Defence By Attack – Selkirk 1530 Most border towns did not have walls and so…
Inventory of Marion Dalglesch from Selkirk 1564
Book Ninian Brydin Selkirk 1536-64
Each town in Scotland had its legal representations recorded in a protocol book. Selkirk’s protocol books have been transcribed by local experts and are available for purchase from Selkirk Museum. For an explanation of how these medieval documents were saved from fire, and subsequently recorded for posterity, click here for an explanation.
The contents of the house of Marion Dalglesch 1536 are listed in this entry.
The list of property was probably made because there had been a death, perhaps of her husband. The entry is interesting because it shows that a chair or other item had been put outside the house and was taken as a sign of distress. This usually meant that the person was to be evicted. It seems that some Selkirk men thought that the lady was about to be evicted. They realised that the chair was normally kept there and thus made a mistake. They went to a legal person to swear on the oath that they had made a mistake. It is stated that the lady is now the spouse of Robert Scot, so perhaps the inventory is the household of a marriage which ended in the death of her first husband. This is all speculation. The evidence is a follows:.
154.Dalglesch 11 August 1540
Adam Dalglesch in Deuchar showed in presence of witnesses that the chair [“cathedra”] which was placed on the Friday before the feast of Whitsunday preceding in name of “distres” of the house of Marion Dalglesch now spouse of Robert Scot of Howfurd was not put there [for that purpose] by anyone and it stands at the door as if it were placed. Adam asked instrument before master John Bruyss notary public and servant of our old queen Margaret, Alexander Hesloip,Thomas Hesloip, [blank] Clerk,Alexander Carmaig done around 9[am] .
Goods and contents listed in the house of Marion Dalglesch
Item in primis
ane clois lokit met almery with gudis contenit in to quhilkis we knaw nocht
ane caldron quhilk contenes four gal¬lones ane panne of thre quartes
ane less panne
ane mekyll pot of fyv quartes
ane less pot of thre quartes twa pouder [pewter] plaittis twa pouer deiches
ane tyne pynt
ane chandlair irne speit with ane fut
ane girdill with four feit
ane veschel almery thre dublairis
ane ark with certane meill thre f[irlot?] of estima¬ciounne
ane lytill kyst
ane quarter of gret quhit
ane dry wair with malt in it
ane tub with barkit ledder with certane dry bark and curnes of woll that is all broken extendis to iii quarters
ane pair of auld hoiss
Item
ane stand bed in the spenss with twa blankattes
ane pair of scheittis twa codes coverit
ane (p/t) ane barnes kyrtill
Item
ane upp sek with bouster uther twa auld pair of scheittis
ane covering chalander work thre auld plaidis
ane pair of doubyll blankattis
ane uther auld blankat
ane kirtill of blak
ane creill full of brokin woll viz half
ane stane twa kyrnes ane wyth dry malt viz thre peks ane uther with mylk
ane caissair for cheiss (p/t) chess thre hukis
ane spounges
ane pound of hardis (p/t)
ane pair of auld cairdis
ane pokit of ae agit vomanes with certane lynning and auld quhit / four ail peiggis
ane sap peig fourtene less tubbis and mair fyv you [yew?] coigis
four chessairis with ane ter kyt
ane cruyk and ane pair of tangis twa [apes?] baikbredes
half ane firlot of salt
twa pair of schoune ae doubyll
ane neu purss with twa silver rynges
ane gylt twa rubbene beltis
twa courchesses
ane short curche and ane collair ane [pokat -scored out] paitlot of volnoss
ane schappinne pair of sleiffes and not sevit [ie.sewn]
Item
ane uther pokat
ane spinok of [volnoss -scored out] saitting
thre courchess iii colleris
ane schort courchess with ane snod of vorsat the thrid pokat
ane collar of blak saitting
ane lossyn serk
ae pair of grene sleiffes
viii ells of lynning
ane pair of scheittis
twa sleiffis of russat
ane auld lossyn serk
twa blak hattes with ane tibpat
ae pair of blak houss with rubenes of blak
ane kyrtaill of Ingliss brovn with ane silk laiss
ane auld serk
ane schort coit with vanes of velvot
ane gown vanet with velvot of crenseid
ane jak of plait
twa lanss staiffes
ane saddill clath
sevin hankes of hardin yarne
twa cleves
twa auld scheip skynnes
ane purss of the lassis with ane belt of vorsat
ane burd with twa formes
ane chir quhilk vas ane stressis of removing twa flaikes to ane boucht
ane cok with twa hennes
ane hen with xii burdis
ane knokin trouncher of tre / twa quheillis twa yarne vonnettes
ane paire of buttes
ane auld tub with bark
ane pair of schoune
ane hoiss kayne(?)
ane chess burd
ane stull with ane roundaill
these are the goods shown in place [before] Thomas Hesloip, Alexander Hesloip, Alexander Car¬maig officer of Wiliam Tait in Landhoup, master John Bruss notary, David Clerk