Monymusk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #224

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

History
MONYMUSK, a parish, in the district of Garioch, county of Aberdeen, 125 miles (N. by E.) from Edinburgh. This parish appears to have derived its name from the two Gaelic words, Monaugh, "high or hilly," and Mousick, signifying "low and marshy ground," which denominations are descriptive of the general appearance of the land. The church is very ancient, with a square tower at the west end, and is supposed to have been built in the 11th century at the time of the founding of the priory by Malcolm Canmore, who is said to have endowed both church and priory. There is also an episcopal chapel in the village, seating about 150 persons.

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 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 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: Records are blank June 1686–October 1706. They are defective 1746–1748 inclusive and 1769–1770. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1765. Marriages: Marriages are blank January 1691–November 1729, and June 1764–June 1772; but there is a list of persons “sessioned” between 1704 and 1730, which contains a few entries of proclamations of marriages recorded 1729–1764, intermixed with other matters. No entry August 1774–June 1776, nor March 1776–February 1779. Deaths: There are Mortcloth Dues until 1781. There are only six entries without dates October 1704–April 1709and only seven entries May 1721–June 1779. They are blank May 1781–January 1784; and then there are burials. There are only four entries recorded after September 1787, dated respectively 1796, 1845, 1846, and 1853. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book. Monumental Inscriptions: FS Library Book 941.25/M1 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 and Accounts 1678–1709, 1761, 1770–1911 Collections 1678–1704, 1707–1730 Disbursements 1678–1729 Minutes of Discipline 1709–1729 Testimonials 1726–1731 Pew Money 1704–1729 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1399.

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.

Monymusk, Blairdaff, and Kemnay Episcopal Church
History— A history is not available. The congregation may have existed since the Revolution. In 1797 there were 28 Episcopal families in the parish. In 1842 membership was about 130 but that included those residing in neighboring parishes. Source: The Scottish Congregational Ministry, by Rev. Dr. William D. McNaughton, pub. 1993. Family History Library Book. Additional details in the source include list of ministers.

Records— Christenings 1729–1744 Note: The whereabouts of the records is uncertain. They may be at the Dundee University Archives as part of their Brechin Diocesan Library Manuscripts collection, you can contact them at archives”dundee.ac.uk.

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
Monymusk 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.