Ancrum, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Ancrum (#780)

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

History
ANCRUM, a parish, in the district of Jedburgh, county of Roxburgh, 4 miles (N. W. by N.) from Jedburgh. This place, of which the name, anciently Alnecrumb, is derived from the situation of its village on a bend of the river Alne, now the Ale, consisted formerly of two villages distinguished by the appellations of Over and Nether Ancrum, of the former of which nothing now remains. The church, which anciently belonged to the see of Glasgow, having been annexed to it on the dissolution of the abbey of Lindisfarn, was rebuilt in 1762, and is a neat and substantial edifice, adapted for about 520 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 edina.($) Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for Ancrum. 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 FS Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on scotlandspeople.($) 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.

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: Entries are frequently out of the order of time after 1800. Mothers' names are not recorded in the entries. Duplicate of record, November 1711–June 1753. Marriages: Marriages are intermixed with other matters throughout. After 1741, they are mainly entries of marriage money or of proclamation fees. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues intermixed with marriages, etc. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book.

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 1836–1967 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1124.

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.

Ancrum Free Church
History— From the Disruption the congregation was maintained on the footing of a preaching station. A church was built in 1851, and a school was established. The charge was sanctioned in 1859. The church was enlarged in 1860, and a manse built in 1864. From about 1870 a decrease in the population told adversely on the membership. Membership: 1861, 148; 1900, 116.

Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #. More details may be given in the source.

Records— No known pre–1855 records.

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
Ancrum was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Peebles until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Jedburgh. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at scotlandspeople.($) 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 Roxburgh and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Peebles. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Roxburgh. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Roxburgh and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.