Scotland Church Records
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Church records are the main source for accurate information on names, dates, and places of birth, marriage, and death prior to the beginning of civil registration in 1855.
While the next section gives brief explanations and links to online indexes and records, they are best searched after a basic understanding of the main churches in Scotland with their history and available records. For this, see Section 2.4 Historical Background below.
Online Records
Old Parochial Records
- All Church of Scotland OPRs (Old Parish Records) can be accessed on the ScotlandsPeople website. There is no fee to search for names, but there is a fee of about $2 (US) per original image.
- Registration in Church of Scotland's registers was costly and unpopular, so many people did not bother to register events at all. Rapid urbanization during the 19th century contributed to the diminishing influence of the Church and a decrease in registration in these areas. For the 19th century onwards, it is estimated that as few as 30% of events occurring were actually being recorded for some urban parishes.[1]
- The original images can also be browsed for free at FamilySearch Centers and Affiliate Libraries through the FamilySearch Catalog. Microfilm and microfiche indexes are also available. See the article Scotland Old Parochial Registers (OPR) to learn more.
- Search: Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 - at FamilySearch, index & images ($). How to Use This Collection
- Search: Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910 - at FamilySearch, index & images ($). How to Use This Collection
- Scotland Presbyterian & Protestant Church Records, 1736-1990 - at FamilySearch, index & images ($). How to Use This Collection
- Blotter Registers
- Neglected Entries Register
- FindMyPast has indexed and digitized the records.
- Scotland, Parish Births & Baptisms 1564-1929, index & images ($).
- Scotland, Parish Marriages & Banns 1561-1893, index & images ($).
- Scotland, Parish Deaths & Burials 1564-2017, index & images ($).
- MyHeritage has also index and digitized the records.
- Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950, index & images ($).
- Scotland, Marriages, 1561-1910, index & images ($).
- FreeReg.org is a site that transcribes records from across the UK. A few Scotland Church Records are included. No images are available.
Kirk Sessions
- ScotlandsPeople Kirk Sessions
- Scotland Church Records and Kirk Session Records, 1658-1919
- Old Scottish Genealogy and Family History Scroll down to "RECORDS BY COUNTY".
- ScottishIndexes has some court and church register transcriptions for non-OPR (Old Parochial Registers)
Non-Conformists
ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk In 1855, the government officially called for all non-parochial (non-conformist) church registers (of all religions outside of the Church of Scotland) to be turned in to the official government archive, now managed by ScotlandsPeople.
- Catholic Records: Catholic Parish Registers Guide.
- Other Non-Conformist Records: A list of what is available is for other non-conformist churches is available here: Church Records Guide.
- The main NRS collections are as follows:
- Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) (NRS reference CH10), 1569-1983
- Methodist Church (NRS reference, CH11), 1661-2002
- Episcopal Church (NRS reference CH12), 1549-2003
- United Free Church (NRS reference CH13), 1901-1986, including some records of predecessor churches back to 1792
- United Reformed Church (NRS reference CH14), 1726-1993
- Unitarian Church (NRS reference CH15), 1792-1975
- Free Church (NRS reference CH16), 1843-1977, including some records of predecessor churches back to 1823
- The main NRS collections are as follows:
Catholic Church Records
Scottish Episcopal Church Records
Contents of the Records
Births/Baptisms
Children were usually baptized within a few days or weeks of birth. Births/baptisms may include:
- Name and surname of the child
- Birth and/or baptism date and place
- Parents’ names, including the maiden name of the mother
Births/baptisms may include:
- Child’s placement within the family and indication of legitimacy
- Father’s occupation and residence
- Names of witnesses
Marriages/Proclamations
Marriages usually took place in the parish where the bride resided. Marriage records usually give:
- Names of the bride and groom
- Date and place of marriage/proclamation
Marriages may include:
- Proclamation of intent to marry
- Residences and groom’s occupation
- Marital status
- Names of fathers
- Names of witnesses
Some records show a couple’s “intent to marry,” also called the proclamation of banns. Usually the intent to marry was proclaimed in the parishes of both the bride and groom. The marriage was usually recorded only in the parish in which the marriage actually took place.
Deaths/Burials
Few burial records were kept before 1855. It is important to know that many women, when their husbands died, reverted to their maiden names and were buried under that name.
Deaths/burials generally include:
- Name
- Date and place of death or burial
Deaths/burials may include:
- Occupation
- Age at death
- Names of relatives
- Residence
- Mortcloth dues (fee paid for the use of the funeral cloth or pall draped over the casket or body during the funeral ceremony)
Historical Background
For more background information on churches in Scotland, including a historical timeline, read the article Scotland Church History.
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland (a Presbyterian church) has been the recognized national church of Scotland since 1690. It is not a state or "established" church (although that latter description has found its way into various official documentation such as marriage registers); that independence from the state was eventually acknowledged in the Church of Scotland Act 1921.
The two main types of records are Old Parochial Registers (OPR) and Kirk Session Records. OPR's list baptisms, marriages and burials. Kirk Session records are the records of the Church Courts. They often list information relevant to genealogy. Additional records to utilize can include Blotter Registers and Neglected Entries Register (considered to pertain to civil registration, but many entries start well before C.R. even began--1809-1860).
Non-conformist
Churches which are not part of the Church of Scotland are often referred to as nonconformist. By the 19th century a majority of the population was non-Conformist. There were two categories of so-called nonconformist churches in Scotland:
- Dissenters or sometimes called seceders or seccesionist -- Those who seceded from the main church but were still Presbyterian in form. Such dissenting churches included Associate, Covenanters, Burghers, Anti-burgher, Free church, Reformed Presbyterian, and later in the 1800's the United Presbyterian and others.
- Nonconformists -- Those who were not Presbyterian in form, such as Episcopal, Methodist, Quaker, Baptist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), or Catholic.
Nonconformists had their own congregations, with different boundaries to the Church of Scotland and kept their own records. However, before 1834, nonconformist ministers were not authorized to perform marriages as clergyman; after 1834 they could perform marriages if the banns had first been read in the parish church. Total authority was granted in 1855. In the context of Scots Law as it applied until 1939, this affected, only in practice, the mode of marriage because until then any declaration of marriage in front of witnesses was valid although many might have failed to be recorded.
Scotland Handfast Tradition
The rite of Handfast was introduced into Scotland by Scandinavian Vikings and dates back to the beginning of Christianity. The original idea is linked to Common Law Marriages and of the posting of Banns in church. The word "Handfast" is tied to a hand shake that was used in earlier times to finalize a business transaction. The tradition of Handfast as a form of marriage lasted well into the 20th century, especially in the isolated and mountain areas of Scotland.
Handfasting was originally used to announce the union between a man and woman who wished to live together as husband and wife before receiving the blessing of the church. The couple would stand before their peers, hold hands above their heads, and state their intentions. The agreement was good for one year and one day, or until clergy came to the area. A child born of a Handfast union was considered legitimate and was eligible to inherit.
Many times this was an arrangement made so a man would know if a woman were able to bear children. Also, in areas where there was no church and the clergy came infrequently to marry and baptize, it was a means to legitimize those marriages. How often couples were married by handfasting is unknown. If, in the course of your research, you cannot find a marriage for your ancestral couple, it may be because they were married in this traditional way. Chances are good that the event took place within the year prior to the birth of the couple's first child.
Handfasting is no longer an acceptable practice in Scotland. However, it is possible that the new rise of premarital agreements or contracts between couples who wish to live together without the benefit of legal marriage is an offshoot of the ancient tradition of the Handfast system.
Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
- Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
- To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
- Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
- A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
- If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
- See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
Research Guidance
FamilySearch Wiki Help for Non-Church of Scotland Church Records Research
- Steps For Tracing Scottish Ancestry Outside of The Church of Scotland
- Scotland's Lost Other Half: Tracing Difficult Ancestral Lines in Scotland's Non-Parochial Register
Online Tutorials on FamilySearch:
- ↑ "Guide to Old Parish Registers", Aberdeen City Libraries, https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2019-09/Guide%20-%20OPRs.pdf, accessed 24 March 2024.