RMS – Volume 7

Guthrie Genealogy · Special Collections · Register of the Great Seal

RMS · Volume VII

Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum

A.D. 1609–1620
Decorative purple thistle with green leaves

This research edition brings together the Guthrie people, properties, offices, marriages, ministries, and territorial references identified through a reconciled survey of the printed Index Nominum, Index Locorum, and the relevant charter texts in RMS Volume VII. Direct Guthrie evidence is distinguished from supplementary territorial or contextual evidence so that each record can be used according to what the document actually proves.

Complete Survey · Index Reconciled
42 Guthrie-relevant records
25 Direct Guthrie records
17 Supplementary context records

Overview

Volume VII covers the years 1609–1620, a period in which the Great Seal records preserve a wide range of evidence useful to Guthrie research: marriage settlements, landholding and tenure, burgh administration, clerical careers, academic appointments, prior ownership, annual rents, and the changing legal history of places associated with established Guthrie families.

Family & Marriage Evidence

The volume identifies spouses, parents, children, and marriage alliances in several records, including evidence for Alison Gutherrie of Pitmowies and Bethia/Bathea Guthrie. Relationship wording is retained only where the charter itself establishes it.

Civic, Clerical & Academic Guthries

Repeated appearances of Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh, Patrick Guthrie at Aberdeen College, ministers including James, John, and Henry Guthrie, and the Guthrie clerks of Montrose document professional careers beyond landed branches.

Property & Territorial Context

Supplementary records add context for Balnabreich, Kinblathmont, Eassie and Hiltoun, Lunan, Craigie, and Memmas. These entries are kept separate from direct Guthrie-person evidence when no Guthrie is named in the charter.

Index & Spelling Discipline

The printed index groups Guthrie, Gutherrie, and Guithrie together, while Gorthie is indexed separately. The original spelling used by each record is preserved, and editorial index identifications are not rewritten as charter text.

How to read this page: cream and pale-lavender records identify direct Guthrie evidence; pale-green records identify supplementary territorial or contextual evidence. A supplementary record may be genealogically important without naming a Guthrie.
Published volume: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. VII, A.D. 1609–1620, ed. John Maitland Thomson, Edinburgh, 1892.
Digital access: HathiTrust  ·  Internet Archive

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Historical Setting · Scotland, 1609–1620

Throughout the period covered by Volume VII, Scotland was ruled by James VI, who had also become James I of England in 1603. The Union of the Crowns placed Scotland and England under the same monarch while they remained separate kingdoms with their own laws, institutions, and systems of landholding. James governed principally from London, but Scottish royal administration continued to generate charters, confirmations, grants, remissions, and other instruments recorded under the Great Seal.

For genealogists, the value of these records lies less in royal politics than in the legal detail embedded in individual instruments. A confirmation may preserve an earlier charter; a marriage contract may establish an explicit relationship; a feu or liferent may distinguish possession from ownership; and a later grant may identify a former proprietor without explaining the complete chain of title. Volume VII therefore needs to be read as both a chronological record and a layered archive of earlier transactions.

Land Was Legally Layered

Ownership, superiority, feu tenure, liferent, possession, occupation, annual rent, and warrandice are not interchangeable. The detailed records preserve those distinctions whenever they affect interpretation.

Confirmations Can Preserve Earlier Evidence

The date of registration under the Great Seal may be later than the underlying charter, contract, or instrument being confirmed. Both dates are retained when they materially affect the evidence.

Places Can Matter Without a Guthrie Name

Eassie, Hiltoun, Balnabreich, Kinblathmont, Lunan, Craigie, and Memmas appear in records that help reconstruct territorial history even where no Guthrie is named. Those records are presented as supplementary evidence rather than direct family proof.

Identity Requires Restraint

The same name does not automatically identify the same person, a witness is not automatically a relative, and an index heading is not the wording of the charter. Conclusions on this page remain tied to the language of the source.

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Master Finding Aid

This finding aid lists the 42 Volume VII records retained for Guthrie Genealogy: 25 direct Guthrie records and 17 supplementary contextual or territorial records. Row color carries the evidence distinction so the table can remain compact without a separate Evidence Type column.

Direct Guthrie Record

A Guthrie person is named in the charter text, including indexed spellings such as Gutherrie and Guithrie. Cream and pale-lavender rows form the direct surname set.

Supplementary Context

Pale-green rows preserve relevant territorial, property, ecclesiastical, or separately indexed Gorthie evidence without counting it as a directly named Guthrie-person record.

How to Use the Table

Select a charter number to jump to its expanded record. Select the source citation to open the corresponding scan in RMS Volume VII.

Ch.# Date Person / Place Location / Branch Research Significance Source
83 22 Jun1609 Guthrie parish church; Thomas Glover, minister Guthrie / Forfar Ecclesiastical place reference to the church of Guthrie; no Guthrie person is named. RMS VII pp.33–34
90 27 Jun1609 David Guthrie in Bonytoun Bonytoun / Kellie Named occupier in the Kellie barony; useful local residence and tenancy evidence. RMS VII pp.35–36
105 4 Jul1609 David Guthrie in Bonytoun Bonytoun / Kellie Second dated appearance of David Guthrie as occupier, strengthening the Bonytoun residence sequence. RMS VII p.40
118 22 Jul1609 Lownane alias Courthill-Dumbarnaeth; mill of Lownane Lunan / Forfar Half of Lunan and its mill granted to Peter Hay of Kirkland; useful property-chain evidence. RMS VII p.45
236 1 Feb1610 Balnabreich Brechin & Navar / Forfar Records the feu-farm of Balnabreich within the wider Brechin/Navar estate structure. RMS VII pp.85–86
318 3 Jul1610 Alison Gutherrie; Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies Pitmowies / Balnamoon Marriage settlement identifies Alison as Patrick’s daughter and wife of John Collace junior of Balnamoon. RMS VII pp.119–120
356 2 Aug1610 Bethia Guthrie; M. Alexander Guthrie Brechin / Edinburgh Bethia appears as William Maule’s spouse; Alexander Guthrie appears as Common Clerk of Edinburgh. RMS VII p.135
436 23 Feb1611 Kinblathmont; Henry Wode of Bonytoun Kinblathmont / Forfar Identifies Kinblathmont lands as held by Henry Wode of Bonytoun in a wider property transaction. RMS VII pp.159–160
438 28 Feb1611 Haltoun of Eassie Eassie & Hiltoun / Forfar Explicitly places Haltoun in the parish of Eassie and records the property with its brewhouse. RMS VII p.161
465 17 Apr1611 Lands and barony of Eassie Eassie / Forfar Places Eassie, with mill and tenants, within the large Murray estate grant; estate/superiority context. RMS VII pp.175–178
598 17 Dec1611 Patrick Guithrie of Auchmithie Auchmithie Named territorial witness; preserves the indexed Guithrie spelling used in the charter. RMS VII p.224
686 7 Jul1612 M. Patrick Guthrie, regent of Aberdeen College Aberdeen Academic office evidence for Patrick Guthrie before his later appearances as subprincipal. RMS VII pp.254–255
701 18 Jul1612 Late Gilbert Guthrie Aberdeen Named in a property/rent schedule connected with an Aberdeen tenement or croft. RMS VII pp.259–262
721 30 Jul1612 Jeanne Guthrie, spouse of Robert Stirling of Letter Letter / Kirkcudbright Conjunct infeftment and marriage evidence naming Jeanne Guthrie as Robert Stirling’s spouse. RMS VII p.269
728 1 Aug1612 M. Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh Edinburgh Professional reference through his servitor James Lennox, a witness to the underlying charter. RMS VII p.271
744 21 Aug1612 Half of Lunane; half mill of Lunane Lunan / Forfar Confirms a transfer to Sir Peter Young and helps trace fractional ownership of Lunan and its mill. RMS VII p.277
755 9 Oct1612 M. James Guthrie, minister at Urquhart Urquhart / Elgin Clerical office evidence identifying James Guthrie as minister at Urquhart. RMS VII p.280
799 14 Jan[1613] Easter Balnabreich, manor-place & fortalice Balnabreich / Forfar Liferent/property evidence for Easter Balnabreich; RMS notes the instrument itself is dated A.D. 1610. RMS VII p.298
830 7 Apr1613 M. Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh Edinburgh Professional reference: James Lennox is identified as servant of Alexander Guthrie in the underlying 1612 charter. RMS VII p.308
881 12 Jul1613 Lunane alias Courthill; half mill Lunan / Forfar Transfers Lunan property formerly belonging to Peter Hay of Kirkland and his son John to Sir George Hay. RMS VII pp.322–323
1024 10 Mar1614 Lownane annual rents; Memmas annual rent Lunan & Memmas / Forfar Restenneth revenue record preserving annual rents from Lunan and a separate 20s. annual rent from Memmas. RMS VII pp.372–374
1071 8 Jul1614 David Guthrie junior of Kincaldrum Kincaldrum / Forfar Named consenting party in a land transaction; dated evidence for the Kincaldrum line. RMS VII p.391
1078 14 Jul1614 M. Patrick Guthrie, subprincipal of Aberdeen College Aberdeen Documents Patrick Guthrie in the senior academic office of subprincipal. RMS VII p.394
1094 26 Jul1614 M. John Guthrie, minister at Arbirlot Arbirlot / Forfar Clerical office evidence naming John Guthrie as minister of Arbirlot. RMS VII p.398
1101 3 Aug1614 Katherine Gorthie; barony of Gorthie Gorthie / Perth Separately indexed Gorthie evidence; retained as context without silently converting the surname to Guthrie. RMS VII pp.402–403
1164 26 Jan1615 David Guthrie, feodatory of Kincaldrum Kincaldrum / Forfar Official role in the sasine process; strong dated evidence for David Guthrie’s Kincaldrum designation. RMS VII p.429
1205 9 Mar1615 James Guthrie, clerk of Montrose; James his son Montrose Father-son professional evidence: the burgh clerk and his son appear in the same charter context. RMS VII p.442
1210 14 Mar1615 Alexander Wobster in Hiltoun de Guthrie Hiltoun of Guthrie / Forfar Territorial reference to Hiltoun de Guthrie in a royal remission; no Guthrie person is named. RMS VII p.444
1254 15 Jun1615 Kinblathmont lands used as special warrandice Kinblathmont / Forfar Names Gilkhorne, Hantestoun, Annestoun and Myreside within Kinblathmont as security for another conveyance. RMS VII pp.459–460
1455 20 Jun1616 M. Patrick Guthrie, subprincipal of Aberdeen College Aberdeen Repeated academic-office evidence for Patrick Guthrie as subprincipal. RMS VII p.528
1505 1 Aug1616 M. Patrick Guthrie, subprincipal of Aberdeen College Aberdeen Further dated evidence for Patrick Guthrie’s college office and institutional activity. RMS VII pp.542–544
1619 22 Mar1617 Barony of Eassie Eassie / Forfar Detailed territorial description including Casteltoun, Brewland of Eassie, mill and associated lands. RMS VII pp.585–586
1621 22 Mar1617 Eassie and Navay within Buchan estate revenues Eassie / Forfar Annual-rent burden over the Buchan estates, including Eassie; financial context rather than a conveyance. RMS VII p.586
1627 11 Apr1617 M. Patrick Guthrie, subprincipal of Aberdeen College Aberdeen Patrick Guthrie witnesses the underlying episcopal charter at Aberdeen on 1 May 1616. RMS VII p.588
1636 9 May1617 Bathea (Bethia) Guthrie, spouse of William Maule Maule family / Edinburgh Marriage and liferent context naming Bethia Guthrie as William Maule’s spouse. RMS VII p.593
1684 22 Aug1617 Bathea (Bethia) Guthrie; Jonet Maule her daughter Maule / Oliphant alliance Matrimonial contract preserves Bethia’s marriage and identifies her daughter Jonet Maule. RMS VII pp.612–613
1715 4 Dec1617 Hiltoun-Craigie, anciently Wester Craigie Craigie / Forfar Explicit place-name equivalence useful for Craigie/Hiltoun territorial history; no Guthrie person named. RMS VII p.622
1914 9 Sep1618 James (Jac.) Guthrie, former holder of Wester Balnabreich Balnabreich / Forfar Chain-of-title evidence stating that the west half of Balnabreich formerly belonged to James Guthrie. RMS VII p.693
1956 24 Dec1618 M. Henry Guthrie, minister at old Bendoquhy Bendoquhy / Cowpar Church-plantation record preserves Henry Guthrie’s ministry and lifetime protection of his stipend. RMS VII pp.709–710
2002 16 Mar1619 M. Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh Edinburgh Professional reference in a confirmed 1612 charter written by Alexander Paterson, his servant. RMS VII pp.723–724
2123 1 Feb1620 M. Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh Edinburgh Late-volume professional reference extending Alexander Guthrie’s documented civic career. RMS VII pp.766–767
2125 3 Feb1620 Balnabreich Brechin & Navar / Forfar Again records the feu-farm of Balnabreich within the wider Brechin estate framework. RMS VII pp.768–770

Dating note: Charter 799 appears in the A.D. 1613 sequence; the RMS editor notes that the instrument itself is dated A.D. 1610 and explains its placement by the regnal year. Surname note: Volume VII groups Guthrie, Gutherrie, and Guithrie in the Guthrie index entry, while Gorthie is indexed separately.

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Detailed Records

The entries below expand the finding aid into source-based research notes. Direct Guthrie evidence is distinguished from supplementary territorial context, and relationships are stated only where the record itself supports them.

Part I · A.D. 1609–1611
Ch. 83 · 22 June 1609 · Parish Church of Guthrie
Supplementary Context
Date 22 June 1609
Named Person Thomas Glover, minister
Place Parish church of Guthrie
Evidence Ecclesiastical / territorial

Document Focus

The charter contains a reference to the parish church of Guthrie and identifies its minister, Thomas Glover. The Guthrie name functions here as the name of the parish and church rather than as the surname of a person.

Why This Record Matters

The entry helps document the ecclesiastical landscape surrounding the lands of Guthrie during the early seventeenth century and provides a dated reference for the parish church.

Evidence caution: this is a place-name reference. It does not identify Thomas Glover, or any other person in the charter, as a member of the Guthrie family.

Source: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, Vol. VII, Ch. 83, pp. 33–34. View digitized volume.

Ch. 90 · 27 June 1609 · David Guthrie in Bonytoun
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 27 June 1609
Named Guthrie David Guthrie in Bonytoun
Role Occupier / resident
Location Bonytoun / Kellie

Document Focus

David Guthrie is identified by residence as being in Bonytoun within the wider Kellie property context.

Why This Record Matters

The charter provides a dated placement for David Guthrie at Bonytoun. Combined with his second appearance a few days later, it establishes a small but useful residence and tenancy sequence.

Identity caution: the description is in Bonytoun, not “of Bonytoun.” It should not be converted into a territorial designation or used by itself to infer ownership of the property.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 90, pp. 35–36. View digitized volume.

Ch. 105 · 4 July 1609 · David Guthrie in Bonytoun
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 4 July 1609
Named Guthrie David Guthrie in Bonytoun
Role Occupier / resident
Location Bonytoun / Kellie

Document Focus

A second Volume VII charter identifies David Guthrie at Bonytoun, following the appearance in Charter 90.

Why This Record Matters

Repetition within a short period strengthens the evidence that David Guthrie was genuinely associated with Bonytoun rather than appearing there incidentally in a single document.

Research use: the two 1609 references should be considered together when assessing David Guthrie’s residence, occupation, or possible connection to the local Guthrie network.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 105, p. 40. View digitized volume.

Ch. 118 · 22 July 1609 · Lownane alias Courthill-Dumbarnaeth
Supplementary Context
Date 22 July 1609
Grantee Peter Hay of Kirkland
Property Half of Lownane and its mill
Location Lunan / Forfar

Document Focus

The king grants Peter Hay of Kirkland one half of the lands of Lownane alias the Courthill-Dumbarnaeth, together with half of the mill of Lownane and its mill lands.

Why This Record Matters

Lunan had an earlier Guthrie history. This charter helps establish the seventeenth-century chain of title after that period and shows that the lands and mill could be held in fractional interests.

Property caution: later ownership of a former Guthrie-associated estate is contextual evidence. This charter does not itself name a Guthrie.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 118, p. 45. View digitized volume.

Ch. 236 · 1 February 1610 · Balnabreich
Supplementary Context
Date 1 February 1610
Property Balnabreich
Legal Context Feu-farm holding
Estate Context Brechin & Navar / Forfar

Document Focus

Balnabreich appears among the properties and revenues associated with the barony of Brechin and Navar. The charter records its place within the broader estate structure rather than a Guthrie family transaction.

Why This Record Matters

The record helps trace what happened to Balnabreich after its earlier connection with Sir David Guthrie and Malcolm Guthrie. It is evidence for later tenure and estate administration.

Legal distinction: inclusion within a larger grant or feu-farm structure should not be read as evidence that all earlier rights or forms of possession were identical.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 236, pp. 85–86. View digitized volume.

Ch. 318 · 3 July 1610 · Alison Gutherrie of Pitmowies
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 3 July 1610
Named Guthries Alison Gutherrie; Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies
Relationship Alison, daughter of Patrick
Marriage John Collace junior of Balnamoon

Document Focus

The record identifies Alison Gutherrie as a daughter of Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies and places her in a marriage settlement with John Collace junior of Balnamoon.

Why This Record Matters

This is strong genealogical evidence because the relationship is explicit: Alison is not merely associated with Patrick Gutherrie; she is identified as his daughter.

Spelling note: the charter/index form Gutherrie is preserved rather than silently modernized. Volume VII’s Index Nominum places this spelling within the Guthrie entry.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 318, pp. 119–120. View digitized volume.

Ch. 356 · 2 August 1610 · Bethia Guthrie & M. Alexander Guthrie
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 2 August 1610
Named Guthries Bethia Guthrie; M. Alexander Guthrie
Bethia’s Role Spouse of William Maule
Alexander’s Office Common Clerk of Edinburgh

Document Focus

Two distinct Guthrie references occur in the charter. Bethia Guthrie appears as the wife of William Maule, while Master Alexander Guthrie appears in his professional capacity as Common Clerk of Edinburgh.

Why This Record Matters

The entry simultaneously contributes marriage evidence for Bethia and civic-career evidence for Alexander. Their appearance in the same charter should not, however, be treated as proof that the two Guthries were closely related.

Identity caution: proximity within one legal instrument does not establish kinship between Bethia Guthrie and Alexander Guthrie.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 356, p. 135. View digitized volume.

Ch. 436 · 23 February 1611 · Kinblathmont
Supplementary Context
Date 23 February 1611
Property Kinblathmont
Named Holder Henry Wode of Bonytoun
Location Forfarshire

Document Focus

Kinblathmont appears among lands involved in the transaction, with Henry Wode of Bonytoun identified in connection with the property.

Why This Record Matters

The record contributes to the post-Guthrie property chronology of Kinblathmont and helps distinguish later landholding from earlier Guthrie family associations with the estate.

Property caution: the historical association of Kinblathmont with Guthries does not make every later Kinblathmont charter a Guthrie-person record.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 436, pp. 159–160. View digitized volume.

Ch. 438 · 28 February 1611 · Haltoun of Eassie
Supplementary Context
Date 28 February 1611
Property Haltoun of Eassie
Record Form terras de Haltoun de Essie
Location Parish of Eassie / Forfar

Document Focus

The charter explicitly identifies the lands of Haltoun as Haltoun of Eassie and includes the associated brewhouse among the property components.

Why This Record Matters

The wording is particularly useful for the Eassie & Hiltoun reconstruction because it directly joins the two place-names in a dated royal record rather than requiring the connection to be inferred.

Research significance: this is territorial evidence, not proof of a Guthrie possessor in 1611. It should be used to clarify geography and property identity rather than to manufacture a family link.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 438, p. 161. View digitized volume.

Ch. 465 · 17 April 1611 · Lands & Barony of Eassie
Supplementary Context
Date 17 April 1611
Property Lands and barony of Eassie
Components Mill, multures, tenants & pertinents
Location Forfarshire

Document Focus

In the extensive grant to James, Earl of Moray, the record includes the lands and barony of Eassie, with its mill, mill lands, tenants, and associated rights.

Why This Record Matters

The charter supplies wider superiority and estate context for Eassie. It shows why a family could possess or occupy lands within Eassie while superior rights formed part of a much larger territorial grant.

Legal distinction: superiority, heritable possession, feu tenure, and occupation are different legal relationships. This record should therefore be read alongside—not substituted for—the documents identifying the Guthrie family at Eassie and Hiltoun.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 465, pp. 175–178. View digitized volume.

Ch. 598 · 17 December 1611 · Patrick Guithrie of Auchmithie
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 17 December 1611
Named Guthrie Patrick Guithrie of Auchmithie
Role Territorial witness
Location Auchmithie

Document Focus

Patrick appears among the witnesses and is expressly styled of Auchmithie. The source uses the spelling Guithrie.

Why This Record Matters

Unlike an “in” designation, the territorial style “of Auchmithie” carries greater significance for Patrick’s documented association with the property. The charter also supplies a precise dated appearance for him.

Spelling and identity: Volume VII’s Index Nominum groups Guithrie with Guthrie, but the charter spelling is preserved here. The record establishes Patrick’s designation; it does not by itself establish his parentage or connection to another Guthrie branch.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 598, p. 224. View digitized volume.

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Detailed Records · Part II

A.D. 1612–1614
Ch. 686 · 7 July 1612 · Patrick Guthrie, Regent of Aberdeen College
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 7 July 1612
Named Guthrie M. Patrick Guthrie
Office Regent of Aberdeen College
Location Aberdeen

Document Focus

Patrick Guthrie appears with the academic designation of regent of Aberdeen College.

Why This Record Matters

This is the earliest Volume VII appearance in the sequence that later identifies Patrick Guthrie as subprincipal. It provides a useful dated point in the development of his academic career.

Career sequence: Patrick appears repeatedly in Volume VII, allowing his Aberdeen academic role to be followed across several years without assuming that every Patrick Guthrie in Scotland was the same man.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 686, pp. 254–255. View digitized volume.

Ch. 701 · 18 July 1612 · The Late Gilbert Guthrie of Aberdeen
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 18 July 1612
Named Guthrie Late Gilbert Guthrie
Context Former property / rent reference
Location Aberdeen

Document Focus

Gilbert Guthrie is named retrospectively in connection with property or revenue included in the Aberdeen charter.

Why This Record Matters

Even though Gilbert was already deceased, the reference preserves evidence that his name remained attached to an identifiable Aberdeen property interest.

Genealogical caution: the wording establishes a prior property association, not Gilbert’s parentage, spouse, or descent from another Guthrie line.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 701, pp. 259–262. View digitized volume.

Ch. 721 · 30 July 1612 · Jeanne Guthrie, Wife of Robert Stirling of Letter
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 30 July 1612
Named Guthrie Jeanne Guthrie
Relationship Spouse of Robert Stirling of Letter
Legal Context Conjunct infeftment

Document Focus

Jeanne Guthrie is expressly identified as the wife of Robert Stirling of Letter in a property arrangement involving the spouses jointly.

Why This Record Matters

The charter supplies explicit marriage evidence and demonstrates how a Guthrie woman could appear in the Great Seal records through matrimonial and property rights.

Relationship evidence: the marriage is explicit. No parentage for Jeanne is supplied by this charter and should not be inferred from surname or locality alone.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 721, p. 269. View digitized volume.

Ch. 728 · 1 August 1612 · Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 1 August 1612
Named Guthrie M. Alexander Guthrie
Office Common Clerk of Edinburgh
Associated Person James Lennox, his servant

Document Focus

Alexander Guthrie appears through the designation of James Lennox as his servant. Alexander is identified by his civic office as Common Clerk of Edinburgh.

Why This Record Matters

This is one of several Volume VII entries documenting Alexander Guthrie’s professional network and long-running civic career in Edinburgh.

Professional evidence: a servant’s identification can preserve valuable evidence for the office and household network of the person he served, even when Alexander was not the principal party to the transaction.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 728, p. 271. View digitized volume.

Ch. 744 · 21 August 1612 · Half of Lunane & Its Mill
Supplementary Context
Date 21 August 1612
Property Half of Lunane and half of its mill
Recipient Sir Peter Young of Seatoun
Location Lunan / Forfar

Document Focus

William Tyrie of Drumkilbo’s charter transfers to Sir Peter Young half of the lands of Lunane, including Halkhill, Newtoun, part of Dunbarton, and half of the mill of Lunane.

Why This Record Matters

The record documents the fragmented ownership of the former Guthrie-associated Lunan estate and provides a dated stage in its later property history.

Property interpretation: the repeated references to halves and other fractional interests are important. “Lunan” should not be treated as though one proprietor necessarily controlled every component of the estate.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 744, p. 277. View digitized volume.

Ch. 755 · 9 October 1612 · James Guthrie, Minister at Urquhart
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 9 October 1612
Named Guthrie M. James Guthrie
Office Minister at Urquhart
Location Urquhart / Elgin

Document Focus

Master James Guthrie is identified in clerical office as minister at Urquhart.

Why This Record Matters

The charter provides an independent dated record of a Guthrie minister and contributes to the wider pattern of ecclesiastical and professional Guthries documented in the volume.

Identity caution: the name James Guthrie is common enough that this minister should not automatically be identified with another contemporary James Guthrie without corroborating evidence.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 755, p. 280. View digitized volume.

Ch. 799 · 14 January [1613] · Easter Balnabreich
Supplementary Context
Printed Placement 14 January 1613
Editorial Dating Note Instrument dated A.D. 1610
Property Easter Balnabreich
Features Manor-place and fortalice

Document Focus

The charter concerns a liferent arrangement that includes the town and lands of Easter Balnabreich, expressly described with its manor-place and fortalice.

Why This Record Matters

It distinguishes Easter Balnabreich from Wester Balnabreich and confirms that the eastern portion possessed a manor-place and fortified residence.

Dating caution: the RMS editor places the charter in the 1613 sequence according to the regnal year but notes that the instrument itself is dated A.D. 1610. Both facts should remain visible.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 799, p. 298. View digitized volume.

Ch. 830 · 7 April 1613 · Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh
Direct Guthrie Record
Great Seal Date 7 April 1613
Underlying Charter 16 June 1612
Named Guthrie M. Alexander Guthrie
Office Common Clerk of Edinburgh

Document Focus

The confirmed charter names James Lennox as servant of Master Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh. The underlying instrument is dated 16 June 1612.

Why This Record Matters

Together with Charters 728, 2002, and 2123, this record documents Alexander Guthrie as a recurring civic official with a recognizable professional household and servant network.

Date distinction: the Great Seal confirmation date and the date of the underlying charter are both genealogically useful and should not be collapsed into a single date.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 830, p. 308. View digitized volume.

Ch. 881 · 12 July 1613 · Lunane alias Courthill
Supplementary Context
Date 12 July 1613
Property Lunane alias Courthill
Grantee Sir George Hay of Nether Liff
Prior Holders Peter Hay & John Hay

Document Focus

Sir George Hay receives the lands of Lunane alias Courthill, with half of its mill and associated property rights. The record notes that the lands had belonged to Peter Hay of Kirkland and his son John.

Why This Record Matters

This provides another identifiable stage in the post-Guthrie ownership history of Lunan and helps connect the 1609 and 1612 property references with later holders.

Research pathway: this charter belongs with the Lunan property sequence rather than the direct Guthrie-person count.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 881, pp. 322–323. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1024 · 10 March 1614 · Lownane & Memmas Annual Rents
Supplementary Context
Date 10 March 1614
Institution Restenneth
Lunan Evidence Annual rents from Lownane
Memmas Evidence 20s. annual rent

Document Focus

The Restenneth revenue schedule includes annual rents associated with Lownane and separately records a payment of 20 shillings from the lands of Memmas.

Why This Record Matters

The charter contributes to two research pathways. It documents later Lunan revenues and independently confirms the Forfar locality indexed in this volume as Memmas.

Legal distinction: an annual rent drawn from land is not the same thing as ownership of the land. The Memmas reference does not name a Guthrie proprietor and should not be used to prove one.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1024, pp. 372–374. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1071 · 8 July 1614 · David Guthrie Junior of Kincaldrum
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 8 July 1614
Named Guthrie David Guthrie junior
Designation Of Kincaldrum
Role Consenting party

Document Focus

David Guthrie junior of Kincaldrum appears as a named consenting party in a land transaction.

Why This Record Matters

The wording preserves both the territorial designation and the qualifier junior, making the record particularly useful for distinguishing him within the Kincaldrum family.

Relationship caution: “junior” distinguishes him from another David Guthrie but should not automatically be translated as “son of David” unless a relationship is explicitly stated elsewhere.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1071, p. 391. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1078 · 14 July 1614 · Patrick Guthrie, Subprincipal of Aberdeen College
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 14 July 1614
Named Guthrie M. Patrick Guthrie
Office Subprincipal of Aberdeen College
Location Aberdeen

Document Focus

Patrick Guthrie is now specifically styled subprincipal of Aberdeen College, advancing beyond the earlier designation of regent recorded in Charter 686.

Why This Record Matters

The change in title provides a documented academic career progression and helps identify later references to the same institutional office.

Career evidence: the office sequence is valuable because it derives from dated primary-source references rather than retrospective biography alone.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1078, p. 394. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1094 · 26 July 1614 · John Guthrie, Minister at Arbirlot
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 26 July 1614
Named Guthrie M. John Guthrie
Office Minister of Arbirlot
Location Arbirlot / Forfar

Document Focus

Master John Guthrie is identified by ecclesiastical office as minister of Arbirlot.

Why This Record Matters

The dated reference is useful for reconstructing John’s ministerial career and forms part of the broader body of evidence for clerical Guthries in Angus.

Research pathway: this record can be compared with Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae and other church sources, but the RMS charter itself should remain the basis for the statement made here.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1094, p. 398. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1101 · 3 August 1614 · Katherine Gorthie & the Barony of Gorthie
Supplementary Context
Date 3 August 1614
Named Woman Katherine Gorthie
Relationship Mother of George Lundie of Gorthie
Location Gorthie / Perth

Document Focus

The record concerns the lands and barony of Gorthie and names Katherine Gorthie, mother of George Lundie of Gorthie and widow of Mr. George Lundie.

Why This Record Matters

It provides a useful control case for surname interpretation because the Volume VII Index Nominum treats Gorthie separately from the grouped forms Guthrie, Gutherrie, and Guithrie.

Surname caution: Katherine’s name must remain Gorthie. Similar spelling is not sufficient evidence to convert her into a Guthrie or to assign her to a Guthrie lineage.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1101, pp. 402–403. View digitized volume.

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Detailed Records · Part III

A.D. 1615–1617
Ch. 1164 · 26 January 1615 · David Guthrie, Feodatory of Kincaldrum
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 26 January 1615
Named Guthrie David Guthrie
Designation Feodatory of Kincaldrum
Role Officer in sasine process

Document Focus

David Guthrie is expressly styled feodatory of Kincaldrum and appears in the legal machinery surrounding the taking of sasine.

Why This Record Matters

The charter gives a stronger legal designation than a simple residence reference and confirms David Guthrie’s formal connection with Kincaldrum.

Legal terminology: “feodatory” identifies a person holding or acting under a feudal right. It should not be reduced to the looser modern term “resident.”

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1164, p. 429. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1205 · 9 March 1615 · James Guthrie, Clerk of Montrose, & His Son James
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 9 March 1615
Named Guthries James Guthrie; James his son
Office Clerk of Montrose
Relationship Father and son

Document Focus

James Guthrie, clerk of the burgh of Montrose, appears together with James, explicitly identified as his son.

Why This Record Matters

This is strong genealogical and occupational evidence because the charter supplies both a father-son relationship and the elder James’s municipal office.

Genealogical value: this relationship is stated by the record and does not depend on reconstruction from repeated names or assumed proximity.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1205, p. 442. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1210 · 14 March 1615 · Hiltoun de Guthrie
Supplementary Context
Date 14 March 1615
Named Person Alexander Wobster
Place Hiltoun de Guthrie
Record Type Royal remission

Document Focus

Alexander Wobster is identified as being in Hiltoun de Guthrie in the context of a royal remission.

Why This Record Matters

The entry preserves a dated territorial form of the place-name Hiltoun of Guthrie, useful for distinguishing this locality from other places called Hiltoun or Haltoun.

Evidence caution: Alexander Wobster is not identified as a Guthrie. The value of the record is territorial, not genealogical.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1210, p. 444. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1254 · 15 June 1615 · Kinblathmont as Special Warrandice
Supplementary Context
Date 15 June 1615
Named Holder Henry Wode of Bonytoun
Property Kinblathmont lands
Legal Function Special warrandice

Document Focus

Henry Wode of Bonytoun, with consent of his wife Anne Cockburn and others, uses lands of Kinblathmont as special warrandice in a transaction involving George Gordon of Gicht and Isobel Wode.

Property Detail

The warrandice identifies components of Kinblathmont including Gilkhorne with its mill, Hantestoun, three quarters of Annestoun, and Myreside.

Legal distinction: the Kinblathmont lands are being used as security guaranteeing another conveyance. The charter should not be described simply as a sale of Kinblathmont.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1254, pp. 459–460. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1455 · 20 June 1616 · Patrick Guthrie, Subprincipal of Aberdeen College
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 20 June 1616
Named Guthrie M. Patrick Guthrie
Office Subprincipal of Aberdeen College
Location Aberdeen

Document Focus

Patrick Guthrie again appears in his academic office as subprincipal of Aberdeen College.

Why This Record Matters

The repeated title demonstrates continuity in Patrick’s academic position and extends the documented sequence beyond his earlier appearances in 1612 and 1614.

Career continuity: repeated independent references are especially useful for distinguishing a sustained office-holding career from a single incidental appearance.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1455, p. 528. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1505 · 1 August 1616 · Patrick Guthrie, Subprincipal of Aberdeen College
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 1 August 1616
Named Guthrie M. Patrick Guthrie
Office Subprincipal of Aberdeen College
Location Aberdeen

Document Focus

A further Great Seal record identifies Patrick Guthrie as subprincipal of Aberdeen College.

Why This Record Matters

The charter provides another dated point in the academic sequence, strengthening the identification of Patrick Guthrie as a continuing senior figure within the college.

Research use: this entry should be considered together with Charters 686, 1078, 1455, and 1627 rather than treated as an isolated appearance.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1505, pp. 542–544. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1619 · 22 March 1617 · Barony of Eassie
Supplementary Context
Date 22 March 1617
Property Lands and barony of Eassie
Estate Context Buchan
Location Forfarshire

Document Focus

The Buchan settlement includes the lands and barony of Eassie and supplies a detailed description of its component properties.

Territorial Detail

The record includes Casteltoun, the alehouse and Brewland of Eassie, the new mill, Balkerie, Glenquhariteis, Balgrowgo, and Dirriland of Eassie.

Research significance: this is particularly valuable for reconstructing the physical and administrative landscape of Eassie after the documented Guthrie family’s earlier period there.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1619, pp. 585–586. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1621 · 22 March 1617 · Annual Rent Charged Over Eassie
Supplementary Context
Date 22 March 1617
Financial Right Annual rent of 7,000 merks
Affected Estate Buchan lands, including Eassie & Navay
Recipient John, Earl of Mar

Document Focus

The king grants an annual rent of 7,000 merks charged over lands of the Buchan estate, expressly including Eassie and Navay.

Why This Record Matters

It demonstrates another legal layer affecting Eassie: revenue rights could be granted over an estate without transferring the underlying lands themselves.

Legal distinction: this is an annual-rent grant, not a conveyance of the barony of Eassie to the Earl of Mar.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1621, p. 586. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1627 · 11 April 1617 · Patrick Guthrie, Subprincipal of Aberdeen College
Direct Guthrie Record
Great Seal Date 11 April 1617
Underlying Charter 1 May 1616
Named Guthrie M. Patrick Guthrie
Office Subprincipal of Aberdeen College

Document Focus

Patrick Guthrie appears among the witnesses to the underlying episcopal charter at Aberdeen, where he is identified as subprincipal of the college.

Why This Record Matters

This extends Patrick’s documented academic career and places him within the institutional network surrounding the bishop and chapter of Aberdeen.

Date distinction: Patrick’s witnessing activity belongs to the underlying charter dated 1 May 1616, while the royal confirmation is dated 11 April 1617.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1627, p. 588. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1636 · 9 May 1617 · Bathea Guthrie, Wife of William Maule
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 9 May 1617
Named Guthrie Bathea / Bethia Guthrie
Relationship Spouse of William Maule
Legal Context Marriage / liferent property

Document Focus

Bathea Guthrie appears as the wife of William Maule in a charter dealing with property and liferent arrangements.

Why This Record Matters

The entry reinforces the marriage already documented in Charter 356 and demonstrates Bethia’s continuing legal identity within the Maule family property network.

Name form: Bathea/Bethia represents the same woman within this documentary sequence. The spelling used by the particular record should be preserved when quoting it.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1636, p. 593. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1684 · 22 August 1617 · Bethia Guthrie & Her Daughter Jonet Maule
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 22 August 1617
Named Guthrie Bethia Guthrie
Daughter Jonet Maule
Record Type Matrimonial contract

Document Focus

Bethia Guthrie appears within a matrimonial contract involving the Maule family, and the record identifies Jonet Maule as her daughter.

Why This Record Matters

The charter extends the documented family unit by one generation: Bethia is not only identified as William Maule’s wife in earlier records, but here as mother of Jonet Maule.

Genealogical value: this charter supplies explicit mother-daughter evidence and should therefore be given greater weight than a pedigree reconstructed only from names and chronology.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1684, pp. 612–613. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1715 · 4 December 1617 · Hiltoun-Craigie, Anciently Wester Craigie
Supplementary Context
Date 4 December 1617
Property Hiltoun-Craigie
Earlier Name Wester Craigie
Location Forfarshire

Document Focus

The charter describes part of the lands and town of Hiltoun-Craigie as anciently called Wester Craigie. George Rollock in Hiltoun of Craigie and Jonet Monorgound his wife appear in the underlying property history.

Why This Record Matters

The explicit place-name equivalence is valuable for distinguishing territorial terminology in the Craigie research and linking later “Hiltoun-Craigie” wording with the older Wester Craigie name.

Geographic caution: this charter establishes a specific equivalence between Hiltoun-Craigie and Wester Craigie. It does not mean that every historical place called Hiltoun is the same property.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1715, p. 622. View digitized volume.

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Detailed Records · Part IV

A.D. 1618–1620
Ch. 1914 · 9 September 1618 · James Guthrie & Wester Balnabreich
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 9 September 1618
Named Guthrie James / Jac. Guthrie
Property West half of Balnabreich
Context Former ownership

Document Focus

The king grants Margaret Craumound, widow of Captain Alexander Ramsay of Brechin, the west half of the lands and town of Balnabreich, together with the fortalice, manor-place, mill, mill lands, and associated rights.

Guthrie Evidence

The charter states that the west half of Balnabreich formerly belonged to Jac. Guthrie. This is direct evidence of a Guthrie in the chain of title.

Index caution: the Index Nominum identifies James Guthrie as “of Easter Balnabreich,” while the charter text itself says that the west half formerly belonged to Jac. Guthrie. The editorial index identification and the charter wording are therefore preserved as separate pieces of evidence rather than merged into one statement.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1914, p. 693. View digitized volume.

Ch. 1956 · 24 December 1618 · Henry Guthrie, Minister at Bendoquhy
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 24 December 1618
Named Guthrie M. Henry Guthrie
Office Minister at old Bendoquhy
Context Church plantation / stipend

Document Focus

The charter reorganizes the parish arrangements surrounding Cowpar and Bendoquhy, including erection of a new parish church at Cowpar and provision of ministerial stipends.

Guthrie Evidence

Master Henry Guthrie, minister at the old Bendoquhy, is expressly protected so that he may retain his stipend for life during the transition to the new ecclesiastical arrangement.

Numbering correction: the Henry Guthrie material belongs to Charter 1956. Charter 1957 is a separate remission concerning Archibald Turnebull and contains no Guthrie reference.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 1956, pp. 709–710. View digitized volume.

Ch. 2002 · 16 March 1619 · Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh
Direct Guthrie Record
Great Seal Date 16 March 1619
Underlying Charter 16 June 1612
Named Guthrie M. Alexander Guthrie
Office Common Clerk of Edinburgh

Document Focus

The royal confirmation preserves an underlying charter dated 16 June 1612 and identifies Alexander Paterson as servant of Master Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh.

Why This Record Matters

The entry adds another member of Alexander Guthrie’s professional household and reinforces his continuing civic identity in the Edinburgh record network.

Date distinction: the servant relationship is embedded in the underlying 1612 instrument. The 1619 date is the Great Seal confirmation date and should not replace the earlier date when discussing the original transaction.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 2002, pp. 723–724. View digitized volume.

Ch. 2123 · 1 February 1620 · Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk of Edinburgh
Direct Guthrie Record
Date 1 February 1620
Named Guthrie M. Alexander Guthrie
Office Common Clerk of Edinburgh
Location Edinburgh

Document Focus

Master Alexander Guthrie again appears with the formal designation of Common Clerk of Edinburgh.

Why This Record Matters

This late-volume entry extends the documented span of Alexander’s civic career and confirms that he continued to be identified by the same municipal office into 1620.

Career sequence: Charters 356, 728, 830, 2002, and 2123 together create a useful professional profile of Alexander Guthrie and the servant network around the Edinburgh common clerkship.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 2123, pp. 766–767. View digitized volume.

Ch. 2125 · 3 February 1620 · Balnabreich within the Brechin Estate
Supplementary Context
Date 3 February 1620
Property Balnabreich
Estate Context Brechin & Navar
Legal Context Feu-farm revenue

Document Focus

In the extensive confirmation for John, Earl of Mar, Balnabreich again appears among the feu-farm revenues belonging to the broader Brechin estate.

Why This Record Matters

Together with Charters 236, 799, and 1914, this record provides a useful sequence for the later territorial and administrative history of Balnabreich after its earlier Guthrie ownership.

Property distinction: this record concerns Balnabreich within a larger estate and revenue structure. No Guthrie individual is named in the charter, so it remains supplementary evidence.

Source: RMS VII, Ch. 2125, pp. 768–770. View digitized volume.

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People & Families

Volume VII contains several recurring Guthrie identities and a smaller number of explicit family relationships. This section brings those records together without turning repeated names, shared locations, or witness associations into unsupported pedigree links.

Master Alexander Guthrie · Common Clerk of Edinburgh

Alexander Guthrie is the most consistently recurring professional Guthrie in Volume VII. Across several charters he is identified as Common Clerk of Edinburgh, while other entries reveal members of the working household or scribal network attached to him.

Documented sequence:
1610 — named as Common Clerk of Edinburgh.
1612 — James Lennox appears as his servant.
1613 — James Lennox is again identified as his servant in an underlying 1612 charter.
1619 — Alexander Paterson is identified as his servant in another underlying 1612 charter.
1620 — Alexander is still styled Common Clerk of Edinburgh.
Ch. 356 Ch. 728 Ch. 830 Ch. 2002 Ch. 2123

Master Patrick Guthrie · Aberdeen College

Patrick Guthrie appears repeatedly within the academic and institutional world of Aberdeen. The changing office descriptions provide a particularly useful career sequence.

Documented sequence:
1612 — regent of Aberdeen College.
1614 — subprincipal of Aberdeen College.
1616 — again recorded as subprincipal.
1616 — another charter confirms the same senior office.
1616/1617 — appears as subprincipal among witnesses to an episcopal charter later confirmed under the Great Seal.
Ch. 686 Ch. 1078 Ch. 1455 Ch. 1505 Ch. 1627

Bethia / Bathea Guthrie · The Maule Family

Three Volume VII records document Bethia Guthrie within the Maule family. Her marriage to William Maule is explicit, and a later matrimonial contract identifies the next generation.

Explicit relationships:
Bethia / Bathea Guthrie
↓ wife of
William Maule
↓ mother of
Jonet Maule

The records are particularly valuable because the relationships arise from legal instruments involving marriage and property rights rather than later pedigree reconstruction.

Ch. 356 Ch. 1636 Ch. 1684

Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies & Daughter Alison

Charter 318 supplies one of the clearest parent-child statements in the volume. Alison Gutherrie is expressly identified as a daughter of Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies.

Explicit relationship:
Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies
↓ daughter
Alison Gutherrie
↓ wife of
John Collace junior of Balnamoon

The spelling Gutherrie is retained from the source and belongs to the Guthrie group in the Volume VII Index Nominum.

Ch. 318

James Guthrie · Clerk of Montrose & His Son James

The Montrose record provides both occupational and genealogical evidence. The elder James Guthrie is identified as clerk of the burgh, while a second James is expressly identified as his son.

Explicit relationship:
James Guthrie · Clerk of Montrose
↓ son
James Guthrie

This is one of the few Volume VII records in which two generations of Guthrie men are directly connected by the charter wording.

Ch. 1205

The Guthries of Kincaldrum

Two Volume VII records name a David Guthrie associated with Kincaldrum. One is styled David Guthrie junior of Kincaldrum; the other is described as David Guthrie, feodatory of Kincaldrum.

1614: David Guthrie junior of Kincaldrum appears as a consenting party.
1615: David Guthrie, feodatory of Kincaldrum, appears in the sasine process.

These records clearly document Guthrie activity at Kincaldrum, but the wording alone should not be forced into a father-son relationship or used to prove that both references necessarily identify the same David.

Ch. 1071 Ch. 1164

Clerical Guthries

Volume VII records three Guthrie ministers in different parishes. These entries provide firm dated evidence for ecclesiastical careers but no relationship among the men is stated.

James Guthrie — minister at Urquhart, 1612.
John Guthrie — minister at Arbirlot, 1614.
Henry Guthrie — minister at old Bendoquhy, protected in his stipend for life, 1618.
Ch. 755 Ch. 1094 Ch. 1956

Other Named Guthries

Several direct records preserve individuals who appear only once or twice in Volume VII but remain useful for branch, residence, marriage, or property research.

David Guthrie in Bonytoun — repeated residence/occupation evidence in 1609.

Patrick Guithrie of Auchmithie — territorial designation in 1611.

Late Gilbert Guthrie — former Aberdeen property association in 1612.

Jeanne Guthrie — wife of Robert Stirling of Letter in a conjunct infeftment, 1612.

James Guthrie — former holder of the west half of Balnabreich, recorded retrospectively in 1618.
Ch. 90 Ch. 105 Ch. 598 Ch. 701 Ch. 721 Ch. 1914

Women in the Volume VII Guthrie Evidence

The Great Seal material preserves several Guthrie women through marriage and property instruments. Their entries are especially useful because legal documents often state relationships that might otherwise disappear from surname-centered records.

Alison Gutherrie — daughter of Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies and wife of John Collace junior.

Jeanne Guthrie — wife of Robert Stirling of Letter.

Bethia / Bathea Guthrie — wife of William Maule and mother of Jonet Maule.
Ch. 318 Ch. 721 Ch. 356 Ch. 1636 Ch. 1684

Urban & Professional Guthries

Volume VII shows that the surname evidence is not confined to landed families. Guthries appear in burgh administration, education, church office, and professional document production.

Edinburgh: Alexander Guthrie, Common Clerk.
Montrose: James Guthrie, burgh clerk.
Aberdeen: Patrick Guthrie, regent and later subprincipal; Gilbert Guthrie in an urban property context.
Church: ministers at Urquhart, Arbirlot, and Bendoquhy.

These records are important reminders that occupational and civic evidence can be just as genealogically valuable as territorial designations.

Identity & relationship caution: this section summarizes only relationships and career sequences supported by the Volume VII evidence. Shared surnames, repeated forenames, professional contact, witness proximity, and residence in the same region do not by themselves establish kinship. Likewise, the terms junior, in a place, and of a place must retain their distinct meanings.

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Research Pathways

The records in Volume VII can be followed beyond individual names and dates into broader questions of property history, family reconstruction, professional careers, and changing territorial relationships. These pathways identify where the evidence leads without treating every shared place-name as proof of descent.

Balnabreich · From Guthrie Holding to Later Estate History

Volume VII is especially useful for following Balnabreich after its fifteenth-century association with Sir David Guthrie and Malcolm Guthrie. The records distinguish eastern and western portions, feu-farm revenues, later proprietors, and the manor-place or fortalice.

Research question: how did the separate interests in Easter and Wester Balnabreich develop, and where does the James Guthrie named as former holder of the western half fit into that property sequence?
Ch. 236 Ch. 799 Ch. 1914 Ch. 2125

Eassie & Hiltoun · Place Identity, Possession & Superiority

The Volume VII evidence clarifies the geography of Hiltoun and Eassie while also demonstrating why superiority and possession must be kept separate. Charter 438 explicitly places Haltoun in the parish of Eassie, while later estate grants show Eassie within broader superior holdings.

Research question: how do the surviving Guthrie feu and possession records fit within the larger superior estate structure documented in 1611 and 1617?
Ch. 438 Ch. 465 Ch. 1210 Ch. 1619 Ch. 1621

Craigie · Hiltoun-Craigie & Wester Craigie

Charter 1715 supplies unusually helpful place-name evidence by stating that Hiltoun-Craigie was anciently called Wester Craigie. That wording helps distinguish this Craigie landscape from other places carrying the same or similar names.

Research question: how should the Hiltoun-Craigie / Wester Craigie identity be integrated with the documentary reconstruction of the Guthrie of Craigie family without confusing it with Hiltoun of Eassie or other Hiltoun properties?
Ch. 1715

Lunan · Fractional Ownership After the Guthries

Volume VII preserves several later transactions involving Lunane, Lownane, Courthill, the mill, and associated annual rents. The repeated references to half-shares are particularly important for understanding the fragmented property history.

Research question: can the later Hay, Tyrie, and Young transactions be aligned with the earlier Guthrie evidence to establish a more precise chain of title for the separate portions of Lunan?
Ch. 118 Ch. 744 Ch. 881 Ch. 1024

Memus / Memmas · A Territorial Reference Without a Named Guthrie

Charter 1024 records an annual rent of 20 shillings from the lands of Memmas, and the Index Locorum independently indexes Memmas as a Forfar locality. No Guthrie person is named in this entry.

Research question: what does the Restenneth annual-rent evidence reveal about the legal and territorial setting of Memmas during the generation associated elsewhere with William Guthrie of Memus?
Ch. 1024

Kinblathmont · Later Property History

By the period covered here, Kinblathmont appears in records connected with Henry Wode of Bonytoun rather than a named Guthrie proprietor. Charter 1254 is particularly useful because it describes several component lands while using Kinblathmont as special warrandice.

Research question: when and by what sequence did the documented Guthrie interest in Kinblathmont give way to the Wode holding represented in Volume VII?
Ch. 436 Ch. 1254

Kincaldrum · David Guthrie and the Meaning of Legal Designations

David Guthrie appears once as junior of Kincaldrum and once as feodatory of Kincaldrum. These descriptions document a strong association with the property but must be interpreted according to their exact wording.

Research question: do other contemporary sasines, retours, testaments, or local charters clarify whether these two references describe the same David Guthrie and how he fits into the Kincaldrum succession?
Ch. 1071 Ch. 1164

Pitmowies · Marriage as Genealogical Evidence

The Alison Gutherrie marriage settlement demonstrates how a legal instrument can establish both parentage and an alliance between families: Alison is explicitly a daughter of Patrick Gutherrie of Pitmowies and wife of John Collace junior of Balnamoon.

Research question: can additional marriage-contract, sasine, testament, or estate records identify Alison’s siblings and place Patrick of Pitmowies more securely within the wider Guthrie network?
Ch. 318

Urban & Professional Guthries

Volume VII contains substantial evidence for Guthries whose importance lies in office rather than landed designation: Alexander Guthrie in Edinburgh, James Guthrie in Montrose, and Patrick Guthrie at Aberdeen College.

Research question: can burgh records, university records, notarial protocols, or testaments identify the family origins of these professional Guthries and determine whether any were related to established landed branches?
Ch. 356 Ch. 686 Ch. 728 Ch. 1205 Ch. 1627 Ch. 2002 Ch. 2123

Clerical Guthries · Church Records as a Second Evidence Stream

James Guthrie at Urquhart, John Guthrie at Arbirlot, and Henry Guthrie at Bendoquhy provide dated RMS evidence for ministerial careers. These entries can be compared with presbytery records, parish sources, and Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae.

Research question: do surviving church and university records identify the parentage, education, marriages, or children of these ministers?
Ch. 755 Ch. 1094 Ch. 1956

Cross-Cutting Research Themes

Women, Marriage & Property

Alison Gutherrie, Jeanne Guthrie, and Bethia/Bathea Guthrie show how marriage settlements, conjunct infeftments, liferents, and matrimonial contracts can preserve relationships that surname indexes alone cannot.

Earlier Deeds Inside Later Confirmations

Several records preserve an underlying charter dated earlier than the Great Seal confirmation. Both dates may matter when reconstructing a person’s activity or a property’s legal history.

“Of” a Place vs. “In” a Place

Patrick Guithrie of Auchmithie and David Guthrie in Bonytoun illustrate why territorial designation and residence should not be treated as equivalent evidence.

Former Ownership

References to the late Gilbert Guthrie or to property formerly belonging to James Guthrie can preserve valuable chain-of-title evidence without establishing a current ownership interest.

Annual Rent vs. Ownership

Eassie, Lunan, and Memmas demonstrate that a right to draw revenue from land is legally different from possessing or owning the land itself.

Index Evidence vs. Charter Wording

The Index Nominum and Index Locorum are invaluable finding aids, but editorial identifications must remain distinguishable from the wording actually printed in the charter.

Research principle: a pathway identifies a promising direction for further study; it is not a pedigree conclusion. Volume VII can establish a date, place, office, relationship, property interest, or legal context without necessarily identifying how that evidence connects to another Guthrie family.

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Terms, Sources & Access

Great Seal records are legal instruments, and their genealogical value often depends on understanding exactly what kind of right, office, property interest, or relationship the document describes. The terms below are especially useful for reading the Volume VII entries.

Terms Used in Volume VII

Annual Rent

A recurring payment secured on land. Holding the right to receive an annual rent does not necessarily mean that the recipient owned or possessed the underlying property.

Confirmation

Royal validation of an earlier charter or legal instrument. The date of confirmation can be substantially later than the transaction being confirmed.

Conjunct Infeftment

A property arrangement in which spouses or other parties were jointly vested in lands or rights. It frequently preserves valuable marriage evidence.

Feodatory

A person holding or acting under a feudal right or grant. The designation can indicate a formal legal connection with an estate rather than simple residence there.

Feu-Farm

A form of heritable tenure in return for a recurring payment or duty to a superior. Feu tenure and superiority are separate interests in the same land.

Liferent

A right to use property or receive its income for the holder’s lifetime. Liferent does not necessarily transfer the underlying heritable ownership.

Remission

A royal pardon or release from prosecution or penalty for specified offences. A place named in a remission can provide residence evidence even when the document is not a property charter.

Sasine

The formal act or record of giving legal possession of heritable property. Sasine evidence can identify lands, parties, officials, and the legal basis by which possession was transferred.

Special Warrandice

Property specifically pledged as security for another conveyance. Land listed in warrandice was not necessarily the principal property being sold.

Superiority

The superior’s feudal interest in land. A superior could retain legal rights over property possessed heritably or in feu by another family.

“In” a Place

Usually indicates residence, occupation, or local association. It should not automatically be converted into a claim of ownership.

“Of” a Place

A territorial designation that normally represents a stronger formal association with the named property than merely being described as “in” that place.

How to Read the Evidence

Great Seal Date vs. Underlying Document Date

A charter recorded in RMS may confirm a deed executed months or years earlier. For genealogical chronology, the earlier instrument may be the date on which the named person actually witnessed, granted, received, or participated in the transaction.

Volume VII therefore preserves both dates where the distinction is significant.

Index Nominum

The Index Nominum is the printed index of people and surnames. In Volume VII, the editor groups Guthrie, Gutherrie, and Guithrie together.

The index is an editorial finding aid. Its wording should not be substituted for what the charter itself says.

Index Locorum

The Index Locorum indexes places rather than people. It is the reason records for Balnabreich, Eassie, Lunan, Kinblathmont, Memmas, Craigie, and other relevant localities can be identified even when no Guthrie surname appears in the charter.

Gorthie Is Not Silently Converted to Guthrie

Volume VII indexes Gorthie separately. Katherine Gorthie in Charter 1101 therefore remains Katherine Gorthie unless independent evidence establishes some additional connection.

Witness Does Not Mean Relative

Witnesses can identify important social, professional, or local networks, but appearance beside a Guthrie does not establish kinship. The same rule applies to clerks, servants, notaries, ministers, and other officials.

Place History Can Be Genealogical Evidence

A later charter naming no Guthrie may still explain what became of a former Guthrie estate, distinguish eastern and western portions of a property, or reveal the superior under whom an earlier family held land. Such records are marked as supplementary context.

Source & Digital Access

Published Volume

Thomson, John Maitland, ed.
Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum: The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, Volume VII, A.D. 1609–1620. Edinburgh, 1892.

Charter numbers used throughout this page refer to the numbered entries in this published volume.

HathiTrust Digital Copy

The HathiTrust scan is used for direct charter-page links throughout the finding aid and detailed records.

Open RMS Volume VII

Internet Archive Copy

Internet Archive provides an alternate digitized copy of the same published volume and can be useful when browsing, downloading, or comparing scans.

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Source Hierarchy Used on This Page

1. Charter text — primary evidence for wording, relationships, offices, and legal interests.

2. Index Nominum / Index Locorum — editorial tools for locating people and places and identifying spelling groups.

3. Other historical and genealogical sources — used to place the charter evidence into wider research context, but not to rewrite what RMS actually records.

Need a broader definition? The terminology here is intentionally limited to concepts required for understanding Volume VII. More general historical and genealogical terminology belongs in Guthrie Genealogy’s Genealogy A to Z reference rather than being duplicated on every Special Collections page.

Page references and charter numbers follow the 1892 printed edition. Digital-image sequence numbers may differ from the printed page numbers because the scanned volume includes front matter and other unnumbered images.

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