Guthrie, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Angus

Guthrie

Parish #291

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

Guthrie, Angus, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	291
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Angus
Council Area	Angus
Registration District	Guthrie
Records begin
Parish registers: 1663
Kirk Sessions: 1663
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Arbroath
Synod	Angus & Mearns
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Arbroath, Dundee, and Forfar
Commissary Court	St Andrews and Brechin

History

GUTHRIE, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 8 miles (N. W.) from Arbroath. This place confers its name upon the very ancient and distinguished family of the Guthries. The church, which is situated on an acclivity rising from the valley of the Lunan, is a substantial neat building erected in 1826, and contains 306 sittings.

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

Years	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042678	6203961
1851	1042225	941.31 X22a no. 292
1861	0103790	none
1871	0103947	none
1881	0203493	6086580 (12 fiche)
1891	0208721	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

Record Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Births:	1664-1854	0993435 item 2
Marriages:	1663-1854	0993435item 2
Deaths:	1716-1794	0993435 item 2

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: Births are recorded in parallel columns with marriages prior to 1693, after which a separate record of births begins.
Marriages: Marriage records are in parallel columns with births prior to 1693, after which a separate record of marriages begins. There are no entries August 1715–November 1716, December 1728–July 1730, and July 1736–July 1737.
Deaths: Death records are blank 1719–October 1737. Mortcloth Dues from latter date to February 1754; and then records are blank to December 1783, when a record of burials is commenced. There is a duplicate of the portion 1788–1794.
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 1663–1916
Collections and Disbursements 1737–1800
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/535.

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.

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

Guthrie was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of St.Andrews 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 St.Andrews.
The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Angus. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Angus and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Angus Parishes.

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