Borgue, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland Genealogy

(Parish #858)

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

History
BORGUE, a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, 5 miles (S. W. by W.) from Kirkcudbright containing the villages of Chapelton and Kirk-Andrews. This place, of which the name is descriptive of the eminence whereon the church is built, comprehends the ancient parishes of Kirk-Andrews and Sandwick, which, after the dilapidation of their churches, now in ruins, were united with it in 1670. The parish is situated on the river Dee, and bounded by the Solway Frith. The church, conveniently situated nearly in the centre of the parish, is an elegant cruciform structure in the early English style, with a lofty square embattled tower, erected in 1814, and containing 500 sittings; from its elevated site, it forms a conspicuous object, and is seen at a great distance. There is a place of worship for members of the Free Church.

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 Borgue. 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.

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 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: The entries for 1742 are copies. There are no entries August 1742–November 1746. A page of irregular entries for 1801–1811 are recorded in 1812. Marriages: There are no entries February 1754–April 1755. The record October 1783–September 1784 is among the births for the same period of time. There are no entries September 1784–April 1790, except for one for 1816, April 1799–June 1818, and 1838–1841 and 1842–1844. Deaths: Burials; there are no entries November 1784–March 1790 and May 1799–July 1816. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. FS Library 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:

Poors' Fund Accounts 1758–1787, 1791–1794, 1847–1866 Minutes 1825–1879 Baptismal Register 1855–1943 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/713.

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.

General Statement: The Statistical Account of Scotland, dated 1843, Family History Library British Book Ser. 2, vol. 4 pt. 2, states that at that time there were 12 Roman Catholics, 8 Baptists, and 10 members of the United Secession church living within the parish. They would have attended church elsewhere.

Borgue Free Church
History—Samuel Smith, minister of the parish, and about a third of his congregation," came out" in 1843. The congregation worshiped for a time in Shank Barn. The minister lived in a cottage called Katrine Bank. Church and manse were erected within two years. Both were renovated in 1900. The congregation suffered heavily owing to rural depopulation. Membership: 1848, 142; 1900, 65. 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 including lists of ministers.

Records— Minutes 1844–1933 Deacons' Court Minutes 1846–1933 Communion Roll 1844–1851 General Sustentation Fund Register 1842–1851 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/648.

Cemetery Records
Coutesy of the Kirkcudbrightshire Community with a contact person of Jim Bell:


 * Borgue Kirkyard Monumental Inscriptions
 * Kirkandrews Old Kirkyard Monumental Inscriptions
 * Senwick Old Kirkyard Monumental Inscriptions

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