Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses
Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses & Guild-Brethren
The Edinburgh burgess roll records formal admission to the privileges of the royal burgh. Entries can identify occupation, apprenticeship, parentage, marriage, inherited rights, sureties, fee exemptions and civic office, making the roll particularly valuable for reconstructing urban Guthrie families.
The Guthrie entries also complement the Edinburgh apprenticeship registers: several men first appear in training relationships and later emerge here as burgesses, guild brethren or masters in the city’s crafts and merchant community.
Collection Overview
Direct Guthrie Entries · Burgesses & Guild-Brethren
These 31 rows are entries in which a Guthrie is the person being admitted or directly recorded in the burgess roll.
| Guthrie | Admission / Right / Occupation | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Alexr. Guthrie | B. and G., gratis, for services done and to be done to the town | 10 Jan. 1548-9 |
| Alexr. Guthrie | B. and G., common clerk of this brugh, as eldest s. of umq. Alexr. G., common clerk… (and his son Alexr. was the third in succession) | 5 Oct. 1596 |
| Alexr. Guthrie | B. and G., mt. (pick and corslet), as p. to Johne Rynd, mt., B. and G. | 20 Sept. 1626 (or 14 Sept. 1636?) |
| Alexr. Guthrie | B. and G., common clerk… by r. of umq. Mr. Alexr. Guthre… gratis (third in sequence) | 28 Oct. 1640 |
| Alexr. Guthrie | B. and G., elder (corslet), as eldest s. to umq. Samuel G., litster, B. and G. | 11 Nov. 1640 |
| Alexr. Guthrie | B. and G., tailyeor (corslitt) | 16 Aug. 1643 |
| Guthrie | tailyeor, B. | 29 Mar. 1648 |
| Mr. David Guthrie | B. and G., advocatt, by r. of w. Martha, dr. of umq. John Murray, mt., B. and G. | 1 Feb. 1604 |
| David Guthrie | B. and G., litster, eldest s. to umq. Samuel G., by r. of sd. fr., B. and G. | 26 Sept. 1655 |
| Hercules Guthrie | B., litster (hagbuit), as p. to James Gairdin, litster, B. (26 Mar. 1606) | 25 Aug. 1619 |
| Hercules Guthrie | G., litster, B. of befoir (corslet), as p. to James Gairdin… | 20 Oct. 1619 |
| James Guthrie | B. and G. | 24 Sept. 1563 |
| James Guthrie | B., skynner (hagbuit), as p. to umq. Robert Tennant, skynner… | 13 Oct. 1613 |
| James Guthrie | B. and G., mt., second s. to umq. Samuel G., by r. of sd. fr., B. and G. | 26 Sept. 1655 |
| James Guthrie | B. and G., feltmaker, as p. to James Brown, feltmaker… (hat maker) | 14 Sept. 1670 |
| James Guthrie | B. and G., mt., be r. of umq. fr. James G., B. and G. | 8 Jan. 1679 |
| James Guthrie | B. and G., wright, be r. of dec. fr. Alexr. G., tailyor… | 28 Dec. 1681 |
| Johne Guthrie | B., tailyeor (hagbuit), as p. to Johne Heriot…; James Guthrie, skynner, souertie… | 28 Oct. 1618 |
| Johne Guthrie | B., maissone, by r. of w. Jonet, dr. to Thomas Duncan, wolbster, B. | 14 Aug. 1644 |
| Johne Guthrie | G., massone, B. of befoir | 24 May 1648 |
| Major John Guthrie | B. and G., be r. of w. Jean, dr. to Andrew Young, W.S., B. and G., gratis… | 4 May 1692 |
| John Guthrie | B. and G., mt., by act of C. of this date | 19 June 1695 |
| Robert Guthrie | B., cuik (hagbuit) | 16 Nov. 1614 |
| Robert Guthrie | B. (muskit), as eldest s. to umq. Robert G., cuik, B. | 10 Mar. 1641 |
| Samuel Guthrie | B., litster (hagbuit), by r. of w. Issobell, dr. to David Gardin… | 13 Apr. 1608 |
| Samuel Guthrie | G., mt., B. of befoir (corslet), by r. of Issobell… | 2 Sept. 1612 |
| Samuel Guthrie | B. and G., mt., be r. of umq. fr. David G., litster… | 30 Oct. 1691 |
| Thomas Guthrie | B. and G., mt. (corslett), by r. of w. Kathreine, dr. to Francis Robertsone… | 7 Dec. 1614 |
| Thomas Guthrie | B. and G., litster, as p. to umq. Samuel Guithrie, litster… | 8 Aug. 1660 |
| Walter Guthrie | B., candlemaker, by r. of his w. Katherin… | 4 Jan. 1666 |
| Walter Guthrie | B., candlemaker, be r. of umq. fr. Walter G., candlemaker, B. | 27 Aug. 1684 |
Relational Cross-References · Family, Surety & Rights
These 17 rows pull out the family and legal relationships embedded in the direct admissions—deceased fathers, wives whose rights enabled admission, prior burgesses and sureties.
| Referenced Guthrie | Role / Context | Associated Individual / Details | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Guthrie (skynner) | Souertie (surety) | For Johne Guthrie (tailyeor) | 28 Oct. 1618 |
| Samuel G. | Umq. father (deceased) | Alexr. Guthrie (elder, as eldest s.) | 11 Nov. 1640 |
| Samuel G. | Umq. father | David Guthrie (litster, eldest s.) | 26 Sept. 1655 |
| Samuel G. | Umq. father | James Guthrie (mt., second s.) | 26 Sept. 1655 |
| Alexr. G. (tailyor) | Dec. father | James Guthrie (wright) | 28 Dec. 1681 |
| Robert G. (cuik) | Umq. father | Robert Guthrie (muskit, eldest s.) | 10 Mar. 1641 |
| David G. (litster) | Umq. father | Samuel Guthrie (mt.) | 30 Oct. 1691 |
| Walter G. (candlemaker) | Umq. father | Walter Guthrie (candlemaker) | 27 Aug. 1684 |
| Samuel Guithrie (litster) | Umq. (deceased, prior burgess) | Thomas Guthrie (litster, as p. to) | 8 Aug. 1660 |
| Alexr. G. | Umq. (common clerk, prior) | Alexr. Guthrie (common clerk, by r. of) | 28 Oct. 1640 |
| James G. | Umq. fr. (brother?) | James Guthrie (mt.) | 8 Jan. 1679 |
| Martha (dr. of umq. John Murray) | Wife | Mr. David Guthrie (by r. of w.) | 1 Feb. 1604 |
| Issobell (dr. of David Gardin) | Wife | Samuel Guthrie (by r. of w.) | 13 Apr. 1608 & 2 Sept. 1612 |
| Kathreine (dr. of Francis Robertsone) | Wife | Thomas Guthrie (by r. of w.) | 7 Dec. 1614 |
| Jonet (dr. of Thomas Duncan) | Wife | Johne Guthrie (by r. of w.) | 14 Aug. 1644 |
| Jean (dr. of Andrew Young) | Wife | Major John Guthrie (by r. of w.) | 4 May 1692 |
| Katherin | Wife | Walter Guthrie (by r. of his w.) | 4 Jan. 1666 |
Research Leads from the Burgess Roll
The Edinburgh Common Clerks
The roll preserves a succession of Alexander Guthries connected with the office of common clerk. The 1596 entry explicitly calls one Alexander the eldest son of the deceased Alexander Guthrie, common clerk, and notes that his son Alexander was the third in succession. A further common-clerk admission appears in 1640.
Samuel Guthrie’s Litster Family
Samuel Guthrie appears as burgess and later guild member/merchant. Subsequent admissions identify Alexander as his eldest son, David as eldest son, and James as second son in different entries. These records deserve careful chronological separation before assigning the sons to one household.
Craft Continuity
Hercules Guthrie’s 1619 admission records his earlier apprenticeship to James Gairdin, litster. The same occupational pattern seen in the apprenticeship registers continues here among tailors, skinners, litsters, masons, candlemakers, cooks and wrights.
Admission Through Marriage
Several Guthries entered by right of a wife: Mr David Guthrie through Martha Murray; Samuel through Isobel Garden; Thomas through Kathreine Robertsone; John through Jonet Duncan; Major John through Jean Young; and Walter through Katherin. These are direct marital clues, not incidental spouse mentions.
Robert Guthrie was admitted as a cook in 1614. In 1641 another Robert Guthrie was admitted as eldest son of the deceased Robert Guthrie, cook and burgess. This is one of the clearest two-generation occupational links in the roll.
Walter Guthrie was admitted as a candlemaker in 1666. The 1684 admission of another Walter states that he was admitted by right of his deceased father Walter Guthrie, candlemaker and burgess.
The roll should be read beside the Edinburgh apprenticeship registers. Hercules Guthrie, John Guthrie the tailor, Samuel Guthrie the litster and other craft families appear in both record types, offering a route from apprenticeship to civic admission and later master status.
Terms & Practices
A person formally admitted to the privileges and obligations of the burgh.
Guild status, often appearing with burgess status as “B. and G.”
By right of—commonly a hereditary or marital right to admission.
Apprenticed or presented to the named master, as abbreviated in the published roll.
Umquhile; deceased or late.
A guarantor for another person’s obligations, fees or conduct.
Admission without the ordinary fee, usually by special privilege or civic decision.
Act of Council authorizing or recording the admission.
Firearms named among the military equipment obligations associated with admission.
Body armour appearing in the same civic-military context.
Sources & Access
Published roll: Charles B. Boog Watson, ed., Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1406–1700 (Edinburgh: printed for the Scottish Record Society by J. Skinner & Company Ltd., 1929), Scottish Record Society Old Series No. 59.
Digital access: Google Books.
Series bibliography: Scottish Record Society · Old Series Publications.
Guthrie Genealogy · Special CollectionsEdinburgh Burgesses & Guild-Brethren · Thistle Archive