburgh family network.

References

• Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 10, page 330 — donation of the Hebrew Bible on 16 October 1663.
• Scottish Old Parish Registers — marriage at Kirkcaldy in 1623; Kirkcaldy baptisms in 1624 and 1626; Edinburgh baptisms from 1632 through 1642.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — probable 1643 admission of Alexander and 1681 admission of James through his deceased father.
• Register of Marriages for the Parish of Edinburgh, 1595–1700 — probable marriage of James Guthrie, wright, and Bessie Scott in 1678.

James Guthrie, Feltmaker and Hatmaker

~An Edinburgh craftsman who became a founding freeman of the united Hatmakers and Waulkers incorporation~

Key Evidence

On 26 June 1672, Edinburgh’s council united the city’s hatmakers with the existing Incorporation of Waulkers. James Guthrie was one of nine named hatmakers admitted as the original freemen of the combined incorporation.

The new body could regulate the trade, examine prospective hatmakers, elect officers, control apprenticeships, and prevent unlicensed craftsmen from making hats within the burgh.

Cross-Source Evidence

The Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses almost certainly identifies the same man. On 14 September 1670, James Guthrie, feltmaker, was admitted burgess and guild brother after apprenticeship to James Brown, feltmaker.

James Brown later presented the hatmakers’ petition that led to the 1672 union and was described as its “first effectual mover.” This professional connection strongly supports identifying Brown’s former apprentice with the James Guthrie named among the incorporated hatmakers.

James was already training a craftsman of his own by 14 February 1672, when George Cameron, son of the deceased John Cameron, was entered as apprentice to James Guthrie, hatmaker.

“Feltmaker” and “hatmaker” describe closely connected aspects of the same trade and do not suggest two different occupations in these records.

Parliament ratified the incorporation in 1681, reproducing James’s name from the 1672 act. Because this was a confirmation of the earlier grant, it does not by itself establish that James was still living in 1681.

Genealogical Significance

The records reconstruct James’s professional progression:

• apprentice to James Brown, feltmaker;
• burgess and guild brother by 1670;
• master to George Cameron by February 1672;
• founding freeman of the united incorporation in June 1672.

They do not identify his parents, wife, children, residence, or place of origin. His family connections therefore remain unresolved within the records reviewed.

Assessment

James can be securely distinguished from the Rev. James Guthrie, executed in 1661, and from the earlier James Guthrie, skinner and councillor.

No evidence presently connects him with the later James Guthries described as a merchant, Dingwall Pursuivant, or tacksman. Those men should remain separate working identities unless additional records establish otherwise.

References

• Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 11, page 124 — union of the hatmakers and waulkers on 26 June 1672.
• Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses — James’s 1670 admission after apprenticeship to James Brown.
• Register of Edinburgh Apprentices, 1666–1700 — George Cameron’s 1672 apprenticeship to James Guthrie.
• Records of the Parliaments of Scotland: Ratification of 1681 — parliamentary confirmation reproducing the 1672 incorporation and its original members.

William Guthrie,
Factor to Archbishop of St Andrews

~A substantial council loan and a surviving testament index identify his position in Archbishop Arthur Ross’s household~

Key Evidence

On 17 July 1685, Edinburgh’s council agreed to borrow:

• 5,000 merks from the Archbishop of St Andrews; and
• £1,000 Scots from William Guthrie, described as the archbishop’s servant.

The loan indicates that William had access to substantial personal funds. “Servant” could describe an official or administrative employee rather than a domestic servant.

Cross-Source Evidence

The Commissariot of St Andrews records the testament of:

“William Guthrie, late factor to Arthur, Archbishop of St. Andrews”

The testament was confirmed on 22 February 1687. Arthur Ross—also written Rose—was Archbishop of St Andrews when the council obtained William’s loan.

The identical name, employer, and close chronology make the factor almost certainly the William Guthrie recorded in 1685. “Factor” clarifies his position as a financial or estate administrator acting for the archbishop.

Because the 1687 entry indexes William’s testament, he had died by its confirmation date. His precise date of death is not provided.

Genealogical Significance

The combined evidence establishes that William:

• served as factor to Archbishop Arthur Ross;
• possessed sufficient resources to lend Edinburgh’s council £1,000 Scots in 1685; and
• died between 17 July 1685 and the confirmation of his testament on 22 February 1687.

The records reviewed do not identify his parents, wife, children, residence, or place of origin.

He cannot be the Rev. William Guthrie of Fenwick, who died in 1665, or William “Willie” Guthrie, son of the Rev. James Guthrie of Stirling, who died in 1674.

Research Suggestions

William’s complete testament is the most promising next record. It may identify his residence, executor, relatives, debtors, creditors, and the outstanding £1,000 loan.

Edinburgh council accounts may also show whether the loan was repaid to William during his lifetime or later to his executor.

References

• Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 12, page 148 — council loan recorded on 17 July 1685.
• Commissariot of St Andrews — testament index identifying William as factor to Arthur, Archbishop of St Andrews.
• Published Register of Testaments, Commissariot of St Andrews — William’s testament confirmed on 22 February 1687.

James Guthrie, Dingwall Pursuivant

~Edinburgh records trace his progression from craftsman to royal officer and identify his parents, children, and two wives~

Facts from the Records

On 10 December 1688, James Guthrie, Dingwall Pursuivant, appears in Edinburgh’s council records during the disturbances accompanying the collapse of royal authority in the city.

Parish records trace the same man’s changing occupation:

• Shoemaker, 1671–1673
• Messenger, 1678–1682
• Pursuivant, from 1684
• Dingwall Pursuivant, by 1688

The close identification is particularly strong in December 1688: only six days after the council record named James as Dingwall Pursuivant, his daughter Margaret’s baptism described him as James Guthrie, pursuivant.

Family and Parentage

James married first Margaret Anderson. Their ten recorded children, born between 1671 and 1688, were:

Harie, John, Alison, William, Francis, James, Bethia, Richard, Alexander, and Margaret Guthrie.

Margaret Anderson died of fever on 24 April 1702, aged fifty-seven, and was buried on 28 April. Her death entry identifies her as the spouse of James Guthrie, pursuivant.

On 25 October 1702, James married secondly Margaret Ogilvie, daughter of the deceased Sir David Ogilvie of Clova. Margaret Anderson’s death record confirms that these were two successive marriages of the same James Guthrie.

James was very probably the James Guthree baptized in Edinburgh on 9 January 1642, son of Alexander Guthree, tailor, and Jeane Gilchrist. The identification is independently supported by the death record of James Guthry, one of Her Majesty’s pursuivants, who died on 11 October 1712, aged seventy.

The agreement between his 1642 baptism, occupation, and reported age at death makes this parentage highly persuasive.

Genealogical Significance

The combined records reconstruct James’s immediate family and connect him to the previously identified household of Alexander Guthree and Jeane Gilchrist.

They also document an unusual career progression from Edinburgh shoemaker to messenger and finally royal officer. His father was probably the Alexander Guthrie, tailor, who donated a Hebrew Bible to Edinburgh’s College in 1663.

James must remain distinct from James Guthrie, wright, who married Bessie Scott in 1678.

References

• Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 12, pages 252–253 — James identified as Dingwall Pursuivant on 10 December 1688.
• Scottish Old Parish Registers — James’s 1642 baptism; baptisms of his children with Margaret Anderson; and his 1702 marriage to Margaret Ogilvie.
• NRS, Old Parish Registers, Edinburgh Deaths, parish 685/1, reference 850/64 — death of Margaret Anderson on 24 April 1702.
• Greyfriars burial records — death of James Guthry, pursuivant, on 11 October 1712, aged seventy.

James Guthrie, Merchant and Tacksman

~A Leith businessman who managed municipal revenues and property~

Facts from the Records

On 19 October 1694, James Guthery was described as the present tacksman of the shore dues. He submitted a memorandum concerning difficulties collecting payments from several parties, including fishing boats and the glassworks.

As tacksman, James leased the right to collect these harbour dues in return for an agreed payment to the burgh.

On 11 June 1697, James Guthrie, merchant in Leith, received a nine-year tack of Bonnington Mills, together with its mill lands and teind sheaves. The annual tack duty was 2,125 merks Scots, with additional obligations involving the property’s feu duty.

Identification and Possible Continuation

The matching name, Leith connection, business role, and close chronology make the tacksman of the shore dues and the merchant leasing Bonnington Mills probably the same man.

A further record dated 5 August 1702 granted an eighteen-year tack of eighteen acres of Coatsfield land to James Guthrie, its present possessor. This may represent another enterprise of the Leith merchant and tacksman, but the record provides no occupation or other identifying detail. The connection should therefore remain a possibility rather than a merged fact.

Genealogical Significance

These records identify James as an established Leith merchant trusted with substantial municipal leases. They do not name his parents, wife, children, or place of origin.

No evidence presently identifies him with James Guthrie, Dingwall Pursuivant, or James Guthrie, feltmaker and hatmaker. Those men should remain separate unless another record supplies a direct occupational or family connection.

Research Suggestions

The original shore-dues and Bonnington Mills tack papers may identify James’s cautioners, partners, residence, or business associates. Leith parish registers and testamentary records should also be searched for a merchant of this name active from the 1690s into the early eighteenth century.

References

• Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 13, page 160 — memorandum of James Guthery, tacksman of the shore dues, dated 19 October 1694.
• Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 13, page 216 — nine-year tack of Bonnington Mills to James Guthrie, merchant in Leith, dated 11 June 1697.
• Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, Volume 14, page 21 — possible continuation as possessor and tacksman of Coatsfield land in 1702.