Tarbat, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland

Scotland

Ross and Cromarty

Tarbat

Parish #83

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

Tarbat, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	83
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Cromartyshire and Ross-shire
Council Area	Highland
Registration District	Tarbat
Records begin
Parish registers: 1794
Kirk Sessions: 1750
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Tain
Synod	Ross
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Cromarty, Dingwall, Stornoway, and Tain
Commissary Court	Ross, The Isles, and Edinburgh

History

TARBAT, a parish, in the district of Mainland, county of Ross and Cromarty, 10 miles (E. by N.) from Tain; containing the villages of Balnabruach, Portmahomack, and Rockfield. This parish, which occupies the eastern peninsula of the county, terminating in the narrow point of Tarbat Ness, is bounded on the east and south-east by the Moray Frith, and on the north by the Frith of Dornoch. The church was repaired in the nineteenth century. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.

The parish of Tarbat occupies the eastern promontory of the shire of Ross, being bounded on the south and east by the Murray Firth, and on the north by the Dornoch Firth.

The only parochial registers in existence is a book in which minutes of the kirk-session are kept, and another in which births and marriages are recorded. The earliest entry in the first is in 1750, and in the second, 1801.

The land-owners are: Geanies, Mackay of Rockfield, Mackenzie Ross of Aldie, and Macleod of Cadboll.

The population in 1801 was numbered as 1343, and in 1831 increased to 1809 persons.
The whole population of the parish belong to the Established Church, with the exception of three families of Seceders, who are new to the parish.

This account was written December 1840.

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

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

Year	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042628	6037266 (6 fiche)
1851	1042060	none
1861	0103907	none
1871	0104093	none
1881	0203413	6086658 (4 fiche)
1891	0208629	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

Record Type	Years Covered	FS Library Film Numbers
Birth:	1801-1854	0990659 item 2
Marriage:	1809-1854	0990659 item 2
Death:	No entries	none

 

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.
Note: These records appear to have been regularly kept.
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 1750–1957
Baptisms 1823–1851 - with gaps
Marriages 1823–1859
Accounts 1823–1858
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/350.

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.

Tarbat Free Church

History—
The minister and nearly all the congregation adhered to the Free Church in 1843. The church and manse were completed in 1845. A new church was later built in 1893. This was a very large congregation but it suffered heavily through rural depopulation and failure of the fishing industry.
Membership:1855, 900; 1900, 142.
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—
The extent of the 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

Tarbat 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 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 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.