of North Berwick,

As you will note from the list below the Seatoun / Seatown variations

stopped around 1620, although a few continued and thereafter there is a

continuity of spelling the name Seaton. This is because East Lothian is made

up of small parishes and with families not moving great distances over three

or four generations they became well known within the county and the

spelling of the name seldom altered. If you were born a Seaton, you most

definitely were not a Seton. From about 1730 the name Seaton increases in

Scotland and the name Seton deceases and from around 1850 there were very

few Seton/Seaton’s in East Lothian as the majority migrated to the city for

employment. My family returned to East Lothian in 1912 and during the

1950s-60s we were the only Seaton family listed in the Edinburgh and

Lothians telephone directory (no Setons listed). Today there are 48 Seaton’s

and 1 Seton family listed. I can trace my family back to 1758 and if the

documentation was better probably to 1700 and they are all Seaton’s with no

inter-changes.

In Scotland surnames were important and to alter them was like changing your

character. The Scots mentality even today questions whether the person who

has changed their name is hiding from a past misdemeanour and takes the

matter of altering a surname very seriously. Like the Scottish Clan system

this rather outdated attitude over surnames has not changed in centuries. In

Scotland for almost two centuries the surname Seaton has dominated with very

few if any Seton’s. If you are interested in the name variations since 1600

access the Scottish Record Office website at http://www.origins.net/GRO.

This will let you see when the name Seton declined.

Taking the list of births in East Lothian (1598 - 1845) at face value, they

are as follows: Seton (110); Seaton (70); Seatone (6); Seatoun (10);

Seatoune (4); Seatown (1); Seatton (3); Seattone (14) and Seattoune (6)

entries. The overall numbers will not alter but the entries in each category

will definitely change due to transfer mistakes. Below are the entries under

Alexander Seton m. Margaret McCall

Richard b. 1637. Parish of Tranent.

Hannibal Seton m. Sibilla Pringill

Charles b. 1657. Parish of Haddington.

Thomas Seton m. Marion Gaudie

Agnes b. 1668. Parish of Tranent.

Robert Seton m. Jean Menzies

Jean b. 1668 Parish of Tranent.

Thomas Seton m. Marion Gaudie

Marion b. 1670 Parish of Tranent.

Francis Seton m. Bessie Turnbull

Agnes b. 1671 Parish of Tranent.

George b. 1674 Parish of Tranent.

Robert b. 1674. Parish of Tranent.

Christopher b. 1675. Parish of Tranent.

Lillias b. 1677. Parish of Tranent.

Thomas Seton m. Marion Hume

Agnes b. 1671 Parish of Tranent.

Marion b. 1675 Parish of Tranent.

John Seton m. Anna Turnbull

George b. 1675. Parish of Tranent.

Robert Seton m. Christian Cowan

Agnes b. 1677 Parish of Tranent.

George b. 1678. Parish of Tranent.

Christian b. 1682. Parish of Tranent.

George Seton m. Isabell...

Alexander b. 1672 Parish of Tranent.

John Seton m. Anna

Alison b. 1672. Parish of Tranent.

Anna b. 1676. Parish of Tranent.

Robert Seton m. Agnes Fiddes

George b. 1669 Parish of Tranent.

Issobell b. 1671. Parish of Tranent.

Christopher b. 1676. Parish of Tranent.

Francis b. 1678. Parish of Tranent.

Robert b. 1707. Parish of Prestonpans

Robert Seton m. Jannet Manners

George b. 1676 Parish of Tranent.

James b. 1678 Parish of Tranent.

Margaret b. 1680. Parish of Tranent.

William b. 1681. Parish of Tranent.

Robert Seton m. Margaret Allane

Margaret b. 1680 Parish of Haddington.

Margaret b.1686 Parish of Tranent.

John Seton m. Alison Dougall

Elizabeth b. 1686. Parish of Tranent.

John b. 1687 Parish of Haddington.

Alexander Seton m. Margaret McCall

George b. 1696. Parish of Prestonpans.

Christian. b 1697 Parish of Prestonpans.

Walter b. 1698 Parish of Prestonpans.

Euphan b. 1706 Parish of Tranent.

Margaret b. 1708. Parish of Prestonpans.

James b. 1710 Parish of Prestonpans.

Walter b. 1712. Parish of Prestonpans.

Alexander b. 1715 Parish of Tranent.

William b. 1720. Parish of Haddington.

Alexander Seton m. Agness Carmichael

John b. 1699. Parish of Haddington.

John b. 1703. Parish of Haddington.

George b. 1705. Parish of Haddington.

Elizabeth b. 1707. Parish of Haddington.

Patrick b. 1714. Parish of Prestonpans.

Alexander Seton m. Margaret....

Barbara b. 1702 Parish of Prestonpans.

Charles Seton m. Alison Runciman

Charles b. 1708. Parish of Whittingham.

Christopher Seton m. Margaret Smith

Agnes b. 1714. Parish of Tranent.

Alexander Seton m. Margaret Kedslie

Margaret b. 1717 Parish of Tranent.

Alexander Seton m. Marion Buchan

Margaret b. 1717. Parish of Haddington.

Alexander Seton m. Elizabeth Barclay

Grisel b. 1722. Parish of Haddington.

William Seton m. Agnes Johnstoun

Robert b. 1724. Parish of Haddington.

James b. 1725. Parish of Haddington.

John Seton m. Margaret Menzies

Agnes b. 1726 Parish of Tranent.

Jean b. 1729 Parish of Tranent.

Catherine b. 1732 Parish of Tranent.

Christian b.  Parish of Tranent.

Alexander Seton m. Anna Duncan

John b. 1722. Parish of Haddington.

William b. 1740. Parish of Haddington.

Alexander Seton m. Jean Frasier

Alexander b. 1729 Parish of Tranent.

Robert Seton m. Mary Paterson

Anna b. 1726 Parish of Haddington.

James b. 1728 Parish of Tranent.

Alexander b. 1730 Parish of Haddington.

John b. 1735 Parish of Tranent.

Helen b. 1736. Parish of Tranent.

Elizabeth b. 1738. Parish of Tranent.

George Seton m. Isobell Greenfield

Jean b. 1736. Parish of Haddington.

George b.1738. Parish of Haddington.

William b. 1755. Parish of Athelstaneford.

Patrick Seton m. Agnes Knox

Agnes b. 1742 Parish of Haddington.

William Seton m. Jean Wallace

Mary b. 1765. Parish of Athelstaneford.

William b. Parish of Athelstaneford.

Alexander Seton m. Agnes Carmichael

Agnes b. 1775 Parish of Haddington.

Christopher Seton m. Jean Barber

Jean b. 1787 Parish of Tranent.

William Seton m. Jean Peat

William b. 1788 Parish of Gladsmuir.

Marion b. 1790. Parish of Athelstaneford.

James Seton m. Mary Somne

Margaret b. 1794 Parish of Haddington.

George b. 1803. Parish of North Berwick.

Francis b. 1805. Parish of North Berwick.

Mary b. 1806. Parish of North Berwick.

Alexander Seton m. Margaret Calder

Margaret b. 1826 Parish of Humbie.

George Seton m. Janet Walker

Mary b. 1835. Parish of Prestonpans

Sir Alexander Setoun ( no spouse given)

Hew b. 18th April 1613. Parish of Tranent.

Hendrie b. 19th August 1614. Parish of Tranent.

George Earl of Winton  m. Anne Hay

Christopher b. 2nd March 1617. Parish of Tranent.

George Earl of Winton m. Elizabeth Maxwell

Sophia b. 2nd February 1630. Parish of Tranent.

Christopher b. 28th June 1631. Parish of Tranent.

William b. 8th January 1633. Parish of Tranent.

Anna b. 30th September 1634. Parish of Tranent.

Jean b. 26th January 1636. Parish of Tranent.

Robert b. 17th December. 1637. Parish of Tranent.

John b. 29th September 1639. Parish of Tranent.

Robert b. 10th November 1641. Parish of Tranent.

* there is another child named Alexander? but I took the date of

birth down wrongly, this will be corrected on my next visit.

George Lord Seton m. Henrietta Gordon

Issobell b. 13th June 1638. Parish of Tranent.

George b. 4th May 1642. Parish of Tranent.

Christopher b. 15th April 1645. Parish of Prestonpans.

Sir Thomas Seton ( no spouse given)

Grizel b. 1655. Parish of Tranent.

William Seton, Baronet  m. Euphon Murray

Robert b. 9th August 1707. Parish of Prestonpans.

Alexander Earl of Eglinton Seton-Montgomery m. Anna Livingstone

Alexander Montgomery-Seton b. 5th November 1615. Parish of Tranent.

Margaret b. 1611. Parish of Tranent.

Robert Setone

Cicil b. 1613. Parish of Tranent.

Thomas Setone (no spouse given)

Jeane b. 1618. Parish of Tranent.

Johne Setone (no spouse given)

Margaret b. 1618. Parish of Tranent.

Robert Setone (no spouse given)

James b. 1618. Parish of Tranent.

Christain b. 1619. Parish of Tranent.

Helene b. 1620. Parish of Tranent.

Charles Setone m. Helen Black

James b. 1655. Parish of Haddington.

John Setoun m. Margaret..

Anna b. 1616. Parish of Prestonpans.

Robert Setoun (no spouse given)

George b. 1614. Parish of Tranent.

George b. 1615. Parish of Tranent.

Robert Setoun (no spouse given)

James b. 1618. Parish of Prestonpans.

Thomas Setoun m. Anna Drummond

Margaret b. 1615. Parish of Prestonpans.

David Setoun (no spouse given)

David b. 1630. Parish of Pencaitland.

George Earl of Winton m. Elizabeth Maxwell
George b. 4th May 1642. Parish of Tranent.

George Setoun m. Elizabeth Jollie