-::- SCOTTISH GENEALOGIST CREATING EXCEPTIONAL SCOTTISH FAMILY TREE REPORTS FOR DISCERNING SCOTS WORLDWIDE -::-
The local parish was the administrative centre of government for the daily lives of the people of Scotland. The Church not only provided religious ceremonies such as baptisms and marriages, it also regulated the moral behaviour and provided education and relief to the poor. As the parishes were small areas, the local minister would have known all the inhabitants.
The State and the Church wanted to establish parish registers during times of religious change and in 1552, it was decided that all ministers should keep a register of baptisms and marriages. The earliest surviving parish register is from the parish of Errol and dates from 1553, although in other parts of Scotland, ministers were slow to comply.
The record keeping was not as reliable as the Church and state had hoped and in more remote parishes it is not clear whether records were never kept, or have since been lost or damaged. In the Western Isles in particular, records begin late and are often incomplete. Even surviving registers may be in a poor condition due to dampness, fire or mice.
Legitimate children are usually described as “lawful” and illegitimate as “natural”
There was no guidance as to the detail which had to be included in the Baptism or Proclamation of Marriages and Banns registers, so the information varies according to who made the entries in the ledger. Baptism records may only include the name of the father, or may be full of information on the family and contain the names of several witnesses if the child was baptised at home. Legitimate children are usually described as “lawful” and illegitimate as “natural”. Occasionally, an entire family has been baptised at the same time and all the children are listed. The general public were not compelled to register their family events, and some could not afford the fee payable to the Session Clerk so baptisms and marriages may have gone unrecorded. Non-conformists sometimes refused to supply the minister with the required information for registration.
The Church was responsible for the parishioners’ moral welfare, which included identifying the father of illegitimate children in order to make the father financially responsible for a child who may otherwise become a burden on the Church and parish funds. The Kirk Session Minutes are records of meetings of the Session who undertook investigation into the behaviour of parishioners with a view to the “removal of scandal” – many Kirk Sessions dealt with cases of illegitimacy, theft and any moral issue which may have caused an uproar in the parish. Those found guilty were then punished, perhaps by public penance in the church in front of their family and neighbours, or fined. The Kirk Session Minutes were often recorded in the same register as the Baptisms and Marriages.
Until 1940, “irregular marriage” in Scotland was common.
Burial records are less often recorded, although payments for the rent of a mortcloth (a decorative cloth to cover the coffin at a funeral) can be a useful source of information for deaths prior to 1855. Burial records show who has been buried in the churchyard and may only list the name of the deceased, or may give valuable genealogical information. Some ministers kept annual lists of deaths in the parish.
Proclamation of the Banns on three successive Sundays was required until 1878. Sometimes only the names of the bride and groom are included in the entry, although occupations and parents may be mentioned. Where the bride and groom came from different parishes, it is usual to find two entries – one in each parish. Until 1940, “irregular marriage” in Scotland was common – marriage by habit and repute, where a couple living together could be assumed to be man and wife over a period of time, or a couple could declare themselves to be married in front of witnesses without the need of a clergyman. These marriages were perfectly legal and ensured the rights of inheritance of any children.
Handwriting styles, language and even the alphabet has evolved since the earliest OPR’s and the documents may sometimes be difficult to read, or require transcription by a palaeographer. Bad handwriting, seepage of ink to the other side of the paper and watering-down of the ink also contribute to the legibility of entries.
After the establishment of the Registrar General’s Office, statutory registration began in 1855 and all births, deaths and marriages were required to be recorded and sent to the central office.
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OPR's include:
- Births
- Baptisms
- Marriage Banns
- Marriage Proclamations
- Some Deaths
- Some Burials
Earliest OPR: 1553 Errol in Perthshire
OPRs held: General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh
Related Information
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