Temple, Midlothian, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #700

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

= History =

The name of this parish comes from the Templars, or Red Friars, founded by King David 1 of Scotland. The first gunpowder manufactory in Scotland was built at Stobsmills in 1794 by Hitchener and Hunter. The Parochial registers begin the 14th of November 1688, but are not in good condition. They are now preserved with accuracy. Clerkingtown and Muirfut were united to Tempill, but are now separated. The population in 1801 was 801 and in 1831 it was 1255. The villages in the parish are Temple and Gorebridge, and the nearest market town is Dalkeith. Edinburgh is 11 miles away. There are 100 families in the parish that belong to the Established Church. There is also a Dissenting chapel at Gorebridge which belongs to the United Secession. There are a few Anabaptists in Stobhill.

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 Family History Library.

= 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 census records of Temple 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—
Index: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index on computer at the Family History Library under and family history centers. Some records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: One entry is pasted at the top of the page at 1779–1780. Marriages: There are no entries January–October 1718 and July 1780–April 1781. Deaths: Deaths and burials; there are no entries March 1740–December 1751, November 1757–April 1758, December 1765–December 1772, June 1773–July 1774, and October 1778–June 1780. 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 1697–1866 Communion Roll 1840–1874 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/353.

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 List.

Gorebridge Burgher, later United Presbyterian Church
History— This congregation originated in 1810 with members of the first Secession Congregation of Dalkeith, resident in the village and neighborhood of Gorebridge. A petition to the Associate Burgher Presbytery of Edinburgh was granted. A church was built and opened in 1812. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. FHL Film #477618. More details may be given in the source including ministers.

Records— Various Minutes 1810–1921 Communion Roll 1849–1897 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/295.

Temple and Carrington Free Church
History— At Temple (the church of the Knights Templar) neither of the ministers “came out” in 1843. The people adhering to the Free Church in the district were organized as a congregation in November 1843. The church and hall were erected 1843–1844. In 1895 the mining village of Rosewell was put under the charge of the minister of Temple. From 1843 the population of the parish steadily declined. Membership: 1848, 180; 1900, 70. Source: Annals of The Free Church Of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572. More details may be given in the source including ministers.

Records— Deacons Court Minutes 1843–1931 Session Minutes 1844–1935 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/295.

Stobhill Branch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Records— FHL Film Number Record of Members 1848–1867 0104155

= 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 =

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

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