The earliest register of testaments is that of Edinburgh (recorded from 1514). All entries for Peacocks are for the 1580's and 1590's and are for people living in the city or just outside its boundary and in Fife. For example, one is for a George Peacock, merchant burgess of Pittenweem dated 6 November 1588. In the index for St.Andrews Commisary Court (from 1549) is one for an Andrew Peacock, burgess of Newburgh recorded 15 February 1600 (Indexes to Edinburgh Commissary Court and St.Andrews Commissary Court by the Scottish Record Society who have obviously modernised the spelling). Among the apprentices listed in the Scottish Records Society's Edinburgh Register of Apprentices (1583-1666) is a Thomas Peacock, son to John Peacock in Cameron who was apprenticed to a cordiner on the 14 May 1594. Glasgow Commissary Court's registers begin in 1547 and the earliest entry is a John Peacock, burgess and horner in Glasgow, recorded 26 December 1612.There is no record of him being made a burgess in the Register of Glasgow Burgesses-1573-1750 (Scottish Records Society) which indicates that he was livimg in Glasgow before 1573.
Black cites various other occurrences of the name including a George Pacok who was admitted a burgess of Aberdeen in 1596. He is likely to have been the George Pacok, apothecary and burgess who is recorded as owning a third of the moor of Scotistoune in 1620 (New Spalding Club's Sheriff Court Records of Aberdeen,vol.2, p.242).
The Registers of Sasines only date from the beginning of the 17th. century. Prior to that there are Protocol Books kept by notaries in various parts, some of which have been printed, but most only begin in the 16th. century. Burghs had their own Registers of Sasines and Protocol Books and it is in these burghs that many smaller owners of property can be found. For example, as quoted above, there was a Roger Pacok who had property in Annan in the 13th. century, although Annan was only created a royal burgh in1532 and its registers of sasines are only extant from the mid-18th. century. In 1378, he also cites a Thomas Pacok who was given a grant of a third part of the land of Quhitfielde in the Barony of Lyntounrothrike ( now West Linton) which his father Adam Pacok formerly held, but had resigned to Sir James Douglas in his full court (Registrum honoris de Morton, ii, p.129).Apart from these there are no early records of any Pacoks being granted land in 'Early Scottish Charters prior to AD1153' collected by Archibald C Lawrie; the 'Regesta Regum Scotorum', covering the reigns of Malcolm (1153-1165); William I (1165-1214); Robert I (1306-1329) and David II (1329-1371) (Edinburgh University Press); 'The Charters of David I' edited by G W S Barron;'The Index to Charters 1309-1413' ed. William Robertson, Lord Clerk Register; 'The Register of the Great Seal' 1306 onwards; 'The Register of the Privy Seal' 1488 onwards and the Calendar of Charters 1142 onwards.
CONCLUSION
As can be seen, the earliest records which have survived are mostly of land transactions recorded in charters, cartularies of the monasteries and records of the royal burghs.Much has not survived for various reasons, one of them being neglect. A considerable amount of material can be found in the papers of landowners, but it is not indexed.To search these records you definitely need to know where your ancestor lived, the name of the house or farm etc., then it is possible to search the records of the landowner, if they still exist.Peacocks first appear as indwellers in burghs and priests and notaries public and all are to be found in the Lowlands where most of the population lived.Almost all records which have survived are legal and it stands to reason that there would have been many Peacocks who went through life undocumented
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