Burns Records

The Burns side of the tree has been traced back to the following people and places. Because of the Royal links on this side of the family, there are too many people to name on this page. I have therefore restricted the records to those from the 1600's onwards. I have also added links to some of the interesting people found within this tree.

Names

Area

Year

Notes

James Burn & Christian Drysdale

Alva, Stirlingshire, Scotland

1600's-1700's

James Burn is the earliest Burn ancestor I have been able to trace. He was a weaver in Alva, Stirlingshire. His wife's name, Drysdale was a fairly common name in Alva.

William Burn & Margaret Morison

Alva, Stirlingshire, Scotland

1700's

William Burn was the son of James Burn above. His first marriage was to Janet Huton and they had 6 children. We stem from his second marriage to Margaret Morison. William was also a weaver and his death certificate states that he died of a 'bloody flux'. I am yet to trace the family of Margaret Morison, but there appears to be many Morison's in Alva at the time. Margaret's father may have been George Morison (senior) as he was a witness at William's death.

James Burn & Christian Drummond

Alva, Stirlingshire, Scotland

1700's

James & Christian were married in 1775 by Rev. Harry Moncrieff. Christian was a servant to the minister and James followed the family tradition of being a weaver. Drummond is not a name seen in this parish, but there are plenty in the neighbouring parish of Falkirk.

Alexander Ritchie & Isabel Duncan

Liberton, Midlothian, Scotland

1700's-1800's

Alexander Ritchie & Isabel Duncan were married in Liberton, Midlothian. One of their daughters, Margaret Ritchie, went to Edinburgh and married William Burn(s) there. I have yet to find out more about the Ritchie and Duncan families of Liberton although Alexander's possible parents are James Ritchie & Margaret Thorburn. This fits in with the naming custom if this was used.

William Fanning & Sarah Guidera

Bourney, Tipperary, Ireland

1800's

There is a divergence of opinion as to whether William was a brewery owner, a tax collector or a grain merchant. It is said that he backed someone financially but lost his money. He sold up, came to NZ (unassisted) we think in 1879 and settled in Wellington. The two oldest boys went to American instead. The birth order of the family has not been ascertained. There were a few Guider/Guidera people in the same area at the same time as Sarah, but I have yet to figure out the linkages.

John & Mary Direen

Callan, Ireland

early 1800's

The grave of John & Mary Direen is in the old churchyard of Coolagh in the Parish of Callan, about 12 miles southwest of Kilkenny. The chapel (as it was called) was replaced by a new church in 1896. in 1945 the headstone showed only the name and dates of birth and death of John and Mary. The churchyard was overgrown and the headstone appeared to have sunk into the ground. It is possible that details of some of the children could be lower down on the stone if they are buried there. The old chapel is in ruins. Elizabeth Hawe, a distant cousin by marriage still lives at Clashaveha, the farm which William and Margaret Direen left when they emigrated. Their great grandaughter Mary Margaret Direen, married Archibald Douglas Burns.

The Direens appear to be descendents of the O'Dirins (O)Dirrane, Derrane. In irish O'Dearain, almost exclusively of County Galway.

John Prentice & Margaret Fram

Carluke, Lanark, Scotland

1600's-1700's

Caroline Montague Scott Prentice married Archibald Douglas and their daughter, Elizabeth, married Robert Burns in Dunedin. John Prentice & Margaret Fram were Caroline's gg grandparents. To see more information on the Prentice clan of Carluke, both Karen Black, and Joe Dewald have websites with sections devoted to this.

James Prentice & Elizabeth Reid

Carluke, Lanark, Scotland

1700's

James was the son if John Prentice & Margaret Fram. He married Elizabeth Reid, but I have no further details about her.

Robert Scott & Martha Renwick / Rainwick

Lanark, Scotland

1700's

John was the son of James and Elizabeth above and he married Euphemia Scott, daughter of Robert Scott & Martha Renwick/Rainwick.

Ebenezer Prentice & Margaret Moth Collins

Edinburgh, Scotland

1700's-1800's

Ebenezer Prentice was Caroline Montague Scott Prentice's father. He married Margaret Moth Collins. Her father is possibly Thomas Collins. This may have been her second marriage, as there was a recorded marriage between Margarate Moth Colin & Thomas Vaughn on 22 DEC 1797 at Canongate.

James Torry & Jean Halliday

Edinburgh, Scotland

1700's

James Torry & Jean Halliday were the parents of Janet Torry. Janet married James Douglas, the father of Archibald Douglas. Another website has listed James' parents as John Torry and Janet Miller, but this is yet to be confirmed. Jean's parents were John Halliday and either Janet Telfer from South Leith.

Thomas Bryden

Craufordmuir, Peebles, Lanark, Scotland

1700's

Thomas Bryden's daughter, Margaret, married David Douglas. David served in Holland and in the British Scotch Brigade with his two sons, Lieutenant James Douglas and Ensign Queensberry Douglas.

David Dickson

Hartree, Peebles, Scotland

1600's- 1700's

David Dickson may have married someone called Elizabeth. His daughter Jean Dickson, married Archibald Douglas.

John Maxwell

Dinwoodie, Dumfries, Scotland

1600's

John Maxwell was Capt Maxwell of the Scots Footguards. His daughter Jean married James Douglas who was born at Morton Castle.

Sir George Eliot & Isabella Cranston

Nithsdale, Castle Morton, Dumfries, Scotland

1600's

George and Isabella's daughter, Esther, was born at Morton Castle in 1630 and she married Captain William Douglas. During the Covenanting period he lost and sold the entire family estate and lands, inlcuding Morton Castle.

James McWilliam & Helen Gordon

Rhynie & Essie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

1800's

Sophia & Alexander's son, William Gordon Rose, married Helen McWilliam and they settled in New Zealand. James McWilliam & Helen Gordon, were Helen's grandparents.

James Moncur & Margaret Tindal

Montrose, Angus, Scotland

1700's-1800's

One set of Helen McWilliam's great grandparents on her mother's side were James Moncur & Margaret Tindal.

James Moir & Ann Phaw

prob Aberdeenshire, Scotland

1700's-1800's

The other set of Helen McWilliam's great grandparents on her mother's side were James Moir & Ann Phaw.

Name

Notes

Relationship to Me

Sir James "The Good" or "The Black Douglas", Lord of Douglas

James Douglas was the right hand man of Robert the Bruce during the Scottish wars of independance. He was killed fighting the Moors in Spain while on this pilgrimage in 1330. Sir James' body and Bruce's heart were returned to Scotland and laid to rest at St. Bride's Church and Melrose Abbey, respectively.

21st great-grand uncle

Robert the Bruce - King of Scotland

Earl of Carrick, Robert Bruce was born at Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire, in 1274, of both Norman and Celtic ancestry. On the 24th of June 1314 one of the most momentous battles in British history occurred. The armies of Robert Bruce heavily outnumbered by their English rivals, won a decisive victory at Bannockburn. Scotland was wrenched from English control. Robert Bruce followed up his outstanding military success by successful diplomacy and on May 1328 a peace treaty was signed at Northampton by the English king that recognized Scotland as an independent kingdom and Robert Bruce as king. You can read more about Robert the Bruce here.

22nd great-grandfather

Born about 1045, died 16 Nov 1092, Margaret was a daughter of Edward "Outremere", or "the Exile", by Agatha, kinswoman of Gisela, the wife of St. Stephen of Hungary. The date of Margaret's birth cannot be ascertained with accuracy, but it must have been between the years 1038, when St. Stephen died, and 1057, when her father returned to England. In 1250 Margaret was canonized by Innocent IV, and her relics were translated on 19 June, 1259, to a new shrine, the base of which is still visible beyond the modern east wall of the restored church at Dumfermline.

28th great grandmother

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was King of the Franks 768-800, King of the Lombards 774-800 & Frankish Emperor 800-814.
When Pepin III died in 768, his sons Carloman and Charles I (called Charlemagne towards the end of his reign) succeeded as Kings of the Franks. Carloman received the strong interior - Paris and Orleans, and Charlemagne received the rebellious states and border lands in a NW crescent around Carloman's kingdom. Either Pepin did this because he favored Carloman, or because he knew that Charlemagne was a better general and needed to be the one to face the rebellions.

38th great grandfather

Constantine I, King of Scotland was the son of Kenneth I MacAlpin, King of Scotland. He died in 877 at Inverdorat, the Black Cove, Angus, Scotland, killed in action against the Danes. He was buried at Isle of Iona, Scotland. Most of his reign was spent in beating off Viking assults or attempting to extend his authority southwards. Although he ordered the murder of King Artgal (his brother in law and the refugee ruler of Strathclyde) in 871, sometimes he bought peace with his enemies by paying tribute. King of the Scots and Picts for 14 years and was killed in a battle with the Danes at Inverdovat.

35th great grandfather

Also called "Hugh the white", "Hugh le Grand", or "Hugues le Blanc". Duke of France, Count of Paris, and one of the most powerful men in France. Hugh and Louis IV were engaged in a struggle for power in France until 945 when Hugh incarcerated him. After a year he was released and Hugh finally submitted to him in 951, after being excommunicated by French and German councils as well as the Pope.

32nd great grandfather

Kenneth II's death was somewhat different from the others and more gruesome than usual too. When trying to keep the peace in one of his regions, he slew the son of Finella the wife of that regions controller. Finella, bittered and saddened by her loss, set a trap for him. She built a room within a tower and lined it with beautiful tapestries, but behind the tapestries she had hidden loaded crossbows which all pointed to a statue placed in the center of the room. In the hand of the statue was a golden apple, and it was set up so that when the apple was picked - the bows would unleash their darts. One night whilst entertaining her king at a feast, she lead him to this room and offered the apple as a symbol of their lasting friendship. The unsuspecting King took the apple and was instantly killed in a hail of arrows.

32nd great grandfather

Llywelyn ap Iorwerth had come to power in the classic way of Welsh princes bedeviled by the dividing rule of Welsh inheritance - he seized it from his uncle. He proved to be the greatest and most constructive Welsh statesman of the Middle Ages.

24th great grandfather

Louis was crowned king of Aquitaine (subkingdom to Franks) in 781 to slow rebellion after Charlemagne's defeat in Spain by the Saracen Moslems. In 793, the Saracens invaded Aquitaine under their Caliph Hisham. In 795, the Spanish March was created with William as its Count. The next year, King Louis and Count William defeated the Saracens and secured the Frankish-held areas of NE Spain. They continued to fight the Saracens
until 813, when all of Navarre was conquered by William and Louis.

37th great grandfather

Niall of the Nine Hostages, was one of the greatest Irish Kings. He was the only son of Eochaid Muigh-medon, High King, and his wife Carthann, daughter of an English (Breton actually under Roman control) King. Eochaid later married Mong-Fionn, daughter of the King of Munster, and had another four sons. These sons were Brian, Fiachra, Ailill, and Fergus. According to later tradition, during one of his many raids on Britain, Niall captured the future Saint Patrick and brought him in bondage to Ireland. Many years later Patrick suceeded in escaping to Britain, but he eventually returned to Ireland and played an important early role in the conversion of the Irish to Christianity.

51st great grandfather

Mayor of the Palace and tutor of Dagobert, Bishop of Metz 612. This person is on "The Royal Line" chart going back to Joseph of Arimathea and Zarah of the Bible. In due course Arnulf was married to a Frankish woman of noble lineage, by whom he had two sons, Anseghisel and Clodulf. While Arnulf was enjoying worldly emoluments and honours he did not forget higher and spiritual things

43rd great grandfather

This is the earliest record in the tree. Going back this far, the links are rather tenuous. Odin is one of the chief Norse Gods.

56th great grandfather

After his father Charlemagne defeated and conquered the Lombards, Pope Hadrian I in 781 crowned Pepin, 3 years old at the time, King of Italy (subkingdom under Charlemagne). In July of 810, Pepin died. He was planned to succeed to one third of the kingdom when his father died (shared with brothers Louis and Charles).

36th great grandfather

Begga was the daughter of Pepin of Landen, mayor of the palace, and St. Itta. She married Ansegilius, son of St. Arnulf of Metz, and their son was Pepin of Herstal, founder of the Carolingian dynasty of rulers in France. On the death of her husband in the year 691, she built a church and convent at Andenne on the Meuse River and died there. Her feast day is December 17th.

42nd great grandmother

On 26 May 1342 he inherited the vast Douglas family estates from his uncle, Hugh Douglas. He murdered his cousin and rival Sir William Douglas in August 1353. William was a participant in a rebellion against King David II in 1363, but still managed to earn an appointment as Justiciar of Scotland under Robert II in 1371. An affair with his first cousin, Margaret Stewart, Countess of Mar and Angus, resulted in a son, George, who became the 1st Earl of Angus, founding the Red Douglas branch of the family. William died in 1384, leaving his titles and possessions to his son James.

20th great grandfather