Lochcarron, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland

Scotland

Ross and Cromarty

Lochcarron

Parish #76

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

Lochcarron, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	76
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Ross-shire
Council Area	Highland
Registration District	Locharron
Records begin
Parish registers: 1819
Kirk Sessions: None extant
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Lochcarron
Synod	Glenelg
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Cromarty, Dingwall, Stornoway, and Tain
Commissary Court	Ross

History

LOCHCARRON, a parish, in the county of Ross and Cromarty, 19 miles (N. by W.) from Glenshiel; containing the village of Janetown. This parish derives its name from an estuary in its vicinity, called Loch Carron, which is so named from the winding river Carron falling into it, the word in the Gaelic language signifying "a winding stream." The church is a plain but substantial building, erected in 1836, and capable of accommodating between seven and eight hundred persons. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.

Lochcarron is so called from an arm of the sea which it is intersected, and which derived its name from the river Carron, signifying in Gaelic a winding stream.

The nearest market-town is Dingwall, fifty miles distant; but family supplies are generally got from Inverness.

Impenetrable darkness rests on the history of this district till within a late period. It was for many ages the scene of the barbarous depredations of contending clans, who, as the use of letters was little known among them, left no other memorial of their transactions that the dubious records of traditional poetry. At an early period, the parish was in the possession of several chiefs, the principle of whom was Macdonald of Gengarry, who had the western part of Strome. All these were gradually dispossessed by Seaforth Lord Kintail, who took the Castle of Strome in 1609.

The people, under the influence of no religion, but, from political considerations, attached to Episcopacy, conceived a rooted dislike to the Presbyterian system, which all the prudence of the clergy was for some time unable to eradicate.

William and Alexander Mackenzie, who were brothers of this parish, are the authors of some popular Gaelic poetry.

Grain of all kinds are grown, also potatoes and turnips, and there iare pastures for cows and sheep.

Baptisms and marriages have been regularly registered since 1819. The register kept before that time was accidentally burnt. There are no registers of deaths.

The church was built in 1751. It is situated in the center of the parish, and as the roads are goo, it is pretty convenient for the greater part of the population. It affords accommodation for upwards of 300. There is no Episcopalian in the parish, and only one Roman Catholic, and there are no Dissenting of Seceding families.

This account was written September 1836

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

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

Years	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042627	6037266 (6 fiche)
1851	1042011	none
1861	0103906	none
1871	0104092	none
1881	0203411	6086658 (4 fiche)
1891	0208627	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

Pre-1855 records for this parish:

Record Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Birth:	1819-1854	0990656 item 3
Marriage:	1819-1854	0990656 item 3
Death:	No entries	none

Condition of Original Registers—

Index: For an index to these records, see ScotlandsPeople ($), 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: Records begin October 1819.
Marriages: Records begin November 1819. The earlier records are said to have been accidentally burned.
Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. FS Catalog 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.

Surviving Kirk session records for this parish:
Minutes 1724–1929
Separate Register 1727–1929
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/567.

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.

Lochcarron Free Church

History—
The whole congregation of Lochcarron, with the exception of a few individuals, adhered to the Free Church at the Disruption in 1843. The church was built in 1846 and the manse in 1859. One third of the congregation seceded to the Free Presbyterians in 1893. More than half of those who remained did not enter the Union in 1900.
Membership: 1861, 550; 1900, 41.
Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FS Library film 918572(+++). More details may be given in the source, including ministers.

Records—
No pre-1855 records known.

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

Lochcarron 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 & Cromarty. Probate records for 1513-1901 are indexed online at ScotlandsPeople ($). Registration is required, but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills & Testaments,' is free. Copies of documents may be purchased, 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 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.