Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland Genealogy: Difference between revisions

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Inveresk. To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the [[Scotland:_Research_Strategies_for_Locating_Births,_Marriages_and_Deaths|Scotland: Research Strategies.]]

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     The church and village of Inveresk are near the confluence of the the river Esk with the Frith of Forth.  The name Inveresk signifires the mouth of the river.  Musselburgh is the chief town in the parish and gets its name from an extensive mussel bank which stretches out into the sea.  In ancient charters it is almost uniforml written ''muschelburg.''  In 1783 during some garden improvements near Inveresk House the foundations of various buildings were exposed at the depth of three or four feet.  A Roman bath of two rooms was traced.  The smaller was 9 feet by 4 1/2, the larger was 15 by 9.  There was a water source and a heat source found. All along the hill of Inveresk, Roman coins have been discovered.  Many other Roman artifacts have been found in the parish.  The parish registery begin in 1607 and have been kept pretty regularly since that period.  The penmanship of many of the early registers is curiously ornate and beautiful.  There has been injury to the bindings of several volumes.  The population in 1792 was 5392, and in 1831 it was 8961.  The land is used for cattle, sheep and the horses commonly used are of the Clydesdale breed. Corn and grass are also grown.  In the parish there is a lot of manufacturing including sail-cloth and hair-cloth, a distillery and tanneries.  In the Established Church there are 5876 members, in the Espiscopalians 153, the Relief 1468, in the Secession 789, the Independents 144, belonging to other denominations there are 112.  

<br>The New Statistical Account of Scotland (pub. 1834-45) offers uniquely rich and detailed parish reports for the whole of Scotland, covering a vast range of topics including history, agriculture, education, trades, religion and social customs. The reports, written by the parish ministers, are available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for your parish of interest. Also available at the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&title=new+statistical+account+of+scotland&pretitle=new+statistical+account+of+scotland Family History Library.]

= Census Records<br> =

A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about [[Scotland_Census|census records.]]

[http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=topicdetails&subject=709775&subject_disp=Scotland%2C+Midlothian%2C+Inveresk+-+Census&columns=*,0,0 Here] is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Inveresk, as well as the library numbers for any [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=topicdetails&subject=788333&subject_disp=Scotland%2C+Midlothian+-+Census+-+1881+-+Indexes&columns=*,0,0 surname indexes] available.<br>

= Church Records<br> =

 

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The Kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of the minister and the land owners and business men of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. The Kirk session 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.

A nonconformist church is any church that is not the Established church. Read more about nonconformity in Scotland in the article on the [[Scotland_Church_Records_Union_Lists|Scotland Church Records Union List.]]

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= Civil Registration Records<br> =

 

 

= Probate Records<br> =

Inveresk was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Edinburgh until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Edinburgh. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at

. You must register on the website but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills &amp; 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 Family History Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library

[http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=localitysearch&columns=*,0,0 catalog]

for the 'Place' of Midlothian and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Edinburgh.<br> <br> The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Midlothian. Look in the library

for the 'Place' of Midlothian and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' <br> <br> Read more about

[[Scotland_Probate_Records|Scotland Probate Records.]]

Return to the [[Midlothian (Edinburghshire), Scotland Parishes|Midlothian]] parish list.<br><br>