Craigie, Ayrshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #584

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

= History  =

Torbolton is the nearest town. Craigie Castle, a very ancient building, was at one time the residence of the Wallaces of Caraige, but is now in a state of dilapidation. The land was primarily used for, pasture, oats, beans, ryegrass, wheat, potatoes, meadow, barley, turnips, horses, milk cows, swine, and sheep. The population in 1801 was 786. The population in 1841 was 779. The first baptism recorded is in 1679, and for many years this register appears to have been irregularly kept. The births commence to be recorded along with baptisms in1807, and from that time the records have been kept pretty regularly.

Established Church--128 families United Secession---3 families Part Established and part Secession---9 families

This account was written in1842

source: New Statistical Account of Scotland (FHL book 941 B4sa, series 2 vol.5)

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 Craigie. 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 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 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 the Scottish Church Records Index on computer at the Family History Library and family history centers. Some records may be indexed in FamilySearch Records. Births: Prior to July 1740, the record is a copy. The pages are blank March 1680–December 1687 and September 1707–May 1709. There are four irregular entries 1787–1794, after September 1802; three similar entries 1799–1803, at January 1805; two 1792–1797, at September 1809; and one for 1778 at July 1813. Entries out of the order of time about 1818–1820. Except in the case of illegitimate children, mothers' names not recorded until 1805. Marriages: The record prior to December 1731 is a copy. Pages are blank August 1680–January 1688, May 1715–February 1721, and December 1731–October 1776 except one entry for 1742. After December 1707 the record is purely one of proclamations. 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 1775–1932 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/73.

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.

There are no known nonconformist groups.

= 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 =

Craigie was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Glasgow until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Ayr. 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 Ayr and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Glasgow. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Ayr. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Ayr and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to the Ayrshire Parish List