Roseneath, Dunbartonshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Dunbartonshire

Roseneath

Parish #502

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

Roseneath, Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	502
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Dunbartonshire
Council Area	Argyll & Bute
Registration District	Rosneath
Records begin
Parish registers: 1722
Kirk Sessions: 1766
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Dumbarton
Synod	Glasgow & Ayr
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Dumbarton
Commissary Court	Glasgow

History

ROSENEATH, a parish, in the county of Dumbarton, 3 miles (W. by N.) from Helensburgh. By some writers the name of this place is said to be a modification of Ross-Neoth, descriptive of its form and original appearance as a bare and unwooded promontory. The parish is bounded on the east by the Gareloch, on the south by the Frith of Clyde, and on the west by Loch Long. The old church, situated about two miles from the southern boundary of the parish, and on the shore of the Gareloch, originally a cruciform structure dedicated to the Virgin Mary, having fallen into decay, was taken down in 1780, with the exception of the belfry, which has been preserved. The present church is a neat plain substantial structure, containing sufficient accommodation for the parishioners, but remarkable only for the beauty of its belfry. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.

For more information about Roseneath'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 Dunbartonshire 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.

Click here for a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Roseneath.

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

Years	Surname Index
1841
1851	CD-ROM no. 3816
1861
1871
1881	6086556 ( 4 fiche)
1891

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 Registers

Record Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Births:	1722-1854	1041999
Marriages:	1722-1854	1041999
Deaths:	No entries

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: Excluding irregular entries 1810–1818, the record appears to have been regularly kept.
Marriages: There are no entries for the years 1724 and 1746.
Deaths: There is one death entry for 1744, after marriages for that year.
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 1766–1806, 1822, 1834–1837, 1854–1924
Poors' Accounts 1786–1870
Births and Baptisms 1787–1818
Marriages 1788–1819
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/504.

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.

Roseneath Free Church

History—
On June11, 1843, at Knockderry School, Cove, this congregation was formed by those who had seceded from the Establishment. They met on alternate Sabbaths at Knockderry and at Campsail sawmill. The church was opened in April 1844.
Membership: 1848, 126; 1900, 106.
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 including a list of ministers.

Records—
The extent of records is unknown.

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

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

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Dunbarton. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Dunbarton and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Dunbartonshire parish list.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.