Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, Scotland Genealogy

Inchinnan (#566)

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

History
INCHINNAN, a parish, in the Upper ward of the county of Renfrew, 3 miles (N.) from Paisley; containing the hamlets of Broomlands and Luckensford. This place derives its name, signifying in the Gaelic language "a river island," from its peninsular situation, being almost surrounded by the rivers which form its principal boundaries. It is bounded on the north by the river Clyde, which separates it from the parish of Kilpatrick, in the county of Dumbarton; on the south by the river Gryfe, which separates it from the parish of Renfrew; on the east by the river Cart. The present parish church was erected on the site of the ancient structure, in 1829; it is a neat edifice in the pointed style, with a massive square tower.

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 Inchinnan. 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
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 also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Excluding four entries, 1722–1723 on an imperfect leaf, there is no record until February 1737. Irregular entries are frequent between 1801, and 1820. Marriages: Excluding one entry for 1722, there is no record until October 1738. No entries December 1742–April 1745, December 1799–November 1801, nor July 1814–February 1816. After 1741, the record is one of persons booked for marriage. Deaths: Recorded on three pages after births for August 1797. 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 1824–1886 Accounts 1832–1836 Heritors, Parochial Board Minutes and Accounts 1825–1856 Minutes of Kirk Session and Heritors Poors’ Fund 1827–1856 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/924.

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.

Inchinnan Free Church
History— This congregation was formed by three elders and eighty adherents who “came out” in 1843. For six years they worshiped in a barn at Barsail, Inchinnan. The church was built in 1849 and later considerably improved. Membership: 1860, 87; 1900, 74. 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 including a list of ministers.

Records— No 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
Inchinnan was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Glasgow until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Paiisley. 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 Renfrew 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 Renfrew. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Renfrew and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.