Bedrule is a parish in the centre of Roxburghshire. It is bounded by the parishes of Jedburgh, Hobkirk, Cavers, Minto, and Ancrum. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Bedrule, Newton, Rewcastle
Knowesouth
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The parish of Abbotrule or Rule Hervey was united to Bedrule, but in 1777 was disjoined and divided between Hobkirk and Southdean. In 1914 a new church was built here by Sir Robert Usher of Wells, Bart.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
(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 |
| 1690-1854 | Bedrule | 782 | OPR |
| 1855-1963 | Bedrule | 782 | RD |
| 1964-1967 | Jedburgh and Bedrule | 792 | RD |
| 2009 | Scottish Borders, Jedburgh | 822 | RD |
| 2026 | Scottish Borders Council; Jed Valley 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, Davidson, Henderson, Loftus, Ormiston, Richardson, Scott, Smith, Sprott, Veitch
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 William Brown, Minister of the Parish.
"The number of inhabitants at present, (1793) is about 259. Of these there are 127 males, and 132 females. Under 10 years of age about 69.
There are 6 weavers, 3 tailors, 2 wrights, and 2 gardeners. There are 2 blacksmiths, one of whom not only accommodates the village of Bedrule in that line, but notwithstanding his local disadvantages of distance from materials, and especially from coal, also employs constantly a number of hands in the manufactory of nails; there are 44 male servants and 48 female servants (including a number of women who are chiefly employed in what is called out-work, as hoeing the turnip, making the hay, reaping the harvest, removing the corn from the stack to the barn, &c.) and 9 journeymen nailers.
There were anciently four villages in the parish, which are now much decayed, and the number of houses greatly diminished, viz. Bedrule to the west, Newton to the north-west, Rewcastle to the north-east, and Fulton to the south-west, from the centre of the parish.
The inhabitants of the parish of Bedrule have nearly the same religious and political sentiments; predilections and prejudices, are nearly of the same size, strength, and vigour of body and mind, and from similar causes, are liable to the same diseases, as mentioned in the accounts of various parishes in this part of the country."
(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 15, p. 556
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 3, Section I, p. 279
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
