Go to bottom of page for link to the next page. Page 2. I discovered in my archives from research conducted years ago pages of photocopied Sasines for Clackmannan; typewritten summaries as had been filmed by the LDS. I always found these somewhat confusing to read so below is further information. I have began typing these up and hope they will be of help to someone. This will take me sometime to complete.
What is a sasine and what information does it containAn instrument of sasine (pronounced 'say-zin') is a legal document that records the transfer of ownership (usually a sale or an inheritance) of a piece of land or of a building. It will normally detail the names of the new and previous owners and will give a basic description of the property transferred. There will usually be an indication of the price paid for the property. Sasines can also give you information about family history, particularly where an individual is passing land to another family member, or where the family designation is revealed (e.g. 'John Campbell of X'). Sometimes information given in one sasine will give you clues as to earlier titles in the chain and so lead you back to the earlier history of the ownership of a building or piece of land.
Understanding a sasineThe basic structure of a sasine is straightforward. It will begin with the date, and thereafter sets out the principal parties (usually with the grantee/buyer named first), the type of transaction, including the land involved, the precise time that it took place, and the names of the witnesses. Sasines before the early 20th century are normally handwritten, however. While Victorian copperplate handwriting is simple to read, the handwriting of the 17th and early 18th centuries can be much more difficult. Practice, as always, makes it easier. Nor does it help that for many years the clerks paid for the blank sasine volumes out of their wages and so had a vested interest in cramming as much handwriting onto each page as possible. A more serious obstacle is that many sasines, even down to the late 18th century, are in Latin. Again these follow a standard form. A Latin dictionary together with the styles and translations of sasines given in Peter Gouldesborough, 'A Formulary of Old Scots Legal Documents' (Stair Society, Edinburgh, 1985) pp. 108-111, will allow most readers to understand what is going on.
Sasines for urban property
royal burghs generally kept their own individual registers of sasines.
These are all now in the NAS, under the catalogue reference B. The only
exceptions are the
Of course, these are
just the summaries. Do note the classification numbers they allot to
each sasine. If you are in
> propriis manibus
"with his (or her) own hand"
Sasine> either the symbolic act of giving legal possession of a piece of heritable property, or the instrument by which such an act was proved to have happened. The origin of the term is the same as that for the word 'seize' - meaning to take possession of (in Scottish documents it is generally rendered 'seis'). Hence, for example in an abridgement of sasine, someone who became the owner of a property (by succesion, gift, purchase or whatever) is recorded as being siezed of that property.
Service of heirs > the process by which an heir acquired the right to an estate. It started with the brieve ordering an inquest to determine who was next heir to the estate, followed by the retour of the inquest stating the heir's right to succeed followed by his entry, (his formal acceptance by the superior of the estate). It was called a "special service" when the heir's ancestor had been formerly infeft in the estate, that is, had had full legal possession of it by virtue of a sasine if the heir's ancestor was not infeft, then the process was called a "general service". Until the process of serving the heir had been gone through, he would be the apparent heir; see also heirs
the giving of sasines was a ceremony deriving from a time when few people were literate and it was thus highly symbolic so that anyone could see and recognise what was going on. The grantee's baillie would meet the granter's baillieon the ground of the lands being granted, with several witnesses and a notary, present the grantee's title to the lands (his charter and precept of sasine from the granter) and ask that sasine by given; these would be passed to the notary who would read them to the witnesses, and then the granter's baillie would give sasine by presenting the grantee's baillie with a symbol appropriate to what was being granted, so that the witnesses could understand that ownership had been formally transferred. The most common symbols were earth and stone used for the giving of sasine in lands' if what was granted was an annual rent from lands, these would be passed over together with "a penny money". If sasine was given in fishings the symbols were a net and coble; if in the patronage of a church, a psalm book and the church keys, if in a mill, the clap and happer of the mill, if in teinds, a sheaf of corn, if a jurisdiction, the court book, if property in a burgh, a hasp and staple, and combinations of these might be used. Finally, if lands were resigned to a superior, the symbol passed over were the staff and baton. After all this was done, the notary would go away and write it all up in the form of an instrument.
one who holds lands (generally for a fixed term) by a lease or tack
SASINES CLACKMANNAN 1781 -1868
Thomas HUTTON, tenant, Balgownie, Scised,[seised
David WYLLIE, Shoemaker, clackmannan, as heir to
William NUCCLE sen.[senior], Mercant [merchant],
(501 Jun 9 1789
The Kirk Session of Dollar, Scised, June 17, 1789 in a Tenement at the head of Candle Street, Alloa:-in security of £100, Bond by George MILL, Brewer, Alloa, to James MILL, Brewer there, Dec 18 1771;-on Disp. Assig. By him, Dec 11 1778
(504) Sept 2, 1789
Charles VERTUE, Merchant, Alloa, scised, aug 18 1789-in part of an inclosure called the Wards, par. Alloa; - in security of£200 :-on Bond by Henry DEMPSTER, Mason, Alloa Aug 7 1789
(505) Sept 16 1789
Henry JAFFRAY, Merchant, Stirling, scised, aug 29 1789 in Tenement & piece of yuard adjoining in Alloa, and pice of ground near the Coal Bridge of Alloa, par. Alloa; - redeemable on payment of £230 on disp. By Adam Primrose at Kersehill, Aug 28 1789
P. R. 30.398
(506) Sept 21 1789
John BURN, Writer,
(508) Sept 22 1789
William HUTTON, Merchant, Alloa, Scised, Aug 28 1789-in a Tenement near the head of Candle Street, Alloa;-on Disp. by Andrew, John, Janet, Helen, Margaret, & Betty ALLAN, children of Andrew ALLAN, Smith, Alloa, Apr. 27. Jun 9 1789
(509) Sept 23 1780
Mathew ROSS, Advocate,
Scised, Sept 21 1789-in parts of Banks or Dollar & Mills, including
a piece of ground called Bagyetts; & Tenements at Dollar, par.
Dollar Brewsterlands of Campbell, with the Wheatlands of Vernaul
called Deminy or Drummy, lop.
(510) Sept 26 1789
James NIMMO, Farmer, Blackgrange, Scised, Sept 25 1789- in tenements in alloa:-in security of £70:-on Bond by William MILLER, Drover, Alloa, Sept 22 1789
(511) Oct 5 14789
James TOD, Portioner, Mains of Dollar, as heir to George TOD, Portioner there, his father, Scised. Sept 11 1789-in part of Over & Nether Mains in Dollar, par. Dollar;- on Pr. Cl. Con. By the Commissioner of John, Duke of Argyle, Sept 9 1789
(512) Oct 8 1789
Alexander AIKMAN, Baxter,
Clackmannan, as heir to William AIKMAN, Maltman there, his father,
Scised, aug 26 1789 in pieces of ground on the south side of
Clackmannan, par, Clackmannan on Pr. Cl. Con. By sir thomas
(513) Oct 16 1789
(514) Oct 27 1789
John BEANNY, Brewer, Clackmannan and Helen SMITH, his spouse and John BEANNY, their son, Scised, in liferent and fee respectively, Oct 21 1789 in a tenement in Alloa; - on disp. By Barbara & Janet KIRK, daughters of James KIRK, Merchant, Allow May 221789. P.R. 30.427
(515) Oct 27 1789
James MAYNE, late Capt,
of the 27 Reg. of foot, as heir to Edward MAYNE of Powis Logie, his
father, Scised Oct 24 01789 in Powis on Powhouse, & Yeinds, par.
Logie; - on Pr, Chan, Oct 6 1789 ( Vide
(516) Oct 27 1789
The Trustees for the Creditors of Thomas PRIMROSE, Malster, Alloa, Scised, aug 29 1789 in a tenement and piece of ground, being parts of Capon Croft, Alloa on Disp. By said Thomas PRIMROSE, Jul 1 1788. P.R. 30.431
(517) Oct 29 1789
John SPALDING, Weaver, alloa, Scised Sept 9 1789 in tenements in the Coalgate, Alloa; - under burden of £6 each, to Janet, Christian, Ann & George SPALDING, and £10 to Mary SPALDING, children of George SPALDING, Weaver, Alloa; - on disp. & Setllemtnt by the said George SPALDING Mar 28 1772 and Catharine DUNCANSON his spouse, Scised, cod. Die, in liferent of said subjects, probiis manibus of the said John SPALDING. P.R.30.433
(518) Nov 3 1789
William GLEN, Merhcant,
Forganhall, & Henry JAFFRAY, Merchant,
(519) Nov 6 1789
Patrick MALONE, Soapboiler, Alloa, Scised, Nov 4 1789 in a Tenement in Alloa under burden of £55 on disp. By John HALL, son of John HALL, Excise Officer, Old Kirkpatrick, Mary CHRISTIE, spouse of the said Patrick MALONE, & Elizabeth and Helen CHRISTIE children of Thomas CHRISTIE, Farmer, Crosshill, May 17 1786. P.R. 30.456
(520) Nov 20 1789
James MAYNE, Capt. Late 57 Reg. of Foot, as heir to Edward MAYNE of Powis Logie, his father, Scised, Oct 24 1789 in Powis or Powhouse, par, Logie on Pr. Chan. Oct 6 1789 (Vide PERTH) G.R. 472.286
(521) Dec 21789
Andrew THOMSON, son of James THOMSON, Mason, Edinburgh, as heir to William MEIKLEJOHN, Flesher, Horsehead of Bath, his grandfather, Scised, Nov 26 179 in a Tenement on the south side of the Common way, Clackmannan on Pr. Cl. Con. By Sir Thomas Dundas of Kerse, Oct 27 1789. P.R. 30.475
(522) Dec 9 1789James DRYSDALE in Piper Pool of Wester Saline, Scised Nov 11 1789 in part of the Wards near the Shore of Alloa, par. Alloa in security of £(2)00 On Bond by Henry DEMPSTER, Mason, Alloa, Nov 11 1789. P.R. 30.487