Libberton, Lanarkshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland

Lanarkshire

Libberton

Parish #650

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

Libberton, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	650
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Lanarkshire
Council Area	South Lanarkshire
Registration District	Libberton
Records begin
Parish registers: 1717
Kirk Sessions: 1763
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Biggar
Synod	Lothian & Tweedale
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Aidre, Glasgow, Hamilton, and Lanark
Commissary Court	Lanark and Edinburgh

History

LIBBERTON, a parish, in the Upper ward of the county of Lanark; including the village of Quothquan, 2½ miles (S. by E.) from Carnwath. This place, of which the name is of uncertain derivation, is situated on the banks of the river Clyde, and comprehends the ancient parishes of Libberton and Quothquan, the latter having been annexed to the former in 1669. The church, erected in 1812, is a neat edifice adapted for a congregation of 350 persons.

For more information about Libberton'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 Lanark (941 B4sa 3rd ser. v. 8).

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.

Click here for a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Libberton.

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

Years	Surname Index
1841
1851	CD-ROM no. 1850
1861	6205853
1871
1881	6086616 (41 fiche)
1891

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—Kirk Session Records

	Years Covered	FS Library Film Number
Births:	1717-1820	1066598 item 3
	1820-1855	1066599 items 1-2
Marriages:	1717-1820	1066598 item 3
	1820-1854	1066599 items 1-2
Deaths:	1717-1744	1066599items 1-2
	1783-1819	1066598item 3
	1818-1854	1066599 items 1-2

Condition of Original Registers

Indexed: 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 be indexed in the FamilySearch collections for Scotland.
Births: Interpolated entries not infrequent after 1809, but the record generally was kept with care.
Marriages: Up to January 1758, the names of two witnesses to the marriages are recorded in the entries. Record of proclamation fees 1717–1743 is mixed with entries of Mortcloth Dues, etc.
Deaths: Mortcloth Dues, 1717–1744, are intermixed with other matters. There are no entries except five deaths of ministers, 1765–1813, December 1744–October 1783, after which date burials are recorded.
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.

Surviving Kirk session records for this parish:

Minutes 1639–1678, 1683–1741, 1751–1929
Collections and Accounts 1738–1801, 1808–1913
Testimonials 1690–1700
Communion Rolls 1849–1908
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/383.

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.

There are none.

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

Libberton was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Lanark until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Glasgow. 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 Lanark and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Lanark.
The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Lanark. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Lanark and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

References

Return to Lanarkshire Parishes.

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