The Bothwell Database

This master file has grown to include more than 38,200 persons in over 46 distinct Bothwell family groups. Those where it is possible to identify their old world origins came mostly from Ireland or Scotland, with a few English and Welsh thrown in to confuse things. However, it is almost certain that the Irish Bothwells ultimately originated in Scotland, perhaps as early as during the Irish Plantations of the 17th Century.) Click here DATABASE to access the database.

One thing you will not find in this list is any direct relationship to Mary, Queen of Scots or to the Earl of Bothwell. I have attempted to eliminate any entries where Bothwell is used as a title rather than the individual's surname, as in the case of Queen Mary's third husband, James Hepburn, the 4th Earl of Bothwell. Although he was commonly referred to as Bothwell, his surname was Hepburn and he was not a member of the Bothwell family. To the best of my knowledge and research, no individual with the SURNAME Bothwell has ever held the TITLE of Bothwell. However, there is a connection. The Bishop of Orkney, who performed the marriage between Queen Mary and Hepburn, was Adam Bothwell, who also presided over the coronation of Mary's son as King James VI of Scotland.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this database. However, I know there continue to be many errors and inconsistencies. The information included in this file came from hundreds of sources, some contributed specifically for inclusion in this database. Much of the information also has been culled from my own personal research, from various official documents, and from genealogies posted on the internet.

Many of the sources included documentation. Others did not. In my review of the data, I have examined each of the entries individually and endeavored to eliminate duplications and to resolve conflicts between sources where information on a given individual did not agree, for example on the date or place of birth. In those cases where documentation was provided, I selected the documentation that seemed the most credible. Where neither source contained documentation, I have generally left both dates/places in the file. Whenever possible, I have added new sources to document the data.

If you see information that you believe to be in error, or if you would like to contact the original source of the information, please contact me at BRC Updates. Please provide as much documentation as you can with your information.

To protect the privacy of contributors, requests for contact with the source(s) of information will be forwarded to the source (if known) and it will be up to that person to decide whether to follow up on the request.

If you have any information or files you'd like to contribute, please email me at webmaster@bothwell.cx If possible, send any contributions in the form of a GEDCOM file so I don't have to rekey everything (which will help insure I don't introduce any errors into the database).

Thanks.