Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #355

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

History
FORTINGAL, a parish, in the county of Perth, 8½ miles (W. S. W.) from Aberfeldy; containing part of the late quoad sacra districts of Foss, Glenlyon, and Rannoch. This place, of which the name is of very doubtful origin, is historically distinguished only for the conflicts of hostile clans, and for a battle that occurred at Glen-Sassun, between the forces of Robert Bruce and those of Edward of England. The church, a very ancient and substantial structure, was repaired in 1821, and is adapted for a congregation of 376 persons. There are two government churches, situated respectively in Glenlyon and Glen-Raunoch.

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 Family History Library microfilm numbers for the, as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

The 1901 and 1911 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, 1841-1911, 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 also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: The flyleaf contains irregular birth entries dated 1743–1758 with one entry for 1774. There is a record for 1763–1783 for Rannoch. Marriages: The marriage record is one of bookings or proclamations only. 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 1753–1796, 1805–1935 (see also the Free Church records) Accounts 1753–1860 Communion Rolls 1835–1925 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1449.

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.

Fortingall Free Church
History— From 1843 a station was maintained here under the charge of the minister of Kenmore. A church was built soon after the Disruption. In 1858 a sizable addition was made to the membership through secession from the Established Church. The charge was sanctioned in 1860. Membership: 1868, 107; 1900, 56. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records— Session Minutes 1659–1939 (including those for the parish church) Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/137.

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.

An online index with extracted information is listed at The North Perthshire Family History Group This Index covers deaths 1855-1938 and is probably incomplete.

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