Forteviot, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Perthshire

Forteviot

Parish #354

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

Forteviot, Perthshire, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	354
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Perthshire
Council Area	Perth & Kinross
Registration District	Forteviot
Records begin
Parish registers: 1710
Kirk Sessions: 1727
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Perth
Synod	Perth & Stirling
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Dunblane and Perth
Commissary Court	Dunblane, Edinburgh, and St Andrews

History

FORTEVIOT. a parish, in the county of Perth, 5 miles (W. by S.) from Bridge of Earn. This was the seat of many of the Pictish kings, who had a palace at Haly Hill, near the site of the present church. The parish, which is about eight miles in length and two in breadth, is divided into three detached and unequal portions by the intervening parishes of Aberdalgie and Forgandenny. The church, before the Reformation, was attached to the abbey of Cambuskenneth, and subsequently to the college of St. Andrew's, the present edifice is a plain structure, in good repair. There is a place of worship for members of the Secession Church in the Ochil district of the parish.

For more information about Forteviot'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 Perthshire & Kinross-shire (FS Catalog book 941 B4sa 3rd ser. v. 27).

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 Forteviot as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

Year	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042693	none
1851	1042264	941.32 X22p 1851 no. 354
1861	0103893	none
1871	0104074	none
1881	0203505	6086646 (6 fiche)
1891	0208734	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:	1710-1713 - baptisms	1040353 item 4-5
	1720-1820 - baptisms	1040353 item 4-5
	1820-1854 - miscellaneous notes	1040116 item 1-2
Marriages:	1724-1738 - proclamations	1040353 item 4-5
	1710-1713 - proclamations	1040353 item 4-5
	1720-1789 - proclamations	1040353 item 4-5
	1763-1789	1040116 item 1-2
	1831-1852	1040116 item 1-2
Deaths:	1710-1713 - mortcloth dues	1040353 item 4-5
	1720-1789 - mortcloth dues	1040353 item 4-5
	1766-1854 - burials, morthcloth dues	1040116 item 1-2

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: There are no entries December 1713–April 1720. Mothers' names are seldom recorded until 1774.
Marriages: Marriage records prior to 1789 are mixed with other matters. There are no entries November 1789–November 1831.
Deaths: Mortcloth Dues are mixed with entries of marriage. There are few entries and none for 1786–December 1831.
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 1727-1728 (a copy), 1768–1809, 1812–1817, 1824–1890
Accounts 1789–1855
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1243.

Roll of Male Heads of Families

An 1836 list of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

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 were no known nonconformist groups in the 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

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

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

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Perthshire Parishes.