The Friends of the Dundee City Archives have published online abstracts of entries in Dundee's 'Lockit Book'. So called because it was literally protected with two locks, the manuscript is a register of those admitted burgesses of the city and dates back to the sixteenth century. Municipal records such as this one are often central to establishing genealogies of non-noble urban families in the early modern period as new burgesses tended to be admitted to the privilege by right of their relationship to earlier burgesses, usually a father or father-in-law.
Many equivalent registers of burgesses and guild-brethren for Edinburgh, Glasgow, and elsewhere have been published and a number of the older volumes are now available online (see below). Still more remain in manuscript and are an important but under-used resource. Some of these are more or less where you would expect. For example, Stirling's book of Burgess Entries for 1659 to 1936 is in the burgh archives (Stirling Council Archives, GB224/SB1). Others, however, are tucked away in some quite obscure locations -- the Canongate burgess book for 1790 to c.1856 is currently reposing in the archive of Fraser, Stoddart, and Ballingall, Writers to the Signet (NRS, GB234/GD232). How it came to be there is anyone's guess. As more of these invaluable manuscripts are recovered, analysed, and put to use we can expect our understanding of late medieval and early modern urban families to change dramatically.
Published Burgess Registers
Aberdeen
Register of Burgesses of the Burgh of Aberdeen, 1399-1700, 2 vols., ed. Alexander Macdonald Munro. Aberdeen: New Spalding Club, 1890-1906.
Register of Merchant and Trade Burgesses of Aberdeen, 1600-1700, 5 vols., ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Register of Merchant and Trade Burgesses of Old Aberdeen, 1605-1715, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Register of Merchant and Trade Burgesses of Old Aberdeen, 1726-1885, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Roll of Guild Burgesses of the Royal Burgh of Aberdeen, 1399-1631. Aberdeen: s.n., 1890.
Ayr
Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Ayr, 1647-1846, ed. Alistair Lindsay and Jean B. Kennedy. Drongan: Ayrshire Federation of Historical Societies, 2002.
Banff
Burgess Roll of Banff, 1549-1892, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Canongate, Edinburgh
Register of the Burgesses of the Burgh of the Canongate from 27th June 1622 to 25th September 1733, ed. Helen Armet. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1951.
Dumbarton
Roll of Dumbarton Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1600-1846 . . ., ed. F. Roberts. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1937.
Edinburgh
Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1406-1700, ed. Charles B. Boog Watson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1929.
Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1701-1760, ed. Charles B. Boog Watson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1930.
Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1761-1841. Part I.--Abercrombie--Huie, ed. Charles B. Boog Watson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1933.
Elgin
Burgess Roll of Elgin, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Glasgow
The Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Glasgow, 1573-1750, ed. James R. Anderson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1925.
The Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Glasgow, 1751-1846, ed. James R. Anderson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1935.
Inveraray
The Burgesses of Inveraray, 1665-1963, ed. E. Beaton and S. W. MacIntyre. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1990.
Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright Burgesses 1576 to 1975, ed. D. Richard Torrance. Edinburgh: D. R. Torrance, 1997.
Perth
Burgesses of Perth, 1600-1699, ed. David Dobson. St. Andrews: David Dobson, 2002.
St. Andrews
Burgess Rolls of Fife, 1700-1800, and St. Andrews, 1700-1775, ed. David Dobson. Westminster, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2000.
Burgess Roll of St. Andrews, 1700-1750, ed. David Dobson. s.l.: D. Dobson, 1994.
Stirling
Stirling Burgesses, 1600-1902, 3 vols. Available from the Scottish Genealogical Society.
Thanks to Alex Maxwell Findlater and Marlene Tulip for suggesting additions to this handlist.
Copyright © 2013 Kelsey Jackson Williams
Many equivalent registers of burgesses and guild-brethren for Edinburgh, Glasgow, and elsewhere have been published and a number of the older volumes are now available online (see below). Still more remain in manuscript and are an important but under-used resource. Some of these are more or less where you would expect. For example, Stirling's book of Burgess Entries for 1659 to 1936 is in the burgh archives (Stirling Council Archives, GB224/SB1). Others, however, are tucked away in some quite obscure locations -- the Canongate burgess book for 1790 to c.1856 is currently reposing in the archive of Fraser, Stoddart, and Ballingall, Writers to the Signet (NRS, GB234/GD232). How it came to be there is anyone's guess. As more of these invaluable manuscripts are recovered, analysed, and put to use we can expect our understanding of late medieval and early modern urban families to change dramatically.
Published Burgess Registers
Aberdeen
Register of Burgesses of the Burgh of Aberdeen, 1399-1700, 2 vols., ed. Alexander Macdonald Munro. Aberdeen: New Spalding Club, 1890-1906.
Register of Merchant and Trade Burgesses of Aberdeen, 1600-1700, 5 vols., ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Register of Merchant and Trade Burgesses of Old Aberdeen, 1605-1715, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Register of Merchant and Trade Burgesses of Old Aberdeen, 1726-1885, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Roll of Guild Burgesses of the Royal Burgh of Aberdeen, 1399-1631. Aberdeen: s.n., 1890.
Ayr
Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Ayr, 1647-1846, ed. Alistair Lindsay and Jean B. Kennedy. Drongan: Ayrshire Federation of Historical Societies, 2002.
Banff
Burgess Roll of Banff, 1549-1892, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Canongate, Edinburgh
Register of the Burgesses of the Burgh of the Canongate from 27th June 1622 to 25th September 1733, ed. Helen Armet. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1951.
Dumbarton
Roll of Dumbarton Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1600-1846 . . ., ed. F. Roberts. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1937.
Edinburgh
Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1406-1700, ed. Charles B. Boog Watson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1929.
Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1701-1760, ed. Charles B. Boog Watson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1930.
Roll of Edinburgh Burgesses and Guild-Brethren, 1761-1841. Part I.--Abercrombie--Huie, ed. Charles B. Boog Watson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1933.
Elgin
Burgess Roll of Elgin, ed. Frances McDonnell. St. Andrews: F. McDonnell, 1994.
Glasgow
The Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Glasgow, 1573-1750, ed. James R. Anderson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1925.
The Burgesses and Guild Brethren of Glasgow, 1751-1846, ed. James R. Anderson. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1935.
Inveraray
The Burgesses of Inveraray, 1665-1963, ed. E. Beaton and S. W. MacIntyre. Edinburgh: Scottish Record Society, 1990.
Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright Burgesses 1576 to 1975, ed. D. Richard Torrance. Edinburgh: D. R. Torrance, 1997.
Perth
Burgesses of Perth, 1600-1699, ed. David Dobson. St. Andrews: David Dobson, 2002.
St. Andrews
Burgess Rolls of Fife, 1700-1800, and St. Andrews, 1700-1775, ed. David Dobson. Westminster, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2000.
Burgess Roll of St. Andrews, 1700-1750, ed. David Dobson. s.l.: D. Dobson, 1994.
Stirling
Stirling Burgesses, 1600-1902, 3 vols. Available from the Scottish Genealogical Society.
Thanks to Alex Maxwell Findlater and Marlene Tulip for suggesting additions to this handlist.
Copyright © 2013 Kelsey Jackson Williams