Forglen, Banffshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Banffshire

Forglen

Parish #154

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

Forglen, Banffshire, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	154
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Banffshire
Council Area	Aberdeenshire
Registration District	Forglen
Records begin
Parish registers: 1647
Kirk Sessions: 1659
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Turriff
Synod	Aberdeen
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Banff
Commissary Court	Aberdeen

History

FORGLEN, a parish, in the county of Banff, 1 mile (W. by N.) from Turriff, on the road to Banff. This place is called also Teunan, from St. Eunon, to whom a chapel, of which there are still some vestiges remaining, is said to have been dedicated. The church, erected in 1806, and situated on the south-eastern boundary of the parish, is in good repair, and will accommodate a congregation of from 400 to 500 persons. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.

This parish is sometimes called Teunan or St. Eunon, from a saint of that name to whom a chapel, the ruins of which still remain, is said to have been dedicated. Forglen and the neighbouring parish of Alvah were at one time joined; but, before the middle of the seventeenth century, Forglen was erected into a separate parish, and an annexation from the adjoining parish of Marnoch was made to it both quoad sacra et civilia.

The boundaries of this parish are, on the south and east, the river Deveron; on the west the parish of Marnoch; on the north the parish of Alvah.

Banff, at the distance of seven miles from the northern extremity of the parish, is the nearest market-town. The post-town is Turriff, and a mile distant from the south-eastern boundary. There is no village in the parish.

There are several very ancient charters in the hands of the Forglen family, connected with the transference of property to and from the family of the Ogylvies of Banff, of which the present Lady Abercromby is a descendant. From these, it appears that the lands of Forglen at one time belonged to the abbey of Aberbrothick, as well as the patronage of the church. The writer of this article has inspected a deed conveying the lands of Forglen, and power of presenting to the living, from Irvine of Drum to the Abbey, and another re-conveying them to the family of Irvine. These deeds are dated as far back as the beginning of the fifteenth century.

The population in 1755 was 607 and by 1831 was 820.

The records of church discipline begin in 1659, and have been regularly kept till the present time, with the exception of five years after 1754. Baptisms and marriages are very spotty at best.

The parish church accommodates between 400 and 500 persons. There are 4 Episcopalians who worship at Turriff, where there is a minister of that faith; 2 Roman Catholics with all the rest of the inhabitants attending the parish church.

The above is an extract of the account written in July 1836.

Source: The New Statistical Account of Scotland for Banff. FS Library book 941 B4sa, 2nd series, Vol. 13.

For more information about Forglen'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 Banffshire 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 FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Forglen as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

Years	Fmily History Library Film Number	Surname Index
1841	1042647
1851	1042105	941.24 X22s v. 1
1861	103809
1871	103968
1881	203439	6086520 (set of 3 Fiche)
1891	208654

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.

Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Established Church–Old Parochial Records

Record Type	Years Covered	FamilySearchLibrary Film Number
Births:	1647-1854	0990993
Marriages:	1685-1854	0990993
Deaths:	1784-1789	0990993

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. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland.
Births: There are no entries July 1666–March 1668 or September 1675–October 1676 and June 1726–September 1738. Mothers’ names are not recorded in the entries until 1745.
Marriages: There are no entries September 1723–March 1725, September 1726–June 1738, August 1742–August 1744, July 1758–August 1759, and December 1789–September 1791.
Deaths: Burials
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.

Here is a list of the surviving Kirk session records for this parish:

Minutes and Accounts 1659–1755, 1759–1849
Abstract of Census of Parish 1811
List of Communicants 1834–1837
Accounts 1828–1844, 1849–1902
Minutes 1837–1855
Poor Fund Minutes and Accounts 1751–1753
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, records CH2/869.

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.

Forglen Free Church

History—
In 1843, the minister of the parish with many of his congregation left the Established Church. The congregation steadily decreased in population. This congregation remained with the United Free Church of Scotland although the majority of Free Church congregations reunited with the Established Church of Scotland in 1929.
Membership: 1848, 220; 1900, 98; 2000, 9.
Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records—
Extent of the records is unknown. For information write to:
The Session Clerk
Forglen United Free Church
Little Whitefield
Forglen by Banff, AB45 3YD
Scotland
Tel: 011–44–1466–780275

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

Forglen was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Aberdeen until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Banff. 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 Banff and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Aberdeen.
The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Banff. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Banff and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return To Banffshire Parish List