Find your ancestors in Roxburghshire, Kelso Dispensary Patient Registers 1777-1781

Was your ancestor admitted to the Kelso Dispensary between 1777 and 1781? Search through this index to the patient registers held by the National Records of Scotland.

These transcriptions were created by Graham and Emma Maxwell from records held by the National Records of Scotland in their HH 71/1 series. The detail on each transcript can vary, but most will include the following facts:

• Name
• Age
• Birth year
• Date
• Residence
• Disease
• Event type – whether cured, relieved, or died
• Recommender – person who recommended the patient’s admittance to Kelso dispensary
• Archive
• Archive reference

Discover more about these records

The Kelso dispensary was founded in 1777 for the treatment of people living around the Borders area. People of all walks of life were admitted for a range of diseases such as ulcers, broken ribs, small pox, palsy, melancholy, abscess, scabies, and more. The registers also recorded the patients’ outcomes: whether the patient was cured, relieved of symptoms, or died. Patient registers are a pre-civil registration resource for genealogists.

The market town of Kelso, found in the Scottish Borders region, was once described by Sir Walter Scott as, ‘the most beautiful if not the most romantic village in Scotland’.