Trinity-Gask, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #396

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

History
GASK, TRINITY, a parish, in the county of Perth, 2 miles (N.) from Auchterarder, and 4 (S. E.) from Crieff. This parish derives its name Gask, of Gaelic origin, from the peculiar nature of its surface, consisting almost entirely of braes and undulated ground; its distinctive prefix, Trinity, arose from the union of three districts, which constitute the present parish. It is chiefly situated on the north bank of the river Earn. The church is adapted for a congregation of about 350 persons, but is inconveniently situated. There is a place of worship for the United Associate Synod.

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 your parish of interest. 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 census records.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the, as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

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 the separate indexes through the library.

Church Records
The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about church records. Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

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: Births intermixed with marriages until October 1757. There is a separate record of births beginning February 1726 in which the mothers' names are recorded, although they are omitted in the intermixed record. Mixed record has no entries December 1644–October 1645, December 1659–April 1684, July 1696–September 1700, July 1709–January 1722, February 1723–June 1728, October 1747–June 1752, and January 1754–January 1755. Marriages: No marriage entries October 1757–January 1761, except a few March 1763–November 1770. Transcribed entries of proclamations 1770–1837 after which marriages are recorded. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues intermixed with marriages and births until 1771. No entries August 1747–July 1752, January 1754–January 1755, June 1757–January 1761, except five entries February 1763–December 1770. There are transcribed entries of Mortcloth Dues 1771–1854. 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 1643–1661, 1669–1679, 1703–1710, 1721–1733, 1756–1918 Accounts 1755–1880 Distributions 1728–1739, 1760–1762, 1770–1771 Cash Book 1833–1856 Communion Rolls 1844–1919 Decreet of Locality 1820 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/168.

Roll of Male Heads of Families
An 1834 list of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

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.

Kinkell Associate Later United Presbyterian Church
History— In the parish of Madderty, there was disagreement between the patron of the parish and the people as to who their new minister should be in 1737. In July 1740 the people formally acceded to the Associate Anti-burgher Presbytery and were joined into an Association with the Seceders in several other parishes, under the designation of "The Societies of Strathearn". A place of worship was procured at Kinkell, in the neighboring parish of Trinity-Gask. When the minister was terminated a large portion of his people adhered to him and a separate place of worship built in Auchterarder North where he ministered to them until 1816. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D. pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details are given in the source.

Records— FHL Film Number Baptisms 1761–1789 0889486 item 3 Other: Accounts 1762–1791, 1833–1923 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/518.

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