Commissariot of St Andrews
The Commissariot Record of St Andrews
Edited by Francis J. Grant for the Scottish Record Society, this volume is an index to testaments confirmed in the St Andrews Commissary Court. The court’s jurisdiction included parts of Angus, Fife, Kincardineshire, Kinross-shire and Perthshire—an especially important geographic range for Guthrie research.
The present survey contains 49 Guthrie-related index rows: 29 Guthrie testament holders and 20 secondary references naming Guthrie spouses, relatives or aliases. Several later entries are explicitly marked as surviving through the Minute-Book rather than a surviving original testament.
Collection Overview
Main-Line Evidence
The index includes Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk in Tannadice in 1615 and again in 1619, creating a direct bridge to the surviving St Andrews testament material already used in the Guthrie of Guthrie / Memus research.
Angus Cadet Lines
Lownan, Pitmoweis, Gagie, Carsbank, Wester Seaton and other territorial designations appear alongside smaller local households in Monikie, Kinnell, Arbirlot, Forfar and St Vigeans.
Clergy & Clerical Families
Entries connect Guthrie women and families with ministers at Lunan and Markinch and preserve additional ministerial or schoolmaster contexts in later records.
Minute-Book Survivals
Anne Guthrie, James Guthrie the Largo shipmaster, Mary Guthrie and Patrick Guthrie the Rhynd schoolmaster are specifically marked in the published index as Minute-Book entries, an important distinction when the original testament has not survived.
Primary Guthrie Testament Holders
These 29 rows are entries in which the Guthrie individual is the primary testament holder.
| Testament Holder | Description / Relationship | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Guthrie | cotterman in Stotfauld, par. of Monekie | Monikie | 27 Apr. 1599 |
| Alexander Guthrie | of that Ilk, par. of Tannadyce | Tannadice | 18 Feb. & 9 May 1615 |
| Alexander Guthrie | of that Ilk, par. of Tannadyce | Tannadice | 19 Apr. 1619 |
| Andrew Guthrie | in Cottoun of Roschan, par. of Kinnell | Kinnell | 14 Mar. 1617 |
| Andrew Guthrie | maltman in Perth | Perth | 25 Apr. 1711 |
| Andrew Guthrie | in Woodhead of Auldbar | — | 18 Aug. 1713 |
| Claris Guthrie | alias wobster, spouse to Robert Edward, in Clohog, par. of Arbuthnot | Arbuthnott | 27 Feb. 1618 |
| David Guthrie | of Wester Seaton, par. of St. Vigean | St Vigeans | 18 Apr. 1685 |
| Mr. David Guthrie | late of Carsbanick, par. of Forfar | Forfar | 6 June 1716 |
| Isobel Guthrie | sometime spouse to Mr. Archibald Peirsoun, at the Ward milne of Aberbrothok | Arbroath | 19 Jan. 1600 |
| Isobel Guthrie | spouse to Mr. Alexander Peadie, minister at Lunan | Lunan | 19 Apr. 1683 |
| Isobel Guthrie | relict of Mr. John Ramsay, late minister at Markinch | Markinch | 19 Jan. 1687 |
| Isobel Guthrie | lawful daughter of the deceased Mr. David Guthrie of Carsbank, par. of Forfar | Forfar | 16 Dec. 1754 |
| James Guthrie | brother-german to John Guthrie of Mennis, par. of Tannadyce | Tannadice | 19 Apr. 1699 |
| Janet Guthrie | spouse to John Muresone, in Sowtray, par. of Tannadyce | Tannadice | 7 Mar. 1616 |
| Jedson Guthrie | of Blabirhill, par. of Forfar | Forfar | 14 Oct. 1614 |
| John Guthrie | of Lownan | — | 26 Apr. 1626 |
| John Guthrie | in Fadishill, par. of Arbirlot | Arbirlot | 6 Aug. 1662 |
| Margaret Guthrie | spouse to George Stobie, in Methven | Methven | 1 Nov. 1683 & 26 Oct. 1684 |
| Patrick Guthrie | of Pitmoweis, par. of Guthrie | Guthrie | 24 Jan. 1618 |
| Robert Guthrie | mariner, burges of Dundee | Dundee | 23 Mar. 1598-9 |
| William Guthrie | in the Grange of Cannan, par. of St. Vigeans | St Vigeans | 25 July 1599 |
| William Guthrie | of Gagie, par. of Murrois | Murroes | 16 July 1625 |
| William Guthrie | maltman, burges of Forfar | Forfar | 18 Aug. 1649 |
| William Guthrie | late factor to Arthur, Archbishop of St. Andrews | — | 22 Feb. 1687 |
| Anne Guthrie | relict of James Ouchterlonie, of Muirhouses (Minute-Book) | — | 1 Nov. 1727 |
| James Guthrie | shipmaster in Largo (Minute-Book) | Largo | 6 Oct. 1736 |
| Mary Guthrie | spouse to James Hampton, in Law of Newton (Minute-Book) | — | 10 June 1742 |
| Patrick Guthrie | schoolmaster at Rhind (Minute-Book) | Rhynd | 16 Apr. 1740 |
Secondary References · Guthrie Relationships
These 20 rows are other testament holders whose index descriptions identify a Guthrie spouse, relative, alias or household connection.
| Primary Person | Guthrie Relationship / Cross-Reference | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Edward | in Clohog (See Claris Guthrie) | Arbuthnott | — |
| Mr. Archibald Pearson | at the Ward-milne of Aberbrothok (See Isobel Guthrie) | Arbroath | — |
| Mr. Alexander Peddie | sometime minister of Lunnan (See also Isobel Guthrie) | Lunan | — |
| Mr. John Ramsay | sometime minister at Markinch (See also Isobel Guthrie) | Markinch | — |
| Geilis Hills | in the Muirsyd of Kinnell, spouse of James Guthrie | Kinnell | 10 May 1614 |
| John Murieson | in Sowtray (See Janet Guthrie) | Tannadice | — |
| Helen Strachan | relict of John Guthrie, in Woodend | Auldbar | 18 Aug. 1613 |
| George Stobie | in Methven (See Margaret Guthrie) | Methven | — |
| Janet Reid | relict of Patrick Guthrie, in Auchentilie | St Vigeans | 17 Oct. 1673 |
| Isobel Leslie | and William Guthrie of Geagie, her spouse | Murroes | 18 July 1621 |
| Catharine Anderson | spouse to William Guthrie, maltman, burges of Forfar | Forfar | 28 Jan. 1629 |
| James Ouchterlonie | of Muirhouses (See Anne Guthrie) | — | — |
| James Hampton | in Law of Newton (See Mary Guthrie) | — | — |
| Agnes Mortimer | relict of John Guthrie, officer of Excise | — | 12 June 1734 |
| Katherine Brayn | sometime spouse to Alexander Webster, alias Guthrie, in Harvestoun | Kinneff | 20 June 1605 |
| Janet Soutar | alias Hendersoun, sometime spouse to George Webster, alias Guthrie | Kinneff | 20 June 1605 |
| Margaret Strachan | spouse to Gabriell Guthrie, in Halkertoun | Forfar | 18 Nov. 1625 |
| Isobel Thomson | spouse to Thomas Guthrie, in Burnsyde of Dupplin | Forteviot | 20 Aug. 1641 |
| Christian Watterstoun | spouse to Gilbert Guthrie, in Carrat | Inverarity | 15 June 1619 |
| Agnes Lindsay | sometime spouse to David Guthrie, burges of Aberbrothok | Arbroath | 18 Nov. 1598 |
Research Leads from the Index
Several entries intersect directly with current Guthrie Genealogy research and deserve priority when consulting the underlying CC20 records.
The index records confirmations on 18 February and 9 May 1615, followed by another entry on 19 April 1619. These are the St Andrews testament records already examined in the Guthrie of Guthrie / Memus research. The 1619 material should continue to be treated as an eik / supplementary testament proceeding; it does not by itself prove that Alexander’s brother William was his successor.
This wording is genealogically striking, but Mennis is the published index form and should not automatically be normalized to Memus. The original testament is needed before connecting this James and John to the Memus family.
This is a direct territorial entry relevant to the completed Guthrie of Lunan research. The testament may provide household, creditor or succession evidence not visible in the index.
The territorial style and parish association make this a strong candidate for comparison with other Pitmouies / Pitmoweis records. The original record should establish whether additional family members or property relationships are named.
The corresponding secondary entry names Isobel Leslie as spouse to William Guthrie of Geagie in 1621. Together they form a useful documentary pair for the Guthrie of Gagie profile.
This entry links a Guthrie woman to the Lunan ministerial family and may be useful when checking the later Lunan network against parish and testamentary evidence.
Terms & Practices
Testament: In Scottish commissary practice, the confirmed record commonly concerns moveable estate and may include an inventory, debts, executors, cautioners and kinship evidence.
Eik: A later addition to a confirmed testament, often recording property or debt omitted from the original inventory.
Brother-german: A full brother sharing both parents.
Minute-Book: A court minute or abbreviated record may preserve the fact of a testamentary proceeding even where the fuller testament no longer survives.
Alias / wobster: Several entries preserve alias forms such as Webster/Wobster and Guthrie. These should be retained exactly until the original record clarifies whether the wording indicates occupation, surname alias, or hereditary usage.
Sources & Access
Published index: Francis J. Grant, W.S., ed., The Commissariot Record of St Andrews: Register of Testaments, 1549–1800, Scottish Record Society, Old Series No. 8 (Edinburgh: James Skinner & Company, 1902).
Online copy: Internet Archive · Scottish Record Society Old Series No. 8.
Repository: National Records of Scotland, St Andrews Commissary Court, CC20. ScotlandsPeople identifies CC20 as covering parts of Angus, Fife, Kincardineshire, Kinross-shire and Perthshire.
Series bibliography: Scottish Record Society · Old Series Publications.
Guthrie Genealogy · Special CollectionsSt Andrews Commissary Court · Thistle Archive