Ashkirk, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Ashkirk (#781)

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

History
ASHKIRK, a parish, partly in the county of Selkirk, but chiefly in the district of Hawick; county of Roxburgh, 6 miles (S.) from Selkirk. This place is said to have been derived from the great number of ash-trees with which the neighbourhood abounded, and of which a considerable number is still remaining. The church, erected in 1791, is a plain substantial edifice, and is adapted for about 200 persons. A place of worship has been erected in connexion with 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 edina.($) Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for Ashkirk. 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 census of Scotland is indexed on scotlandspeople.($) 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 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
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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Registers do not record mothers' names until 1649. Marriages: No marriage entries, except for one July 1662–November 1687. Marriages are intermixed with births from 1696–1795, but there are no entries November 1778–December 1792 and August 1795–1848. There is also a record of proclamation fees, etc., 1713–1736. Deaths: There are no deaths or burial entries April 1634–June 1638 or November 1645–November 1713, after which date the entries are intermixed with other matters until 1733. There are no entries 1733–1849. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book.

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: 

Collections          1630–1662, 1689–1695, 1736–1798 Disbursements     1630–1645 Penalties             1630–1647 Minutes               1632–1649, 1695–1711, 1849–1909 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/650.

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.

Ashkirk Free Church
History— John Edmonston, minister of Ashkirk, “came out” in 1843. A church was forthwith erected; but owing to legal difficulties the manse was not built until 1859, and the minister meantime lived in houses first four, then seven miles from the church. The proprietor of the land on which the buildings stood was exceedingly friendly. The church was thoroughly renovated in 1898. The population of the district greatly decreased after 1843. Membership: 1848, 45; 1900, 58. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1943–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #. More details may be given in the source.

Records— FS Library Film Number Baptisms 1844–1908 item 12

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
Ashkirk was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Peebles until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Jedburgh. 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 FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Roxburgh and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Peebles The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Roxburgh. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Roxburgh and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.