Cadder, Lanarkshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland Lanarkshire  Cadder

Cadder (#626)

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Cadder. To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the Scotland: Research Strategies.

= History =

CADDER, or CALDER, a parish, in the Lower ward of the county of Lanark, 3 miles (W. by S.) from Kirkintilloch; containing the village of Auchinearn, the hamlet of Bishopbridge, and the late quoad sacra district of Chryston. This place derives its name from its situation in the midst of a district abounding with wood and water, of which its appellation in the old British language, Calder, is significant. The church, erected in 1830, is a neat edifice of stone, in the early English style, with a square tower, and is adapted for a congregation of about 800 persons.

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (pub. 1834-45) offers uniquely rich and detailed parish reports for the whole of Scotland, covering a vast range of topics including history, agriculture, education, trades, religion and social customs. The reports, written by the parish ministers, are available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for Cadder. Also available at the

= Census Records =

A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about Scotland Census Records.

Click here for a list of the Family History Library (FHL) microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use it, you must register and pay a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on this website. It may be easier for you to pay to use the website rather than access indexes through the library.

= Church Records =

The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about Scotland Church Records.

Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish with theirFamily History Librarycall number.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records


Condition of Original Registers--
Indexed: 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 Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: There are no birth entries July 1668–September 1687. After 1810 there is a record of nine pages of children baptized at Chryston 1801–1809. Mothers’ names are seldom recorded before 1786. Marriages: There are no marriage entries July 1667–September 1687. After 1750, the fact of marriage is seldom added to the entries of proclamation. 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 business men of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. The Kirk session 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 1688–1914 Collections 1687–1737 Accounts 1796–1815 Baird’s School, Auchenloch, Trustees’ Minutes 1748–1764, 1770–1853 Cash Book 1845–1915 Baptismal Register 1847–1860 Proclamation Register 1847–1851 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/863.

Nonconformist Church Records
A nonconformist church is any church that is not the Established church. Read more about nonconformity in Scotland in the article on the Scotland Church Records Union Lists.

Chryston Free Church
History— At the instance of those who at the Disruption adhered to the Free Church in the parish of Cadder, a station was formed here in 1845. The church was built in 1846. The charge was sanctioned in 1848 and a school teacher’s house and manse were erected. The congregation profited greatly by the revival of 1859–1860. In 1881 over fifty members were disjoined to form the station at Glenboig. Membership: 1848, 140; 1900, 352. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Family History Library Film #. More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records— The extent of records is unknown.

Bishopbriggs Free Church
History— In August 1843 evening services were begun in Auchinairn a mile and a half from Bishopbriggs. A mission station was formed in 1862. The charge was sanctioned in 1865. Shortly thereafter a church and manse were built in Bishopbriggs. Mining, quarrying and agriculture were then the main local industries. Mining and quarrying were largely wrought out in course of time but the extension of the tramway from Glasgow made the district more residential. Membership: 1869, 93; 1900, 244. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Family History Library Film #. More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records— No pre–1855 records are known to exist.

Auchinairn Branch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints
Records—                                        Family History Library Film Number  Record of Members    1848–1858        item 4

= Civil Registration Records =

Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths (also called statutory records) began on January 1, 1855 in Scotland. Each parish has a registrar's office and large cities have several. The records are created by the registrars and copies are sent to the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Annual indexes are then created for the records for the whole country.

See the article on Scotland Civil Registration  for more information and to access the records.

= Probate Records =

Cadder was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Hamilton and Campsier until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Glasgow. 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 &amp; 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 Family History 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 Hamilton and Campsie.

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 the Lanarkshire parish list.