From the records in John Foular's Protocol Books, it is possible to establish the names of the landowners within the area from Mary King's Close to the property east of Pearson's Close. At this time, the landowner seems to have owned a whole tenement running from the High Street (sometimes known as King's Street) down to the North Loch. In most cases, the landowner lived in the tenement and the other properties had tenants. None of the Closes are named in these records but it is safe to say that the Close was usually named after the tenement owner.
For example: Pearson's Close was named after John Pearson who owned a tenement in it, c. 1730. Before this date, it was called Knox Close. In 1526 there is a reference to the tenement of land of the late David Knox. Before this, the land was owned by John Knox and before him, it was owned by William Knox, therefore passing down through the family.
From the same records, it is possible to gather an impression of the type of houses in these tenements in 1500 and also the professions of the tenants. By comparing these with the records of 1635, it might be possible to see if the status of these tenements changed. We know that by 1635 there was no overall landowner and each tenement was divided up into the lands of six or seven owners, at least, and then further divided into their tenants houses.
| 17 July 1526 | Katherine Scowgall resigned her conjunct fee of a land within the tenement of land of the late David Knox on the east side of its passage between the land of the late John Bakstok on the south and the land of John Broune on the north, which tenement lies on the north side of the High Street, between the tenement of the late Simon Doweill on the east and the tenement of the late Archibald Preston on the west, in favour of John Wemys, kinsman and heir of the said late Robert Quhiting. |
From this description we can form an impression of the ownership of the land in 1526 as follows:
Following the same principle, we can form an earlier analysis of the same properties with earlier owners. We can also establish one house in the Preston tenement which may have been Sir Simon Preston's house (or an earlier one on the site).
|
23 March 1516/17 ref. 137 (iii) |
"the greit hous lian betuix the land of umqhyle (deceased) Wm. Knox on the est part and the land of umquhile James Touris on the west part the land of Robert Reynald on the north part and the Kingis Streit on the seuth part..." |
| ref. 290: | "the land, mansion and dwelling house of the late James Townis...within his tenement on the east side of the passage...the said tenement lies on the north side of the Market Cross between the land of the late John Preston on the east and the land of the late Thos. Carkettill on the west." |
| ref. 24 (iii) 1519 | "Helen Townis...grand daughter and one of the heirs of the late J.T. resigned her conjunct fee in favour of her son, John Burgane...three west booths with a dwelling above the said foreland." |
| ref. 168 (iii) 1520/21 | "Marion Townis... grand daughter and one of the heirs of the late J.T. resigned the booth under the stair of the foreland with the inner chamber thereof..." |
| ref.173 (iii) | "Marion Townis resigned...the booth or lower cellar of her tenement given to John Broun and Alison Yong, his wife, in warrandice of the other booth, chamber and transe formerly alienated to them." |
| ref.249(iii) 9 Nov. 1521 | "Andrew Touris...son of the late Wm. Touris, resigned in the hands of James Preston an annual of 18s. from the tenement of teh late Wm. Quhiteid between the land of the late John Knox on the east and the land of the late James Townis on the west." |
This source provides a description of the land, the amount of tax paid, who the tenant was and who the landlord was.
| LANDLORD | TENANT | DESCRIPTION OF LAND | TAX FEE |
| J. Bannantyne | No tenant | turnpike hous | £180 |
| Mary King | turnpike hous north of and joyning the former, with a sellar without and northwards. | £60 | |
| John Sword | a sellar with a hous up two steps north of and joyning the former turnpike | £26.13.4 | |
| Doctor Arnott | tenant | turnpike hous with three sellars without and a staire hous all to the next wasteland northwards,all north of the former. | £200 |
| Alexander King or his heires | an empty wasteland | ----- | |
| Robert Maxwell | James Month | a hous on the ground north and next the former waiste. | £13 |
| John Mill | the upmost hous in the turnpike north of and next the former. | £20 | |
| Margret Coupper | _______ of Mr. William King the undermost hous within the former turnkpike. | £33 | |
| _____ Short | a hous up two steps north of and next the former turnpike. | £20 | |
| Robert Maxwell | a hous on the ground. | £13 | |
| William Rigg | wasteland | no tax | |
| Bessie Huchisone | a low hous and sellar. | £30 | |
| Alisone Cokburne | a sellar and a heigh hous upstairs ___ north of the former this hous is on the north side of this stairs. | £30 | |
| Alisone Paterson | tenant | a heigh hous up the former stairs and on the north side thereof. | £33.6.8 |
| John Rosses (relict widow) | a low hous at the former stairs feet. | £24 | |
| Jeane Allene | a laiche hous north of and next the former stairs feet. | £11 | |
| James Lokie | a laiche hous north of and next the former. | £12 | |
| Alisone Patersone | a Toofall with a yarde north thereof which is the northmost in the former close on the west side thereof. | £10 |
 |
||
 |
 |