Cargill, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #338

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

History
CARGILL, a parish, in the county of Perth, 7½ miles (N. by E.) from Perth; containing the villages of Burreltown, Wolfhill, and Woodside. This place, of which the name, of Celtic origin, signifies a village with a church, originally formed a portion of the parish of Cupar-Angus, from which, according to ancient records, it was separated prior to the year 1514. The church is a neat and well-arranged structure, erected in 1832, and situated on the sloping bank of the river Tay. 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 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. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: There are no birth entries September 1674–September 1706. Numerous entries are out of order after 1807. Mothers' names are not recorded until 1808. Marriages: There are separate records of proclamations and marriages prior to 1674. There are no entries November 1674–September 1708, after which latter date until 1775 the record consists of entries of "Marriage Pawns" only. There are no entries December 1775–January 1818. Deaths: The record is Mortcloth Dues to December 1775. There are no for entries December 1775–1832. 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 1844–1932 Accounts 1854–1933 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/789.

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.

Burrelton Original Associate Presbyterian Church
History— It isn’t known when this congregation was formed. It apparently rejoined the Church of Scotland in 1839 and then joined the Free Church in 1843. No other history is available.

Records— Minutes 1825–1845 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1486.

Cargill Free Church
History— The minister of the parish and many of the people "came out" in 1843. The church was built in 1845 at Wolfhill in St. Martin's parish. In 1852 the manse was erected. The building of a church at Burrelton and depletion of the population reduced the membership. Membership: 1848, 360; 1900, 201. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records— Minutes 1845–1931 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/733.

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
Cargill 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-names' of Perthshire and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.