Crailing, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Crailing (#786)

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

History
CRAILING, a parish, in the district of Jedburgh, county of Roxburgh; including the village of East and West Nisbet, 4 miles (N. N. E.) from Jedburgh. This place, of which the name is of uncertain derivation, comprehends the ancient parish of Nisbet, annexed to it by act of the presbytery prior to the year 1713. The church, situated in the Crailing district of the parish, is a neat plain edifice, adapted for a congregation of 300 persons. Of the ancient church of Nisbet scarcely any remains exist, but the churchyard is still used. There is a place of worship for members of 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 http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for Crailing. 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 Family History 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
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 be indexed in the [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&region=EUROPE International Genealogical Index. ] Births: Births are intermixed with marriages until 1741. There are no entries July 1715–April 1719 and November 1734–February 1736. There is an index to the record after 1742. Marriages: Marriages are intermixed with births until 1741. There are no entries July 1715–April 1719 and November 1734–February 1736; May 1741–November 1746, after which only transcribed entries of proclamation fees, etc., and no entries 1836–1841. Deaths: There are no transcribed entries of Mortcloth Dues and no entries of deaths or births 1833–1842. 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 1756–1885 Accounts 1756–1885 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1159.

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.

Crailing Free Church
History— Andrew Milroy, minister of Crailing, "came out" at the Disruption. The church was built in 1843, and the manse in 1847. A new church, hall, and vestry were erected in 1900. The district being entirely rural, the congregation suffered through depopulation. The members were, for the most part, working people. Membership: 1848, 185; 1900, 142. 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— Minutes 1843–1931 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1176.

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
Crailing 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 Family History 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.