Edinburgh Apprentices
The Register of Apprentices of the City of Edinburgh
The Edinburgh apprenticeship registers record the formal binding of young men to masters in the city’s trades and crafts. For genealogy, their particular value lies in the compact identifying details they preserve: fathers, brothers, territorial designations, occupations, masters and dates of registration.
For Guthrie research the series is especially useful because it catches family members at the beginning of their working lives and later reappearing as masters. It also links Edinburgh’s craft community with landed and clerical Guthrie families elsewhere in Scotland.
Master Index · Volume Survey
| Volume | Editor / Year | Primary | Indirect | Status / Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1583–1666 | Francis J. Grant · 1906 | 15 | 18 | Reviewed — entries found. HathiTrust catalog |
| 1666–1700 | Charles B. Boog Watson · 1929 | 2 | 6 | Reviewed — entries found. HathiTrust catalog |
| 1701–1755 | Charles B. Boog Watson · 1929 | 2 | 0 | Reviewed — primary entries found; no indirect references. HathiTrust catalog |
| 1756–1800 | Marguerite Wood · 1963 | — | — | Access incomplete / not reviewed. HathiTrust catalog · TannerRitchie |
Edinburgh Apprentices · 1583–1666
| Apprentice | Parentage / Family / Master | Registration Date |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Guthrie | Son to Gabriell G., brother-german to Alexander G., of that Ilk, with John Heriot, tailor | 12 Apr. 1615 |
| Alexander Guthrie | Son to Harry G., of Colliston, with John Rynd, merchant | 20 Sept. 1626 |
| Francis Guthrie | Brother to Alexander G., of Gegyye, with Robert Meiklejohn, skinner | 5 Dec. 1621 |
| Hercules Guthrie | Son to Alexander G., of that Ilk, with James Gairdyn, litster | 26 Mar. 1606 |
| James Guthrie | Son to late John G., of Colliston, with Robert Tenent, skinner | 20 Mar. 1598-9 |
| James Guthrie | With Samuel Thomson, cutler | 23 Mar. 1614 |
| James Guthrie | Son to Alexander G., of Kyncadrome, with Andrew Hepburn, skinner | 12 Nov. 1635 |
| James Guthrie | Son to late James G., writer in Edinburgh, with James Broun, hatmaker | 6 Feb. 1661 |
| John Guthrie | With John Heriott, tailor | 6 July 1602 |
| John Guthrie | Brother to Mr. David G., servitor to the Laird of Edzell, with James Mitchell, tailor | 1 Aug. 1610 |
| John Guthrie | Son to David G., of Kyncadrome, with David Jonkeine, merchant | 3 Feb. 1630 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Son to Alexander G., of that Ilk, with John Gairdyn, litster | 16 Mar. 1601 |
| Thomas Guthrie | Son to Walter G., burgess of Musselburgh, with Samuel Guthrie, litster | 14 Apr. 1652 |
| William Guthrie | Son to late John G., clerk in Leith, with John Rea, merchant | 29 Aug. 1610 |
| William Guthrie | Son to late George G., indweller in Edinburgh, with Barnard Abercrombie, tailor | 3 Mar. 1624 |
| Referenced Guthrie | Role / Context | Associated Individual / Details | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Guthrie | Master (tailor) | David Guidlet (son to Harry G., of Abberschauck) | 2 Mar. 1636 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Master (litster) | William Blair (son to Thomas B., of Neve) | 27 July 1631 |
| James Guthrie | Master (merchant) | John Brown (son to late James B., of Leckaway) | 7 Aug. 1661 |
| David Guthrie | Master (litster) | James Crichton (son to Alexander C., notar in Fraserburgh) | 24 Feb. 1658 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Master (litster) | Alexander Culloch (son to Thomas C., merchant) | 3 May 1626 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Master (litster) | William Cuthbert (son to late Alexander C., indweller in Inverness) | 10 Apr. 1616 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Master (litster) | William Davidson (second son to James D., of Heirvestoune) | 7 Apr. 1619 |
| James Guthrie | Master (skinner) | Arthur Forbes (son to late Alexander F., bishop of Aberdeen) | 14 Dec. 1625 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Master (litster) | John Garden (son to Alexander G., of Cranstoun) | 6 Aug. 1634 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Master (litster) | Robert Goudie (son to late Robert G., wright) | 27 Mar. 1622 |
| Samuel Guthrie | Master (litster) | Nicoll Heriot (son to Mr. George H., minister) | 25 Nov. 1640 |
| James Guthrie | Master (skinner) | John Inglis (son to late Francis I., chamberlain) | 22 Mar. 1637 |
| James Guthrie | Master (skinner) | Gilbert MacLennan (transferred) | 14 Dec. 1625 |
| James Guthrie | Master (skinner) | Robert Mackye (son to late William M., burgess of Montrose) | 28 Nov. 1621 |
| Thomas Guthrie | Master (litster) | Alexander Simpson (son to John S., baxter) | 18 Feb. 1663 |
| James Guthrie | Master (skinner) | Hew Somervell (transferred) | 5 Dec. 1632 |
| John Guthrie | Master (tailor) | Gavin Thomson (son to Edward T., maltman) | 30 May 1621 |
| James Guthrie | Master (skinner) | Gilbert Wood (son to John W., in Mylne Bowie) | 25 Jan. 1615 |
Edinburgh Apprentices · 1666–1700
| Apprentice | Parentage / Family / Master | Registration Date |
|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Guthrie | s. to dec. Wm. G., mt. in Dundie, p. to Magnus Prince, mt. | 15 June 1681 |
| Robert Guthrie | s. to Thomas G. in Sanuchar, p. to James Prettey, lock-smith | 4 Aug. 1675 |
| Referenced Guthrie | Role / Context | Associated Individual / Details | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Guthrie | Master (candlemaker) | Thomas Anderson (s. to James A., indweller in Nether Gogar) | 23 Oct. 1667 |
| James Guthrie | Master (hatmaker) | George Cameron (s. to umq. John C.) | 14 Feb. 1672 |
| Walter Guthrie | Master (candlemaker) | James Dickson (s. to umq. John D. in Newtownhill) | 20 Aug. 1679 |
| Walter Guthrie | Master (candlemaker) | John Dickson (s. to John D., weaver in Newbotell) | 4 Dec. 1672 |
| Walter Guthrie | Master (candlemaker) | John Liston (s. to umq. John L., fermourer in Easter Drylaw) | 15 June 1687 |
| Walter Guthrie | Master (candlemaker) | Gilbert Penicuick (s. to Gilbert P., weaver in Stratoun) | 14 Mar. 1683 |
Edinburgh Apprentices · 1701–1755
| Apprentice | Parentage / Family / Master | Registration Date |
|---|---|---|
| John Guthrie | s. of Mr. John G., minr. at Ratho, p. to Andrew Mowat, mt. (B.) | 20 July 1743 |
| Wm. Guthrie | s. to Wm. G., late chirurgeon in London, p. to Charles Dickeson, goldsmith (B.) | 11 May 1720 |
Edinburgh Apprentices · 1756–1800
The volume can be traced through the HathiTrust catalogue, and the source also identifies TannerRitchie as a route for purchasing electronic access.
Research Leads from the Apprenticeship Registers
The registers are particularly good at revealing how landed and professional Guthrie families fed into Edinburgh’s craft and merchant community. The following clusters merit comparison with the original apprenticeship entries and other Guthrie Genealogy collections.
Guthrie of that Ilk
Samuel Guthrie (1601) and Hercules Guthrie (1606) are each described as sons of Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk. Alexander Guthrie, apprenticed in 1615, is described as son of Gabriel Guthrie, who was brother-german to Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk. These are unusually explicit kinship statements.
Colliston
James Guthrie, son of the late John Guthrie of Colliston, was apprenticed to a skinner in 1598/9. Alexander Guthrie, son of Harry Guthrie of Colliston, was apprenticed to merchant John Rynd in 1626. Both entries deserve comparison with the reconstructed Colliston generations.
Kincaldrum & Gagie
John Guthrie, son of David of Kincaldrum, appears in 1630; James Guthrie, son of Alexander of Kincaldrum, in 1635; and Francis Guthrie is explicitly called brother to Alexander Guthrie of Gagie in 1621.
Leith Clerk Family
William Guthrie, registered in 1610, is described as son of the late John Guthrie, clerk in Leith. This is a strong cross-reference to the documented Leith clerk/notary family already appearing in other Special Collections.
Samuel Guthrie was apprenticed in 1601 to John Gairdyn, litster. A Samuel Guthrie later appears repeatedly as a master litster between 1616 and 1640. The chronology is highly suggestive, but the register extracts alone do not prove that apprentice and master were the same man.
A John Guthrie was apprenticed to tailor John Heriott in 1602. A John Guthrie later appears as a master tailor in 1621 and 1636. Again, the occupational sequence is plausible but should remain provisional until corroborated.
James Guthrie appears repeatedly as a master skinner between 1615 and 1637, while Walter Guthrie appears as a master candlemaker from 1667 through 1687. These repeated master entries can help reconstruct workshop, guild and household networks even when no Guthrie apprentice is named.
Terms & Practices
Son of; a direct parentage statement for the apprentice.
Presented or apprenticed to the named master, as abbreviated in the published register.
Merchant.
Minister.
Deceased.
Natural son.
Burgess status as shown in the register.
Full brother, sharing both parents.
A territorial style in which family surname and estate name are the same.
Dyer; one of the recurring Edinburgh craft occupations in the Guthrie entries.
Sources & Access
1583–1666: Francis J. Grant, ed., The Register of Apprentices of the City of Edinburgh, 1583–1666 (Edinburgh: printed for the Scottish Record Society by J. Skinner, 1906). HathiTrust catalogue.
1666–1700: Charles B. Boog Watson, ed., Register of Edinburgh Apprentices, 1666–1700 (Edinburgh: printed for the Scottish Record Society by J. Skinner & Co., 1929). HathiTrust catalogue.
1701–1755: Charles B. Boog Watson, ed., Register of Edinburgh Apprentices, 1701–1755 (Edinburgh: printed for the Scottish Record Society by J. Skinner & Co. Ltd., 1929). HathiTrust catalogue.
1756–1800: Marguerite Wood, ed., Register of Edinburgh Apprentices, 1756–1800 (Edinburgh: printed for the Scottish Record Society by J. Skinner, 1963). HathiTrust catalogue. The supplied page also identifies TannerRitchie as an electronic-access option.
Guthrie Genealogy · Special CollectionsEdinburgh Apprenticeship Registers · Thistle Archive