Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, Scotland Genealogy

Eaglesham (#561)

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

History
EAGLESHAM, a parish, in the county of Renfrew, 9 miles (S.) from Glasgow. This place, which is of considerable antiquity, is supposed to have derived its name, of Celtic origin, from the erection of its ancient church. The church, erected in 1788, is a neat structure of octagonal form, containing 550 sittings. There are places of worship for members of the United Secession and a Reformed Presbyterian Congregation.

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 Eaglesham. 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 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: Previous to 1674, the entries for each month are recorded in groups without distinction of days, excluding a few instances. The records are blank from March 1664–October 1670, excluding nine entries for 1667, which are recorded at June 1671. The records are also blank from June 1676–September 1677, June 1682–June 1694, and December 1699–April 1724. Eight irregular entries, 1789–1794, inserted at September 1789. The mothers’ names are seldom recorded before 1771. There is a separate record for children of dissenters, 1786–1854, which is irregular with respect to dates. Marriages: The record prior to 1771 is kept on alternate pages with that of births for 1723–1748. They are blank August 1768–July 1770, and April 1771–October 1794, after which there is a separate record. Deaths: There are two entries, dated 1799 and 1816. 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: 

None available.

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.

Eaglesham Associate Burgher Secession, later United Presbyterian Church
History— The church and parish became vacant in 1765 and the patron appointed a new minister who was highly disfavored by the congregation. The matter was put before the church courts and his appointment was confirmed by the General Assembly and he was ordained in June 1767. As a result, a large body of the parishioners withdrew from the Established Church and joined the Secession. They applied for and obtained supply of sermon from the Associate Burgher Presbytery of Glasgow that year. A church was built in 1782 and a new church in 1867. The first permanent minister was not ordained until 1788. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records— Extent of the records is unknown.

Eaglesham Reformed Presbyterian Church
History— Eaglesham formed part of the congregation of Sandhills and Glasgow. In 1818, the people of Eaglesham and neighborhood petitioned the Western Presbytery to be erected into a separate congregation, which was granted in March. The first minister was obtained in 1826. The congregation was largely drawn from the neighboring county of Ayrshire, and at the redistribution of congregations in 1834, it was apportioned to the Presbytery of Paisley. At the call of a new minister in 1857, the membership was listed as 52 with 40 adherents. The congregation was dissolved in 1878 following the 1876 Union. The property was later sold. Source: The Reformed Presbyterian Church in Scotland, by W.J. Couper, pub. 1925. FHL 941 K2c. Source includes a list of ministers.

Records— Extent of the 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
Eaglesham was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Glasgow until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Paisley. 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 Renfrew and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Glasgow. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Renfrew. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Renfrew and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.