Monfieth, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Angus

Monfieth

Parish #310

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

Monfieth, Angus, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	310
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Angus
Council Area	Angus
Registration District	Monifieth
Records begin
Parish registers: 1560
Kirk Sessions: 1678
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Dundee
Synod	Angus & Mearns
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Arbroath, Dundee, and Forfar
Commissary Court	St Andrews and Edinburgh

History

MONIFIETH, a parish, in the county of Forfar; including the hamlets of Barnhill and Drumsturdy-Muir, 6 miles (E. by N.) from Dundee. The name of this place, written in ancient records Moniefuith, Monefuit, and Monefut, is of Celtic origin, signifying "the moss of the stag," and is supposed to be descriptive of the state of a portion of the parish in former times, in connexion with the sport here carried on. The church, built in 1813, is situated at the southern extremity of the parish, on the brink of the Tay, and contains sittings for 1100 persons. A chapel, with accommodation for 720 persons, was erected in 1826 at Broughty-Ferry, and the district attached to it was in 1834 formed into a quoad sacra parish. There are also in the village places of worship for the United Associate Synod and the Free Church.

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

Year	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042680	6203961
1851	1042256	none
1861	0103792	none
1871	0103948	one
1881	0203496	6086580 (12 fiche)
1891	0208724	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:	1562-1780	0993491
	1781-1854	0993492
Marriages:	1560-1649	0993491
	1649-1854	0993492
Deaths:	1659-1804	0993492
	1833-1854	0993492

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 intermixed with marriages and other matters up to 1649. After July 1708 there are four pages containing births of children of strangers 1676–1708 and the record is blank July 1708–February 1710. Mothers’ names are not recorded until January 1770.
Marriages: After July 1678 there is a record of marriages of strangers 1676–1682 on one page. The records are blank July 1708–March 1710, and December 1755–May 1770.
Deaths: The death record is blank December 1665–August 1668, and August 1670–February 1676. Before July 1676 there is a record of burials of strangers 1676–1705 on three pages and it is blank again May 1708–January 1717. Burials recorded from about 1748 but are blank December 1804–1833.
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 1678–1706, 1710–1943
Accounts 1769–1804
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/270.

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.

Broughty Ferry United Presbyterian Church

History—
The United Associate Presbytery of Forfar began preaching at Broughty Ferry in 1837, and a congregation was organized June 1838. They rented a place of worship until 1847 when they built one for themselves.
Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details may be given in the source.

Records—
Minutes 1837–1925
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/509.

Broughty Ferry East Free Church

History—
In response to a memorial presented to the Presbytery by local Free Church members, this congregation was organized in December 1861. Public worship was held in a hall. This was burned down, and another temporary place of worship was erected. The charge was sanctioned in 1863. The church was built in 1865 and the manse in 1877.
Membership: 1866, 205; 1900, 394.
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.

Records—
There are no known pre-1855 records.

Broughty Ferry West Free Church

History—
The minister of the “quoad sacra” church of Broughty Ferry and many of the congregation came out at the Disruption. The minister was absent owing to illness, and signed the Deed of Demission on his deathbed. A church was built and opened in March 1844. In 1856 the church was enlarged and again in 1890. The East Free and Monifieth South Free Churches were offshoots from this congregation.
Membership: 1848, 250; 1900, 714.
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.

Records—
Various Minutes 1844–1962
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/508

Monifieth Free Church

History—
The minister of Monifieth, with two elders and many of his congregation, came out in 1843. For some time public worship was conducted in a tent, as no site for a building could be obtained. At last, in 1846 a church was erected in 1846–1847. A manse was also provided.
Membership: 1848, 254; 1900, 136.
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.

Records—
Minutes 1843–1851, 1865–1920
Communion Roll 1844–1845
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1180

Broughty Ferry Congregational Church

History—
A preaching station was located at Broughty Ferry from 1813 to 1824, served from Dundee. See that parish.

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

Monifieth 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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