Scotland Civil Registration

Civil registration is the government records of births, marriages, and deaths. Civil registration records are excellent sources of names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Since they are indexed and cover most of the population, civil registration records are important sources for genealogical research.

Historical Background

Before 1855 only churches recorded birth, marriage, and death information. Civil birth, marriage, and death registrations for Scotland began on 1 January 1855.

After that time, individuals had to report all births, marriages, and deaths to the registrar. A penalty was imposed for failure to register.

Local registrars were appointed in virtually every parish in Scotland. The local registrar kept two registers of all of the births, marriages, and deaths registered in his district. The District Examiner annually examined the registers and sent one copy of the register to Edinburgh. The other copy remained with the local registrar.

The Registrar General at http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/  creates nationwide indexes after receiving the records from the local registrars.  Indexes will help you find your ancestors’ civil registration records.  The indexes are arranged by year and give name, place of registration, and record entry number.

Information Recorded in Civil Registers

Birth Record/Certificates

A birth record shows:

• Name of the child
• Gender
• Date and place of birth
• Names of the father and mother (including the mothers maiden name)
• Occupation of the father
• Name of the informant, signature, residence, and qualification (often relationship).

After 1860 the parents’ marriage date and place is also given. If the child was illegitimate, the record does not give the father’s name unless the father gave his permission and acknowledged the child. In that case, the child is registered under the father’s surname and the word “illegitimate” appears after the child’s name.

Marriage Record/Certificates

A marriage record shows:

• Names, ages, and occupations of the bride and the groom
• Marital Status
• Residences of the Bride and Groom
• Place of marriage
• Date of Marriage
• Name and occupation of the bride’s father and of the groom’s father
• The names and occupations of their fathers and whether they were deceased.
• The names and maiden surnames of their mothers and whether they were deceased.
• Witnesses
• Whether the marriage was announced by banns or public notice
• Date and place of registration

Death Record/Certificates

A death record shows:

• Name of the deceased
• Gender
• Age
• Occupation
• Marital Status of the deceased
• When and where the person died
• Date and cause of death
• Names of parents
• Name and occupation of the father
• Name and maiden surname of the mother
• The informant’s signature, residence, and qualification
• The date and place the death was registered

Births, Marriages, and Deaths in 1855

Certificates of births, marriages, and deaths for 1855 contain information that other years do not contain:

Births

Additional information on an 1855 birth certificate:

• Parents’ birthplace and age
• Parents’ marriage date and place
• Number of children previously born to the mother and whether alive or dead

Marriages

Additional information on an 1855 marriage certificate:

• Birthplaces of the bride and groom
• Names and ages of both parents
• Name of the person who officiated
• Birth dates of the bride and groom

Deaths

Additional information on an 1855 death certificate:

• Age at the time of death
• Names of the deceased’s parents
• Place of Buiral
• Birthplace of the deceased person
• Names and ages of his or her children

For more information on civil registration records and laws, see:

Bisset-Smith, G.T. Vital Registration: A Manual of the Law and Practice. Edinburgh, Scotland: William Green & Sons, 1902. (FHL book 941 V2b.)

You can find other guides to civil registration records in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

SCOTLAND - CIVIL REGISTRATION.

Divorces

Divorces were handled by the courts. For information, see the “Court Records” section of this outline.

Finding Civil Registration Records

Records at the Family History Library

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of civil birth, marriage, and death records for the years 1855 through 1875, 1881, and 1891, as well as the indexes for 1855-1956.  To find the records and indexes, look in the Family History Library Catalog. 

Follow these steps:

• Do a 'Place' search for 'Scotland.'
• From the list of topics, click on 'Scotland - Civil Registration.'
• Click on the title of Registers of births, marriages, and deaths, 1855-1875, 1881, 1891; and general index, 1855-1956 and view the film notes. The collection of 4469 microfilms is arranged first by record type then by date, with the indexes listed first.
• Start by searching the indexes for the event and date you desire. The index gives name, place, and record entry number.
• The government has assigned every parish a number. The main page of the catalog entry gives the number for each parish, arranged in alphabetical order. Find the number for your parish of interest.
• From the film notes list, look for your event and county of interest and match up the parish number to find the correct film.
• On the film, turn to the correct parish (arranged in alphabetical and number order) and turn to the record entry number.
• There may be a short index at the first of the parish. If you look for your ancestor in the index, you will see the record entry number again.

You can also find the microfilm numbers by looking in the following source:

• Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths of Scotland. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family History Library, 1987. (FHL book Reg 941 V2; fiche 6035516.)  This source is arranged first by event, then by county, then by date.  At the beginning of each county is a list of the parishes giving their number.

NOTE:  Birth and marriage records from 1855 to 1875 have been extracted and appear in the International Genealogical Index.

Microfilms can be loaned to a family history center.  To find the location of a center in your area, go to http://www.familysearch.org and type your locality in the field labeled 'Find a Family History Center.'

Records Available Online at ScotlandsPeople

The civil registration records and indexes are available online at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. This is a fee-based website but the miminum fee of 6 GBP (approx. $12.00) gives you access for 90 days, and you have 30 page credits with which you are able to make searches, see the results, and view then print copies of the documents. It is every much worth the cost. If you are not able to go to the Family History Library to use the microfilms, this is probably a better option for you.

See the article on ScotlandsPeople for a description of the site.

Records Available in Scotland

In Scotland, civil registration records are kept at the local registrar’s office.

Duplicates are kept at the New Register House in Edinburgh. These are open to the public, but you can only have access to the specific records you request.

You can order an official copy of a certificate from the General Register Office in Edinburgh. See their web site at                  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/ for more information.  If you request a certificate by mail, bear in mind that it may take several weeks to obtain a reply.  When you write, send:

• A check or money order in pounds sterling for the current certificate fee or credit card information.

• The full name and sex of the person sought.

• The names of the parents, if known.

• The approximate date and place of the event.

• Index reference, if available.

Using the Indexes to Civil Registration Records

When searching the indexes, you should be aware that:

• Marriage indexes for females (1855-64) are arranged alphabetically by maiden surname.

• The husband’s surname appears in parentheses.

• Death indexes for females (1855-64) are arranged in alphabetical order under her married surname with her maiden surname in parentheses.

• After 1864, death indexes list women under both their maiden surnames and their married surnames.

• On film, a “Mc” or “Mac” surname may be found in the indexes at the end of the M section.  Online, try spelling variations.

• There is an additional index at the end of each filmed yearly index called the "Vide Addenda." This index lists names missed in the regular index. A cross-reference to the Vide Addenda will usually be found in the regular index.

• Some births, marriages, and deaths were registered late. These “neglected entries” cover the period from about 1820 to 1860 and were registered between 1860 and 1868. They are on one roll of microfilm (FHL film 103538).

If you cannot find an index entry, consider the following strategies:

• Surnames are often found under unexpected spellings. Look for variations.

• Events are filed by the date registered, not the date occurred. For example, a birth on 20 December may have been registered in January of the following year.

• Indexes were hand-prepared and may contain spelling and copying errors and omissions.

• A person may have been registered under a different name than was used later in life.

• A woman’s surname in the marriage index may be her surname by a previous marriage.

• Family information (particularly age at death) is often misleading.

• Persons with common names may be difficult to identify in the index.

• An illegitimate child may be registered under the mother’s maiden name.

• Some children were registered as “male” or “female” when a name had not been selected at the time of registration.

• Not every person was registered. 
  
   

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)