Dores, Inverness-shire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish # 96a 

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

= History =

Dores, anciently called Durris, is supposed to be derived from the compound word, in the Gaelic language, Tur-ri-ish, which, translated into English, signifies a rising ground near a water.

The parish is about 20 miles in length, and 3 or 4 in breadth. It is bounded on the east, by the parish of Davoit; on the west, by Lochness; on the north, by the parish of Inverness; on the south, by Boleskine.

There are seven land-owners in this parish; the chief of whom are, Lord Lovat, Lady Salton, W.F. tytler, Esq. and Thomas Fraser, Esq. of Balrain. The chief mansion-houses are those of Aldourie, Eregie, and Gortleg.

Baptism and marriage registers were begun about the year 1744, but have not been accurately kept.

This account was written in February 1835.

Source: The New Statistical Account of Scotland for Dores, Family History Library book 941 B4sa, series 2 vol 14.

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 you are interested in. Also available at the Family History Library.

= 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 census records of Dores 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 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 the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true International Genealogical Index. ]

Births: There are no entries April 1737–September 1743. There are a few irregular entries in 1797. On two pages there are irregular entries 1790–1825 after record for 1819. Marriages: There are no entries except one for 1741, April 1737–May 1746. There are only six entries December 1793–June 1798, November 1811–January 1816 and one entry for September 1816–November 1819. Deaths: There are only eight entries after November 1791. 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: 

Heritors' Minutes 1854 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1047.

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.

Dores and Bona Free Church
History— Almost the whole population of Dores adhered to the Free Church in 1843. The charge was sanctioned by the Assembly in 1845, and a minister was settled in 1847. About 1845 a church and manse were built at Aldourie, near the village of Dores. A second church was erected about 1846, at Lochend, 5 1/2 miles from Inverness. The congregation came from two parishes; Dores, on the south side of the Caledonian Valley, and Bona, on the north side of the water. This natural barrier prevented proper amalgamation, as those on each side kept to their own church. Membership: 1848, 35. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843-1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 Vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572 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 =

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

Return to Inverness-shire parish list.