RMS – Volume 6

Guthrie Genealogy · Special Collections · Register of the Great Seal

RMS · Volume VI

Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum

A.D. 1593–1608
Decorative thistle with purple bloom, green leaves, and ornamental flourishes

Volume VI follows Guthrie people, properties, offices, marriages, witnesses, and territorial references through the later reign of James VI. The records are especially valuable for the Guthries of Guthrie and Hiltoun, Colliston and its associated lands, Balnabreich, Kincaldrum, Kinblathmont, Kingennie, Gagie, and the Edinburgh professional branch.

Complete Survey · Index Reconciled
40
Expanded RMS Records
31
Direct Guthrie Records
9
Supplementary Context Records
1593–1608
Published Volume Span

Overview

Volume VI is unusually rich in evidence that connects named Guthries with specific properties, occupations, marriages, and family relationships. The finding aid also preserves selected territorial records that help explain the lands around documented Guthrie families even when no Guthrie person is named in the charter itself.

What the Record Count Means

The 40 expanded records are divided into two evidence classes so that place-name context is not confused with direct personal evidence.

31 Direct Guthrie Records: charters that name a Guthrie person or contain a direct textual Guthrie reference. This includes the indexed Guthrie group and Charter 2136, which directly names an earlier “Guthrie of Kincaldrum” although that reference is not separately indexed under the surname.
9 Supplementary Context Records: Gorthie or territorial records retained because they clarify Balnabreich, Kinblathmont, Colliston/Ruives/Guthrieshill, or other places relevant to Guthrie research.

Source basis: RMS Volume VI charter text, Index Nominum, and Index Locorum.

Principal Guthrie Research Clusters

  • Guthrie of Guthrie / Hiltoun: succession, Haltoun property, and the barony of Guthrie.
  • Colliston: family witnesses and the broader Colliston–Ruives–Guthrieshill territorial complex.
  • Balnabreich: family, debt, succession, and later territorial references to Easter and Wester Balnabreich.
  • Kincaldrum & Kinblathmont: marriage contracts, heirs, witnesses, superiority, and earlier ownership.
  • Kingennie & Gagie: named family members and supporting land or witness evidence.
  • Edinburgh: Master Alexander Guthrie and the civic/professional branch associated with the burgh.

Source: recurring people, places, and relationships documented across the Volume VI expanded records.

Surname and Index Treatment

The printed Index Nominum groups Guthrie with forms including Gothray, Gothrey, and Gottray. Those editorial groupings are useful evidence, but the charter wording remains primary.

Gorthie is handled separately. Where the printed index gives Gorthie its own heading, this collection preserves that distinction rather than silently converting every Gorthie person or place into Guthrie.

Source: RMS Volume VI, Index Nominum and Index Locorum.

Published Volume & Digital Access

Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Volume VI, covering A.D. 1593–1608, was edited by John Maitland Thomson and published at Edinburgh in 1890.

Open Volume VI at HathiTrust Open Volume VI at Internet Archive

Published source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. VI, A.D. 1593–1608, ed. John Maitland Thomson (Edinburgh, 1890).

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Historical Setting

Every charter in Volume VI falls within the reign of James VI of Scotland. The period spans the final decade before the Union of the Crowns and the first years in which James ruled both Scotland and England while the two kingdoms remained legally separate.

James VI and the Union of the Crowns

James VI had ruled Scotland since infancy. In 1603, after the death of Elizabeth I, he also succeeded to the English throne as James I. The crowns were thereafter held by the same monarch, but Scotland and England retained separate parliaments, laws, and institutions.

For Guthrie research, this means the whole volume belongs to a single Scottish reign even though the political setting changes significantly after 1603.

Historical frame: reign of James VI; Volume VI covers A.D. 1593–1608.

Royal Confirmation Does Not Equal Event Date

RMS entries often confirm or restate earlier charters, contracts, resignations, sasines, or other instruments. A charter entered in this volume may therefore preserve evidence from decades before its royal confirmation date.

Example: Charter 1337 was confirmed in 1602 but preserves an earlier 1511 witness list naming William Guthrie of Kyngennie and a separate 1563 precept naming Katherine Gorthie. The dates and evidence layers must be kept distinct.

Source: RMS VI, Charter 1337 and its incorporated earlier instruments.

Property Language Matters

Volume VI repeatedly distinguishes between ownership, feu tenure, superiority, occupation, liferent, and earlier property rights. These are not interchangeable descriptions.

A charter granting superiority over lands does not by itself prove that the grantee occupied those lands. Likewise, a place appearing in a baronial grant may preserve useful territorial context without naming the family then in physical possession.

Source basis: recurring tenure language in Volume VI, including the Kinblathmont and Arbroath-temporality records.

Why Volume VI Matters Genealogically

The strongest entries do more than place a surname in a document. They identify fathers and sons, heirs apparent, spouses, brothers, witnesses, offices, and named estates. Taken together, these records help separate similarly named Guthries and connect individuals to specific branches and properties.

Particular value comes from the Guthrie/Hiltoun succession evidence, Kincaldrum marriage and heir material, Kinblathmont family references, Balnabreich family and debt evidence, Colliston witnesses, and the documented Edinburgh civic branch.

Source: RMS Volume VI expanded records and reconciled personal/place indexes.

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Master Finding Aid

This finding aid lists the 40 expanded Volume VI records retained for Guthrie Genealogy: 31 direct Guthrie records and 9 supplementary contextual or territorial records. The color system distinguishes direct-person evidence from supplementary context without using a separate evidence-type column.

Direct Guthrie Record

A Guthrie person is named, an indexed Guthrie spelling variant is used, or the charter contains a direct textual Guthrie reference. These records form the core surname set.

Supplementary Context

A record preserves a relevant place, property, superiority, territorial grouping, or separately indexed Gorthie reference without being counted as a direct Guthrie-person record.

How to Use the Table

Select a charter number to jump to its expanded record. The source link opens the corresponding digitized page in RMS Volume VI.

Ch.
#		 Date Person /
Place		 Location /
Branch		 Research
Significance		 Source
50 24 Jan1593–94 Wester Balnabreich Brechin / Forfar Western half of Balnabreich, with mill and mill lands, used in warrandice; no Guthrie named. RMS VI
p.16
59 5 Feb1593–94 Gorthie-croft Tain / Ross Place-name in a feu-farm grant; no Guthrie individual named. RMS VI
p.20
111 14 Jun1594 Master Alexander Guthrie Edinburgh Common clerk / professional and civic evidence. RMS VI
pp.41–42
163 24 Sep1594 Alexander Guthrie senior of that Ilk; late Alexander Guthrie his father Haltoun of Inverpeffer / Guthrie Important succession and property evidence linking father and son. RMS VI
p.56
165 30 Sep1594 Henry Guthrie, son of the laird of Kyngennie Rescobie / Kingennie Witness evidence for the Kingennie family. RMS VI
p.56
203 14 Jan1594–95 Master Henry Guthrie Collace Clerical identification and witness evidence. RMS VI
pp.68–69
392 30 Dec1595 Ninian Guthrie of Kyngany Panmure / Kingennie Named territorial witness. RMS VI
p.131
394 31 Dec1595 James Guthrie Balnabreich / Brechin Landholding evidence with Balnabreich context. RMS VI
p.132
479 4 Nov1596 James Guthrie of Gagie Perthshire / Gagie Assize service identifying James by territorial designation. RMS VI
pp.162–163
481 10 Nov1596 Elizabeth Gorthrey Methven Co-grantee; surname form belongs to the Guthrie grouping used by the printed Index Nominum. RMS VI
p.163
514 30 Jan1596–97 John Guthrie of Colliston; Alexander and James Guthrie Colliston Colliston family transaction with multiple Guthrie participants. RMS VI
p.173
558 4 May1597 John Gottray; William Gottray Ayrshire Tenant evidence under an indexed Guthrie surname variant. RMS VI
p.185
639 10 Jan1597–98 Alexander Guthrie senior and junior Barony of Guthrie / Hiltoun Major Main Line territorial record; Index Locorum also links Hiltoun [de Guthrie] to this charter. RMS VI
p.210
714 24 May1598 Alexander Guthrie in Craquhy-mylne Auldbar Witness and residence/occupation evidence. RMS VI
p.233
919 2 Jun1599 Robert Gothray, miller Berwickshire Occupational witness under an indexed Guthrie surname variant. RMS VI
p.301
995 25 Dec1599 Robert Guthrie of Kinblathmont Kinblathmont Named territorial witness. RMS VI
p.330
1006 25 Jan1600 James Guthrie, portioner of Balnabreich Balnabreich Direct territorial designation and former-property evidence. RMS VI
p.332
1010 12 Feb1600 Gorthie / Mylntoun of Gorthie Perthshire Boundary/place reference; retained separately from definite surname-Guthrie evidence. RMS VI
p.334
1060 15 Jul1600 William Guthrie of Kynganie Dundee / Kingennie Patronage and territorial identification. RMS VI
p.360
1157 18 Mar1601 John Guthrie Brechin Earlier/adjoining ownership evidence. RMS VI
p.400
1176 8 May1601 James Guthrie of Easter Balnabreich; Master James Guthrie; Euphamia Guthrie Balnabreich / Haltoun Major family, debt, succession, and marital evidence; Christina Barroun is James Guthrie’s spouse. RMS VI
p.409
1190 15 Jun1601 Alexander Guthrie senior and junior Barony of Guthrie Main Line land transaction and family evidence. RMS VI
pp.413–414
1197 20 Jun1601 Cottoun of Kinbrathmont Kinblathmont / Arbroath Detailed boundary evidence using the Cottoun of Kinblathmont as a landscape marker; no Guthrie named. RMS VI
pp.416–418
1216 12 Jul1601 Kinblathmont superiority and demesne lands Kinblathmont Patrick Wood grant includes superiority of the demesne lands of Kinblathmont; superiority is not the same as physical possession. RMS VI
p.425
1337 31 Jul1602 William Guthrie of Kyngennie; Katherine Gorthie Forfar 1602 confirmation preserves a 1511 Guthrie witness and a separate 1563 Gorthie heir reference. RMS VI
p.467
1363 11 Nov1602 Oliver Gorthie Orkney Witness in an incorporated 1578 sasine; retained as separately indexed Gorthie rather than silently converted to Guthrie. RMS VI
pp.479–480
1371 29 Nov1602 Master Alexander Guthrie Edinburgh Scribe / civic-professional evidence. RMS VI
p.482
1465 18 Jun1603 Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum Kincaldrum Prior-property evidence associated with Kincaldrum. RMS VI
p.534
1731 21 Apr1606 Robert Guthrie of Kinblathmont; Patrick Guthrie; other family members Kinblathmont / Arbroath Major Kinblathmont family grant and relationship evidence. RMS VI
p.628
1759 19 Jun1606 Gilbert Guthrie senior and junior Aberdeen Urban family and house-grant evidence. RMS VI
p.640
1892 22 Apr1607 Henry Guthrie; Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum Glenboy / Kincaldrum Occupier plus named territorial witness. RMS VI
pp.687–688
1935 30 Jun1607 Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum; David Guthrie; family Kincaldrum Major marriage settlement and family relationship record. RMS VI
p.703
1939 7 Jul1607 Barony of Kinblaikmonth Kinblathmont Territorial context confirming Kinblathmont as a named barony; no Guthrie person named. RMS VI
pp.705–706
1990 18 Nov1607 Master Alexander Guthrie Edinburgh Curator / scribe evidence for the Edinburgh professional branch. RMS VI
p.723
2040 25 Feb1608 Easter Balnabreich Brechin / Forfar Later property chronology: Easter Balnabreich, with manor, mills, and fisheries, appears in a Lindsay grant; no Guthrie named. RMS VI
p.742
2072 30 Apr1608 Master Alexander Guthrie; Mariot Hay; Alexander Guthrie junior Wareistoun Family grant with spouse and next-generation evidence. RMS VI
pp.753–754
2075 5 May1608 Colliston; Ruives; Guthrieshill; Kincaldrum Arbroath temporal lordship Major territorial context linking the Colliston–Ruives–Guthrieshill complex within the Arbroath temporalities; superiority/context does not equal occupation. RMS VI
pp.754–757
2099 7 Jun1608 Robert Guthrie of Kilblathmont Kellie / Kinblathmont Named territorial witness. RMS VI
p.766
2136 23 Jul1608 Unnamed Guthrie of Kincaldrum Carrett / Kincaldrum Direct textual statement of earlier Guthrie property; forename omitted in the printed abstract. RMS VI
p.781
2182 13 Dec1608 Elizabeth Guthrie Kowbyre Spousal reference and family-network evidence. Search RMS VI for 2182

Editorial method: direct surname evidence is distinguished from place-only, superiority, territorial, and separately indexed Gorthie material. Dates shown are RMS entry dates unless the expanded record identifies an earlier incorporated instrument.

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Detailed Records · January 1593/94–December 1595

These first seven records include two supplementary territorial/place references and five direct Guthrie records. Dates in the record headings are the RMS confirmation or grant dates; where an entry incorporates an earlier charter or instrument, that earlier date is identified separately.

Charter 50 · 24 January 1593–94 · Wester Balnabreich
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 24 Jan 1593–94
Place Wester Balnabreich
County / Lordship Brechin, Forfar
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter made by John Carnegie and members of his family in favour of John Persoun, burgess of Dundee, and Margaret Carnegie his spouse. The principal conveyance concerned the lands and town of Easter Liff. As special warrandice, the charter also included the western half of the lands and town of Balnabreich, with its mill and mill lands, in the lordship of Brechin.
Why This Record Matters: No Guthrie is named, so this is not counted as a direct Guthrie record. It is retained because it documents Wester Balnabreich as a separately described half of Balnabreich at the opening of Volume VI and provides useful property context for the Balnabreich research sequence.
Property Note: The Balnabreich lands appear here as warrandice supporting another conveyance. That role should not be read as evidence that John Persoun and Margaret Carnegie were being granted the whole of Balnabreich outright.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. VI, no. 50, p. 16. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 59 · 5 February 1593–94 · Gorthie-croft at Tain
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 5 Feb 1593–94
Place Croftgorthie / Gorthie-croft
County Ross / Tain
Document Focus: The King granted in feu-farm to Ferquhar Munro, portioner of Little Kindeace, and Katherine McCulloch his spouse the lands of Mid-Aldy, with mill and associated rights, together with a small croft called Croftgorthie on the north-west side of the lands and another piece of ground at Tain. These had formerly formed part of the temporal lands of the bishopric of Ross.
Why This Record Matters: This is a place-name record only. No Guthrie person is named. Because Volume VI’s indexes treat Gorthie separately from the principal Guthrie surname heading, the collection preserves the spelling exactly and does not automatically identify Croftgorthie as a Guthrie-family property.
Terms / Practice: Feu-farm was heritable tenure in return for a fixed annual duty. Conjunct infeftment placed the spouses jointly in the holding, normally with survivorship provisions. The charter also required duplication of the feu-duty on entry of heirs.

Source: RMS VI, no. 59, p. 20. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 111 · 14 June 1594 · Master Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 14 Jun 1594
Underlying Record 11 Nov 1584
Place / Role Edinburgh · Common Clerk
Document Focus: The King confirmed a letter concerning the free craftsmen of the tailors’ craft of Edinburgh. The incorporated burgh record arose from council proceedings of 11 November 1584 and dealt with the craft’s internal authority and regulation.
Why This Record Matters: Master Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh, is explicitly named as the official who recorded or extracted the burgh document. This is strong evidence for an educated, professional Guthrie serving in a senior civic-recordkeeping role in the capital.
Office: The Common Clerk was the burgh officer responsible for official records, extracts, and council business—functionally comparable to a town clerk. The designation helps distinguish this Alexander from landed men of the same name.

Source: RMS VI, no. 111, pp. 41–42; the incorporated burgh record is dated 11 Nov 1584. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 163 · 24 September 1594 · Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk and His Father
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 24 Sep 1594
People Alexander senior; late Alexander his father
Property Haltoun of Inverpeffer & Cottoun
Document Focus: At Holyroodhouse the King granted to Alexander Guthrie senior of that Ilk, his heirs and assignees, the lands of Haltoun of Inverpeffer and Cottoun of the same, with mill and mill lands, in the barony of Slanis, sheriffdom of Forfar.
Why This Record Matters: The charter states that these lands had formerly belonged to the late Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk, father of the grantee, and to his predecessors. It therefore supplies unusually direct father-son succession evidence within the Main Line while also documenting a specific property descent.
Chronology / Property Caution: This record concerns Haltoun of Inverpeffer. It should not be silently equated with every other Hiltoun/Haltoun place associated with Guthrie families elsewhere in the RMS.

Source: RMS VI, no. 163, p. 56. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 165 · 30 September 1594 · Henry Guthrie, Son of the Laird of Kingennie
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 30 Sep 1594
Underlying Charter 23 Jun 1584
Branch Kingennie / Kynganie
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter involving Peter Hay of Leys and an annual rent from the demesne lands called the Mains of Stradichmartyne in the regality of Rescobie, Forfarshire. The underlying charter was executed at Dundee on 23 June 1584.
Why This Record Matters: Among the witnesses is Henry Guthrie, son of the lord/laird of Kynganie. The wording gives a clear familial identifier rather than merely a surname and supports the Kingennie branch’s presence in Angus legal and property networks.
Terms / Practice: The transaction used blench farm tenure, here represented by the nominal annual payment of one silver penny. Witnessing proves participation in the legal act, but does not by itself establish kinship with the Hay, Ogilvy, Mudie, Kinnaird, or Wyntoun parties.

Source: RMS VI, no. 165, p. 56; underlying charter dated 23 Jun 1584 at Dundee. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 203 · 14 January 1594–95 · Master Henry Guthrie, Minister of Collace
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 14 Jan 1594–95
Underlying Charter 9 Dec 1594
Office / Place Minister of Collace
Document Focus: The King confirmed a Langlands family charter involving portions of lands including Collace, Little Buttergask, and Brydingstoun in the sheriffdoms of Perth and Forfar, with various reserved liferents. The underlying charter was executed at Collace on 9 December 1594.
Why This Record Matters: Master Henry Guthrie, minister of Collace, is named among the witnesses. The title “Master” and his parish office provide strong occupational identification and add to the documentary record of educated Guthrie clergy in the Angus/Perthshire region.
Term: A liferent was a lifetime right to receive the use, rents, or profits of property without necessarily holding the fee itself. The liferent reservations in this charter belong to the Langlands-family transaction, not to Henry Guthrie.

Source: RMS VI, no. 203, pp. 68–69; underlying charter dated 9 Dec 1594 at Collace. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 392 · 30 December 1595 · Ninian Guthrie of Kingennie
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 30 Dec 1595
Underlying Charter 12 May 1562
Branch Kingennie / Kyngany
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter concerning the lands of Auchtryne in the barony of Panmure, sheriffdom of Forfar. The underlying transaction was dated at Panmure on 12 May 1562.
Why This Record Matters: Ninian Guthrie of Kyngany appears among the witnesses. Unlike a simple surname reference, the territorial designation directly associates him with Kingennie and helps track that branch’s standing and activity in mid-sixteenth-century Angus.
Chronology Note: The Guthrie evidence belongs to the 1562 underlying charter, even though the royal confirmation was entered in RMS on 30 December 1595. Those dates should not be merged into a single event.

Source: RMS VI, no. 392, p. 131; underlying charter dated 12 May 1562 at Panmure. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

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Detailed Records · December 1595–January 1597/98

This group contains six direct Guthrie records, including major evidence for Balnabreich, Gagie, Colliston, and the main Guthrie barony, together with two western-Scotland surname references and an important Methven record involving Elizabeth Gorthrey.

Charter 394 · 31 December 1595 · James Guthrie and Easter Balnabreich
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 31 Dec 1595
Person James Guthrie
Property Easter Balnabreich
Document Focus: The King granted anew to Alexander Carnegie younger the western half of the lands and town of Balnabreich, with fortalice, mill, mill lands, multures, and associated rights, in the lordship of Brechin. The western half is expressly described as divided from the eastern half belonging to James Guthrie.
Why This Record Matters: This is direct evidence that James Guthrie held the eastern half of Balnabreich at the time of the transaction. It is particularly valuable because the Guthrie holding is used to define the boundary and division of the Carnegie grant.
Terms / Practice: The Carnegie lands were held in feu-farm and carried specified rent and service, including forinsec service. Those obligations belong to the western-half grant and should not automatically be assigned to James Guthrie’s eastern holding.

Source: RMS VI, no. 394, p. 132. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 479 · 4 November 1596 · James Guthrie of Gagie on an Assize
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 4 Nov 1596
Person James Guthrie of Gagie
Role Member of assize
Document Focus: The charter concerns an annual rent from Innernytie, Kinclewin, its mill lands, and Clunywood in Perthshire, together with the history of an apprising for debt. As part of the legal process, an assize was impanelled to consider the debt and property valuation.
Why This Record Matters: James Guthrie of Gagie is named among the men serving on the assize. His territorial designation and participation on the jury provide useful evidence of landed status and involvement in regional legal affairs.
Term: An assize was a jury or inquest panel used to determine facts or valuations in legal proceedings. Here the Guthrie evidence concerns James’s service on that panel, not ownership of the lands being apprised.

Source: RMS VI, no. 479, pp. 162–163. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 481 · 10 November 1596 · Elizabeth Gorthrey and John Wylie at Methven
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 10 Nov 1596
People Elizabeth Gorthrey & John Wylie
Place Kirktoun of Methven
Document Focus: The King granted in feu-farm to John Wylie in the Kirktoun of Methven and Elizabeth Gorthrey his spouse a mansion with its eastern garden in the ecclesiastical town of Methven, property that had formerly pertained to the chaplainry of the collegiate church there.
Why This Record Matters: Elizabeth is a named co-grantee with her husband and participates in a heritable property settlement. The printed Index Nominum groups the relevant Gothrey/Gorthrey spelling with the Guthrie surname heading, which is why this record is retained in the direct set.
Editorial Caution: The charter spelling is preserved as Gorthrey. The Guthrie association here rests on the volume editor’s surname indexing; the record should not be silently modernized in transcription.
Term: Conjunct infeftment placed John and Elizabeth jointly in the feu, with succession provisions for their lawful heirs.

Source: RMS VI, no. 481, p. 163. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 514 · 30 January 1596–97 · The Guthries of Colliston
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 30 Jan 1596–97
Underlying Charter 19 May 1595
Branch Colliston
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter of the late John Guthrie of Colliston, who for fulfilment of a marriage contract and payment of 6,000 merks sold to William Maull, burgess of Edinburgh, the lands of Cuikstoun in the lordship of Brechin. The underlying charter was executed at Edinburgh on 19 May 1595.
Why This Record Matters: Multiple Guthries occur in one transaction. John Guthrie of Colliston is the seller; Alexander Guthrie “de eodem” and James Guthrie, brother of John, appear among the witnesses. The explicit sibling statement makes the record especially valuable for reconstructing the Colliston family.
Reading “de eodem”: The printed abstract gives Alexander as Alex. Guthrie de eodem—literally “of the same.” Because the immediate Guthrie designation in the charter is Colliston, this page preserves the wording rather than automatically expanding it to “of that Ilk.”
Terms / Practice: The lands were held by a nominal blench render of one silver penny. Witnessing records participation in the deed; it does not make the witnesses co-grantors of Cuikstoun.

Source: RMS VI, no. 514, p. 173; underlying charter dated 19 May 1595 at Edinburgh. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 558 · 4 May 1597 · John and William Gottray at Blakhous
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 4 May 1597
People John & William Gottray
Context Former occupiers · Blakhous
Document Focus: The charter confirms a complicated series of annualrents and property interests associated with Cunningham, Montgomery, and Kelso families in western Scotland. Within the property descriptions, John Gottray and William Gottray are named among former occupiers of portions of Blakhous.
Why This Record Matters: The men are not grantees or principal parties, but the occupier references document the surname outside the Angus core area and may help trace otherwise less visible, non-laird Guthrie households. The printed Index Nominum groups Gottray with Guthrie.
Evidence Caution: Occupation of a named land does not establish ownership. This record supports residence or tenancy associated with Blakhous, not a Guthrie title to the property.

Source: RMS VI, no. 558, p. 185. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 639 · 10 January 1597–98 · Settlement of the Guthrie Barony
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 10 Jan 1597–98
Underlying Charter 27 Aug 1597
Branch Guthrie of Guthrie
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter of Alexander Guthrie senior of that Ilk made in fulfilment of a marriage contract to Alexander Guthrie junior, his son and apparent heir, and Jean Leighton his spouse. The settlement placed them jointly in the Mains/Kirktoun, Teiltoun, Eastertoun alias Haltoun, Miltoun of Guthrie, and other portions of the barony, together with patronage rights in the collegiate church of Guthrie.
Why This Record Matters: This is one of Volume VI’s strongest Main Line records: a direct father-to-son settlement naming the heir’s spouse and identifying the core lands and ecclesiastical patronage that accompanied the succession.
Important Exception: The charter expressly excepts the lands of Hiltoun, both property and superiority, together with the superiority of Langlands. Hiltoun therefore should not be presented as part of the property transferred to Alexander junior by this charter.
Terms / Practice: Conjunct infeftment placed Alexander junior and Jean Leighton jointly in the settlement. The nominal one-penny blench render acknowledged the Crown as superior.

Source: RMS VI, no. 639, p. 210; underlying charter dated 27 Aug 1597 at Brechin. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

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Detailed Records · May 1598–March 1601

This group follows Guthries in Angus, the Borders, Balnabreich, Kingennie, and the burgh of Brechin. Six are direct Guthrie records. Charter 1010 is retained separately as pale-green supplementary place-name context because it names Gorthie only as a boundary.

Charter 714 · 24 May 1598 · Alexander Guthrie in Craquhy-mylne
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 24 May 1598
Underlying Charter 11 May 1598
Designation in Craquhy-mylne
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter of Sir Thomas Lyon of Auldbar and Euphemia Douglas his spouse, made in fulfilment of a marriage contract and conveying Mekle and Littell Cowellis in the barony of Tannadice to John Ogilvy of Colyeane. The underlying charter was executed at Auldbar on 11 May 1598.
Why This Record Matters: Alexander Guthrie in Craquhy-mylne appears among the witnesses. The wording places him in Craquhy-mylne and should not be expanded to “of” the property. It provides evidence of residence or association in the Auldbar/Tannadice area and of participation in a local landed network.
Identity Caution: The name Alexander Guthrie recurs frequently in this volume. This witness should not be identified automatically with Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk or another named Alexander without independent evidence.

Source: RMS VI, no. 714, p. 233; underlying charter dated 11 May 1598 at Auldbar. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 919 · 2 June 1599 · Robert Gothray, Miller at Eyemouth
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 2 Jun 1599
Underlying Charter 22 Nov 1598
Occupation / Place Miller · Eyemouth
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter concerning a husbandland and cottage at Eyemouth in the barony of Coldingham, Berwickshire. The underlying sale charter was dated 22 November 1598.
Why This Record Matters: Robert Gothray, miller, is named among the witnesses. The occupational description is especially useful because it helps distinguish him from landed Guthries and documents the indexed Guthrie surname group in the Scottish Borders.
Surname Note: The charter form is Gothray. Volume VI’s printed Index Nominum groups Gothray with Guthrie, so the record belongs in the direct indexed set while the original spelling remains visible.

Source: RMS VI, no. 919, p. 301; underlying charter dated 22 Nov 1598 at Eyemouth. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 995 · 25 December 1599 · Robert Guthrie of Kinblathmont
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 25 Dec 1599
Underlying Charter 18 Dec 1599
Designation of Kinblathmont
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter of Alexander, Lord Spynie, conveying the office of bailie of the lordship and regality of Spynie and associated rights to members of the Innes family. The underlying charter was executed at the Canongate on 18 December 1599.
Why This Record Matters: Robert Guthrie of Kinblathmont appears as a witness with a clear territorial designation. The record therefore helps establish Robert’s identity and status independently of the Spynie/Innes grant itself.
Network Caution: Witnessing this charter shows Robert’s presence in the legal act, but does not by itself prove kinship, office, or property rights in the lordship of Spynie.

Source: RMS VI, no. 995, p. 330; underlying charter dated 18 Dec 1599 at the Canongate. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1006 · 25 January 1600 · James Guthrie, Portioner of Balnabreich
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 25 Jan 1600
Person James Guthrie
Designations Portioner of Balnabreich · Burgess of Edinburgh
Document Focus: The King granted in feu-farm to Henry Lindsay of Careston the eastern half of Balnabreich, above and below the rock, with its mill lands and houses. The charter states that the property had formerly belonged to James Guthrie, portioner of Balnabreich and burgess of Edinburgh, and had come to the Crown after non-payment of feu-duty for two years.
Why This Record Matters: The entry links one man to both a landed designation at Balnabreich and civic status in Edinburgh. It also documents the legal loss of his holding, making the record important for both genealogy and the property chronology of Easter Balnabreich.
Property / Legal Note: The charter concerns forfeiture or recognition arising from non-payment of feu-duty and grants the land to Henry Lindsay. It should therefore not be cited as evidence that James Guthrie still held the eastern half after this transaction.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1006, p. 332. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1010 · 12 February 1600 · Gorthie as a Perthshire Boundary
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 12 Feb 1600
Place Gorthie
County Perthshire
Document Focus: The King granted in feu-farm to John Murray the lands of Calsayend, described as lying between Drumfyn on the north and west, Gorthie on the east, and the Pow of Inchaffray on the south. The lands had formerly pertained to Inchaffray Abbey.
Why This Record Matters: This record helps locate a place called Gorthie within the Perthshire landscape, but no Guthrie person is named. It is therefore retained as supplementary geographic context rather than counted as direct surname evidence.
Index Caution: The Volume VI indexes treat Gorthie separately from the main Guthrie surname heading. The place name should therefore remain Gorthie unless independent evidence demonstrates a Guthrie-family connection.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1010, p. 334. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1060 · 15 July 1600 · William Guthrie of Kingennie, Chaplainry Patron
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 15 Jul 1600
Underlying Charter 8 Jun 1587
Role / Branch Patron · Kingennie
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter in which Sir James Scrymgeour of Dudhope and William Guthrie of Kynganie, described as the two undoubted patrons of the chaplainry of St Thomas the Martyr in the parish church of Dundee, conveyed an annualrent and their patronage rights to David Wedderburn, burgess of Dundee.
Why This Record Matters: William is not merely a witness: he is one of the two principal patrons and a party to the disposition. The record provides strong evidence for the Kingennie line’s ecclesiastical patronage, legal capacity, and direct ties to Dundee.
Chronology Note: The confirmed charter was subscribed at Dudhope and Dundee on 8 June 1587. The RMS confirmation date is 15 July 1600, so the patronage evidence belongs to the earlier transaction.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1060, p. 360; incorporated charter dated 8 Jun 1587. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1157 · 18 March 1601 · Late John Guthrie, Adjoining Owner in Brechin
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 18 Mar 1601
Person Late John Guthrie
Place Burgh of Brechin
Document Focus: The King granted in feu-farm to Sir Richard Cockburn of Clerkington, keeper of the Privy Seal, a tenement in the eastern part of Brechin with an adjoining acre, formerly belonging to the bishopric. The RMS editor’s footnote preserves the names of several adjoining or former owners.
Why This Record Matters: The footnote names the late John Guthrie among the adjoining owners. Although the Guthrie reference is secondary to the main grant, it provides useful evidence for Guthrie property in the burgh of Brechin.
Evidence Layer: John Guthrie’s name is supplied in the RMS editorial footnote to the charter rather than as a principal grantee in the main abstract. The collection therefore preserves that distinction while retaining the record as direct evidence of a named Guthrie.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1157, p. 400 and editorial footnote. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

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Detailed Records · May 1601–November 1602

This group contains four direct Guthrie records and three pale-green supplementary-context records. It includes major Balnabreich and Main Line evidence, two Kinblathmont territorial references, and a 1602 confirmation that preserves much earlier evidence from 1511 and 1563.

Charter 1176 · 8 May 1601 · James Guthrie of Easter Balnabreich
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 8 May 1601
Person James Guthrie of Easter Balnabreich
Property Easter Balnabreich
Document Focus: The King granted to Henry Lindsay of Careston half of the lands of Easter Balnabreich south of the rock called Craig, together with superiority of a third part of the lands. These interests had formerly belonged to James Guthrie of Easter Balnabreich and had been apprised for debt. James retained a right of regress if the sums were repaid within seven years.
Why This Record Matters: The supporting material preserves important family evidence. Christina Barroun is identified as the spouse of James Guthrie. Master James Guthrie appears as his son and apparent heir. Separately, Euphamia Guthrie is identified as the wife of the late Robert Montgomery in Haltoun.
Relationship Correction: Euphamia Guthrie is not the wife of James Guthrie’s son. She belongs to a separate couple with Robert Montgomery. The older draft compressed these references too closely and risked creating a false marriage relationship.
Term: Regress was the right to redeem property after an apprising by repayment of the specified debt within the permitted period.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1176, p. 409, including the Guthrie-specific editorial notes. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1190 · 15 June 1601 · Haltoun and Cottoun of Inverpeffer
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 15 Jun 1601
People Alexander senior & Alexander junior
Branch Guthrie of Guthrie
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter of Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk and his son and apparent heir Alexander Guthrie junior, feodatar of Guthrie. With the consent of Jean Leighton, spouse of Alexander junior, they sold the lands of Haltoun and Cottoun of Inverpeffer, with manor, mill, and mill lands, to Robert Flescher, merchant and dean of guild of Dundee.
Why This Record Matters: The charter again places father and son together in a major Main Line property transaction and identifies Jean Leighton as the younger Alexander’s spouse. It also continues the property history of the lands documented in Charter 163.
Reserved Liferent: A liferent of Haltoun, with manor, mill, and mill lands, was reserved to Isobel Wood, mother of Alexander senior. That clause preserves an additional generation in the family while distinguishing ownership from a lifetime right of use or income.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1190, pp. 413–414; the incorporated instruments include acts from 1596. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 1197 · 20 June 1601 · Cottoun of Kinblathmont Boundary Context
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 20 Jun 1601
Place Cottoun of Kinblathmont
Context Boundary description
Document Focus: A grant involving Newgrange preserves a detailed territorial description in which Cottoun of Kinblathmont appears as a boundary or landscape reference.
Why This Record Matters: No Guthrie person is named. The record is nevertheless useful for reconstructing the physical setting of Kinblathmont and adjoining holdings during the period in which Guthries are documented with the territorial designation “of Kinblathmont.”
Evidence Caution: A place appearing in a boundary clause does not establish ownership or occupation by the family being researched. This record is therefore supplementary rather than direct Guthrie evidence.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1197, pp. 416–418. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 1216 · 12 July 1601 · Superiority of Kinblathmont
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 12 Jul 1601
Place Kinblathmont
Right Described Superiority of demesne lands
Document Focus: The King granted to Patrick Wood of Bonnytoun and his son Henry a group of rights that included the superiority of the demesne lands of Kinblathmont.
Why This Record Matters: The record provides important tenure context for Kinblathmont at the same time that Guthries are using the territorial designation. It helps distinguish the feudal superior’s rights from the possession or occupation of the lands themselves.
Superiority ≠ Possession: Holding the superiority of Kinblathmont does not mean Patrick Wood physically occupied or owned every parcel of the demesne. Likewise, a Guthrie styled “of Kinblathmont” need not have held the superior interest documented here.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1216, p. 425. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1337 · 31 July 1602 · William Guthrie of Kingennie and Katherine Gorthie
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 31 Jul 1602
Earlier Instruments 1511 & 1563
Places Breichtie / Monyfuth
Document Focus: This 1602 confirmation preserves multiple older instruments concerning the Arbuthnot lands. In an underlying charter dated 10 May 1511, William Guthrie of Kyngennie appears as a witness. A later precept of sasine dated 18 January 1563 names Katherine Gorthie as heir of her grandfather John Arbuthnet and orders sasine in portions of Easter Breichtie and Monyfuth.
Why This Record Matters: The direct Guthrie evidence is the 1511 appearance of William Guthrie of Kingennie. The same confirmation also preserves Katherine Gorthie’s documented descent from John Arbuthnet, making the entry valuable for understanding how several generations of earlier evidence can be embedded inside a much later royal confirmation.
Surname / Identity Caution: Katherine Gorthie is not being reclassified as Guthrie. Volume VI indexes Gorthie separately. This charter belongs in the direct Guthrie set because William Guthrie of Kingennie is independently named in the earlier charter.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1337, p. 467; confirmation dated 31 Jul 1602, preserving instruments from 1511 and 1563. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1363 · 11 November 1602 · Oliver Gorthie, Witness in Orkney
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 11 Nov 1602
Earlier Sasine 1578 instrument
Place Orkney
Document Focus: The King confirmed instruments connected with a Murray marriage settlement and sasine of lands in Orkney. Oliver Gorthie appears among the witnesses to one of the incorporated sasine instruments.
Why This Record Matters: Oliver is a named person rather than a place-name, but the printed Index Nominum places Gorthie under its own heading rather than within the Guthrie surname group. The record is therefore retained as potentially relevant supplementary evidence without treating Oliver as a proven Guthrie.
Identity Caution: Geographic or phonetic similarity is not enough to merge surnames. Additional evidence would be needed before Oliver Gorthie could be placed in a Guthrie pedigree or counted as a direct surname record.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1363, pp. 479–480. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 1371 · 29 November 1602 · Master Alexander Guthrie, Edinburgh Court Scribe
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 29 Nov 1602
Person Master Alexander Guthrie
Office Scribe of Edinburgh burgh court
Document Focus: The King confirmed an Edinburgh burgh charter granting Adam Couper, one of the clerks of the College of Justice, four acres of ecclesiastical lands at Gogar and associated pasture rights. The incorporated burgh instrument is dated 21 July 1602.
Why This Record Matters: Master Alexander Guthrie is identified as scribe of the court of the burgh of Edinburgh. This strengthens the continuing documentary trail for a professional Alexander Guthrie in Edinburgh’s civic and legal administration.
Identity Caution: The office and Edinburgh setting make this record comparable with Charter 111, where a Master Alexander Guthrie appears as Common Clerk, but the records should not be declared the same man without corroborating evidence.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1371, p. 482; incorporated burgh instrument dated 21 Jul 1602. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

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Detailed Records · June 1603–July 1607

This group is especially strong for Kinblathmont and Kincaldrum genealogy. Five records name Guthries directly; Charter 1939 is retained in pale green as territorial context for the barony of Kinblathmont.

Charter 1465 · 18 June 1603 · Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 18 Jun 1603
Person Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum
Evidence Layer Editorial footnote / reversion
Document Focus: The principal charter concerns Sir Walter Lindsay of Balgavies and a large group of lands and superiorities in Forfarshire that had been apprised for debt. In the RMS editor’s footnote, the chain of earlier reversions includes one associated with Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum.
Why This Record Matters: Although Alexander is not a principal grantee, the named reversion adds another documentary point for the Kincaldrum line and its participation in earlier land transactions.
Evidence Layer: The Guthrie reference occurs in an editorial footnote summarizing earlier title material. It should therefore be cited as a prior reversion reference, not as proof that Alexander held the principal lands granted in Charter 1465.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1465, p. 534 and editorial footnote. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1731 · 21 April 1606 · Kinblathmont Family Settlement and Tailzie
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 21 Apr 1606
Principal Family Robert Guthrie of Kinblathmont
Property Echmutie · Newtoun · Burntoun
Document Focus: Alexander, Lord Spynie, with consent of Dame Jean Lyon his spouse, conveyed lands in the Arbroath regality to Robert Guthrie of Kinblathmont and Katherine Auchterlony in liferent, and to Patrick Guthrie, Robert’s lawful eldest son and feodatar of Kinblathmont, heritably.
Why This Record Matters: The succession clause is exceptionally rich. Failing Patrick’s male heirs, it calls Robert Guthrie junior, identified as the lawful son of Robert senior and Katherine; then William Guthrie, brother-german of Robert junior; then David Guthrie, their brother-german; then male heirs of Robert senior; then Master Alexander Guthrie, scribe of the court of Edinburgh; then Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum.
Genealogical Caution: The charter explicitly supplies some relationships but not all. Robert junior is named as the son of Robert senior and Katherine, and William and David are his full brothers. The charter does not state the exact relationship of Master Alexander Guthrie or Alexander of Kincaldrum to the preceding family, so no cousin relationship is inferred here.
Terms: A tailzie directed succession through a specified sequence of heirs. A feodatar was the person vested with the fee while another person could retain a liferent.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1731, p. 628. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1759 · 19 June 1606 · Gilbert Guthrie Senior and Junior of Aberdeen
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 19 Jun 1606
People Gilbert Guthrie senior & junior
Place Gallowgate, Aberdeen
Document Focus: For service rendered by Gilbert Guthrie senior, described as a merchant herald and burgess of Aberdeen, the King granted and quitclaimed to Gilbert Guthrie junior, his heirs and assignees, a house on the west side of the Gallowgate in Aberdeen. The property had previously been granted to Gilbert senior in 1579.
Why This Record Matters: The charter explicitly links father and son and documents urban property, burgess status, and Gilbert senior’s professional designation. It is strong evidence for a non-Angus Guthrie family established in Aberdeen.
Term: Free burgage was burgh tenure held under the customary services and obligations of the royal burgh.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1759, p. 640; the earlier grant to Gilbert senior is dated 4 Nov 1579. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1892 · 22 April 1607 · Henry Guthrie at Glenboy and Alexander of Kincaldrum
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 22 Apr 1607
Underlying Charter 9 Jun 1601
Guthrie Roles Occupier & witness
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter by Archibald Macfarlane, with consent of Mariot Auchterlony his spouse, conveying half of the lands of Glenboy. The lands are described as occupied by Henry Guthrie. Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum appears among the witnesses to the underlying charter dated 9 June 1601 at Dundee.
Why This Record Matters: Two different Guthrie roles are preserved in one record: Henry as an occupier of Glenboy and Alexander as a territorially designated witness. Together they add useful evidence for local Guthrie activity and Kincaldrum-area networks in Forfarshire.
Occupation ≠ Ownership: Henry’s occupation of Glenboy should not be converted into ownership. Likewise, Alexander’s witnessing of the deed does not give him an interest in the conveyed lands.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1892, pp. 687–688; underlying charter dated 9 Jun 1601 at Dundee. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 1935 · 30 June 1607 · Kincaldrum Marriage Settlement
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 30 Jun 1607
Marriage Contract 10 & 15 Jun 1594
Branch Kincaldrum
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter of the late Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum, made with consent of Helen Douglas his spouse, in fulfilment of a marriage contract. He granted the demesne lands and manor of Kincaldrum, with dovecot and gardens, to David Guthrie, his lawful son and apparent heir, and David’s affianced wife Katherine Blair in conjunct infeftment, together with extensive additional lands and rights in the barony.
Why This Record Matters: The charter directly identifies a succession from Alexander to his son David, names both men’s spouses, and supplies a detailed description of the Kincaldrum estate. Witnesses include Patrick Guthrie, brother-german of Alexander, and Master Henry Guthrie, minister of the Word of God.
Reserved Liferent: Alexander senior reserved liferent rights in specified Kincaldrum lands and mills. The settlement therefore distinguishes David’s heritable succession from rights retained by his father for life.
Term: Conjunct infeftment placed David and Katherine jointly in the specified estate under the marriage settlement.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1935, p. 703; marriage contract dated 10 and 15 Jun 1594, with charter evidence dated 22 Jul 1594. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 1939 · 7 July 1607 · Barony of Kinblathmont
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 7 Jul 1607
Place Barony of Kinblathmont
Context Territorial / warrandice
Document Focus: Charter 1939 includes the barony of Kinblathmont within the territorial or warrandice framework of the transaction. No Guthrie person is named in the charter.
Why This Record Matters: The entry confirms Kinblathmont’s contemporary baronial designation and provides territorial context for the Guthries who are styled “of Kinblathmont” elsewhere in Volume VI.
Evidence Caution: A barony named in warrandice or related title clauses does not establish that a Guthrie held, occupied, or controlled the entire barony at that date. It is therefore retained as supplementary context rather than counted as a direct Guthrie record.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1939, pp. 705–706. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

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Detailed Records · November 1607–December 1608

The closing group contains five direct Guthrie records and two pale-green supplementary territorial records. It brings together Edinburgh civic office, Wareistoun succession, Kinblathmont witness evidence, Kincaldrum property history, and the final Guthrie entry identified in Volume VI.

Charter 1990 · 18 November 1607 · Master Alexander Guthrie, Edinburgh Common Scribe
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 18 Nov 1607
Person Master Alexander Guthrie
Role Common scribe · curator
Document Focus: The King confirmed a complex charter of David Lindsay of Balcarres involving the sale of East Spittal, also called East Redspittal, to Master John Laing, keeper of the Signet, and Rebecca Dennistoun his spouse.
Why This Record Matters: Master Alexander Guthrie, common scribe of the burgh of Edinburgh, is named among David Lindsay’s curators. The entry adds another firmly dated appearance of an Alexander Guthrie serving in Edinburgh’s professional and legal administration.
Role Caution: Alexander’s role here is that of a curator associated with David Lindsay’s legal capacity. The charter does not make him an owner or grantee of East Spittal.

Source: RMS VI, no. 1990, p. 723. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 2040 · 25 February 1608 · Easter Balnabreich After the Guthrie Holding
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 25 Feb 1608
Principal Parties John Lindsay & Jean Abernethy
Property Easter Balnabreich
Document Focus: A grant to John Lindsay and Jean Abernethy includes Easter Balnabreich, with manor, mills, fisheries, and associated pertinents in the lordship of Brechin.
Why This Record Matters: No Guthrie person is named, but the record is important to the later property chronology. Earlier Volume VI charters document James Guthrie’s interest in Easter Balnabreich and its subsequent loss; this 1608 entry shows the property in a later Lindsay grant.
Property Caution: This is evidence for the later status of the lands, not evidence that a Guthrie continued to possess them in 1608. It is retained as supplementary context for the Balnabreich sequence.

Source: RMS VI, no. 2040, p. 742. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 2072 · 30 April 1608 · Alexander Guthrie Family Grant of Wareistoun
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 30 Apr 1608
Parents Alexander Guthrie & Mariot Hay
Next Generation Alexander Guthrie & Agnes Wardlaw
Document Focus: The King granted to Master Alexander Guthrie, common clerk of Edinburgh, and Mariot Hay his spouse in liferent, and to their eldest son and apparent heir Alexander Guthrie and Agnes Wardlaw of Wareistoun his spouse in conjunct infeftment, the lands of Wareistoun, which Agnes had resigned with the required consents.
Why This Record Matters: The charter provides an unusually clear two-generation family group: Alexander Guthrie and Mariot Hay as the elder couple, their eldest son Alexander as apparent heir, and Agnes Wardlaw as the younger Alexander’s wife. It also links the Edinburgh professional branch directly to Wareistoun.
Terms / Practice: The elder couple received liferent rights, while the younger couple received conjunct infeftment. Those provisions separate lifetime enjoyment from the heritable succession of the next generation.

Source: RMS VI, no. 2072, pp. 753–754. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 2075 · 5 May 1608 · Colliston, Ruives, Guthrieshill and Kincaldrum in the Arbroath Temporalities
Evidence Supplementary Context
RMS Date 5 May 1608
Principal Grantee James, Marquess of Hamilton
Territorial Group Arbroath temporal lordship / barony
Document Focus: A large royal grant to James, Marquess of Hamilton, of the temporal lordship and barony of Arbroath enumerates an extensive territorial complex that includes Colliston, Ruives, Guthrieshill, and later in the charter Kincaldrum.
Why This Record Matters: No Guthrie person is named, but the charter is major landscape and tenure context for properties closely associated with several Guthrie branches. It helps place Colliston, Ruives, Guthrieshill, and Kincaldrum within the wider Arbroath temporalities at the opening of the seventeenth century.
Superiority / Occupation Caution: A grant of temporalities, lordship, barony, or superior interests does not prove that Hamilton personally occupied the individual farms or that existing heritable possessors disappeared. Feudal superiority and physical possession must be kept separate.

Source: RMS VI, no. 2075, pp. 754–757. View the digitized RMS pages at HathiTrust.

Charter 2099 · 7 June 1608 · Robert Guthrie of Kilblathmont
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 7 Jun 1608
Underlying Charter 1 Jun 1608
Role Witness
Document Focus: The King confirmed a charter of William Ochterlony conveying Wester Knox in the barony of Kellie to his son Patrick Ochterlony in Bonhard and Patrick’s spouse Euphemia Maule. The underlying charter was executed at Kellie on 1 June 1608.
Why This Record Matters: Robert Guthrie de Kilblathmont is named among the witnesses. The spelling Kilblathmont is preserved as printed; it belongs to the same Kinblathmont territorial research cluster represented elsewhere in the volume.
Witness Caution: Robert’s presence proves participation in the legal act and supports his local network, but witnessing does not make him a party to the Ochterlony land conveyance.

Source: RMS VI, no. 2099, p. 766; underlying charter dated 1 Jun 1608 at Kellie. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 2136 · 23 July 1608 · Unnamed Guthrie of Kincaldrum and Carrett
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 23 Jul 1608
Person Unnamed Guthrie of Kincaldrum
Property Other half of Carrett
Document Focus: In a large Crawford/Lindsay conveyance to Thomas Fothringham of Wester Powrie, the charter includes the superiority of several lands and refers to the other half of Carrett, whose property had pertained to Guthrie of Kincaldrum.
Why This Record Matters: This is a direct textual Guthrie reference even though no forename is supplied. It documents an earlier Kincaldrum property interest in Carrett and therefore belongs in the direct Guthrie set.
Property vs. Superiority: The sentence distinguishes the superior interest being conveyed from the property of the other half of Carrett that had pertained to the unnamed Guthrie of Kincaldrum. Those two layers of title should not be collapsed.

Source: RMS VI, no. 2136, p. 781. View the digitized RMS page at HathiTrust.

Charter 2182 · 13 December 1608 · Elizabeth Guthrie at Kowbyre
Evidence Direct Guthrie Record
RMS Date 13 Dec 1608
Person Elizabeth Guthrie
Place / Context Kowbyre · spouse reference
Document Focus: The final Guthrie record identified in Volume VI names Elizabeth Guthrie in a spousal context associated with Kowbyre.
Why This Record Matters: Even without a landed designation of her own in the working abstract, Elizabeth’s explicit naming as a spouse preserves a female Guthrie connection and provides a useful marriage-network reference at the close of the volume.
Evidence Limit: The verified working evidence for this collection supports Elizabeth Guthrie’s name, the Kowbyre association, and her status as a spouse. No additional relationship is supplied here unless it is stated directly in the RMS entry.

Source: RMS VI, no. 2182, dated 13 Dec 1608. Search the digitized Volume VI for no. 2182 at HathiTrust.

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People & Families

Several Guthrie families and recurring individuals appear across more than one Volume VI record. This section brings those documentary clusters together without turning witness proximity or repeated names into unsupported pedigree links.

Guthrie of Guthrie · The Main Line

The Main Line sequence identifies successive Alexanders of Guthrie, documents the younger Alexander’s marriage to Jean Leighton, and preserves Isobel Wood as mother of Alexander senior through her reserved liferent.

Records: 163, 639, 1190

Charter 163 explicitly identifies the late Alexander Guthrie of that Ilk as father of the grantee. Charter 639 names Alexander junior as son and apparent heir of Alexander senior, while Charter 1190 carries the family and Haltoun/Cottoun property sequence forward.

Guthrie of Balnabreich

James Guthrie of Easter Balnabreich appears within a sequence of property, debt, and family records. Christina Barroun is identified as his spouse and Master James Guthrie as his son and apparent heir.

Records: 394, 1006, 1176, 2040
Separate couple: Euphamia Guthrie is documented as wife of the late Robert Montgomery in Haltoun. She should not be presented as the spouse of Master James Guthrie.

Guthrie of Kinblathmont

The richest Kinblathmont record names Robert Guthrie of Kinblathmont and Katherine Auchterlony, their eldest son Patrick Guthrie, and younger sons Robert, William, and David Guthrie within a detailed tailzie.

Records: 995, 1731, 2099
Relationship limit: Master Alexander Guthrie, Edinburgh scribe, and Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum appear later in the Charter 1731 succession sequence, but the charter does not state their exact relationship to Robert’s immediate family.

Guthrie of Kincaldrum

The Kincaldrum sequence identifies the late Alexander Guthrie of Kincaldrum and Helen Douglas, their son and apparent heir David Guthrie, and David’s affianced wife Katherine Blair.

Records: 1465, 1892, 1935, 2136

Charter 1935 also identifies Patrick Guthrie as Alexander’s brother-german and includes Master Henry Guthrie, minister, among the witnesses.

Guthrie of Kingennie

Volume VI preserves several Kingennie references in different roles: Henry Guthrie, son of the laird of Kingennie; Ninian Guthrie of Kingennie; and William Guthrie of Kingennie, co-patron of the chaplainry of St Thomas the Martyr in Dundee.

Records: 165, 392, 1060, 1337
Same family does not automatically mean same generation. These records span underlying instruments from 1511 through 1599 and should be placed into a pedigree only with independent chronological and relationship evidence.

Master Alexander Guthrie · Edinburgh Civic & Legal Career

A Master Alexander Guthrie appears repeatedly in Edinburgh civic and legal contexts as Common Clerk or scribe of the burgh court. The later Wareistoun grant names Mariot Hay as the elder Alexander’s spouse and Alexander Guthrie as their eldest son and apparent heir, married to Agnes Wardlaw.

Records: 111, 1371, 1731, 1990, 2072
Identity caution: Similar office descriptions make these records an important cluster, but repeated name and occupation should still be reconciled against dates and independent burgh records before every appearance is treated as one individual.

Guthrie of Colliston

Charter 514 supplies unusually useful family wording. The late John Guthrie of Colliston is the principal Guthrie in the transaction; James Guthrie is explicitly identified as John’s brother, and Alexander Guthrie “de eodem” appears as a witness.

Record: 514

The phrase de eodem is preserved rather than automatically expanded beyond what the charter’s immediate context supports.

Other Named Guthries & Occupational Evidence

Volume VI also preserves Guthries outside the principal repeated landed sequences: James Guthrie of Gagie on an assize, Robert Gothray as a miller at Eyemouth, Alexander Guthrie in Craquhy-mylne, Henry Guthrie as occupier of Glenboy, the late John Guthrie as an adjoining owner in Brechin, and Gilbert Guthrie senior and junior in Aberdeen.

Records: 479, 714, 919, 1157, 1759, 1892

These entries are especially valuable for showing that the surname appears in civic, occupational, tenancy, and legal contexts as well as among territorially designated lairds.

Supplementary Gorthie & Territorial References

Volume VI’s printed indexes keep Gorthie separate from the main Guthrie surname heading. For that reason, Katherine Gorthie and Oliver Gorthie remain supplementary rather than being inserted into a Guthrie pedigree. Place-name occurrences such as Gorthie-croft and the Perthshire Gorthie boundary are treated the same way.

The volume also preserves useful place and tenure context for Balnabreich, Kinblathmont, Colliston, Ruives, Guthrieshill, and Kincaldrum where no Guthrie person is named. These records help reconstruct the landscape without being counted as direct family evidence.

Supplementary records: 50, 59, 1010, 1197, 1216, 1363, 1939, 2040, 2075

Summary based on the reconciled Volume VI charter set, with direct family relationships retained only where the charter wording or incorporated evidence explicitly states them.

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Research Pathways

The Great Seal register is most useful when individual entries are followed across related charters, sasines, marriage contracts, burgh records, ecclesiastical sources, testaments, and private family papers. Volume VI contains several clusters where one charter supplies only part of a much larger genealogical or property story.

Guthrie of Guthrie · Main Line & Haltoun

The strongest sequence follows the two Alexanders of Guthrie through succession, marriage, and the disposition of Haltoun and Cottoun of Inverpeffer.

Start with: 163, 639, 1190

Charter 163 identifies the elder Alexander’s father; Charter 639 settles the core barony on Alexander junior and Jean Leighton; Charter 1190 records the later sale of Haltoun and Cottoun and preserves Isobel Wood’s reserved liferent.

Follow next: sasines and private charters for the barony of Guthrie, Hiltoun/Haltoun, and Inverpeffer; marriage-contract evidence for Alexander junior and Jean Leighton; and records separating Hiltoun superiority from actual possession.

Balnabreich · Property, Debt & Family

The Balnabreich sequence is one of the clearest examples in the volume of a family story unfolding through property division, debt, apprising, and later transfer.

Start with: 50, 394, 1006, 1176, 2040

The records move from Wester Balnabreich context to James Guthrie’s eastern holding, then to non-payment of feu-duty, apprising, redemption rights, and the later Lindsay possession.

Follow next: sasines, debt proceedings, assignments, and Brechin lordship records naming James Guthrie, Christina Barroun, Master James Guthrie, Euphamia Guthrie, and Robert Montgomery in Haltoun.

Kincaldrum · Marriage Settlement & Property Descent

Kincaldrum appears through family settlement, witnesses, reversions, and later references to earlier property rights.

Start with: 1465, 1892, 1935, 2136

Charter 1935 is the central genealogical record, naming Alexander Guthrie, Helen Douglas, their son and apparent heir David Guthrie, Katherine Blair, Patrick Guthrie, and Master Henry Guthrie.

Follow next: the 1594 marriage contract, sasines of Kincaldrum, Blair family records, and title evidence for Carrett, Lour, Muretoun, and the Methy lands.

Kinblathmont · Family Tailzie & Territorial Context

The Kinblathmont material combines strong family evidence with records that clarify the surrounding feudal and territorial structure.

Start with: 995, 1197, 1216, 1731, 1939, 2099

Charter 1731 provides the richest family structure, while 1197, 1216, and 1939 help distinguish boundaries, superiority, and the barony itself from Guthrie possession.

Follow next: sasines and marriage-contract material for Robert Guthrie and Katherine Auchterlony, Patrick Guthrie and the named younger sons, plus records showing how Kinblathmont was held beneath or alongside superior interests.

Kingennie · Family Identity, Witnesses & Patronage

Volume VI preserves Kingennie evidence across several generations and in several legal roles: witness, territorial designation, son of the laird, and ecclesiastical patron.

Start with: 165, 392, 1060, 1337

Henry Guthrie is identified as son of the laird of Kingennie; Ninian appears with the territorial designation; William Guthrie acts as co-patron of St Thomas the Martyr’s chaplainry in Dundee; and the 1602 confirmation preserves an earlier 1511 William Guthrie of Kingennie witness.

Follow next: Dundee burgh and chaplainry records, sasines, marriage contracts, and private charters capable of separating repeated Kingennie given names across generations.

Colliston, Gagie & the Edinburgh Professional Guthries

Several records are best pursued by role rather than by one continuous estate sequence: Colliston family transactions, Gagie legal service, and the professional Guthries of Edinburgh.

Key records: 479, 514, 111, 1371, 1990, 2072

Charter 514 gives explicit Colliston sibling evidence; 479 documents James Guthrie of Gagie on an assize; and the Edinburgh sequence traces Master Alexander Guthrie through civic offices and a later two-generation Wareistoun settlement.

Follow next: Colliston title records and testaments; judicial or assize records for Gagie; Edinburgh burgh minutes, clerk records, sasines, and Wardlaw/Hay marriage evidence for the professional branch.
Working Method: Treat each RMS entry as one layer of evidence. Confirm the date of the underlying instrument, identify whether a person is owner, superior, occupier, witness, heir, spouse, or office-holder, and then follow the same names and properties into the appropriate complementary record series. Repeated names should be joined only when the documents provide enough identifying detail to do so.

Research pathways are drawn from the 40 reconciled Volume VI records and their documented people, properties, offices, and relationships.

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Terms, Sources & Access

The published Great Seal register is a calendar of Crown charters and related instruments rather than a complete transcription of every surviving original deed. The calendar often summarizes an earlier charter, contract, sasine, resignation, or other legal instrument, so the date of the RMS entry and the date of the underlying event must be kept separate.

Common Legal & Property Terms

Apprising
A legal process by which lands could be adjudged to a creditor for debt, often with a period during which the debtor retained a right of redemption.
Blench Farm
Tenure held for a nominal annual render, frequently one silver penny, acknowledging the superior’s right.
Conjunct Infeftment
A joint heritable settlement, commonly made to spouses together and often followed by succession provisions for their lawful heirs.
Feodatar
The person vested with the fee or heritable estate, sometimes while another person retained a liferent.
Feu-Farm
Heritable tenure held in return for fixed annual duties or payments to the superior.
Liferent
A lifetime right to use property or receive its rents and profits without necessarily holding the fee.
Regress
A right to redeem lands after apprising or related debt proceedings by repaying the specified sum within the allowed period.
Sasine
The formal act and record of giving legal possession of heritable property.
Superiority
The feudal superior’s legal interest in lands. Superiority should not be confused with physical occupation or possession of every parcel beneath it.
Tailzie
An entailed or directed line of succession specifying the order in which heirs were to inherit.

How to Read an RMS Entry

The royal confirmation date is usually the date printed beside the RMS charter number. The document may then summarize an earlier instrument, sometimes many years older.

Look for separate dates: phrases such as “at Dundee, 19 May 1595” or “at Brechin, 27 August 1597” usually belong to an incorporated deed, not the later royal confirmation.
Separate legal roles: grantee, grantor, superior, occupier, witness, spouse, heir, curator, and office-holder are not interchangeable categories.
Preserve original wording: “of” a place and “in” a place can imply different kinds of association. Likewise, variant surname forms should be retained rather than silently modernized.

Published Source

Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Volume VI, covering A.D. 1593–1608, edited by John Maitland Thomson, Edinburgh, 1890.

This page uses the charter abstracts together with the volume’s Index Nominum and Index Locorum. The indexes are editorial finding aids and must be distinguished from the wording of the charters themselves.

Index caution: the surname index groups Gothray, Gothrey, and Gottray with Guthrie, while Gorthie is separately indexed. The Volume VI presentation preserves that distinction.

Citation form used throughout this page: RMS VI, charter number, page or page range when verified.

Digital Access

Volume VI can be consulted freely in digitized form. The detailed entries on this page link directly to verified HathiTrust pages where page-level locations were established.

HathiTrust · Volume VI Internet Archive · Volume VI
Image number vs. printed page: digitized-book image numbers are not the same as the printed page number. When citing an RMS record, use the printed page and charter number whenever possible.

Terminology is used here in the context of the Scottish charter and property records represented in RMS Volume VI. Definitions are intended to help readers interpret the records, not to replace the wording of the original instruments.

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