Dumfriesshire, Scotland Genealogy Genealogy

Scotland Dumfries-shire



History
Dumfries-shire is in the south of Scotland, bounded on the north by the counties of Lanark, Peebles, and Selkirk, on the east by Roxburghshire and part of the English county of Cumberland, on the south by the Solway Firth, and on the west by the county of Ayr and the stewartry of Kirkcudbright. It is about fifty miles in length and thirty miles in breadth, compirising 1016 square miles or 650,240 acres. The county includes forty-two parishes, the royal burghs of Dumfries (the county town), Annan, Lochmaben, and Sanquhar, and six towns which are all burghs of barony.

The county has had a colorful history. After the departure of the Romans it was occupied by the Northumbrian Saxons and subsequently by numerous emigrants from Ireland who had sttled first on the peninsula of Cantyre. During the reign of David I, many of the Norman barons obtained possessions here. Previous to the reign of James VI, the county was often the scene of predatory incursions of the English.

The surface of the county near the sea-coast is level, rising towards the middle portion into ridges of hills of moderate elevation, intersected with fertile vales, and becoming mountainous in the north. The whole is separated into three principal districts, each deriving its name from the river which flows through it: Eskdale forms the eastern, Annandale the middle, and Nithsdale the western part of the county. The Solway Firth is inconsiderable in depth, and at the ebbing of the tide, long sandy reaches are left. The flows and ebbs of the tide, particularly in spring, make it dangerous for persons crossing to Cumberland by foot who are overtaken by the waters.

Cattle, sheep, and pigs are raised, the latter in vast quantities, and meat is shipped to England markets. Lead is very abundant and is mined, and contains a considerable proportion of silver. Gold is also found in quartz. Antimony is mined; also coal. Sandstone is extensively quarried as is limestone, and there are also veins of slate and marble. There is not much manufacturing.

The population in 1851 was 72,830.

(Source: Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, 2nd ed., 1851.  Family History Library book 941 E5L.)

Parishes
Here is a list of the historic parishes for the county of Dumfries. Click on a parish name to see information about records:

Census Records
A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. In 1841, the British government began taking censuses of the population of Scotland every ten years, listing all persons by name. The census records must be 100 years old before they are released to the public, so the 1841 through 1901 are currently available. Read more about Scotland Census Records.

Most available census records have been indexed by surname. Indexes are online at these Web sites:


 * http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk (includes images; accessed for a nominal fee)
 * http://www.freecen.org.uk (incomplete, but growing; free)

The Family History Library has county-wide census indexes for Dumfries for 1851 and 1881.

Civil Registration Records
Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths (also called statutory records) began on January 1, 1855 in Scotland. Annual indexes are available for the whole country. See the article on Scotland Civil Registration for more information and to access the records.

Court Records
The county of Dumfries is in the Sheriff's court of Dumfries (SC15). The Registers of Deeds for Sheriffs' courts contain much valuable information for family history research such as marriage contracts and deeds of 'disposal and settlement' (or assignment) of property, which both give names and relationships. The records are deposited at the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh and are not indexed.

Probate Records
Probate records are those which deal with the settlement of the estate of a deceased person. In Scotland, until 1868, a person could only pass movable property such as household furniture, farm equipment, livestock, money and clothes through a document known as a 'testament.' Immovable property such as land was passed to the eldest son or heir through a document known as a 'Service of Heir,' which is not a record of probate. Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Until 1823, the parishes of Dumfries-shire were under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissariot Court of Dumfries (CC5). Since 1823, the county has been under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff's Court of Dumfries (SC15).

Probate records for 1513-1901 (including inventories of goods) 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' of Dumfries (county) and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the 'Testaments registers.'

Maps
Click on the map to see a larger version. Click again on the larger map, then click on the 'Expand' button when it appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the map.

Click here to see an outline map of the parishes of Dumfries-shire.

[Return to county list.]