Locherworth
Borthwick is a parish in the Moorfoot district of Edinburghshire. It is bounded by the parishes of Carrington, Cockpen, Newbattle, Cranston, Crichton, Heriot, and Temple. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Bellsmains or Bell's Mains, Borthwick or Kirktown of Borthwick, Brewery, Castleton, Catcune Mill, Clayhouses, Dewarton, Ford, Fushie Bridge or Fushiebridge, Middleton, Mossend, Newlandrig, North Middleton, Old Middleton, Stobb's Mills, Stobhill
The parish of Borthwick had one detached part situated at the north-east corner of the parish of Heriot. This detached part has been transferred to the parish of Heriot. The parish of Borthwick has been further altered in area through the transference to it of the detached part of the parish of Temple, situated at Gorebridge. See affected properties and landholders. (1892: Boundary of counties and parishes in Scotland as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government Act, 1889, by Hay Shennan)
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Endowed with prebends belonging to the College Kirk of Crichton, at the instance of James VI, 4 April 1596, and ratified by Parliament, 11 July 1606. The church was dedicated to St Mungo.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes:
Stobhill. Disjoined from Borthwick, Cockpen, Newbattle, and Temple, and erected into a parish quoad sacra, 16 March 1859.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Borthwick (QO)
Stobhill (QS)
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1700-1854 | Borthwick | 674 | OPR |
| 1855-1956 | Borthwick | 674 | RD |
| 1957-1963 | Borthwick and Stobhill | 674 | RD |
| 1964-1968 | Borthwick, Stobhill and Carrington | 674 | RD |
| 2009 | Midlothian | 762 | RD |
| 2026 | (Borthwick) Midlothian Council; Moorfoot Community Council | ||
| 2026 | (Carrington) Midlothian Council; Moorfoot Community Council | ||
| 2026 | (Stobhill) Midlothian Council; Newtongrange Community Council | ||
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Brown, Gilchrist, Henderson, Lindsay, Mitchell, Ritchie, Smith, Thomson, Wilson, Young
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr John Clunie.
"There are now (1793) in this parish 858 souls; 412 males, and 446 females; of these 154 are children under 8 years of age. The whole number of the people is divided into 204 families. The Seceders of all denominations amount to 112, of whom only 6 are servants.
In the villages, of which there are four small ones in the parish, we here and there meet with a mason, a wright, a weaver, or a tailor, but the people are chiefly employed in husbandry. No manufactures or commerce of any consequence are in these bounds. One ingenious mechanic, indeed, we must not omit to mention. At the village of Ford, which lies on the eastern extremity of this parish, lives James Small, the best plough-maker in Scotland. He makes 300, 400, and sometimes 500 ploughs in a year.
With truth, it may be said, that the parishioners of Borthwick are decent and exemplary in their external deportment. In every human society, certain irregularities must now and then take place, but here atrocious crimes are entirely unknown, and the people in general are orderly, peaceable, industrious and contented."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 13, p. 622
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 1, p. 150
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
