Kinfauns, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland Perthshire  Kinfauns

Parish #366

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

= History =

KINFAUNS, a parish, in the county of Perth, 1½ mile (E. by S.) from Perth. This place, of which the name, in the Celtic language, is descriptive of its situation at the head of a narrow valley inclosed with hills, and opening into the Carse of Gowrie. The church, which is well situated, has been built at various times; the nave is very ancient, and the aisles of comparatively modern date. It is in substantial repair, and contains 416 sittings.

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 onwww.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 the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: These are intermixed with marriages prior to 1646, and are recorded in parallel columns of the same register 1724–1740. There are no entries for August 1691–December 1700, July 1716–July 1717 and September 1723–November 1724. Mothers' names are not recorded. Marriages: There are no entries November 1692–August 1700, but there is a separate record containing proclamations for 1649–1709 in which the blank extends only August 1694–September 1700. There are no entries for June 1716–December 1724. Entries for 1741–1759 were recorded on occasional pages of the register of births, after which date a separate record was kept. There are no entries for 1799 or December 1816–April 1818, after which only entries of proclamation fees are recorded until January 1833. Deaths: There are only occasional entries of Mortcloth Dues mixed with the proclamations of marriages prior to 1708. There are no entries for 1690–1700 and 1708–December 1783, at which date a record of burials begins. There are only five entries for 1809–1816, then Mortcloth Dues for 1817–1845, after which a record of burials is resumed. 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 and Accounts 1629–1649, 1691–1700, 1747–1759, 1817–1945 Distributions 1691–1697 Accounts 1760–1874 Heritors' and Kirk Session Minutes 1800–1817 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/582.

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.

Kinfauns Free Church
History— The minister of the parish "came out" in 1843 and a congregation of the Free Church was formed. The new church was built in 1843 in the village of Glendoick, which lies within the parish of Errol. The district is wholly agricultural and the population decreased considerably. Membership: 1848, 156; 1900, 111. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols, pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records— The extent of any pre-1855 records is unknown.

= 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 =

Kinfauns was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of St.Andrews 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 catalogfor the 'Place-names' of Perthshire and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of St.Andrews. 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.

= References =

Return to Perthshire parish list.