A Scottish family tree was brought to life by an old suitcase. The historical documents from this suitcase uncovered surprising connections for one Scottish family.
In 2023, two sisters from Fife contacted me to help trace their Skinner family history. At first, it seemed like a straightforward project. When we first met, however, they brought along an old suitcase filled with documents dating back to the 1500s.
Both sisters were anxious about the future of the suitcase. With no children interested in family history, they feared the collection and its contents might be lost forever. As they said , “We have been responsible for it for so long and, out of respect for our parents, what do we do with it?”. They had come to me on the recommendation of a relative whose house history I had previously researched.
The sisters had no idea what these documents meant and asked if I could investigate further. During my research, I became the caretaker of this suitcase to learn more about it. They hoped that, as I pieced together their Skinner family tree, I could also shed light on the contents of the suitcase.
Who were the Skinners?
The Skinners were originally from Arngask parish. Until 1891 Arngask formed part of Fife, before being transferred to Perthshire, and today it lies within Perth and Kinross.
Geographically, the parish was roughly circular in shape, spanning just over three miles from north to south and slightly more from west to east.
Despite its proximity to towns like Perth and Dunfermline, Arngask parish managed to retain its rural and agricultural charm. Their first known generation, James Skinner (c. 1750 – 1832), undertook the traditional occupation of farming, which was synonymous with the area.
His wife, May Henderson, was originally from the neighbouring parish of Abernethy. They first raised their family in Abernethy before moving in the early 1830s to West Newton Farm of Balcanquhal, which formed part of the Foresterseat estate in Arngask.
The Skinner Family Tree
One of their grandsons, James Skinner (1817 – 1890), lived with them at West Newton. His father had emigrated to Canada with two younger sons, leaving James and his mother behind. He later entered the ministry and became the author of An Autobiography of a Metaphysician: Being the Life of the Late Reverend James Skinner published posthumously [1]. It is somewhat ironic that, as a minister of the church, he should explore abstract philosophical questions about existence and reality.
Nevertheless, his reflections included descriptions of his childhood at West Newton and of his grandparents. These details proved invaluable for reconstructing the family tree and history of the Skinner family.
In his autobiography, Reverend Skinner often wrote about his grandmother, May Henderson, with deep affection. He described her character and the influence she had on his upbringing. The following passages give a flavour of what she was like [2]:
- I was thus mostly indebted to my grandmother for those influences which tended most to my mental development. My grandmother’s mind was better stored than my uncle’s, and I had more of interchange of thought with her.…
- I can say honestly that my grandmother was the best female theologian with whom I ever was acquainted. She was not distinguished for great profundity , or even for very unusual mental vigour; what she was distinguished for was a capacity for apprehending speculative truth…
- She had been brought up among the Seceders : those who lived in Abernethy were of the purest water. By carefully attending to their preaching , and by reading the works of the old divines, she became a first – rate theologian. Her mind, also, was very active and suggestive…
The uncle mentioned by Reverend Skinner in the first paragraph above, was James Skinner (c. 1797–1872). He was the eldest son of James and May, and the direct ancestor of the two Fife sisters.
This James married the local landowner’s daughter, Janet Murray, on 16 February 1840 in the parish of Arngask [3]. Together they raised their family at Summerfield Farm, located next to Newton of Balcanquhal and also part of the Foresterseat estate.
This is where the family tree gets interesting…
Janet was the daughter of William Murray of Foresterseat (1771 – 1838) and Janet Paton. The suitcase included the Wills and related documents belonging to her father and two brothers, John (1802-1847) and Andrew (1808 – 1850). Following their deaths, Janet inherited the estate, which included Summerfield and Newton of Balcanquhal farms.
Alongside the land, she also inherited a wealth of family papers including: sasines, deeds, wills, and certificates. They were later stored in the suitcase.
This suitcase was kept in a wardrobe in the family’s former home at Summerfield farm for decades. When Janet died in 1886, her estate was passed on to her two sons, who sold the majority of the land during their lifetimes, apart from Summerfield. The farm remained in the Skinner family until the 1960s.
Nevertheless, earlier efforts to make sense of the contents failed because the handwriting was difficult to decipher and the legal terminology unfamiliar.
On closer inspection, the contents of the suitcase provided an interesting glimpse into centuries of land transfers, sasines, and deeds relating to the lands of Balcanquhal.
My research into the Murray family led me to Balvaird Castle and Scone Palace. My findings supported childhood memories of their late father. He often spoke of the family’s link to Balvaird Castle, close to Summerfield Farm.
The Murray Family Tree
If we go back far enough, it is recorded that Sir David Murray married Margaret Barclay in the late 1400s [4]. She was the sole heiress of the Balvaird estate, and through her the property passed into the Murray family. Their descendants included the Murrays of Murrayshall and the Murrays of Scone Palace who later held the title Viscount of Stormont.
Move forward a couple of centuries to 1625. Sir David Murray (Lord Scone and 1st Viscount Stormont) was served heir male to his nephew Sir Andrew Murray of Balvaird, inheriting lands in Arngask including Newton of Balcanquhal [5].
This indicates a link between the Murray family of Foresterseat and the wider Murray lineage of Balvaird. There is still a lot more research to be done but the connection was made and featured in The Courier newspaper on 30 November 2024.
Move forward to 2025, and the sisters have now deposited the contents of the suitcase in the Perth & Kinross Archive, AK Bell Library. It was an emotional day for them. It marked the end of their long responsibility as guardians of their family papers. We celebrated the occasion together with tea and cake in Perth.
Now, the sisters have peace of mind knowing that their ancestral documents will be looked after and made accessible to generations of genealogists yet to come.
Do you have old documents that may help with your Scottish family tree?
Sources
- [1] Skinner, Reverend James, An Autobiography of a Metaphysician being the life of the late Reverend James Skinner, Edinburgh, 1893.
- [2] Ibid.
- [3] ScotlandsPeople OPR 1840 Banns/Marriage of Janet Murray 404/ 171 Arngask
- [4] Barclay, Charles W., A history of the Barclay family, with full pedigree from 1066 to [1933], London, 1934, page 314. Johnston, George H., Heraldry of the Murrays, 1910, Edinburgh & London, page 33.
- [5] National Records of Scotland, Sasine Index (entry for Arngask/Newton of Balcanquhal). McGregor, Gordon, The Red Book of Scotland, Volume 7 Mit-Orr, page 342.
Thank you for joining me on a different style of journey about one of my projects. I hope you enjoyed it – please let me know if you have an interesting story to tell.
Good luck with your research.
Until my next post, haste ye back.
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Image credits: Sarah Smith
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