RMS – Volume 10

Guthrie Genealogy · Special Collections · Register of the Great Seal

RMS · Volume X

Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum

A.D. 1652–1659
Decorative thistle with purple bloom, green leaves, and ornamental flourishes

Volume X carries the Guthrie documentary record through the Commonwealth and Protectorate years. Its strongest entries document Auchmuthie, Pitforthie, Gagie, and Guthries serving in legal office, while supplementary records preserve important territorial evidence for Eassie, Kincaldrum, and Hiltoun of Guthrie.

Complete Survey · Index Reconciled
9
Guthrie-Relevant RMS Records
6
Direct Guthrie Records
3
Supplementary Context Records
1652–1659
Published Volume Span

Overview

Volume X is a comparatively compact Guthrie collection, but several of its entries are unusually strong genealogically. The reconciled personal-name and place indexes identify direct family relationships at Auchmuthie and Pitforthie, recurring legal service by James Guthrie, territorial evidence for Gagie, and three additional property records retained as supplementary context.

What the Record Count Means

The 9 included records are divided into two evidence classes so that direct Guthrie evidence is not confused with historically useful place or property context.

6 Direct Guthrie Records: Charters 89, 424, 450, 585, 605, and 658 name one or more Guthrie people in the charter text.
3 Supplementary Context Records: Charters 132, 597, and 640 document Eassie, Kincaldrum, or Hiltoun of Guthrie without supplying a direct Guthrie-person record.

Source basis: RMS Volume X charter text, Index of Names, and Index of Places.

Principal Guthrie Research Clusters

  • Auchmuthie: Patrick Guthrie, Janet/Jonet Reid, and their daughters Isabell and Margaret.
  • Pitforthie: James Guthrie and his documented sons William and David.
  • Legal service: James Guthrie appears twice as a messenger receiving sheriff-fees.
  • Gagie: Francis Guthrie of that Ilk appears in the boundary description for Eistir and Westir Gagies.
  • Eassie, Kincaldrum & Hiltoun: supplementary property records extend the documentary chronology of places associated with Guthrie research.

Source: recurring people, relationships, places, and legal roles documented in the reconciled Volume X records.

A New Index Format

Volume X marks a visible change in the published RMS indexing system. The back matter is headed Index of Names and Index of Places, rather than the Latin-style index headings used in the earlier volumes of this collection.

The index remains a finding aid, not charter wording. Every Guthrie surname entry and every candidate Guthrie-associated place was checked against the corresponding charter before inclusion.
The place sweep also produced exclusions. For example, Gurdie in Charter 465 was inspected and retained as a negative finding rather than silently equated with Guthrie.

Source: RMS Volume X, Index of Names and Index of Places, reconciled against the charter text.

Published Volume & Digital Access

Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Volume X, covering A.D. 1652–1659, was edited by John Horne Stevenson and William Kirk Dickson and published at Edinburgh by H.M. General Register House in 1904.

Open Volume X at HathiTrust Open Volume X at Google Books

Published source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, A.D. 1652–1659, ed. John Horne Stevenson and William Kirk Dickson (Edinburgh, 1904).

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Historical Setting

Volume X belongs to one of the most politically unusual periods represented in the Great Seal registers. Charles II had been crowned King of Scots in 1651, but after military defeat he went into exile. The records of 1652–1659 were therefore produced under Commonwealth and Protectorate government rather than during the ordinary exercise of royal government by a resident Scottish monarch.

Commonwealth Government

The opening years of Volume X follow the military defeat of the royalist cause and the incorporation of Scotland into the Commonwealth political system.

The change is visible in the charters themselves. Early entries such as Charters 89 and 132 are calendared as grants by “THE KEEPERS” rather than by a king.

Documentary frame: RMS X, Charters 89 and 132, A.D. 1653.

The Protectorate

Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector in December 1653 and remained in office until his death in September 1658. His son Richard Cromwell succeeded him and remained Lord Protector until May 1659.

From the middle of the volume onward, Guthrie-relevant entries such as Charters 424, 450, 585, 597, 605, 640, and 658 are calendared as grants or confirmations by “THE PROTECTOR.”

The changing governmental style is preserved as printed in the Volume X charter headings.

The Great Seal Date May Preserve an Earlier Event

As in the earlier RMS volumes, the date of a Great Seal grant or confirmation is not necessarily the date of the underlying family, financial, or property transaction.

Charter 424, confirmed in 1655, preserves a 1646 bond of provision made by Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie for his daughters Isabell and Margaret.
Charter 450, also entered in 1655, incorporates an 1653 apprising involving the Pitforthie lands and William Guthrie’s obligation to enter heir to his deceased father, James Guthrie of Pitforthie.

Great Seal registration, confirmation, bond, resignation, sasine, and apprising dates are kept distinct throughout this page.

Why Volume X Matters Genealogically

The strongest Volume X records explicitly identify relationships that should not be inferred from names alone.

Auchmuthie: Charter 424 identifies Isabell and Margaret Guthries as the only lawful daughters of Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie and Janet Reid.
Pitforthie: Charter 450 identifies David Guthrie as a lawful son of deceased James Guthrie of Pitforthie and separately identifies William Guthrie, minister at the new kirk of Kilmarnock, as a son of the same James.
The charter does not state that William was the eldest son or that David was the younger brother. Those relationships are therefore not added to the RMS evidence.

Source: RMS X, Charters 424 and 450; relationships are stated only to the level supported by the charter wording.

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Master Finding Aid

This finding aid lists the 9 Volume X records retained for Guthrie Genealogy: 6 Direct Guthrie records and 3 Supplementary Context records. Row color distinguishes direct surname evidence from place and property context without adding a redundant evidence-type column.

Direct Guthrie Record

A Guthrie person is expressly named in the charter text. These rows alternate neutral cream and pale lavender.

Supplementary Context

A record preserves a relevant estate, property grouping, barony, or territorial reference without directly naming a Guthrie person. These rows are pale green.

How to Use the Table

Select a charter number to jump to its expanded record below. Source links lead to the verified HathiTrust Volume X copy; printed RMS page numbers are retained separately from digitized image numbers.

Ch.
#		 Date Person /
Place		 Location /
Branch		 Research
Significance		 Source
89 21 Feb 1653 Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie; Jonet Reid Auchmuthie / Arbroath Patrick resigns Auchmuthie in favour of John, Earl of Ethie. His spouse Jonet Reid retains a liferent in the sunny half of Auchmuthie and its houses. RMS X p.49
132 28 Jun 1653 Barony and lands of Essie Eassie / Forfarshire Includes the lands of Essie, Brewlands of Essie, Baldeggie, and New Milne of Essie, described as formerly erected into the barony of Essie. Important later property chronology; no Guthrie person is named. RMS X pp.66–69
424 28 Jun 1655 Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie; Isabell and Margaret Guthries; Janet Reid Auchmuthie / Arbroath Confirms Patrick’s 1646 bond of provision and explicitly identifies Isabell and Margaret as his only lawful daughters, procreated between Patrick and Janet Reid. RMS X p.185
450 27 Jul 1655 David Guthrie; deceased James Guthrie of Pitforthie; Mr William Guthrie Pitforthie / Kethick David is expressly the lawful son of deceased James Guthrie of Pitforthie. William Guthrie, minister at the new kirk of Kilmarnock, is separately identified as James’s son and was charged to enter heir to his father. RMS X p.195
585 19 Jun 1657 James Guthrie, messenger Forfarshire / legal service James Guthrie receives the sheriff-fee in an apprising involving William Gray, sheriff-clerk of Forfar, and property formerly associated with the Gordon family. Professional/legal evidence. RMS X p.246
597 8 Jul 1657 Barony of Kincaldrum Kincaldrum / Forfarshire Records the dominical lands of Kincaldrum, Buchtiehilloch, the manor-place, and temple lands in a Gordon family provision. Useful later property chronology; no Guthrie person is named. RMS X p.253
605 24 Jul 1657 James Guthrie, messenger Arbroath / legal service Second Volume X appearance of James Guthrie as messenger, receiving the sheriff-fee in William Gray’s apprising relating to Kirktoun of Aberbrothock and associated lands. RMS X pp.257–258
640 19 Feb 1658 Hiltoun of Guthrie called Pikertoune Hiltoun / Guthrie / Forfarshire Place-only evidence preserving the form “Hiltoune of Guthrie called Pikertoune” within a large territorial grant. Important Hiltoun property context, but no Guthrie individual is named. RMS X pp.273–275
658 2 Jul 1658 Francis Guthrie of that Ilk; Eistir and Westir Gagies Gagie / Forfarshire Boundary description names Francis Guthrie of that Ilk in association with Eistir and Westir Gagies, together with John Finlaysone of Eister Gegies. Direct territorial evidence without assigning sole ownership of both Gagies to Francis. RMS X p.282

Editorial method: Direct Guthrie evidence is distinguished from supplementary place and property context by row color. Dates shown are RMS entry dates. Earlier bonds, apprisings, resignations, sasines, or other incorporated instruments are identified separately in the expanded records. Printed RMS page numbers are not treated as HathiTrust image numbers.

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Detailed Records · 1653–1655

These first four expanded records include three Direct Guthrie records and one Supplementary Context record. The RMS date and any earlier incorporated transaction are kept separate so that confirmation, resignation, bond, apprising, and family evidence are not collapsed into a single event.

Charter 89 · 21 February 1653 · Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie & Jonet Reid
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 21 Feb 1653
People Patrick Guthrie · Jonet Reid
Property Auchmuthie / Aberbrothock
Document Focus: The Keepers grant to John, Earl of Ethie, the lands of Auchmuthie, the lands of Newtoune of Aberbrothock, and half of the town and lands of Bruntoune with associated teind sheaves. These properties lay within the lordship and barony of Aberbrothock, its regality, and the sheriffdom of Forfar.
Why This Record Matters: The charter explicitly names Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie and his spouse Jonet Reid. Jonet’s liferent is reserved in the sunny half of the lands of Auchmuthie and the houses and pertinents belonging to it.
Property Transaction: The lands had been resigned by Patrick Guthrie in favour of the Earl. The instrument of resignation was taken in the hands of Gavin Burnet, notary public. The printed abstract does not supply a separate earlier date for that resignation.
Liferent Caution: Jonet Reid’s reserved liferent represents a lifetime interest in the specified portion of Auchmuthie. It should not be described as ownership of the whole estate.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 89, pp. 49–50. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust .

Charter 132 · 28 June 1653 · Barony and Lands of Essie
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 28 Jun 1653
Underlying Event Apprising · 7 Jun 1653
Place Essie / Forfarshire
Document Focus: The Keepers grant a very large body of property to Patrick, Earl of Panmure. Among the Forfarshire lands are the lands of Essie, the lands of Glenquharity and Halkertoune, Castletoune, Inglistoune, Deirlands and the Brewlands of Essie, together with Baldeggie and New Milne of Essie.
Why This Record Matters: The charter describes these properties as having been formerly erected into the barony of Essie. No Guthrie individual is named in the Eassie passage, so this is retained as Supplementary Context rather than as a Direct Guthrie record.
Property Chronology: The broader group of lands had pertained to Patrick, Earl of Kinghorne and was apprised from him on 7 June 1653, then judicially sold and disponed to Patrick, Earl of Panmure. The charter records a substantial financial recovery associated with that process.
Research Caution: This record supplies a 1653 snapshot of the barony and its component lands. It does not by itself establish that the Earl of Kinghorne or Earl of Panmure personally occupied Eassie, nor does it identify the local feuars or possessors of every component property.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 132, pp. 66–69. Open RMS Volume X at HathiTrust .

Charter 424 · 28 June 1655 · Patrick Guthrie’s Daughters Isabell & Margaret
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 28 Jun 1655
Underlying Bond 2 Dec 1646
Family / Place Auchmuthie
Document Focus: The Protector confirms a bond of provision dated 2 December 1646 granted by the now-deceased Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie in favour of Isabell and Margaret Guthries.
Relationship Evidence: Isabell and Margaret are expressly described as Patrick’s “only lawful daughters”, procreated between him and Janet Reid, his spouse. This is direct parent-child evidence rather than a relationship inferred from surname or inheritance.
Provision for the Daughters: Patrick bound himself to infeft Isabell and Margaret in annualrents of 800 merks and 480 merks respectively, to be uplifted from Auchmuthie, Newtown of Aberbrothock, and half of Bruntoun with the associated teind sheaves.
Name & Date Note: Volume X prints Patrick’s spouse as Jonet Reid in Charter 89 and Janet Reid in Charter 424. The later charter confirms an earlier 1646 family provision; the 1655 RMS date should not replace the 1646 date when discussing creation of the bond.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 424, p. 185; bond of provision dated 2 Dec 1646. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust .

Charter 450 · 27 July 1655 · David, William & James Guthrie of Pitforthie
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 27 Jul 1655
Underlying Apprising 9 Aug 1653
Property Pitforthie / Kethick
Document Focus: The Protector grants to David Guthrie, lawful son of the deceased James Guthrie of Pitforthie, the lands of Pitforthie with their manor-places and associated rights, lying within the barony of Kethick and sheriffdom of Forfar.
Relationship Evidence: The charter directly states that David Guthrie was a lawful son of James Guthrie of Pitforthie. It also identifies Mr William Guthrie, minister at the new kirk of Kilmarnock, as a son of the same deceased James, because James is expressly called William’s father.
Apprising and Heirship: The Pitforthie lands had belonged to James Guthrie and were apprised on 9 August 1653 from William Guthrie, both for himself and as a person charged to enter heir to his deceased father James. The resulting decree was subsequently assigned to David Guthrie.
Genealogical Caution: The charter establishes that William and David were both sons of James Guthrie of Pitforthie. It does not state that William was the eldest son, nor does it call David the younger brother. Those birth-order conclusions are therefore not added to the RMS evidence.
Why This Record Matters: This is one of the strongest Pitforthie records in the collection because it joins a named landed father with two documented sons, identifies William’s clerical office at Kilmarnock, and connects the family relationship directly with the Pitforthie property.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 450, p. 195; apprising dated 9 Aug 1653. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust .

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Detailed Records · 1657–1658

The final five Volume X records include three Direct Guthrie records and two Supplementary Context records. Together they document repeated legal service by James Guthrie, later Kincaldrum property succession, Hiltoun of Guthrie as a named territorial unit, and Francis Guthrie of that Ilk in the landscape of Eistir and Westir Gagies.

Charter 585 · 19 June 1657 · James Guthrie, Messenger
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 19 Jun 1657
Person / Office James Guthrie · Messenger
Context Forfarshire · Apprising
Document Focus: The Protector grants to William Gray, sheriff-clerk of Forfar, rights of superiority, tenandry, and service of free tenants over the town and lands of Newbiggings and associated property formerly connected with the Gordon family.
Guthrie Evidence: The lands were apprised from Alexander Gordon of Kincaldrum at the instance of William Gray. The charter assigns £124 13s. 4d. Scots of sheriff-fee to James Guthrie, messenger.
Why This Record Matters: This is direct occupational evidence for a James Guthrie acting as a messenger in legal proceedings. He appears again in Charter 605 only a few weeks later, strengthening the identification of a recurring professional Guthrie in the Forfar/Arbroath legal environment.
Date Correction: The printed RMS page is headed A.D. 1657. This charter is therefore dated 19 June 1657, correcting the 1656 date carried on the legacy Volume X page.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 585, p. 246. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust .

Charter 597 · 8 July 1657 · Barony of Kincaldrum
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 8 Jul 1657
Principal Person Lilias Monteith
Property Kincaldrum / Forfarshire
Document Focus: The Protector grants to Lilias Monteith, widow of the deceased Alexander Gordon of Kincaldrum and now spouse of Alexander Bowar, interests arising from a family provision involving the Kincaldrum estate.
Property Description: The charter identifies the barony of Kincaldrum, including the dominical lands of Kincaldrum and Buchtiehilloch, the manor-place, and the temple lands of Kincaldrum, all within the sheriffdom of Forfar.
Succession Context: These lands had pertained to the deceased Alexander Gordon and the deceased George Gordon, his son. The charter preserves a chain of resignation, family provision, liferent, and fee arrangements involving Lilias Monteith and George Gordon.
Why This Record Matters: No Guthrie person is named, so Charter 597 is not treated as Direct Guthrie evidence. Its value is chronological: it provides a firm 1657 record of Kincaldrum in the Gordon family property sequence, useful when comparing later ownership with earlier Guthrie associations.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 597, p. 253. Open RMS Volume X at HathiTrust .

Charter 605 · 24 July 1657 · James Guthrie, Messenger
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 24 Jul 1657
Person / Office James Guthrie · Messenger
Place Kirktoun of Aberbrothock
Document Focus: The Protector grants to William Gray, sheriff-clerk of Forfar, the lands of Kirktoun of Aberbrothock with muir fall, crofts of Saint Vigean, a portion of the common lands, west meadow, and related properties within the lordship and regality of Aberbrothock.
Guthrie Evidence: In the financial and legal proceedings underlying the grant, the record assigns £319 3s. Scots of sheriff-fee to James Guthrie, messenger.
Repeated Office: This is James Guthrie’s second appearance in Volume X in the same professional capacity. Charter 585 on 19 June 1657 and Charter 605 on 24 July 1657 place a James Guthrie repeatedly in messenger service connected with William Gray.
Identity Caution: The repeated name, office, date range, and William Gray context make continuity plausible, but this volume does not supply parentage or a territorial designation for the messenger. He should not be merged with another James Guthrie solely because of the name.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 605, pp. 257–258. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust .

Charter 640 · 19 February 1658 · Hiltoun of Guthrie called Pikertoune
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 19 Feb 1658
Grantee Dr Alexander Ramsay
Place Hiltoun of Guthrie / Pikertoune
Document Focus: The Protector grants to Doctor Alexander Ramsay, physician to the late King, a very extensive body of Forfarshire lands and baronies, including Dronlay, Garden, Reid Castell, Carss, Rescobie, Phinvein, and numerous associated properties.
Hiltoun Reference: Within this territorial list appears “the lands of Hiltoune of Guthrie called Pikertoune, with the services of free tenants”, lying in the sheriffdom of Forfar.
Index Evidence: Volume X’s place index preserves the locality under related forms including Guthrie, Hiltoun of, Hiltoune of Guthrie, and Pikertoune/Pinkerton. These are useful orthographic variants for tracking the estate through the record series.
Research Caution: No Guthrie individual is named in this charter. The appearance of “Guthrie” is part of the place-name. Accordingly, Charter 640 is Supplementary Context and is not counted as a Direct Guthrie-person record.
Why This Record Matters: The charter provides a valuable mid-seventeenth-century territorial reference demonstrating that Hiltoun of Guthrie / Pikertoune remained a recognized named property unit in 1658.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 640, pp. 273–275. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust .

Charter 658 · 2 July 1658 · Francis Guthrie of that Ilk & the Gagies
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 2 Jul 1658
Person Francis Guthrie of that Ilk
Place Eistir & Westir Gagies
Document Focus: The Protector grants to Thomas Scott, merchant burgess of Dundee, the town and lands of Westhall with manor-place, mill, mill-lands, fishings, coal, coal-heughs, limestone quarries, and associated rights in the parish of Murroes and sheriffdom of Forfar.
Guthrie Evidence: The northern boundary is described by reference to the lands of Eistir and Westir Gagies, associated in the charter with Francis Guthrie of that Ilk and John Finlaysone of Eister Gegies.
Territorial Identification: The designation “Francis Guthrie of that Ilk” is direct personal evidence. His identification occurs within the physical boundary description of Westhall rather than as the principal grantee of the charter.
Ownership Caution: The charter should not be paraphrased as proving that Francis Guthrie alone owned both Easter and Wester Gagie. The text associates the Gagies boundary with Francis Guthrie and John Finlaysone, and the wording should be preserved at that level.
Why This Record Matters: Charter 658 supplies a late Volume X territorial reference linking Francis Guthrie of that Ilk with the Gagie landscape and confirms the continued genealogical value of neighbouring-property descriptions even when the Guthrie person is not the charter’s principal party.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, no. 658, p. 282. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust .

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People & Families

Volume X contains only a small number of Guthrie records, but several provide unusually explicit relationship or occupational evidence. This section brings the recurring people and documented family groups together without turning the RMS evidence into a reconstructed pedigree.

The Guthries of Auchmuthie

Charters 89 and 424 · 1653 and 1655

The two Auchmuthie records complement one another particularly well. Charter 89 documents Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie and his spouse Jonet Reid in connection with the resignation of the estate and her reserved liferent.

Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie
spouse: Janet / Jonet Reid
↓
Isabell Guthrie   ·   Margaret Guthrie
described in Charter 424 as their only lawful daughters
Strongest relationship evidence: Charter 424 explicitly states that Isabell and Margaret were the only lawful daughters procreated between Patrick Guthrie and Janet Reid.

The 1655 confirmation preserves Patrick’s earlier 1646 bond of provision, making the record useful both for identifying the family unit and for documenting the financial provision made for the daughters.

The spelling of Patrick’s spouse appears as Jonet Reid in Charter 89 and Janet Reid in Charter 424.

Charter 89 Charter 424

The Guthries of Pitforthie

Charter 450 · 27 July 1655

Charter 450 supplies the clearest family grouping for Pitforthie in Volume X. The deceased James Guthrie of Pitforthie is directly connected with two named sons.

James Guthrie of Pitforthie
deceased before the 1655 Great Seal grant
↓
Mr William Guthrie   ·   David Guthrie
both identified by the charter as sons of James
William Guthrie: minister at the new kirk of Kilmarnock and charged to enter heir to his deceased father James.
David Guthrie: expressly described as a lawful son of the deceased James Guthrie of Pitforthie and the grantee in the 1655 charter.

The record therefore establishes a father with two documented sons, but it does not establish their relative birth order.

Evidence boundary: heirship language for William does not by itself prove that he was the eldest son, and the charter does not call David the younger brother.

Charter 450

James Guthrie, Messenger

Charters 585 and 605 · June–July 1657

Two records within little more than a month name James Guthrie, messenger, in legal proceedings connected with William Gray, sheriff-clerk of Forfar.

James Guthrie
messenger · professional/legal role
1657
Charter 585 · sheriff-fee in an apprising
Charter 605 · sheriff-fee in a second apprising
What the records establish: a James Guthrie repeatedly serving as a messenger in the Forfarshire legal environment and receiving specified sheriff-fees connected with the proceedings.

The close dates, identical office, and recurring association with William Gray make the two entries strongly compatible as references to the same professional man.

Identity caution: Volume X supplies no father, spouse, estate, or territorial designation for this James Guthrie. He should not be attached to a landed Guthrie family merely because his name matches.

Charter 585 Charter 605

Francis Guthrie of that Ilk

Charter 658 · 2 July 1658 · Gagie boundary evidence

Francis Guthrie of that Ilk appears in Charter 658 not as its principal grantee, but within the detailed boundary description of the lands of Westhall.

Francis Guthrie of that Ilk
named in association with the boundary at Eistir and Westir Gagies
Territorial evidence: the northern boundary is described using lands of Eistir and Westir Gagies associated with Francis Guthrie and John Finlaysone of Eister Gegies.

The territorial designation “of that Ilk” is direct personal evidence for Francis. The Gagie language is also valuable for placing him within the local property landscape.

Ownership caution: Charter 658 does not justify stating that Francis Guthrie alone owned both Easter and Wester Gagie. The charter names both Francis Guthrie and John Finlaysone in the relevant boundary context.

Charter 658
How to read this section: These family and identity summaries reproduce relationships or roles that Volume X actually supports. They do not assume that people with the same name belong to the same family, that an heir is automatically an eldest son, or that a Guthrie-associated place proves occupation or ownership by a Guthrie. The supplementary Eassie, Kincaldrum, and Hiltoun records are therefore treated principally as property and research-pathway evidence rather than as family groups.
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Research Pathways

The Volume X charters are most useful when they are followed beyond the individual entry. These pathways identify the family, property, legal, and cross-volume questions raised by the surviving evidence while preserving the distinction between what the RMS proves and what still requires research.

Auchmuthie · Family Provision & Female Heirs

Charters 89 and 424 provide a compact but unusually strong documentary sequence for Patrick Guthrie of Auchmuthie, Janet/Jonet Reid, and their daughters Isabell and Margaret Guthrie.

  • Trace the earlier acquisition and later transfer of Auchmuthie, Newtown of Aberbrothock, and Bruntoun.
  • Look for the marriages and later property interests of Isabell and Margaret.
  • Compare the 1646 bond of provision with testamentary, sasine, marriage-contract, and other family records.
  • Determine whether additional records explain why Patrick’s daughters were provided for by annualrent rather than succession to the estate itself.
Key evidence: Charter 424 expressly calls Isabell and Margaret the only lawful daughters of Patrick Guthrie and Janet Reid.
Charter 89 Charter 424

Pitforthie · James Guthrie and His Sons

Charter 450 establishes one of the clearest father-son groups in Volume X: James Guthrie of Pitforthie with his documented sons William and David.

  • Trace the earlier Pitforthie title and the circumstances that led to the 1653 apprising.
  • Follow Mr William Guthrie through the records of the new kirk of Kilmarnock and other ecclesiastical sources.
  • Trace David Guthrie after the assignment and 1655 Great Seal grant.
  • Compare this evidence with the wider Kingennie–Pitforthie family chronology.
Unresolved: Volume X does not establish which son was older. William’s being charged to enter heir should not be converted into an unsupported statement that he was the eldest son.
Charter 450

Eassie & Hiltoun · Later Property Chronology

Charters 132 and 640 do not name a Guthrie person, but together they provide important seventeenth-century context for places central to the Eassie & Hiltoun research.

  • Charter 132 documents component lands of the barony of Essie in 1653.
  • Charter 640 preserves Hiltoun of Guthrie called Pikertoune in 1658.
  • Compare these later records with the sixteenth-century sequence documenting the Eassie/Hiltoun family in heritable possession.
  • Distinguish carefully between superiority, baronial inclusion, heritable possession, and physical occupation.
Useful spelling evidence: the Volume X place index preserves Pikertoune and Pinkerton alongside Hiltoun of Guthrie.
Charter 132 Charter 640

Kincaldrum · From Guthrie Association to Gordon Possession

Charter 597 is useful because it provides a clear 1657 snapshot of the barony of Kincaldrum within a Gordon family provision.

  • Compare the Gordon succession with earlier RMS references to Guthries associated with Kincaldrum.
  • Trace when and by what legal mechanism the estate passed out of Guthrie-associated hands.
  • Follow the manor-place, temple lands, Buchtiehilloch, and other component properties separately where later records permit.
  • Keep family succession and territorial ownership distinct from later references to persons merely described by the locality.
Volume X evidence: the charter names the deceased Alexander Gordon of Kincaldrum and his deceased son George in the estate’s succession history.
Charter 597

Gagie · Francis Guthrie of that Ilk

Charter 658 offers a valuable example of genealogical evidence preserved in a boundary description rather than in the principal grant.

  • Trace Francis Guthrie of that Ilk in other contemporary property, sasine, testamentary, and court records.
  • Clarify the separate interests represented by Eistir and Westir Gagies.
  • Investigate the relationship of John Finlaysone of Eister Gegies to the local property structure.
  • Compare Francis with earlier and later territorial Guthries carrying the designation “of that Ilk.”
Caution: Charter 658 does not prove that Francis Guthrie alone possessed both Easter and Wester Gagie.
Charter 658

Professional Guthries · James the Messenger

Charters 585 and 605 identify a James Guthrie, messenger, twice in 1657 in proceedings connected with William Gray, sheriff-clerk of Forfar.

  • Search sheriff-court, sasine, notarial, and other legal records for further appearances by James in the same office.
  • Test possible continuity with professional Guthries appearing in adjacent RMS volumes without assuming identity.
  • Look for a fuller designation—residence, parentage, spouse, or occupational appointment—that could distinguish him from other men named James Guthrie.
  • Preserve his office as evidence in its own right rather than forcing him into a landed branch.
Evidence boundary: same name plus similar work is a research lead, not proof of family identity.
Charter 585 Charter 605

Cross-Volume Questions & Negative Findings

A complete index survey is useful not only for what it includes, but also for what it helps rule out.

  • Gurdie · Charter 465: the indexed Wester, Middle, and Eister Gurdie lands were examined and are not treated as Guthrie merely because the spelling is similar.
  • Colliestoune, Aberdeenshire: geographically distinct from the Angus Colliston associated with Guthrie research.
  • Memsay, Aberdeenshire: not treated as Memus / Memes.
  • Ruffen, Elginshire: not treated as the Angus Ruives / Ruffies complex.
  • The visible Craigie index entries were not automatically assigned to the Angus Craigie family without geographic evidence.
Research principle: spelling resemblance is a reason to investigate a candidate, not a reason to merge places, surnames, or people.

Earlier Instruments Inside Later Great Seal Records

Volume X repeatedly demonstrates why the Great Seal date must be separated from the underlying event. Charter 424 confirms Patrick Guthrie’s 1646 bond of provision, while Charter 450 incorporates the 1653 apprising affecting Pitforthie.

These embedded earlier instruments can move a family or property chronology backward several years and may point directly to the next archive series worth searching.

Next-step strategy: where an RMS abstract identifies an earlier bond, sasine, resignation, apprising, contract, or decree, search for the original instrument rather than relying solely on the later Great Seal summary.

Research pathways are based on the reconciled Volume X charter text, Index of Names, and Index of Places. They identify questions and documentary directions rather than asserting relationships or property histories not proved by the cited records.

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Terms, Sources & Access

Volume X uses legal and property language that can change the meaning of a genealogical record. These brief explanations are intended to help readers interpret the records on this page; they supplement rather than duplicate the broader terminology found elsewhere on Guthrie Genealogy.

Property & Inheritance Terms

Annualrent: a recurring payment charged upon land, often used to secure or satisfy a financial obligation. In Charter 424, Patrick Guthrie’s daughters were provided with annualrents upliftable from specified lands.
Liferent: a right lasting for a person’s lifetime to use property or receive its rents and profits without necessarily owning the fee. Jonet Reid’s reserved interest in Charter 89 is a liferent.
Resignation: the formal surrender of lands into the hands of the superior so that they could be granted or regranted according to the intended settlement. Charter 89 records lands resigned by Patrick Guthrie.
Enter heir: the legal process by which an heir completed title to a deceased person’s heritable estate. Being charged to enter heir does not, by itself, prove that the person was the eldest son.
Superiority: the superior’s feudal interest in land. A person holding the superiority need not have been the person physically possessing or occupying the property.

Debt, Diligence & Legal Process

Apprising: a judicial process by which a creditor pursued a debtor’s heritable property for payment of debt. Several Volume X property transfers arise from apprisings rather than ordinary family conveyances.
Messenger: an officer who executed legal process and formal diligences. James Guthrie is twice identified simply as a messenger in Charters 585 and 605.
Sheriff-fee: a sum assigned in connection with execution of sheriff-court procedure or diligence. In Charters 585 and 605, specified sheriff-fees are allocated to James Guthrie in his role as messenger.
Bond of provision: an obligation used to make financial provision for family members. Charter 424 confirms Patrick Guthrie’s 1646 bond providing for his daughters Isabell and Margaret.
Confirmation / Great Seal grant: the date printed for an RMS entry may record the later formal confirmation or grant rather than the date on which the underlying family or property transaction first occurred.

Land, Barony & Territorial Language

Barony: a legally recognized territorial unit that could contain numerous towns, lands, mills, pendicles, and other properties. Inclusion within a barony does not prove that its baron personally occupied every component estate.
Dominical lands: the demesne or principal lands associated with an estate or manor. Charter 597 refers to the dominical lands of Kincaldrum and Buchtiehilloch.
Manor-place: the principal residential or administrative seat associated with an estate. Its appearance in a charter is property evidence and does not necessarily establish who was physically resident there on the RMS date.
Temple lands: a technical designation for lands whose tenure had medieval institutional origins. The phrase does not mean that a literal temple or church stood on the property.
“Of that Ilk”: a Scottish territorial style indicating that a person’s surname and territorial designation were the same. Francis Guthrie is styled Francis Guthrie of that Ilk in Charter 658.

How to Read a Volume X Entry

1. Start with the charter number and RMS date. These identify the entry in the printed Volume X calendar.
2. Look for an earlier instrument. A bond, resignation, apprising, sasine, contract, decree, or other document may predate the RMS entry by years.
3. Preserve the person’s exact role. Proprietor, spouse, daughter, heir, messenger, minister, superior, boundary holder, and witness are not interchangeable descriptions.
4. Separate property from identity. A Guthrie-named place does not automatically identify a living Guthrie person. Charter 640 is therefore contextual even though it names Hiltoun of Guthrie.
5. Do not create relationships from implication alone. Charter 450 proves that William and David were sons of James Guthrie of Pitforthie, but it does not establish their birth order.

Index of Names & Index of Places

Volume X visibly differs from the earlier volumes in this collection: its back matter is headed Index of Names and Index of Places.

Index of Names: useful for locating people, offices, relationships, and surname references. The Guthrie heading led to six unique direct-person charter candidates in the reconciled survey.
Index of Places: useful for recovering territorial records omitted by a surname-only search. It led to the additional Eassie, Kincaldrum, and Hiltoun contextual records.
Editorial caution: an index entry is a finding aid created by the editors. It helps identify and locate a record, but it should not be quoted as though its wording appeared in the charter itself.
Variant spellings: the place index itself uses forms such as Pikertoune and Pinkerton. Variant spelling is preserved where genealogically or geographically useful rather than silently normalized.

Source Hierarchy Used on This Page

1
RMS Charter Text
The printed abstract of the Great Seal record is the primary evidence used for names, relationships, legal roles, places, transactions, and dates presented on this page.
2
Index of Names / Index of Places
Used to discover candidates, identify editorial groupings, and perform a systematic surname and property sweep. Each relevant candidate was checked against the charter text.
3
Guthrie Genealogy Analysis
Historical and genealogical significance is interpreted from the documentary evidence while preserving uncertainty and avoiding unsupported pedigree or ownership claims.

Printed Pages, Digital Images & Record Numbers

Three numbering systems may appear while working with a digitized RMS volume: the charter number, the printed RMS page number, and the digital image or sequence number used by the hosting website. They are not interchangeable.

Collection rule: a charter is identified by its printed charter number. A digitized image number is used only for navigation when it has been verified against the correct printed page and charter.

Volume X · Published Source & Digital Access

Volume X covers A.D. 1652–1659 and was edited by John Horne Stevenson and William Kirk Dickson. It was published at Edinburgh by H.M. General Register House in 1904.

Open Volume X at HathiTrust Open Volume X at Google Books
Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. X, A.D. 1652–1659, ed. John Horne Stevenson and William Kirk Dickson (Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House, 1904).

Digital-access rule: exact charter-page links are used only where the destination has been verified. Where no exact digital destination has been established, this page links to the verified Volume X item rather than inventing an image or sequence number.

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