Toftkemp

[th1stleandr0se]

I've been researching my family tree and my strictly paternal line leads me back to the Bower area and specifically Auchorn, Thura and Whitegar. There is one other place I can't locate on any maps even although it's mentioned in a few documents. Toftkemp is in the area around Thura according to these documents but I don't know where. I have seen it spelt as Dophtkemp as well but this can't be located either. The family name associated with this location is Durran and I'm aware of the placenames just west of Bower with Durran in their names but I've looked there in vain.

Can anyone help?

[spittalhill]

Don't know about Toftkemp, but Toftronald and Grottistoft were over by Slickly. Toft comes from the Norse and basically means a croft.

[Durran]

Hi,

Which Durran family are you researching? According to a quick check of my database Catherine Durran married David Andrew 26 December 1868 in the Free Church, whose minister was Rev John Durran. David Andrew was born at Thura 7 February 1843 and that may be where that place name comes from in your tree.

John

[th1stleandr0se]

It's earlier than that. David Ole or Oal (the name eventually settled down as Old) of Thura married Elizabeth Durran of Dophtkemp, elsewhere written as Toftkemp, in 1772. Variations in spelling don't help research of course. I was just hoping that someone with local knowledge might know of Toftkemp even under another similar name.

[Durran]

It is possible I have a relative of your Elizabeth among my records. The following banns of marriage appear in the OPR for Bower: -

"Donald Duran & Jannet Miller, both in Toft Camp (your Toftkemp?) gave up their names as matrimonially contracted on purpose to have proclamation of Banns. David Sutherland, Stanstill, as cautioner for the man & Donald Miller in Toft Camp for the woman. Jan. 22 1756"

Stanstill is to be found 2 miles to the east of Thura so Toftkemp may lie between these two places but is not on my copy of the map published in 1896, but surveyed in 1870-1872.

[th1stleandr0se]

Thanks for that piece of information which could prove valuable in my research. Another researcher in my family came up with evidence that Toftkemp in the 1841 census could have become Camster in the 1851 one, the toft- and -ster both relating to a farm called Kemp or Camp presumably. Your information supports this. Unfortunately the location of a modern-day Camster, west of Brabsterdorran, doesn't tie in well with our best guess or yours. It is close to Duran territory though!

[spittalhill]

If you Google Toftkemp you will come across an article about the Sinclairs of Toftkemp by a professional researcher, Fiona Sinclair, in which she says that Toftkemp is in Bower Parish. The webpage has her email address, so she might be worth a try.

[th1stleandr0se]

I did contact her and she tells me that there were maps created to help the census enumerators so I'll try to locate this oen at the Edinburgh Library to see if that identifies the location.