Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #475 

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

History
CAMPSIE, a parish, in the county of Stirling, 3½ miles (E.) from Strathblane containing the villages of Birdstone, Haugh-head, Lennoxtown, Milton, Torrance, and the Clachan. The church formerly stood at the Clachan, but the present edifice was built in 1829, on a far more convenient spot, at Lennoxtown; it is a handsome structure, capable of accommodating 1550 persons. There is a place of worship for the Relief persuasion.

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.

is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Campsie, as well as the library numbers for any 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 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: The entries prior to 1672 are tabulated. They are blank February 1672–1690. The leaves of the record 1690–1732, have suffered much from dampness, and contain many imperfect entries. There is one page of irregular entries 1757–1774 and March 1787. Marriages: The records are blank May 1672–June 1690. Entries from latter date to 1734 are recorded on alternate pages of the register of births. This portion is very much wasted, and entries are imperfect. The records are blank July 1734–August 1803. Deaths: Records are blank February 1733–December 1785, and excluding one entry for 1788, April 1786–January 1817.

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 Kirk session was made up of he 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 1689–1717, 1787–1870 Testificates 1799–1811 Certificates 1811–1831 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/51.

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.

Campsie Relief Church, United Presbyterian, United Free
History— When the parish and church of Campsie became vacant in 1784, there was great offence taken against the new minister appointed. A number of parishioners built a church of their own, applied to the Relief Presbytery of Glasgow, and were taken under their jurisdiction. The congregation joined the United Presbyterian Church in 1847. 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—  Minutes 1786–1860 Register of Baptisms 1845–1906 Register of Marriages 1845–1901 Register of Deaths 1845–1901 Bible Missionary and School Society Minutes 1819–1846, 1853 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1041.

Campsie Free Church
History— Services were provided for Campsie immediately after the Disruption in 1843. As a result of the 1859–1860 revival, a regular station was formed. The meetings were held in Commercial Inn Hall, Lennoxtown. In 1861 the church was erected, and in 1862 the charge was sanctioned. Membership: 1866, 101; 1900, 147. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records—  No pre–1855 records.

Lennoxtown Catholic Church
History— The congregation was formed in 1831 and a church was built and consecrated to St. Paul. Prior to that date, the area was served from Edinburgh and Stirling. Lennoxtown served a wide area that later gave birth to congregations in Kilsyth, Balfron, and Milngavie.

Records— Baptisms 1831–1925 Marriages 1831–1838, 1844–1886 List of Communicants and Congregation 1831 Note: Available online for a fee, at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, Edinburgh, record MP/80.

Campsie Branch, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints
Records—                                    FS Library Film Number  Record of Members, 1848–1854       0104150 item 3

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