Known descendants of Nigellus (Nigel) Luf, of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland,

and history of the times and places where they lived

1. NIGELLUS (NIGEL)¹ LUF (8706). NIGELLUS (8706) was born circa 1415 in Scotland. NIGELLUS (8706) died circa 1492 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, at an unknown age.

NIGELLUS (NIGEL) LUF (8706) is the supposed descendant (g-g-g-grandson ?) of SIR JOHN LE LOU, a Knight of King Edward 1 who was in Scotland in 1303/4. There is no proof of this relationship as there is a 156 year gap between the records of Sir John Le Lou in Scotland and the lease of land for NIGELLUS (Neil or Nigel) LUF in Paisley, Scotland.

    In this time frame there were NO church registers for baptisms, marriages or burials. There were NO town council minutes that have survived. There were NO Testaments (wills) for the common folk. So the following must be based on "probabilities " and "possibilities" and much circumstantial evidence. Every mention of LUFS discussed below was found in Court Records, Charters, Rental Rolls of Monastery of Paisley, Chartulary of Paisley, Registrum de Passelet or from the books of 18th and 19th century historians who must have found their information in these same sources.

     In 1460 both NIGELLUS (Nigel) LUF and JOHANNUS (John) LUF were leasing land from the Monastery of Paisley. I am assuming NIGELLUS was the father of JOHANNUS. The only reason for making the above relationship assumption is the fact they were both leasing land from the Monastery of Paisley in 1460. NIGELLUS was still there in 1488 when Paisley became a Burgh and JOHANNUS was leasing a house on High Street and land on Causeyside Street . Johannus in circa 1500 shows up leasing land in Moniabroch, Lochwinnoch Parish but there is never a further mention of NIGELLUS. So I am assuming he probably died between 1490 and 1500 and therefore was older than JOHANNUS. His name appears first in the lease which may or may not mean anything. Of course there is always the possibility they were brothers.

    The lease for NIGELLI LUFY and JOHANNI LUFY in the "outfields" of Paisley at Snawdoun reads as follows.

     "Le Snawdoun - Assedatur Nigelli Lufy, Johanni Lufy soluendo annuatim xx s xiij solidos iiij denarios cum lez bonis et seruicio consueto plegio Alano Sunderlande".

       It would translate as follows "A lease was made with Nigel Lufy and John Lufy for 20 shillings to be paid yearly in the form of 13 shillings 4 pence together with the goods and service. Their guarantor is Alan Sutherland."

       This is very informative as the lease was being paid in cash. This was very unusual as normally the leases were paid in produce or in days of labour for the Monastery. It must mean NIGELLI and JOHANNI LUFY were reasonably well off. Incidently NIGELLI was the Latin form for NEIL or NIGEL and of course JOHANNI is JOHN. I will use the spellings as written by the monks when they wrote the leases.

      The Museum in Paisley Renfrewshire, Scotland holds the original Chartulary of Paisley Abbey which was the record book of all transactions by the Monastery such as leases which they called charters, When my daughter CAROLE and I were in Paisley we were fortune enough to see this ancient volume but also to research in it for any connection to our Love ancestors. We found 5 charters to Nigelli Luff, Johanni Luff and Alanno Luff in 1490. These covered leases for land on the Monastery owned property. They were all in Latin and written on sheepskin parchment. Although they are long I think they are of enough historical interest to show their translations below.

         Charter to NIGELLI LUFFE from the Monastery of Paisley

                Lease dated 16 May 1490 for land in Snawdon

      Translated from original Latin in the Chartulary of Paisley Abbey

    Original manuscript held by the Paisley Museum, Paisley, Scotland

    This charter covers land beside the Kert River (White Cart River) in what they called the "outfields" of Paisley. The exact location is shown on a map in my files which was made from the Monastery Records

"For all that will see or hear this charter, George, Abbot by divine permission of the monastery of Paisley, and the convent in the same place, part of the Cluniac Order and within the diocese of Glasgow, prays for eternal salvation in the Lord. Know you that we, after giving the matter diligent consideration and taking into account what will be most beneficial to our said monastery, with the assent and consent of our whole chapter meeting together in chapter, have given, granted, leased, demised in fee-farm, and by this our present charter have confirmed and also do give, grant, lease, and demise in fee-farm and confirm by this present charter to our beloved Nigel Luffe that toft (a house-site), houses, and garden among our lands of Snawdon that the said Nigel occupies lawfully, together with the southern half of a burgage-croft (a small-holding held by burgage-tenure) among the aforesaid lands, with its appurtenances, icontaining one and three quarters acres of burgage-land plus four falls (about 144 sq ells, or about 150 sq yards of English measure), lying in our borough of Paisley on Kert Water between the common boundary line of the said borough called The Brumdike on the north, and Snawdon torrent on the south, and Kert Water on the east, and the toft, garden, and houses of Alan Sutherland, also of the commonalty of the said borough, on the west, along with the power to build and put up houses and any other buildings whatsoever on the said croft, toft, and garden at will. We wish and grant that they shall have that toft, houses, garden, and southern half of a burgage croft aforesaid of Snawdon, with their appurtenances, as a liberty and privilege of our said burgh in the barony of Paisley, possessing it as free burgage of that (burgh) for all future time, by virtue of the enfeoffment of the same burgh and its burgage-land granted and made to us and our successors in future by our supreme lord the king. The aforesaid Nigel Luffe, his heirs, and assigns, are to have and to hold, freely, quietly, fully, wholly, honorably, well, and in peace, without any accusation of wrongdoing, revocation, or contradiction whatever, the said toft, houses, and garden of the aforesaid lands of Snawdon entire and whole, together with the said southern half of a croft of the same lands, with their appurtenances, from us the abbot and convent and our successors in free burgage and fee-farm by inheritance in perpetuity as it lies in length and breadth according to all its metes and boundaries with free (right of) entry and exit and with each and every other liberty, benefit, profit, and easement and whatever rights belong to them, named or unnamed, whether below ground or above ground, far or near, pertaining to, or that may at some future time in any way pertain to, the said toft and houses, garden, and southern half of the said lands of Snawdon, together with their appurtenances. The said Nigel Luffe, his heirs, and assigns shall render for it yearly to us, the abbot and our convent and our successors, four pence for its burgage lease and nineteen shillings and eight pence of the usual money of the realm of Scotland at the usual two times of the year, that is, at the feasts of Pentecost and St Martin in winter in equal portions, by way of an annual rent of fee-farm, together with the due and customary service of the courts, except for every other burden, exaction, demand or secular service that can be exacted or required in whatever way justly by anyone from the said toft, houses, garden, and half a burgage croft aforesaid with their appurtenances. Moreover we will and order that the said Nigel Luff, his heirs, or assigns shall not be permitted to sell, alienate, mortgage, give, or assign the said toft, houses, garden, or southern half of the burgage croft aforesaid or any part of the same to any person in future, except to their wives or their true heirs, without seeking and getting our licence and that of our successors. And if the contrary should occur, we wish that this present lease of fee-farm shall be of no force or moment and that the aforesaid lands with their appurtenances shall fully revert in fee and by inheritance to us and our successors without any contradiction whatever. And we, the said abbot and convent and our successors now keely (and) quietly warrant, acquit and in perpetuity defend in all things and in every respect the whole of said toft, houses, garden of the aforesaid lands of Snawdon, together with the said southern half of a croft of the same (lands), with their appurtenances to the aforesaid Nigel Luff, his heirs, and assigns against all men as has been written above. In witness whereof the common seal of our chapter is attached to this our present charter at our aforesaid monastery on the sixteenth day of May AD 1490 before these witnesses: Robert Sympil, John Quhitfurd, Robert Caveris, James Craufurde, John Sc___, Alan Stewart, Henry Caveris, Dom Henry Monser (and Dom) Alexander Clugston, chaplains, and James Yong, notary public, along with many others. "

       Charter #2 to NIGELLI LUFFE from the Monastery of Paisley

       Lease dated 16 May 1490 for land in Snawdon (incomplete)

   Original manuscript held by the Paisley Museum, Paisley, Scotland

    This charter covers land and buildings beside the Kert River (White Cart River) in what they called the "outfields" of Paisley. The exact location is shown on a map in my files which was made from the Monastery Records

"For all that will see or hear this charter, George, Abbot by divine permission of the monastery of Paisley, and the convent in the same place, part of the Cluniac Order and within the diocese of Glasgow, (prays for) eternal salvation in the Lord. Know you that we, after giving the matter diligent consideration and taking into account what will be most beneficial to our said monastery, with the assent and consent of our whole chapter meeting together, have given, granted, leased, and demised in fee-farm and confirmed by this our present charter, and also do give, grant, lease, and demise and by this our present charter confirm to our beloved Nigel Luffe, a burgess of our burgh of Paisley, a half of all and every of our meadow lands of Snawdon, with their appurtenances, that the said Nigel occupies lawfully at the time of the completion of the present charter, lying near our borough of Paisley in the regality of the same and within the shire of Renfrew, between the common boundary-line of the said burgh of Paisley called Le Brum Dyke on the south on the one side, and the dyke of North Holme on the north on the other side, and Kert Water on the east, and the commonalty of the said burgh on the west. The aforesaid Nigel Luf, his heirs, and assigns, are to have and to hold, freely, quietly, fully, wholly, honorably, well, and in peace, without any accusation of wrongdoing, revocation, or contradiction whatever, the said half of all and every of our meadow lands of Snawdon entire and whole, with their appurtenances, from us the abbot and convent and our successors in fee-farm by inheritance in perpetuity as it lies in length and breadth according to all its right metes and boundaries with free (right of) entry and exit and with each and every other liberty, benefit, profit, easement and whatever rights belong to it, named or unnamed, whether below ground or above ground, far or near, pertaining to, or that may at some future time in any way pertain to, the said half of the said meadow lands with their appurtenances. The said Nigel Luf, his heirs, and assigns shall render for it yearly to us, the abbot and our convent and our successors, forty shillings of the usual money of the realm of Scotland at the usual two times of the year, that is, at the feasts of Pentecost and St Martin in winter in equal portions, by way of an annual rent of fee-farm, together with service in our chief courts of the said regality of Paisley and their presences in our eyres of justice and of our chancery and their amercements, paying as a tax one measure just as the burgesses of our said burgh give and pay for their acres within that burgh, except for every other burden, exaction, demand or secular service that can be exacted or required in whatever way justly by anyone from the said half of the aforesaid meadow lands of Snawdon with their appurtenances. Moreover we will and order that the said Nigel Luff, his heirs, or assigns shell not be permitted to sell, alienate, mortgage, give, or assign the said half of these meadow-lands of Snawdon with or any part of the same to any person in future, without first seeking and getting our licence and that of our successors. And if the contrary should occur, we wish that this present lease of fee-farm shall be of no force or moment and that the said half of the <said> meadow-lands with their appurtenances shall fully revert in fee and by inheritance to us and our successors without any contradiction whatever. And we, the said abbot and convent and our successors _________"

     This charter was continued on another page in the Chartulary and it was not photographed.

       It was in 1459 that HENRY CRICHTON was appointed Abbot of the Monastery of Paisley. There never had been any records kept of the land being leased to farmers on the Monastery property. In 1460 Abbot HENRY CRICHTON started the Rental Rolls. As NIGELLI LUFY was shown on the first pages we can assume he was already leasing when the Rolls were started. How long before that we have no idea and probably will never know. In the biographical notes for JOHANNI LUF I give a history of the Monastery of Paisley as it played such an important part in the lives of our ancestors. And because the LUFS were associated with Paisley from the 15th century to the present time, I will give a brief history of the Burgh.

     Paisley is located on the White Cart River just before it empties into the River Clyde. It is about 7 miles west of Glasgow which is also on the River Clyde. The Romans had a "station" on Oakshawhead, where the John Neilson Institute is located today. They also had outposts on Castlehead and Woodside. This would be around 200 A.D. Some historians believe the Romans called this place Vanduara but there is controversy about this point. Another belief is that Causeyside Street (originally Cawasyd) by the River Cart in Paisley is named because it followed the Roman causeway. A Roman road can still be traced all the way south to York in England.

     It is a common belief the Romans never came north of Hadrian's Wall. This is entirely wrong as it was only their first defense against the "barbarians" of Alba (Scotland). They later built the Antonine Wall further north and then got as far as the line between the Firth of Clyde (Glasgow) and the Firth of Forth (Edinburgh). Across here south of the highlands they built a line of forts but this is the furthest north they were able to invade and hold. After the Romans abandoned Britain in the 6th century because they needed their troops elsewhere in Gaul, the area of the Clyde was taken up by the Brythons (Britons) from Wales and Cornwall. It became known as Strathclyde.

     The first mention of Paisley is in regard to St. Mirin who has been regarded as the Patron Saint of the town. The usual spelling of Paisley in the old days was Passelet but there were many variations. St. Mirin was an Irish monk who was educated by St. Congal at Bangor in Ireland. He was a contemporary of St. Columba who founded the famous Monastery on the Isle of Iona. The arrival of St. Mirin at Paisley is thought to be circa 560 A.D. As was the custom with these Irish monks he built some woven branch huts on Seedhill by the White Cart River. The location is very near where the Abbey stands now. Archaeologists believe they have located an old burying ground in this area which may date back to these times. Some historians claim St. Mirin founded a Monastery here but more believe he was just preaching as a missionary.

     Nothing is heard of Paisley for the next 500 years. It seems to have missed some of the troubles which occurred around Strathclyde. Maybe the place was too small to attract attention. In the 7th century the King of the Britons of Strathclyde was Rhydderich Hael. He was busy defending his territory against the Picts of eastern Scotland. We hear of him in connection with the Chapel at Lochwinnoch but nothing in regard to Paisley. In 876 A.D. Olaf the White, King of the Norwegians, sailed up the Clyde River where he laid seige to and finally captured Dunbarton, the Cumbrian capital. This is just across the river from Paisley. Many place names around Paisley are definitely of Celtic origin.

     In 1160 A.D. everything changed for Paisley. WALTER FITZ ALAN decided to found and endow a Cluniac Monastery and he chose Paisley as the location. In the biographical notes for JOHANNI LUF the story of WALTER FITZ ALAN is told including his receiving all the lands of Renfrewshire and parts of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Also told there is the story of his gifts to the Monastery as well as the continuing gifts of his son ALAN after WALTER had died in 1178. But in regard to Paisley it was really the beginnings of the town itself.

     Around a Monastery there are not only the Monks but also servants and the tenants of the Monastery who are leasing their land. Craftsmen also are needed to help build the Abbey and supply the Monks, such as Masons, Carpenters, Tanners, Shoemakers, Bakers and Weavers. Thus the area around the Monastery starts to expand and probably by 1200 when the first Abbey was nearly finished there would be a population of 150 persons counting men, women and children in what was considered the town.

     During the next two centuries the town of Paisley grew and prospered in exact relation to the Monastery. You could say the Monastery was the town. Because of its long patronage by the Stewart Kings it faired very well indeed. This is covered under the history of the Monastery in the biographical notes of JOHANNI LUF (1) so I won't go into details again here. By 1488 the population was about 600 and that is the year Abbot ROBERT SHAW persuaded the King to raise the town to the status of a Burgh.

     Renfrew only three miles away had been a Royal Burgh for many years and therefore dominated the trade for the whole area. The King held absolute control over all selling and trading. Of course he received a cut from everything sold so he had to maintain this control. When he gave a charter to a town as a Royal Burgh it gave that town the right to hold fairs and engage in local and international trade. The King received the largest portion of the income. When he made by Charter a town into a Burgh of Barony it only gave that town the right to hold fairs and participate in local trade. A Burgh of Barony was usually granted to one of the noble families who received the major portion of the income. In the case of Paisley it was granted to the Monastery of Paisley who would benefit most from the status of the Burgh.

     So it was on 19 August 1488 at Sterling Castle that King James IV granted the Charter to make Paisley a Burgh of Barony. This was in the first year of his reign and undoubtedly he had a soft spot in his heart for the Monastery as he had spent several years of his schooling there under one of the Abbots. The complete Charter is shown in a book by W. M. Metcalfe, D.D. called History of Paisley. I have this book in my library. I think the wording is not only interesting but also revealing of the times so I will quote a couple of passages as follows.

    "We have also granted to the present and future inhabitants of the said Burgh full and free liberty of buying and selling in the said Burgh, wines, wax, woolens and linen cloth, wholesale or retail and all other goods and wares whatsoever coming to it, with power and liberty to having and holding in the same place, bakers, brewers, butchers, and sellers both of flesh and fish, and workmen in any of the crafts belonging or that may hereafter in any way belong to the liberty of a Burgh of Barony."

     "We have likewise granted to the Burgesses and inhabitants of the said Burgh of Paisley to have and possess therein for ever a cross, and a market every week on Monday, and two public fairs yearly: - namely, one on the day of St. Mirin, and the other on the day of St. Marnock, with tolls and other liberties pertaining or that may hereafter pertain to fairs of this kind: of holding and having at all time coming the said village of Paisley a mere and free Burgh in Barony with the foresaid privileges, liberties and grants."

     Then on 2 June 1490 Abbott Shaw made a similar Charter to the Burgh of Paisley inhabitants. As the Monastery owned Paisley and all of Renfrewshire he was now passing along the running of the Burgh to its Burgesses but the Monastery would receive their cut from all the trade. A municipal operation had to be set up to run the town. Permission had to be obtained from the Pope to "feu" (lease) the land. The Burgh of Renfrew was greatly disturbed to lose their former trade and there was some actual physical violence between the Burghs. Finally the King told Renfrew they would have to accept the new Burgh. Land boundaries had to be verified and Burgh officials appointed.

     And NIGELLI LUF and JOHANNI LUF had been leasing Monastery land in Snawdon for 28 years before all this happened. Also THOME LUF had been leasing in both Lylesland and Todholme for the same time. It seems incredible to me our ancestors were there as witnesses when all this happened. They are all shown as Burgesses in 1488 which meant they were living and leasing land within the Burgh. I don't know whether this was a free recognition at this date but later it would cost £ 5.

     JOHANNI LUF and THOME LUF moved out of Paisley circa 1500 and took up leases in Moniabroch in Lochwinnoch Parish. However there is no further mention of NIGELLI so that is why I am assuming he died between 1490 and 1500. He may have been buried in the cemetery beside the Abbey but he certainly wouldn't have been of a status to get buried inside the Abbey with the Stewarts and Semples. I will continue with some Paisley history as JOHANNIS LUIF and ROB LUIF were living there in 1553 even though they are not in our direct ancestry line.

     Many LUIFS descended from these two and it is too bad the Town Council Meeting Minutes have not survived before 1594. This is where you find all sorts of information. Some good and some bad. On 12 December 1594 the Town Council considered the complaint "that ALLAN HENDERSON had tricked ALLANE LUIF in connection with a pair of or (?)". And on 21 November 1594 the Town Council ordered "THOMAS WILSON to pay RONALD LUIF, a Wobster (Weaver) 9 furlots (a fourth part) of corn which RONALD LUIF had paid him for." Not so good we find on 14 April 1597 "that RONALD LUIF made a confession for deforcing the officiars in punding (arresting) the said RONALD LUIF at the instance of ROBERT GREENLIES," On 1 February 1609 the town sold off some of their land to raise money to repair the Tollbooth. The land was sold at "public roup" (auction). JOHN LUIF paid £26 for a lot in the "outfields" of Paisley. This is in the area where in 1850 a later JOHN LOVE owned land (maybe the same land) and the street was renamed after him as LOVE STREET which it is still called today.

     In 1646 WILLIAM LOVE (about this time the name started to be spelled LOVE) was held in contempt of Court when he claimed "the Baillies had given a false decree against him." He was fined £4 and told to stand in the Tollbooth until it was paid and to lie in the stocks in the Market Cross at the Baillies will." When a person was confined to the Tollbooth which acted as a jail, he was given the keys and told to go and lock himself in. That wouldn't work too well today. In the end WILLIAM LOVE must have made his peace as by 1650 he was Treasurer of Paisley. I am only giving these examples as an insight into life in Paisley at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th. I realize these LUIFS and LOVES were not in our direct line of ancestors. On 29 February JOHN LOVE was given permission by the Town Council to "build a hanging foir stair with pillars under it upon the gavell of the tenement that was THOMAS MYLNES foirgainst the Mercat Cross." This was on High Street just along from the Market Cross and today is at the corner of Storie and High Streets. A photo of this corner taken in 2000 is in my files.

     Interesting as this is I better get back to the History of Paisley Burgh where we left it in the early 16th century. Paisley had thrived in the first half of the 16th century but serious trouble was brewing throughout Scotland. JOHN KNOX had formed a Protestant Congregation on 3 December 1557 but then had gone to Geneva for 18 months. On 2 May 1559 he returned and preached a fiery sermon at St. John's Church in Perth. It sparked a frenzy of resentment against all things Catholic and the religious houses of Perth were reduced to ruins. The destruction spread to Cupar of Fife, Crail, Anstruther and St. Andrews. It is hard to keep remembering that up to that time ALL these huge churches , monasteries and cathedrals had been Catholic.

     In Scotland the dissolution of the monasteries ordered by King Henry VIII had gone much slower than in England and virtually nothing had been done. But 1560 proved to be the turning point for Protestantism in Scotland. Archbishop JOHN HAMILTON of St. Andrews and former Abbot of Paisley, who had led the Catholic cause, returned to Paisley where he still held Catholic Mass. On 15 August 1560 Parliament adopted the Confession of Faith of JOHN KNOX and on 24 August 1560 the jurisdiction of the Pope in Scotland was formally abolished. To say or hear Mass was a criminal offence and the Lords of Secret Council made an Act "that all places and monuments of idolatry shall be destroyed and for that purpose the Earl of Glencairn and the Protestants of the West were to suppress Paisley." Actually the Abbey of Paisley was mainly saved from total destruction by the Hamilton family and Robert Lord Semple, the Bailiff of Renfrewshire and the intervention of the young King James VI in his first year of reign. However Archbishop JOHN HAMILTON was arrested for continuing his Catholic Mass and was hung in Sterling Castle.

     Once Protestantism became the law Presbyteries were formed with local Kirk Sessions. Ministers were chosen and the former Catholic priests were turned out of their churches if they wouldn't convert. In Paisley there was a problem. The Burgh was still owned by the former Abbot which in the case of Paisley was always a member of the Hamilton family except for a short interval. They were really Catholic even though they professed the Protestant faith to conform to the law. They didn't make life easy for the new Protestant ministers who were chosen for the Abbey Kirk in Paisley. In fact the first two ministers, Patrick Adamson and Andro Polwort, couldn't even find housing in Paisley as the feeling was still strongly Catholic.

     In the meantime what about the common folk in Paisley ? What did they look like ? What did they wear ? What did they do ? How did they live ? Towns in the 16th century were not a pleasant or healthy place to live. I suppose if we could transport ourselves back to there in the 16th century the first thing which would strike us is the horrible sanitary conditions. The Town Council kept passing laws to improve this without much success as they didn't provide an alternative. Garbage was thrown into the streets which became the favourite scrounging places for the chickens and pigs. Any open ditches made to drain the narrow dirt streets soon became clogged and rain would turn it into a muddy mess. The butchering of animals by the "fleshers" was done right in the street and of course the animals had to be driven through the town to get them there in the first place. It is no wonder disease was prevalent.

     The houses were mostly one storey with the odd two storey and very rarely three storey. They were built of wood and thatched with straw or heather and sometimes turf. The average house would be small with low ceilings and a very small window which would be unglazed in many cases. In the poorer houses the walls would be bare and the floor made of beaten clay. There would be a minimum of crude furniture and cooking utensils. Peat or wood was used for a fire and there would be a crude chimney. Peat was cut in the "moss" outfields but was strictly controlled as to how much each person could cut. Naturally with the thatched roofs, fire was a constant threat and fires through the years in Paisley wiped out many houses.

     Every house had its "yairdis" at the back where they grew leeks and onions but mainly kail. Sometimes a few flowers and herbs but usually these yards were filthy with the pigs, fowl , goats and cattle. It also served as a toilet and the human waste was used as manure. The law called for a stone wall at the end of the yard where it faced the open country to act as defense in case of attack.

    The higher class of citizen such as a Burgess would have a better home but mainly distinguished by its furnishings. The walls might have a stamped leather hanging or they might even be paneled. They would have better and more furniture and utensils. Probably there would even be some ornaments. It was laid down by law what each Burgess must have in the house which his inheritor could claim. The following were enumerated in the Laws of the Four Burghs and could be claimed by the inheritor whether there was a will or not.

    "The best table with its tresles, a table cloth, towels , basin, the best feather bed or flocked bed if there was no feather bed, sheets which were linen, a fermenting vat, barrel, caldron, kettle, gridiron, and a sway to swing pots over the fire, shearing hook and brass pot etc. etc." If a Burgess was constrained by poverty he could sell these articles to survive but had to have the consent of the other Burgesses.

     Even in the higher class house of a Burgess, rugs or carpets were absolutely unknown. If the dirt floor was covered at all it would be with rushes or straw. Most of the Burgesses were involved in agriculture, leasing their land from the Monastery. Some were involved in a trade or craft. Farming and weaving were the main occupations but there were many others. Fuller, Dyer, Maltster, Joiner, Mason, Wheelwright, Smith, Saddler, Tavern Keeper, Cook, Baker, Tanner, Shoemaker, Tailor and Bleacher. A Stallinger was a transient from out of town who had received permission to sell his goods at a "buithe" (stall). Finally there were Chapmen who travelled from town to town, like gypsies, selling goods but had to receive permission to sell in the town. Paisley also had its compliment of Doctors, Notary Publics and Lawyers.

     The big day of the week was Monday which was Market day as granted by the Charter. It was held at "Mercat Cross" which was the only place in town which was paved and that was by cobblestones. It was just inside the east gate where everyone passing into town would be challenged. Market Square is where the town Cross was located on the King's Highroad and is now called High Street. The "buithes" or stalls would be set up around the square and tradesmen could only sell wares from their own trade. Naturally it was the centre for news and gossip.

Paisley Toll Booth

Used to control access to Paisley but was also the jail

     Even bigger were the Fair Days twice a year. By the Charter one was held on the Day of St. Mirin September 15 and the other on the Day of St. Marnoch October 25. These were really big days. Not only were there buithes around the Mercat Cross but also in all the side streets. In these fairs there would be goods from other parts of Scotland and even some from foreign countries. One strange law was in force which said no person could be apprehended while attending a fair. Even a known criminal could not be arrested. This may be the reason for the fairs getting out of control at times. Pilgrims, monks and friars would mingle with the throng. The air would be loud with the discordant cries of the vendors. There would be jugglers and con men performing their feats before the gaping crowd and preachers exhorting the people. It was a time to let loose and break the monotony of their hard life of toil.

     The clothes of the ordinary man would be a cloak or tunic made of homespun wool or leather. He would wear "trusers" also of wool or leather. A wool cap would be worn on the head but the feet would most of the time be bare. If he had shoes they would be saved for church or going to the Town Council or Guild meetings. Women wore a homespun wool knee length dress with an apron. She would have a bonnet and would almost always be barefoot.

      It must have been a most difficult time for these people and an extremely hard life. However Paisley continued to grow and today it has a population of 70,000. It is mainly a university town and did not have the industrial growth that Glasgow had in the 19th and 20th centuries. Glasgow is now over 3/4 of a million people. Paisley is plagued with the same problems as our Canadian towns. The addition of shopping malls has left High Street with many vacant buildings They have an excellent Museum and Reference Library for historical and genealogical research. As a matter of fact they were built on High Street on a location where WILLIAM LOVE had a gunsmith shop in the late 1800s. The Abbey of Paisley is still the major centre of interest with its long history of destruction and rebuilding. There is no doubt ALL of these LOVES in Paisley at the present time join up with our ancestors at some common ancestor back in the 16th century.

     I am now convinced we will not find older records that will mention LUIFES in Scotland so we might consider this the end of the road. There may be some historical books or possibly a Court record but so far I have searched all I can locate and don't know of any further places to look. When I reached back to circa 1650 in Scotland I found the LOVE name before that was always spelled in some variation of LUIFE. I thought maybe this was just a Scottish pronunciation or spelling. I have since found these spellings in England in the 15th century so obviously it was not just Scotland. The Lowland LOVES in Strathclyde area were not Celtic or Gaelic origin so where did they come from ? The most likely place would be from England as we know many followers of English invaders were granted land in the area. Some may have just decided they would stay and take their chances on a new and better life than back at home. Many of the Knights themselves were given land in lieu of pay and received land confiscated from the Scottish, especially in the Western Lowlands.

     As we have NIGELLI, JOHANNI and THOME LUF all definitely in Paisley in 1460 leasing land from the Monastery, one possibility would be LUIFES were among the followers or retainers of WALTER FITZ ALAN when he arrived from Shropshire in 1160 and was given Renfrewshire by King David I and his son King Malcolm. If so they could have been "feuing" (leasing) land from the Monastery throughout these 300 years. But that is a long time and would involve at least 9 or 10 generations. There were no records being kept so it is impossible to know whether this was so. The historical records only dealt with the Barons, Earls and Nobles and not with the ordinary citizen. We do know the Norman influence and their concepts of a feudal system arrived in Scotland in the 12th century and was still in effect up to the 15th century. The LUIFES could have had some direct relation with the monks who WALTER FITZ ALAN brought from Shropshire. This seems unlikely to me as I have seen lists of the monks at Paisley at various times and there has never been a mention of a LUIFE.

     The next possibility is that LUIFES arrived in Scotland sometime between 1160 and 1460. We know for instance that King Edward I of England made 6 invasions of Scotland to try and exert his dominance. The last was just before he died in 1307. In fact before he died he instructed his son to carry his bones into that battle and not to bury him until Scotland was subdued. His son disobeyed these orders and buried him in Westminster Abbey. In each invasion he would have a huge army of up to 25,000 men and thousands of Knights, Barons, Earls and other Nobles. He could exercise his feudal demands on all these people who owed their holding of their lands under the feudal system where they had to produce men and arms in case of war. Each Knight and Noble would have his own large retinue raised from his home county and they were held by the same feudal laws.

     This possibility brings us to the findings of WILLIAM DeLOSS LOVE, D.D.. He was researching the LOVE family in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. He never published his findings but his son WILLIAM DeLOSS LOVE JR. used his notes to create a manuscript which is now held by the LIbrary of Congress in Washington. In my source notes you will find the Library of Congress call number and also the LDS film where it can be viewed. But I have a copy in my files.

     WILLIAM DeLOSS LOVE SR. visited Scotland in 1888. He searched the Testament (Will) files and the historic books which had been written in the 1800s. But he became convinced the LUIFES in Glasgow had come from Lochwinnoch Parish. So he talked to a JOHN LOVE who was living in Threipwood where there have been LOVES since the early 17th century. Every LOVE he mentions in the history of the area I have been able to confirm by my own research. I found every Testament he was quoting from and found his records absoulutely accurate. He then made many comments on where he thought the LUIFES had arrived from when they came to Scotland and I will talk about them later. I found WILLIAM DeLOSS LOVE SR. had been in Ireland in 1909. He had actually seen many of the LOVE Irish Wills. These are no longer available as although they are shown in the Phillimore Irish Will Index, the Wills themselves were destroyed in the 1922 fires in Dublin during the fighting for independance. The Wills he was quoting from made it possible for me to find that our WILLIAM LOVE who had arrived in Strabane, Ireland in 1616 with the Plantation of Ulster, had gone back to Glasgow to die in 1645. This is what gave me the connection from Ireland back into Scotland. Because all his quotes from the Scottish Testaments are entirely accurate I felt safe in accepting the Irish Will quotes which I couldn't check. I am only stating these facts to show I hold his amazing research in high regard and very reliable. This is most important when I must rely on his research in trying to find the original roots of the LUIFES and LOVES in England and back into France.

     This may be a good place to try and dispel the old myth that the Scottish LOVES had descended from the HIghland McKinnon Clan. This story was started by Patterson, a historian writing in the 19th century, when he "thought" this idea might be right but he produced NO evidence. Unfortunately other writers have picked this up and repeated it as fact. WILLIAM DeLOSS LOVE investigated this when he visited Scotland in 1888. He did NOT find any evidence to back this up and from his own investigations decided it was unliklely and untrue. In my search I came to the very same conclusion.

      However new information has come to light in 2011 when Ian Love, of Sydney Australia, contacted me in connection with his ancestry who in the 19th century were living in Campbeltown, Kintyre, Scotland. He held copy of a letter written by Stuart Gilkison to Ian's grandfather, Eric Leslie Love, in 1931. It discusses that their g-g-grandfather "came to Kintyre as a refugee after the dark days of Culloden." It goes on to say that he spoke Gaelic rather than the Scottish spoken in the Lowlands. All this would indicate that some Loves were in the highlands in the 17th century but there is no indication of where they originally had come from.

     When WILLIAM DeLOSS LOVE SR. was convinced the LUIFES had originated in England he persued his investigation there. I don't know what year or years he was there but it must have been for a long time considering the amount of information he turned up. And remember he didn't have the research resources we have today. He uncovered a huge amount of information about LOVE families in the 16th and 17th centuries. These turned out to be no connection to the LUIFES in Scotland. He studied two ancient books on the surnames of Britain. One was LOWER'S - PATRONYMICA BRITANNICA and the other BARDSLEY'S - OUR ENGLISH SURNAMES. That is where he found the name LOVE probably came from the French for "Le Loup" which means "the wolf" and which had been incorporated into several French family names. I think it would be easier to follow if I go to the beginning of his research into this family name and then follow through to where he thought it connected to the LUIFES in Scotland.

     One might think the name LOVE started as a term of endearment. As a matter of fact it is very different than that. LOWER in his Patrynomica Brittanica is sure it came from the French word for WOLF which is LE LOUP. In Norse it is LUFA and remembering that a Norseman ROLF THE VIKING, and ancestor of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, had taken over Normandy about 911 A.D. the name may have started back that early. In Netherlands it was spelled LUF. In Italy it would be LUP and in very old French it was LOU or LOUE. BARDSLEY in his English Surnames agrees with LOWER on these names.

     In the Middle Ages a wolf was regarded in mystic awe which many passages in early literature prove. In the time of Charlemagne several church dignitaries were called LUPUS. St. LOU succeeded St. URSUS in the See of Troyes in the 15th century. It seems the name LUPUS was a sobriquet that was given because of the disposition of a warrior or in compliment of his deeds. It appears to be one of the earliest Norman surnames and was in use in Normandy long before WILLIAM the CONQUEROR invaded England in 1066 A.D. Several persons of that name arrived in England with WILLIAM. In some cases the name was "LOUEL" which was the diminutive form of 'LUPELLUS" meaning "Little Wolf" and was thus adopted by a younger son.

     HUGH LUPUS D'AVERANCHE, or HUGUES le LOUP, son of RICHARD named GOZ and nephew of WILLIAM the CONQUEROR, is the best known of these adventurers. To him about 1070 WILLIAM gave the Earldom of Chester. He married ERMENTRUDE, daughter of HUGH de CLAIRMONT, Earl of Beavoys in France. By her he had a son RICHARD but he was drowned in 1119 leaving no children. However HUGH had three illegitimate sons ROBEERT, ORTHURUS and PHILIP. HUGH le LOUP died in 1101. The three sons should be listed among "possible" ancestry of the LUIFES.

     RICHARD de LOUET is said to have come from Normandy with his two sons WILLIAM and ROBERT at the time of the CONQUEROR. This family held land in several counties by the 14th century. The descendants of WILLIAM LOUET had their family seat at Liscombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The Arms born by RICHARD le LOUET were "Az. three wolve's heads coupe Or"; and the crest was "On a wreath of the colours a wolf's head coupe", So here again is another "possibility" for LUIFE ancestors.

     BARON ROBERT LOUEL, who came to England in the time of the CONQUEROR was Lord of Yvery in Normandy. ASCELIN who succeeded his father ROBERT bore the name LUPUS. But his younger brother WILLIAM, Earl of Yvery and Lord of Castle Cary in Somersetshire, England adopted the name LUPELLUS (Little Wolf). This family has many branches but several of them bear on their Arms "the three wolve's heads."

     In the time of King Richard II an action was brought concerning Asshen Manor "which PHILIP LOUEL gave to ROBERT le LOU and JOHN his son and EMMA wife of JOHN ." The pleadings show that ROBERT le LOU was also named "ROBERT LUPUS, Knight, and ROBERT WOLF, of Esshe, Knight." The surnames of LOUEL, WOLF and LE LOU are used indiscriminately. (Genealogist, New Series, xiv 252). The grantor was doubtless the PHILIPPUS LOUEL who held Brikul Manor in Buckinghamshire and died about 1264. (Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem 1 45). From the nature of the grant we may deduce that he was the father or kinsman of ROBERT. As a younger son PHILIP may have taken the name LUPELLUS or LOUELL, while ROBERT as the eldest son may have been called LUPUS. The latter under the name ROBERTUS le LUPE held Esse Manor in Essex at his death which also occurred about 1264.

     JOHN son of ROBERT le LOU, Knight, appears in the pleading to have lived in the time of King Edward I. By his wife EMMA, called EMMA le WOLFE, he had a son PHILIP who died without leaving children. He also had a daughter AGNES whose heirs were concerned with the above actions. It is thought he also had sons by a second wife. His name is found in the Parliamentary Roll of Arms. This was a list of the principal persons in England eligible for summons to Parliament as Knights of the shire in which they lived. Its title reads "Ces sunt les moms e les armes a Bauerez de Engleteres". Among the Knights of Buckinghamshire is "SIRE JOHN LE LOU - De argent ii barres de goules en le chef iij testes de LOU de goules>' (Genealogisdt New Sesries x1 181).

     There is no doubt therefore that SIR JOHN le LOU was one of the Knights of King Edward I and later we find him in Scotland. It is uncertain whether he went there during one of King Edward's wars for the conquest of Scotland or went at an earlier date and received an estate there as many other Norman families did around that time. However we know for sure he was there by 1303/4 because we find in the "Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland" the name of JOHN de LOUE receiving hay on 1 February 1303/4. As no further mention is made of him in any records in England, it is presumed he remained in Scotland until he died there.

     That JOHN le LOU, Knight, is the direct line ancestor of the LUIFE families in Scotland cannot be confirmed by any known records. There were others with this family name in Scotland during the 13th cantury who were probably brothers or sons of JOHN le LOU. In the Scottish records there appear HENRY le LOUE, WILLIAM son of LOUE and HUGH LOUSONE. To show the connection between these families they all bear the same Arms showing the "three wolve's heads".

    Quoting the formalized wording from the description of family coats of arms can not only be confusing but can also be boring. Coats of arms began about the 11th century and one of the first places used was in the Crusades. They were necessary to distinguish friend from foe in hand to hand combat. They were shown on shields and armour as well as on penants. The issuing of them was strictly controlled and approved by officials appointed by the King. So here are the descriptions of three families connected to LE LOU in Buckinghanshire.

     The arms of SIR JOHN le LOU were doubtless the arms of his father SIR ROBERT le LOU and the ancient arms of the family. BERRY, an expert on family coats of arms, gives three variations as follows. Le Lou of Buckinghamshire - "Ar. two bars gu. in chief two wolve's heads, erased, of the second." Another LE Lou - "Ar. on two bars gu. three hounds, courant, of the field, in chief two wolve's heads, erased of the second." And a third - "Gu. three wolves, passant, ar." The three hounds in the second arms are supposed to have been granted to the House of Lovell in accordance with the tradition that one of that family had been appointed as "Master of the Wolf Hounds" by one of the early Norman Kings.

     BERRY states the proper blazon of the ancient coat of arms of the LE LOU family of Buckinghamshire is - "Argent, two bars, gules, in chief three wolf's heads, gules."

     While doing this research on the Coat of Arms of the Le Lou family, I was in direct contact with the College of Arms in London, England. They are the custodians of all the Coats of Arms issued since the 11th century. Their files consist of the descriptions of the Coats of Arms granted and they don't necessarily have all of them in an art form. However they agreed to draw the Coat of Arms issued to Sir John Le Lou from the description they are holding and they sent me this copy which is in my files.

    So the closest we have been able to get in actual records to NIGELLI, JOHANNI and THOME LUF in Paisley in 1460 is JOHN le LOU in Scotland in 1303/4. It is possible we may be able to continue research on the LE LOU name after 1303 but in the meantime I think we can be assured this is where the LUIFES in Scotland originated.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            SOURCE of INFORMATION

     RENTAL ROLLS of the MONASTERY of PAISLEY. These can be seen on LDS film # 1885485. They are also shown in PRONI Mic 552/reel 702, SM28/REEL 702 and D623/C/16/1-39. A printed version is shown in the appendix of a book by Rev. J. Cameron Lees DD called the ABBEY of PAISLEY. This book is in my library.

     THE HISTORY OF PAISLEY by W. M. Metcalfe, D.D. published in 1909 by Alexander Gardner in Paisly, Scotland. This book is in my library.

     THE PARISH OF LOCHWINNOCH by Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson printed in 1987 and privately published. This book is in my library.

     ARCHAEOLOGICAL and HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS RELATING to the COUNTY OF RENFREW. volumes 1 and 2. Published in 1885 by Alexander Gardner in Paisley, Scotland. This is a rare set of books. There were only 290 copies printed and my set in my library is hand numbered # 134.

     THE ABBEY OF PAISLEY published by Alexander Gardner in Paisley in 1878. This is another rare book that is in my library.

     KILBARCHAN, A PARISH HISTORY by Rev. Robert D. MacKemzie, B D. published in 1902 by Alexander Gardner in Paisley. This book is in my library also very rare..

     REGISTRUM MONASTERII DE PASSELET. Published in 1882 it is a printed translation of the original Latin. It is held by the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, Scotland.

    PAISLEY MONASTERY CHARTULARY. This is an original book in Latin giving the various Charters issued by the Monastery in connection with their lands. It is held by the Paisley Reference Library in Paisley, Scotland.

     MANUSCRIPT by WILLIAM DeLOSS LOVE in the Library of Congress. Call Number Microfilm 85/9462 (C) (MicRR). Also shown on LDS film # 1465994 Item 4. Mr Jacob Love in Washington was kind enough to tell me about this manuscript.

    CHARTERS AND DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE BURGH OF PAISLEY by W. M. Metcalfe, D.D.. Published in 1902 and printed by Alexander Gardner, Paisley, Scotland. This book is in my library. This book contains excerpts from the Paisley Town Council Meetings. They start in 1594 as anything earlier has been lost.

NOTE - The rare out-of-print books I show above as being in my library, were obtained for me by Christopher Morrison who operates an Antiquarian Book Store in Paisley, Scotland.

     Children of NIGELLUS (NIGEL)¹ LUF (8706) include:

                 + 2.        i.    JOHANNUS (JOHN)² LUF (8705) JOHANNUS (8705) was born circa 1440 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. JOHANNUS (8705) died circa 1520 in Lochwinnoch Parish, Renfrewshire, Scotland, at an unknown age.

                       3.        ii.    THOME (THOMAS) LUF (8709). THOME (8709) was born circa 1442 in Scotland. THOME (8709) died at an unknown date in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, at an unknown age.

                       4.       iii.    ALLANE (ALLAN) LUYF (8710). ALLANE (8710) was born circa 1448 in Scotland. ALLANE (8710) died at an unknown date in Lanarkshire, Scotland, at an unknown age.

                       5.       iv.    SIMONUS (SIMON) LUIF (8711). SIMONUS (8711) was born circa 1450 in Scotland. SIMONUS (8711) died at an unknown date in Auchinames, Kilbarchan Parish, Renfrewshire, Scotland, at an unknown age.

                       6.         v.    PATRICIUM (PATRICK) LUFF (8713). PATRICIUM (8713) was born circa 1452 in Scotland. PATRICIUM (8713) died at an unknown date in Overtoun, Kilbarchan Parish, Renfrewshire, Scotland, at an unknown age.

                       7.       vi.    WILELMO (WILLIAM) LUIF (8712). WILELMO (8712) was born circa 1454 in Scotland. WILELMO (8712) died at an unknown date in Auchinames, Kilbarchan Parish, Renfrewshire, Scotland, at an unknown age.

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