Stracathro, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Angus

Stracathro

Parish #320

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

Stracathro, Angus, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	320
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Angus
Council Area	Angus
Registration District	Stracathro
Records begin
Parish registers: 1709
Kirk Sessions: 1709
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Brechin
Synod	Angus & Mearns
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Arbroath, Dundee, and Forfar
Commissary Court	Brechin

History

STRICKATHROW, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 5 miles (N. by E.) from Brechin. This place comprehends the two ancient parishes of Strickathrow, which originally formed the prebend of the chantorship in the cathedral church of Brechin, and Dunlappie, which was united to it in 1612, by act of the General Assembly. Strickathrow is supposed to have derived its name (anciently Strath-Cath-Ra, and signifying in the Celtic language "the Valley in which the King fought") from a battle that took place here in 1130, between the army of David I., King of Scotland, and the forces of Angus, Earl of Moray. The church, erected in 1791, and lately repaired, is a handsome structure in the later English style of architecture, containing 360 sittings.

For more information about Stracathro'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 Angus 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 Stracathro, as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

Year	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042682	fiche 6203961 (set of 4)
1851	1042257	none
1861	0103794	none
1871	0103950	none
1881	0203499	fiche 6086580 (set of 12)
1891	0208728	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

Return Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Births:	1709-1854	0993507
Marriages:	1709-1854	0993507
Deaths:	No entries	none

Condition of Original Registers—

Indexed: 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: Birth records are blank August 1713–February 1716. There are only two entries May 1737–December 1740 and the records are defective 1752–1755. There is an imperfect copy or draft of a portion from May 1713 to 1747. It is a fair copy of the whole record. Mothers' names are rarely recorded prior to 1760.
Marriages: Marriage records are blank July 1715–June 1764. There are no entries July 1788–May 1790 or December 1816–February 1818. There is a copy of the record from 1764.
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 1709–1723, 1747–1916
Accounts 1808–1943
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/339

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.

There are no known nonconformist groups.

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

Stracathro was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Brechin until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dundee. 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 Angus and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Brechin.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Angus. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Angus

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Angus Parishes.