Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #848

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

History
SANQUHAR, a royal burgh and a parish, in the county of Dumfries, 12 miles (N. W.) from Thornhill, and 57 (S. W. by S.) from Edinburgh containing the villages of Wanlockhead, and Crawickmill, and the hamlets of Crawickbridge and Windyedge. This place, which is of great antiquity. The church, erected in 1824, is an elegant structure in the later English style of architecture, and contains 1000 sittings. A chapel, or preaching station, in connexion with the Established Church, was built at Wanlockhead in 1755, by the mining company, for the benefit of the persons employed in the mines; it contains 250 sittings. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church, the United Secession, the Reformed Synod, and Baptists.

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 edina.($) Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for Sanquhar. 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.

Click here for a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

The 1901 and 1911 census of Scotland is indexed on scotlandspeople.($) 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 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
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 Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Irregular entries for 1775–1804 are on two pages after December 1762. There are only two entries December 1762–April 1765. From 1781–1785, and 1799–1802, entries are extremely irregular. Marriages: Chiefly proclamations with no entries except two 1786–1807, December 1777–July 1812. There are six entries 1816–1823 on the page at December 1777. Deaths: Nine entries of burials for 1768 and one for 1777. 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:

No known pre–1855 records.

CH2/1269 Records of Sanquhar, St Bride's, Kirk Session 1876-1969 nas.gov.uk

Sanquhar Kirkyard -- Monumental Inscriptions
Tom Wilson recorded and annotated the Sanquhar Kirkyard monumental inscriptions in a 1912 book (Publisher: Robert G. Mann, Dumfries and J.M. Laing, Sanquhar.) This book is online as a set of webpages:

Text: freepages

Photos: freepages

Also in book form at The Family History Library

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.

Sanquhar South United Presbyterian Church
History— The Rev. John Hepburn, incumbent of the parish of Urr, was one of very few clergymen who in his time, early 1700s preached Evangelical doctrine in the south of Scotland. He kept alive the cause, then in danger of dying out in Galloway, Dumfries, and Ayr, to which he chiefly confined his ministerial visits. After Mr. Hepburn's death, a number of his adherents joined the Old Dissenters, but most of them abstained from any ecclesiastical connection until the rise of the Secession, ten years afterwards, when they formally acceded to the Associate Presbytery. They were joined with the other Seceders in the district and recognized by their previous designation of "The Societies of the South and West," which comprehended associations in Ayrshire, Nithsdale, Annandale, and Galloway. The principal preaching stations were in Kirkconnel, a village 4 miles north–west, Wanlockhead, 8 1/2 north–east, and Closeburn, 14 1/2 miles south–east of Sanquhar. When a site for a place of worship came to be chosen, the town of Sanquhar was preferred, but supply of sermon continued to be given at the other places also, which ultimately led to the formation of the congregation of Moniaive and Thornhill. First church built, 1742, second built in 1841. The agitation respecting the Burgess Oath commenced while the congregation of Sanquhar was in a state of vacancy, and when the Breach took place in the Secession 1747, they almost unanimously adhered to the General Associate Anti-burgher Synod. In 1835 there were 164 persons attending Secession chapels in the parish. This would include a few Baptists. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details are given in the source.

Records— The extent of records is unknown.

Sanquhar North United Presbyterian Church
History— This congregation was formed by persons connected with the Associate Burgher Synod, who had come to reside in the district. Supply of sermon was afforded them, upon petition, by the Presbytery of Annan and Carlisle, 1815. Church built, 1818; enlarged, 1830. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details are given in the source.

Records— The extent of records is unknown.

Sanquhar Free Church
History— In the movement that led to the Disruption, the minister of Sanquhar adhered to the protesting party; but he did not "come out" in 1843. There was, however, a large exodus of his people, who formed the Free Church congregation. Persecution and difficulties of various kinds had to be faced; but before the end of 1844 the church was built. The closing of Crawick Carpet Mills greatly reduced the number of members. The top of the old cross of Sanquhar (1680), where the famous declarations were read, one by Richard Cameron on June 22, 1680 (founder of the Reformed Church), the other by James Renwick on May 29, 1685, was placed on the apex of the roof of the church porch. Membership: 1848, 440; 1900, 203. 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—  The extent of records is unknown.

Wanlockhead Free Church
History— Thomas Hastings, minister of Wanlockhead, and a large proportion of his congregation, "came" in 1843. For ten years the Duke of Buccleuch absolutely refused a site. The minister's family was compelled to live for eight years in Dumfries, 30 miles distant. In this, the highest inhabited district in Scotland, the people worshiped in the open, and often under a storm swept sky, or in the scattered cottages. At length, in 1853, church and manse were built. Until 1897 the charge appears in the Blue Book as Wanlockhead and Leadhills. Membership: 1848, 230; 1900, 169. 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— The extent of records is unknown.

Sanquhar Baptist Church
History— An Independent movement began in the parish about 1805, influenced by the teachings of the Haldane brothers. When they converted to Baptist views, so did most of the members of the Sanquhar Church in 1809. The cause soon died out but was revived by 1830 and a chapel was built. The congregation at first thrived under its first minister who was with them until about 1860, then the membership slowly dropped until the meetings were ended and the chapel was sold about 1890. There is a Baptist church in Sanquhar today, but its beginnings were Presbyterian and it did not become Baptist until the 1980s. Source: The Baptists in Scotland, by D.W. Bebbington, pub. 1988. FS Library book 941 K2bs.

Records— The extent of records is unknown. Write to: The Baptist Union of Scotland, 12 Aytoun Road, Glasgow G41 5RT, Scotland

Civil Registration Records
Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths (also called statutory records) began on January 1, 1855 in Scotland. Online indexes and certificates available 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
Sanquhar was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dumfries until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dumfries. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at scotlandspeople.($) You must register on the website but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills &amp; Testaments,' is free. You may then purchase a copy of the document or, if the document is before 1823, it will be on microfilm at the Family History Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Dumfries and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Dumfries. Another source for Probate Records for Scotland is in the Principal Probate Registry 1858-present. Part of the index 1861-1941 is at ancestry.co.uk which covers both wills and administrations proved.($) The Family History Library also has some post-1823 probate records for Dumfries. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Dumfries and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.