People of Medieval Scotland (PoMS)
Guthrie and Guthrie-Adjacent References

Introduction

The People of Medieval Scotland (PoMS) database is an outstanding resource for anyone exploring Scottish ancestry before parish registers exist. It is especially relevant for families like the Guthries of Angus, whose early history is preserved primarily through charters rather than vital records. This post summarises what PoMS contains, why it is valuable for broader medieval Scottish research, and what it reveals (and does not reveal) about the early Guthries and their networks.

What is PoMS?

PoMS is a publicly accessible database of all known people of Scotland mentioned in contemporary documents between 1093 and 1314, with ongoing expansion to 1371. It draws from royal, ecclesiastical, and private charters and related records.

Unlike a compiled family tree, PoMS uses a factoid structure. Each entry records an individual performing an action in a document: witnessing a charter, granting or receiving land, confirming a quitclaim, holding office, appearing in legal proceedings, or interacting with a specific place or institution. This makes it a powerful documentary relationship index.

Attribution note: All information below is drawn from the People of Medieval Scotland (PoMS) database at poms.ac.uk and synthesised with published charter editions. PoMS data is freely available for individual, non-commercial use with appropriate acknowledgment.

Why PoMS Matters for Medieval Scottish Genealogy

PoMS is one of the most useful tools available for researching any early Scottish family with a charter footprint. Its relationship-focused design helps genealogists in several practical ways:

• Reveals networks and potential kin — Witness lists, co-grantors, and transaction partners often include relatives, neighbours, overlords, or tenants.
• Places families in specific landscapes — The database excels at mapping baronies, lordships, and ecclesiastical connections (particularly abbeys such as Arbroath).
• Helps distinguish individuals with common names — Context of date, location, office, and co-witnesses allows researchers to separate people who would otherwise be confused.
• Reaches the pre-1500 period — For most Scottish lines, reliable written evidence begins with charters.
• Complements DNA projects — Documentary networks generate testable hypotheses for Y-DNA or autosomal matches.

PoMS originated from major academic projects and is freely accessible at poms.ac.uk.

Why PoMS Contains Relatively Few Direct “Guthrie” Entries

The modest number of Guthrie references in PoMS reflects several factors:

• PoMS’s main chronological window ends around 1371, while many well-documented Guthrie records belong to later centuries.
• The earliest holders appear under the de la Carneille / de la Kernelle naming pattern.
• PoMS is based only on surviving medieval documents and does not include parish registers or later sasines.
• Place-name variants such as Gutheryne, Guthyn, Guyn, and Guynd require careful checking.

What PoMS Does Reveal: The de la Kernelle Connection

PoMS highlights an early connection between the lands of Guthrie and the de la Carneille / de la Kernelle family. A key charter (March 1205 × 1207) records King William the Lion granting the lands of Guthrie (terram de Gutherin) to Walter de la Kernelle, with the sicut clause referencing an earlier holder, Roger de la Kernelle, Lord of Guthrie.

Scholars have interpreted this as suggesting the family eventually adopted the place-name, becoming the Guthries of Guthrie. This remains a respected hypothesis; direct documentation of a formal name change has not survived, and genetic confirmation is still pending.

Guthrie-Adjacent Networks and Collateral Witnesses

PoMS also captures associates and neighbouring landholders who interacted with Guthrie-related properties. Useful names include members of the Fleming family and Lambert Soutar / Suitor, who appear in charters touching lands later incorporated into the barony of Guthrie. These networks help place the early holders within the wider Angus charter world.

How to Explore PoMS Yourself

• Visit the free public site: https://poms.ac.uk/search/
• Try searches for: Gutherin, Gutheryne, Kernelle, Carneille, or Guthrie.
• Note person and source record numbers for your own citations.
• Cross-reference with published editions such as the Regesta Regum Scottorum.

Implications for Guthrie Genealogy and DNA Research

PoMS is a valuable but incomplete lens for the pre-1371 period. It excels at mapping relationships and landholding. The de la Kernelle → Guthrie hypothesis is historically plausible and worth testing alongside traditional sources and DNA evidence.

Closing

PoMS does not contain a ready-made early Guthrie pedigree. What it offers is a rigorously documented window into the medieval documentary world in which the progenitors of the Guthries of that Ilk operated. Used thoughtfully, with proper attribution and your own synthesis, it becomes an invaluable companion for anyone tracing Angus medieval lineages or other early Scottish families with charter connections.