A PROFESSOR wants to use DNA testing to find out if he is related to a “remarkable character” from the Borders.

David Purdie, 70, is trying to discover whether he has a connection to Tom Purdie, who was Sir Walter Scott’s groundskeeper at Abbotsford and a close friend of the novelist.

Prof Purdie, 70, whose family is from Manor Valley in Peeblesshire, believes a DNA test could identify if he has a link to the groundskeeper, who he describes as a “remarkable character”.

"My ultimate aim is to see if we can unearth a descendant in the Borders who I might be related to," Prof Purdie said.

He added: "There is nothing of Tom above ground, so, short of digging him up, this [DNA test] is the best way to determine if I am a relative."

Prof Purdie, an Honorary Fellow with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh, has edited two works by Scott – Ivanhoe and The Heart of Midlothian.

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He said that should he and a known descendant be revealed as cousins, he will "logically be able to claim Tom [Purdie] as a relative".

He added: "I have no evidence of a direct link, but we're a small Borders family – intriguingly small – going back 600-700 years."

Next year is the 250th anniversary of Scott's birth, and to mark the occasion Prof Purdie's family have commissioned an oil painting of Scott and Tom Purdie together.

Prof Purdie says the groundskeeper was Scott's "greatest friend".

Are you a descendant of Tom Purdie? Get in touch with one of our reporters at editorial@bordertelegraph.com