Echt, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #191

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

History
ECHT, a parish, in the district of Kincardine O'Neil, county of Aberdeen, 12 miles (W.) from Aberdeen. The church, built in 1804, accommodates 400 persons; it is a neat structure, comfortably fitted up, and, being centrally situated, is convenient for the bulk of the population.

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—
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: Birth records appear to have been regularly kept, but has suffered from dampness. Marriages: Prior to 1664 marriages are mixed up with other matters. They blank October 1664–January 1714, and June 1716–June 1726. There is only one entry for 1801. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b. Monumental Inscriptions: FS Library Book 041.25/E2 V3s.

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 1666–1672, 1694–1908 Marriages 1854–1860 Communion Roll 1834–1850 Cash Book 1726–1762, 1765–1838 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/560.

CH2/560 Records of Echt Kirk Session 1666-1924 National Archives of Scotland online catalogue

Roll of Male Heads of Families
1834, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841 and 1842 lists of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

Monumental Inscriptions
The Kirkyard of Echt and New Echt in Aberdeen has been indexed by the North-East Scotland Family History Society.

Online listing is available through the: Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Family History Society

Family History Library also has Echt parish churchyard and New Echt burials in booklet form in Salt Lake City, Utah

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.

Echt Free Church
History—  The probationer stationed at Cluny after the Disruption gave regular services and pastoral work in Echt. The congregation here was organized in August 1843. The church was built in 1848. The charge was sanctioned in 1850. Membership: 1854, 150; 1900, 112. 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—  FS Library Film Number Session Minutes 1843–1926 1484433 item 3 Other post-1855 records Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/110.

CH3/110 Echt Free Church 1843-1932 at National Archives of Scotland

Echt Baptist Church
History— A Baptist congregation apparently existed in Echt between 1827–1867. Nothing is known of its History.

Records— The extent of records is unknown. For information, write to: Baptist Union of Scotland 12 Aytown 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. 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
Echt was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Aberdeen until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Aberdeen. 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 Aberdeen and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Aberdeen. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Aberdeen. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Aberdeen and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.