The earliest records for members of the Porteous family in Peeblesshire date back to the early part of the fifteenth century.
The earliest possible reference, according to Lord Lyon King of Arms in Edinburgh, is to a Guillaume Porteuse (later William Porteous), who arrived from Normandy c 1400 under the patronage of the wealthy Fraise family (later to become the Frasers). They had already settled in parts of lowland Scotland, having been granted lands by the King.
The early meaning of the name Porteuse (from the French) was indeed possibly of 'courier' or 'messenger'. But in Scotland, they turned their hand to other trades. In the days when the glens and hamlets of Tweeddale and, later, Annandale were much more densely populated than today, they seem to have pursued various occupations – from millers and blacksmiths to ministers of religion.
The home of early members of the Porteous family for many hundreds of years was Hawkshaw in Peeblesshire. The link to modern day families is as yet unproven. There is some doubt as to how long the family had held the ancestral family home, but it is certain that there was a castle of sorts at Hawkshaw, probably built as no more than a small fortified keep, and intended as a watch tower where a signal fire could be lit to warn of approaching danger. A line of these so-called Peel towers was built in the 1430s across the Tweed valley from Berwick to its source, as a response to the dangers of attacks from the Border reivers. Hawkshaw was one of over two dozen of these in Peeblesshire alone.
During the eighteenth century there began a massive migration of families from Scotland, initially to England and Ireland – and eventually to the New World and the newly discovered countries of the British Empire.
The reasons for this were many – and changed considerably during the following three hundred years. The historical background was turbulent and Scotland saw many changes which led to emigration of large numbers of both Highland and Lowland families.
The Lowland Clearances (1760–1830), especially, resulted in a massive movement of poor Scots from the Lowlands to the growing industrial centres of Glasgow and northern England – to Newcastle, Liverpool and eventually to London and other large cities and ports. Families were tempted by the offer of employment in the fast-growing industries which had burgeoned with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and the promise of a higher standard of living.
The subsequent depopulation of the Lowlands and the Highland Potato Famine of 1836–37 added to those who chose to leave. Over 1.7 million people left Scotland from 1846 to 1852, primarily going to Nova Scotia and Canada. They left in vast numbers to seek better fortune on the other side of the Atlantic.[1]
Some notable membersedit
John Porteous (c. 1695–1736), Captain of the City Guard of Edinburgh
Branches of the family having emigrated to five continents, there is an active family research group which seeks to help family members seeking more information about their ancestors. The cairn at Hawkshaw has, over the years, become a place of pilgrimage for members of the Porteous family, and an international reunion was traditionally held at the nearby Crook Inn, Tweedsmuir every five years, attracting visitors from all over the world. In September 2021 it is planned that the celebrations will be held nearby, as the inn has been bought by a Tweedsmuir community group and is currently being refurbished.
Porteous, Barry. The Porteous Story, (Kingston, Ontario, published privately 1975)
Porteous, Richard. Members of the Porteous Family Killed in World Wars I and II, (Redditch, Worcestershire, England, published privately 2000)
Porteous, Roger. Porteous Australia, (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, published privately 1980)
March 20, 2024
porteous, family, scottish, borders, armigerous, family, arms, porteous, azure, thistle, between, three, buck, heads, erased, another, older, version, coat, arms, omits, thistle, contents, history, some, notable, members, today, also, references, external, lin. The Porteous family is a Scottish Borders armigerous family Arms of Porteous Azure a thistle between three buck s heads erased or Another older version of the coat of arms omits the thistle Contents 1 History 2 Some notable members 3 The Porteous family today 4 See also 5 References 6 External links 7 Further readingHistory editThe earliest records for members of the Porteous family in Peeblesshire date back to the early part of the fifteenth century The earliest possible reference according to Lord Lyon King of Arms in Edinburgh is to a Guillaume Porteuse later William Porteous who arrived from Normandy c 1400 under the patronage of the wealthy Fraise family later to become the Frasers They had already settled in parts of lowland Scotland having been granted lands by the King The early meaning of the name Porteuse from the French was indeed possibly of courier or messenger But in Scotland they turned their hand to other trades In the days when the glens and hamlets of Tweeddale and later Annandale were much more densely populated than today they seem to have pursued various occupations from millers and blacksmiths to ministers of religion The home of early members of the Porteous family for many hundreds of years was Hawkshaw in Peeblesshire The link to modern day families is as yet unproven There is some doubt as to how long the family had held the ancestral family home but it is certain that there was a castle of sorts at Hawkshaw probably built as no more than a small fortified keep and intended as a watch tower where a signal fire could be lit to warn of approaching danger A line of these so called Peel towers was built in the 1430s across the Tweed valley from Berwick to its source as a response to the dangers of attacks from the Border reivers Hawkshaw was one of over two dozen of these in Peeblesshire alone During the eighteenth century there began a massive migration of families from Scotland initially to England and Ireland and eventually to the New World and the newly discovered countries of the British Empire The reasons for this were many and changed considerably during the following three hundred years The historical background was turbulent and Scotland saw many changes which led to emigration of large numbers of both Highland and Lowland families The Lowland Clearances 1760 1830 especially resulted in a massive movement of poor Scots from the Lowlands to the growing industrial centres of Glasgow and northern England to Newcastle Liverpool and eventually to London and other large cities and ports Families were tempted by the offer of employment in the fast growing industries which had burgeoned with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and the promise of a higher standard of living The subsequent depopulation of the Lowlands and the Highland Potato Famine of 1836 37 added to those who chose to leave Over 1 7 million people left Scotland from 1846 to 1852 primarily going to Nova Scotia and Canada They left in vast numbers to seek better fortune on the other side of the Atlantic 1 Some notable members editJohn Porteous c 1695 1736 Captain of the City Guard of Edinburgh Beilby Porteus 1731 1809 Bishop of Chester London and noted abolitionist Thomas Porteous 1765 1830 merchant and politician in Lower Canada James Porteous 1848 1922 Scottish American inventor of the Fresno Scraper Gladstone Porteous 1874 1944 Australian missionary to China translator of the Bible into the Yi language Stanley Porteus 1883 1972 Australian psychologist and author Thomas Porteous c 1864 1919 footballer for Sunderland and England George Porteous 1903 1977 Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Canada Hugh Gordon Porteus 1906 1993 English art and literature critic Ian R Porteous 1930 2011 Scottish mathematician John Alexander Porteous 1932 1995 Canadian columnist and journalist Norman Porteous 1898 2003 Scottish theologian and translator of the New English Bible last surviving officer of the First World War Patrick Anthony Porteous 1918 2000 Scottish war hero recipient of the Victoria Cross Rose Porteous 1948 Filipino born Australian socialite Shane Porteous 1942 Australian actor Thomas Porteous 1946 2021 former US District Court judge Timothy Porteous 1933 2020 Canadian administrator former executive assistant to Pierre Trudeau Trevor Porteous 1933 1997 English footballer for Stockport County F C William Porteous 1945 Australian land developer Julian Porteous 1949 bishop Archdiocese of Sydney Australia Ian Porteous 1964 Scottish footballer Ryan Porteous 1999 Scottish footballer for Watford F C The Porteous family today editBranches of the family having emigrated to five continents there is an active family research group which seeks to help family members seeking more information about their ancestors The cairn at Hawkshaw has over the years become a place of pilgrimage for members of the Porteous family and an international reunion was traditionally held at the nearby Crook Inn Tweedsmuir every five years attracting visitors from all over the world In September 2021 it is planned that the celebrations will be held nearby as the inn has been bought by a Tweedsmuir community group and is currently being refurbished See also editThe Lowland Clearances Porteous Riots Crook Inn The Heart of Mid LothianReferences edit The Emigrant Ships External links editPorteous Research Project Porteous Associates family historyFurther reading editPorteous Barry The Porteous Story Kingston Ontario published privately 1975 Porteous Richard Members of the Porteous Family Killed in World Wars I and II Redditch Worcestershire England published privately 2000 Porteous Roger Porteous Australia Melbourne Victoria Australia published privately 1980 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Porteous family amp oldid 1213487350, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
