Arrochar, Dunbartonshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Dunbartonshire

Arrochar

Parish #492

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

Arrochar, Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	492
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Dunbartonshire
Council Area	Argyll & Bute
Registration District	Arrochar
Records begin
Parish registers: 1752
Kirk Sessions: 1764
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Dumbarton
Synod	Glasgow & Ayr
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Dumbarton
Commissary Court	Glasgow

History

ARROCHAR, a parish, in the county of Dumbarton, 22 miles (N. N. W.) from Dumbarton, and 22 (E. S. E.) from Inverary. The name of this place, which, at different times, has been variously spelt, is derived from a Gaelic term signifying "high," or "hilly," in reference to the nature of the ground. The parish is remarkable for the magnificence of its scenery, and is much resorted to by tourists. The church, situated in a corner of the parish, was built in 1733, and is in indifferent repair, and of insufficient size, containing only 300 sittings. A place of worship has been erected in connexion with the Free Church.

Arrochar was disjoined from the parish of Luss in 1658.

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

Year	FS Library Film Number	Surname Index
1841	1042712	none
1851	1042282	FS Library CD-ROM no. 3816
1861	0103917	none
1871	0103977	none
1881	0203547	6086556 (4 fiche)
1891	0208789	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.

Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers

Event Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Births:	1759-1854	1041981
Marriages:	1768-1854	1041981
Deaths:	1783-1784	1041981
	1835-1840	0559522 item 5

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: There are only about 20 irregular entries prior to March 1767, then the regular record commences. Irregular entries are frequent before 1785.
Marriages: There are no entries for 1769 or 1772. The record is blank January 1774–November 1780, and there are only two entries for July 1802–February 1805. There are no entries for 1815.
Deaths: Burials are all on one page. See also the Kirk Session records below.
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.

Arrochar Records--

Session Minutes 1764–1784 (with a note of members, 1767), 1785–1844
Treasurer's Cash Book 1844–1864
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/445.

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.

Arrochar Free Church

History—
This congregation was formed at the Disruption in 1843. No other history is available.
Membership: 1848, 65; 1900, 61.
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

Arrochar was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunbarton until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dumbarton. 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.

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