Fearn, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland

Scotland

Ross and Cromarty

Fearn

Parish #64

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

Fearn, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	64
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Cromartyshire and Ross-shire
Council Area	Highland
Registration District	Fearn (Ross)
Records begin
Parish registers: 1749
Kirk Sessions: 1771
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Tain
Synod	Ross
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Cromarty, Dingwall, Stornoway, and Tain
Commissary Court	Ross

History

FEARN, a parish, in the county of Ross and Cromarty, 5 miles (S. E.) from Tain; containing the villages of Balintore and Hiltown. The Gaelic name of this parish, Fearnn, signifies "the alder-tree," and was applied in consequence of the great number of alders growing at Mid-Fearn, in the parish of Edderton, in the neighbourhood. The church is of early English architecture.

The name of the parish is the Gaelic word Fearnn, signifying the alder tree. This parish is bounded on the south, by the parish of Nigg; on the west, by Loggie (Easter); on the north, by Tain; and on the east and south-east, by Tarbat and the Murray Firth.

The chief landowners are, Robert Bruce Eneas Macleod of Cadboll; Hugh Ross of Cromarty; Representatives of the late William Baillie Rose of Rhine; David Monro of Allan; William Murray of Pittkeire and Meikle Rhine; Sir Charles Ross of Balnagown; George M.R. Ross of Polfoil; and Eneas Barclay of Mounteagle.

The population of this parish in 1801 was 1528, and by 1831, it was 1695.

No part of the parish could be cultivated with a profitable application of capital.

There is but one parochial register, that of baptisms and marriages, and it begins in 1749. The entries have been very irregularly made down until the year 1800. The number of families in the parish belonging to the Established Church, is 394; of Dissenting or Seceding families, 27.

This account was written February 1840.

Source: New Statistical Account of Scotland for Fearn, FS Library book 941 B4sa, series 2, vol. 14.

For more information about Fearn'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 Ross & Cromarty 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.

Here is a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Fearn as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

Years	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042626	6037266 (6 fiche)
1851	1042008	none
1861	103905	none
1871	104091	none
1881	203408	6086658 (4 fiche)
1891	208624	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:	1749-1854	0990581
Marriages:	1783-1854	0990581
Deaths:	1783-1791	0990581

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 twenty nine birth entries prior to 1768. There are irregular and incomplete records 1773–1781.
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 and Accounts 1771–1781
Poor Accounts 1781–1809, 1812–1845
Minutes 1784–1797 - with gaps, 1802–1822 - with gaps
Mortcloth Accounts 1790–1809
Minutes and Roll of Communicants July 31, 1837
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/995.

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.

Fearn Free Church

History—
The elders of the parish adhered to the Free Church at the Disruption. A congregation was formed and a minister settled in December 1843. The church was erected in 1844. The manse was provided years later. A new church was begun in 1896 and the building was completed and opened in 1897. The manse was renovated in 1898–1899.
Membership: 1848, 195; 1900, 175.
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 ministers.

Records—
Begin in 1843

The Highland Family History Society has publications for sale.

The Register is held in Highland Council Archives, Inverness, Scotland (Reference CH3/962/8)

The FamilySearch Library has a copy of Births 1844-1855 and Baptisms 1844-1890 [The Highland Family History Society has publications for sale and they have Tain Free Church Baptisms 1843-1866 available.

The FamilySearch Library has a copy of Marriages 1843-1880 this publication available

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

Fearn was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Ross until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Ross & Cormarty. 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 for Ross & Cromarty and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Ross.

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

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Ross & Cromarty parish list.

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