Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Ross and Cromarty

Dingwall

Parish #62

Guide to Dingwall ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	62
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Ross-shire
Burgh	Dingwall
Council Area	Highland
Registration District	Dingwall
Records begin
Parish registers: 1662
Kirk Sessions: 1674
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Dingwall
Synod	Ross
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Cromarty, Dingwall, Stornoway, and Tain
Commissary Court	Ross and Edinburgh

History

DINGWALL, a royal burgh, sea-port, and a parish, the capital of the county of Ross, 20 miles (S. W.) from Cromarty, and 174 (N. N. W.) from Edinburgh. This place, of which the name is of Scandinavian origin, is supposed to have been originally a Danish settlement, and subsequently the seat of one of the numerous royal fortresses erected along the coast, to repel the frequent incursions of that warlike people. The church is a neat, plain structure, in good repair, and contains 800 sittings; service is performed both in the English and in the Gaelic language. There is an episcopal chapel.

For more information about Dingwall's geography, economy, history, education, and people, see the parish reports in The First and Second Statistical Accounts of Scotland, or the Third Statistical Account for Ross & Cromarty 941 B4sa 3rd.

Census Records

Scottish Censuses were taken every 10 years beginning in 1801. Beginning with the 1841 Census, each individual in the nation was enumerated at the location they slept on a particular day. For more information, including which day each census was taken, read about Scottish Census Records.

Here is a list of the FamilySearch Library (FS Library) microfilm numbers for the census records of Dingwall as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

Years	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042626	6037266 (6 fiche)
1851	1042008	941.16/D1 X22h (book)
1861	0103905	none
1871	0104090	none
1881	0203408	6086658 (4 fiche)
1891	0208624	none

Indexes and images for the 1901, 1911, and 1921 censuses of Scotland are found on ScotlandsPeople ($). Registration is required and there is a small access fee per image. All available censuses, 1841-1921, are indexed on this website.

Church Records

The Established Church in Scotland is the Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity. Church of Scotland records generally cover the period of time prior to 1855, when Civil Registration began. Unlike in England, Scottish law never mandated that vital events be registered with the established church. For more information, read about Scottish Church Records.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers

Event	Years Covered	FHL FIlm Number
Births	1662-1854	0990580 item
Marriages	1753-1854	0990580 item
Deaths	1786-1852	0990580 item 1

Condition of Original Registers—
Index: For an index to these records, see Scotland’s People website, a pay-for-view website. The Scottish Church Records Index is also still available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City.
Births: There are no entries December 1667–October 1670, November 1712–April 1715, April 1721–1742 inclusive, except a few irregular entries, October 1756–June 1767.
Marriages: There are no entries April 1756–June 1787. Six entries 1714–1715 are on a page of the record of births after August 1719.
Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records

The kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of the minister and the land owners and businessmen of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. It dealt with moral issues, minor criminal cases, matters of the poor and education, matters of discipline, and the general concerns of the parish. Kirk session records may also mention births, marriages, and deaths.

Minutes 1745–1797 (loose sheets), 1822–1871 (many gaps), 1894–1974
Poor Rolls 1823–1841
Marriages 1782–1786
Burials 1783–1786
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/711.

Nonconformist Church Records

A nonconformist church is any church that is not the established church (the Church of Scotland). For more information, read about Scottish Nonconformity.

Dingwall Free Church

History—
The parish minister did not "come out" in 1843, but the great majority of the people adhered to the Free Church. The church and manse were built in Castle Street and a school in High Street. A new church was erected in High Street in 1870. A small section of the people became Free Presbyterians in 1892. The Gaelic section of the congregation remained outside the Union in 1900.
Membership: 1848, 45; 1900, 70.
Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source, including ministers.

Records—
No pre-1855 records.

Maryburgh Free Church

History—
The minister of the parish, and the main body of his congregation "came out" in 1843. The church and manse were built on a site obtained from Mrs. Stewart MacKenzie of Seaforth who afterwards gifted the land to the church.
Membership: 1848, 33; 1900, 72.
Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source, including ministers.

Records—
There are no pre-1855 records.

Dingwall Catholic Church

History—
Though a congregation was formed about 1849, it closed in 1853. It was served from Beauly, Invernessshire. See that parish for records.

Civil Registration Records

Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths is called Statutory Registers in Scotland. The system began 1 January 1855, and each parish had a registrar's office, with large cities having several. Over time, districts merged and split due to changing populations and technological advancements. The system has largely stayed the same over time, with records being created by local registrars and copies sent to the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Initially annual indexes were published, but now these indexes are available online as soon as an event is registered. Many of these records are only available on ScotlandsPeople ($), however the years 1855-1875, 1881, and 1891 are available through FamilySearch(*). For more information, read about Scottish Statutory Registers.

Probate Records

Dingwall was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Ross until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Ross & Cromarty. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. You must register on the website but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills & Testaments,' is free. You may then purchase a copy of the document or, if the document is before 1823, it will be on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Ross & Cormarty and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Ross.

The FamilySearch Library also has some post-1823 probate records for Ross & Cromarty. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Ross & Cromarty and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Ross & Cromarty parish list.

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Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)

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