Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland Perthshire  Crieff

Parish #342

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

= History =

CRIEFF, a parish, in the county of Perth; 17 miles (W. by S.) from Perth, and 56 (N. W.) from Edinburgh. This place, of which the name, of Gaelic origin, is derived from its situation on the side of a hill. The town is beautifully situated on the sloping acclivity of an eminence near the base of the Grampian hills. The parish is separated into two divisions by the intervening lands of the parish of Monzie. The church, built in 1786, and thoroughly repaired in 1827, affords accommodation for 966 persons; and an additional church was erected in 1837 called West Church. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church, United Secession, and Relief Church, Original Seceders, and Roman Catholics.

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—
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. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: Mothers' names are not recorded in births until 1752, and sometimes they are omitted during the subsequent ten years. Families are occasionally recorded in groups. Marriages: Marriages for 1692–1713 are intermixed with the baptisms for the same period. There are no entries March 1713–1748. The pages previous to 1784 are headed "proclamations;" after that date "proclamations and marriages," but the form of entry is the same throughout, generally consisting of only the names of the parties. The words "not married," are added to one or two of the entries. 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:

Minutes 1699–1713, 1723–1739, 1746–1760, 1817, 1820, 1833–1879 Accounts 1747–1771, 1825–1895 Baptisms 1754–1768, 1792–1818 Proclamations 1755–1764, 1783–1814 Communion Rolls 1836–1839, 1842, 1856–1858 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/545.

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.

Crieff Associate Anti-burgher Congregation, later North United Presbyterian Church
History— Several of the parishioners of this parish, acceded to the Associate Presbytery. They were formed into an Association, along with the Seceders in the parishes of Muthil and Comrie, and had sermon supplied to them with the others at Comrie. When the congregation of Kinkell began in 1740, the Seceders in Crieff were included in it, and remained connected with it until 1762, when they were united with the congregation of Comrie. In 1835, the membership was stated to be 357 adherents, of whom 63 were children under the age of 7. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #. More details are given in the source.

Records—  Managers' and Congregational Minutes 1816–1848, 1871–1905 Session Minutes 1833–1905 Cash Book 1820–1910 Baptismal Register 1825–1955 Register of Lairs, (burial plots) in the Churchyard 1836–1873 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/699.

Relief Church, later South or Second United Presbyterian Church, extinct by 1873
History— Several persons resident in Crieff being dissatisfied with the doctrines taught in the pulpit of the parish church withdrew. They applied to the Relief Presbytery of Glasgow, July 1782. They built a place of worship in 1783. In 1835, the membership was stated to be 370 adherents, of whom 70 were children under the age of 7. In March 1869, the Synod united this congregation with the Associate congregation, but the Second or South Congregation refused to be united, and joined the Independents, retaining possession of their church. Thus this congregation, as Presbyterian, became extinct. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D.,pub. 1873. Film #. More details are given in the source.

Records— Family History Library Film Number Baptisms 1825–1854 item 11 X Minutes 1853–1863  item 3 Note: The X means records have been extracted.

Crieff Free Church
History— The minister of the West quod sacra church, and many of his people, "came out" in 1843. In 1848 they were deprived of their church and built another on Commissioner Street. A building, formerly an Original Secession church, was purchased and gifted to the congregation. The town declined with the failure of the weaving industry, but later in the century it flourished greatly as a health resort. Membership: 1848, 600; 1900, 555. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D. 2 vols, pub. 1914. Film #. More details are given in the source.

Records— Minutes 1843–1951 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/698.

Crieff Baptist Church
History— There were Baptists in Crieff from 1810 to about 1820, but the cause ceased to exist. In the 1840s, traveling ministers baptized individuals in the area. A regular minister was appointed in 1845, but they had no place of worship until 1858. The cause became nearly defunct and the church was closed about 1880, but it was renewed soon after and gradually grew. Source: History of the Baptists in Scotland, by Rev. George Yuille, pub. 1926. Family History Library book. More details may be given in the sources including list of ministers.

Records— The extent of records is unknown. For information write to Baptist Union of Scotland 12 Aytoun Road Glasgow G41 5RT Scotland

Scottish Episcopalian Church
History— There were Episcopalians in Crieff dating back to the seventeen century when the Episcopalian church was the established church in Scotland. Some people held on to their beliefs and never converted to the Presbyterian Church after the Scottish Revolution in 1689. In 1835, the Episcopalian membership of the parish was stated to be 43 adherents, of whom 6 were children under the age of 7.

Records— Extent of pre-1855 records is unknown. For information write to the minister at: Fisherman’s Hall Lechkin, Comrie Crieff PH6 2LX Scotland

Crieff, St. Fillan Roman Catholic Church
History— A congregation was formed in 1799 but it was served from Perth until 1852. In 1835, the membership was stated to be 36 adherents in the parish.

Records— Baptisms 1852–1939 Marriages 1853–1939 Note: Available online for a fee, at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, record RH21/38.

= 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 =

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

= References =

Return to Perthshire parish list.