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.

General 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.

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 Locality 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.

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. To find these records, look in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

SCOTLAND - CIVIL REGISTRATION.

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

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.)

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

Records 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 obtain certificates by mail from the New Register House in Edinburgh (see the “Archives and Libraries” section). 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.

Indexes to Civil Registration Records

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

The Family History Library has microfilmed the indexes for the years 1855 to 1955. You can find them by looking in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

SCOTLAND - CIVIL REGISTRATION.

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.

• A “Mc” or “Mac” surname may be found in the indexes at the end of the M section.

• There is an additional index at the end of each 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 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.

Additional Information

You can look for your ancestors on several web sites. Scotland's People at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ has many of the indexes and original document images of censuses, church records, civil registration, and testaments. Registration is free; however, a small fee is charged to search the indexes and view the images. See the "Scotland's People" section of this outline for a description of the site.

You can order an official copy of a certificate from the General Register Office for Scotland. See their web site at http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/ for more information.

If you prefer, you can go to the microfilm copies of the indexes and some certificates that are held in the Family History Library. The indexes show the year and the district where the event was recorded, the name of a person, and the certificate number. This information is sufficient to help you find the film number containing the certificate that you want. Follow the steps below to find the microfilm numbers in the Family History Library Catalog.

1. Go to http://www.familysearch.org
2. Click the Library tab.
3. Click Family History Library Catalog.
4. Click Place Search.
5. Type Scotland and click Search.
6. Click Scotland in the list of results.
7. Click the topic of Civil Registration.

Microfilm 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 Near Your Home.