Castleton, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Castleton (#784)

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

History
CASTLETON, a parish, situated in the district of Melrose, county of Roxburgh; 9 miles (E. by N.) from Langholm. This place derived its name from an ancient castle here, which stood on the east bank of the Liddel, upon a perpendicular precipice upwards of 100 feet in height, and was defended on the west and south by two strong ramparts, and a deep fosse, which are still entire. The parish was anciently denominated Liddesdale, from the river, which runs through it from the north-east to the south. The church, built in 1808, accommodates between 600 and 700 persons, and is in a convenient situation, at the junction of the Liddel and Hermitage. The Associate Synod have a place of worship.

 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 Castleton. 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 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 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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Irregularly kept throughout, with entries out of the order of time being very frequent after 1756. Form of entry is tabulated. Marriages: Only nine entries of marriage money until September 1763, from which date until September 1771 the record is contained on a single page. No entries 1771–1836. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues. 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 1660–1688, 1695–1711, 1749–1821, 1823–1931 Library Minutes 1808–1901 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/64.

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.

Newcastleton Free Church
History— In 1850 certain persons formed themselves into a congregation here, and petitioned the Presbytery of Jedburgh to be recognized as a sanctioned charge. It was recognized as a station. The church was built in 1853. It burned down in 1891 and was rebuilt in 1892. Membership: 1859, 92; 1900, 140. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source.

Records— Session Minutes 1854–1945 Congregational and Deacons' Court Minutes 1850–1863 Account Book 1851–1872 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/243.

Newcastleton United Presbyterian Church
History— The United Presbyterian Congregation in this place originated in the violent intrusion of a minister into the parish of Castleton. The persons opposed to his settlement among them, applied for and obtained supply of sermon from the Associate Burgher Presbytery of Edinburgh, 1753. The first place of worship was situated in the corner of a moss, on the banks of the Liddle. The congregation membership was reduced after the resignation of the first minister but rallied again and in 1803 they were induced to build a new church in the village of Newcastleton. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details may be given in the source.

Records— No known pre–1855 records.

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
Castleton 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 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 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.