Cults, Fife, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #419

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

History
CULTS, a parish, in the district of Cupar, county of Fife; including the village of Pitlessie, and the hamlets of Crossgates, Cults-Mill, Hospital-Mill, and Walton; 4 miles (S. S. W.) from Cupar. This parish, of which the name, in ancient documents Quilts or Quilques, is of Celtic origin, and supposed to be descriptive of its situation, lies nearly in the centre of the county. The church, which is situated about a mile from the village, and nearly in the centre of the parish, is a neat plain edifice, erected in 1793, and contains a handsome monument in marble. There is a place of worship for members of 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 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.

Here is a list of the FS 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
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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Births are intermixed with marriages 1693–1748 and Mortcloth Dues also included from February 1704. There are no entries July 1709–September 1726. From February 1751, births, marriages and deaths for each year are recorded by turns in the same register. Mother's names are inserted in entries after December 1696. Marriages: There are no entries July 1709–September 1726 and no entries December 1708–January 1727. From 1751–1764 inclusive both contracts and marriages are recorded. Deaths: There are no entries July 1709–September 1726 and October 1765–1773. There are Mortcloth Dues for October 1765–1773. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. FS Library 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:

Cash Book 1845–1903 List of Ministers from the Reformation to 1936 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1160.

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.

Pitlessie United Presbyterian Church
History— When a disagreement arose over appointment of a new parish minister in 1835, a number of the parishioners withdrew and applied to the United Associate Presbytery of Cupar to be taken under their inspection as a forming congregation, which was granted. They met in a village hall until a church was built. 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.

Records— The extent of pre-1855 records is unknown.

Cults Free Church
History— A church was built here in 1843 at first Cults was a preaching station. It was eventually sanctioned in 1860. A manse was erected in 1863 and the church enlarged in 1880. Cults became a suburb of Aberdeen with suburban railway and tramway car service. Membership: 1866, 119; 1900, 340. 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 list of ministers.

Records— The extent of pre-1855 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
Cults was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of St. Andrews until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Fife at Cupar. 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 FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Fife and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Fife.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Fife. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Fife and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.