Cramond, Midlothian, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland Midlothian  Cramond

Parish #679

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

= History =

CRAMOND, a parish, chiefly in the county of Edinburgh, but partly in that of Linlithgow; including the village of Davidson's-Mains, 5 miles (W. N. W.) from Edinburgh. This place derived its name, originally Caer Amon, from the erection of a fortress on the river Amon or Almond at its influx into the Frith of Forth. The church was erected in 1656, since which time it has been frequently enlarged and repaired. 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 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 Cramond, 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—
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 be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: Page lost with entries for July–December 1677. Marriages: There are no entries July 1719–October 1726, December 1761–June 1767. After record for 1819, are transcribed entries, certified by the sheriff, mainly of irregular marriages, 1689–1819. Deaths: There are only six entries prior to 1820. 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: 

Minutes 1651–1878 Poor Accounts 1793–1795 Scroll Minutes 1735–1744, 1748–1750 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/426.

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.

History— Dr. George Muirhead, minister of the parish, then in his eightieth year, with a large part of his congregation “came out” in 1843. The parish covered a wide area lying partly in each of the adjoining counties of Edinburgh and Linlithgow. The eastern section of the congregation met for the first time on May 21st, 1843, in the schoolhouse Davidson’s Mains. The western section met first in a barn at Braehead and afterwards in a barn at the farm at Fair-a-far. By decision of Presbytery the church was placed in Davidson’s Mains. It was opened on December 17th, 1843. A school and schoolhouse were built in 1846. Membership: 1846, 167; 1900, 282. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572. More details may be given in the source including ministers.

Records— Minutes 1843–1926 Deacons Court Minutes 1844–1926 Cash Book 1844–1849 Communion Roll 1844–1872 Miscellaneous Vouchers 1843–1892 Note: Available at National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1133.

= Civil Registration =

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 =

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

= References =

Return to the Midlothian parish list