Lilliesleaf, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Lilliesleaf (#795)

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

History
LILLIESLEAF, a parish, in the district of Melrose, county of Roxburgh; 6 miles (E. S. E.) from Selkirk. This parish, the name of which has in various records been written Lillesclive and Lillesclif, is seated on the river Ale, which, after forming its boundary for about four miles, falls into the Teviot. The church, built in 1771, is in good repair, and conveniently situated for the resort of the parishioners, but, from the lowness of the site, is subject to damp; in the eastern aisle is a stone with the date 1110, removed from the old church, which must have been of great antiquity. There is a place of worship for the United Associate Synod.

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 Lilliesleaf. 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 Family History Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

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 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: Irregular entries are frequent after 1766. There are eleven pages of entries of families recorded in groups dated 1784–1807. Mothers' names are not recorded until 1768. Marriages: Proclamations recorded until November 1834. No entries from 1848–1850 inclusive. 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: 

Collections and Discipline 1649–1691 - with baptisms from 1677 Proclamations from 1678 Minutes and Discipline 1695–1757 - with gaps, 1766–1782 Collections and Distributions 1695–1797 Distributions 1649–1676 Minutes 1816–1947 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/241.

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.

Lilliesleaf Relief Presbyterian Church
History— The incumbency of Lilliesleaf parish was held by Rev. Mr. Campbell, an excellent and popular man. Upon his death in 1806, a number of the congregation members withdrew from the established church and transferred to the Relief Presbytery of Kelso in 1806. Church built 1809. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #. More details may be given in the source.

Records— Extent of 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
Lilliersleaf 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 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 catalogfor 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.