Contin, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland

Scotland

Ross and Cromarty

Contin

Parish #60

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

Contin, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Type	Quoad Omnia Parish
Parish Number	60
Civil Jurisdictions
Historic County	Cromartyshire and Ross-shire
Council Area	Highland
Registration District	Contin
Records begin
Parish registers: 1778
Kirk Sessions: 1793
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Presbytery	Dingwall
Synod	Ross
Judicial Jurisdictions
Sheriff Court	Cromarty, Dingwall, Stornoway, and Tain
Commissary Court	Ross

History

CONTIN, a parish, in the county of Ross and Cromarty, 8 miles (S. W. by W.) from Dingwall; including part of the late quoad sacra districts of Carnoch and Kinlochlychart. The origin of the name of this place, which is involved in considerable obscurity, is said to be Gaelic, the word expressing the confluence of two streams of water. The church, the date of which is uncertain, has strong marks of having been built long prior to the Reformation; it underwent considerable repairs, but is still an inconvenient and uncomfortable building.

The name of this parish is not easily determined, and there are various opinions concerning it. It is supposed to be derived from the Gaelic words Con-tuinn meaning the meeting of the waves or waters, with reference to the branches of the river Rasay. It is bounded on the west by Gairloch and Lochcarron; on the south by Kilmorack and Urray; on the east by Urray and Fodderty; and on the north by Lochbroom.

Dingwall, which is seven miles away, is the nearest market town, none of the villages in the parish are large enough to support a market.

A man of importance who has resided in the parish is Enaes (Angus) Morison, the last Episcopal minister of Contin. Many interesting anecdotes are still related about him illustrative of his wit and benevolence. This excellent man suffered very harsh treatment for refusing to conform to presbytery. He was rudely rejected from his own church and forced to flee.

The number of landowners is 11, only one of whom a Sir George Mackenzie now resides in the parish.
Several farms are stocked both with Cheviot and black-faced sheep; and those reared on some grazings fetch the highest prices at the market place.

The population at the time of the 1755 census was 1949. According to the last Statistical Account in 1792, the population stood at 2000, and by the 1831 census it was 2023.

With the exception of an old mutilated fragment, and one very imperfect register, there is no public record of any kind earlier than 1805. Marriages and births were not regularly entered until 1826, but have since been kept regularly.

The church of Contin has always stood where it is now, on the minister’s glebe, within two miles of the eastern extremity of the parish. At what point the church was erected is not known; but the ancient appearance of the fabric, several niches in the wall, and the immense number of human bones found strewed within, afford a strong presumption that it was built in Popish times. There can be not doubt that it was used for divine service while Episcopacy flourished in Scotland.
For nearly thirty years, there has been an itinerating catechist on the establishment of the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. The people being warmly attached to the Established Church, there is no chapel, or dissenting meeting-house of any kind in the parish.

This account was written in September 1837.

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

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

Years	FS Library Film Number	Surname Indexes
1841	1042625	6037266 (6 fiche)
1851	1042007	none
1861	0103905	none
1871	0104090	none
1881	0203407	6086658 (4 fiche)
1891	0208623	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

cellpadding="1" border="0" width="294" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"

|- | Record Type
| Years Covered
| FS Library Film Number
|- | Births:
| 1778-1854
| 0990578 item 2
|- | Marriages:
| 1787-1854
| 0990578 item 2
|- | Deaths:
| 1825-1854
| 0990578 item 2
|}

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: In duplicate up to 1816. The records are very irregular and incomplete prior to 1812.
Marriages: There is only one entry 1805 between January 1798–July 1809. There are no entries November 1811–January 1814.
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 1826–1827, 1874–1955
Minutes and Accounts 1793–1873
List of Poor 1828–1845
Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/658.

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.

Contin and Fodderty Free Church

History—
The minister of Fodderty "came out" at the Disruption; the minister of Contin did not, but the bulk of his congregation united with that of Fodderty under Mr. Noble as Contin and Fodderty Free Church congregation. A site was granted on the Seaforth estate, at the point where the parishes of Contin, Fodderty, and Urray meet, convenient for the combined congregation. The church and manse were erected here. In 1861, the church was replaced by a more modern structure. A schoolhouse was attached to the original church. The Fodderty section of the congregation was disjoined in 1889 on the erection of a new charge at Streathpeffer.
Membership: 1855, 700; 1900, 79.
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 records is unknown.

Strathconan and Garve Free Church

History—
The minister of Strathconan Parliamentary Church "came out" in 1843. The charge was maintained as a preaching station until in 1873 it was sanctioned as part of the united charge of Strathconan and Strathgarve. When separated the following year from Strathgarve, it retained its full status. In 1875 Mr. Arthur Balfour, late Prime Minister, who was proprietor of Strathconan, built the manse. There is no record of when the first church was built; the second being erected in 1892. The population of the district decreased greatly.
Membership: 1876, 96; 1900, 8.
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 records is unknown.

Strathgarve or Garve Free Church

History—
The minister of Kinlochluichart Parliamentary Church "came out" in 1843. The charge was maintained as a preaching station until 1873 when it was sanctioned as part of the united charge of Strathconan and Strathgarve. The following year it was separated and resumed its status as a station. The Assembly sanctioned the charge in 1877. The original meeting house was erected about 1843. One end was partitioned off and used as a school. A new church was built in 1899.
Membership: 1881, 240; 900, 18.
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 records is unknown.

Civil Registration

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

Contin was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Ross until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff 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' 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' 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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