Fowlis Easter, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #356

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

History
LUNDIE and FOWLIS, two districts, constituting a parish, the former in the county of Forfar, and the latter in the county of Perth; containing the hamlet of Kirk, 6 miles (N. W. by W.) from Dundee. Of these two ancient parishes, united by a decree of the High Commissioners in 1618, Lundie derives its name, in the Gaelic Linn-De, signifying, "the pool of God," from a very extensive lake which formed its chief feature: the other district, of which no etymology is known, is often distinguished by the adjunct Easter from the parish of Fowlis Wester, in the same county. The church of Fowlis is a very ancient and beautiful structure, having been erected about the year 1142, traditionally in fulfilment of a vow for the safe return of her husband from the crusades, by a Lady Mortimer; it is a remarkably fine specimen of the richest style of Norman architecture, in the most perfect state of preservation, and abounding in interesting details: there are about 300 sittings.

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 census, 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: Births were recorded separately from marriages until 1748. From 1749–1770 births are recorded on alternate pages of the same register with marriages. Marriages: There are distinct records of proclamations and marriages until 1748. After November 1770, entries occur on occasional pages of the register of births. There are no entries December 1801–April 1803. Deaths: The record is Mortcloth Dues to 1748. There are no entries 1748–February 1751. For February 1751–May 1779, deaths and burials are recorded. After that time, only burials are recorded. There are no entries May 1792–1828. 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 1685–1698, 1797–1861, Lundie: 1736–1880, Fowlis: 1748–1797, 1825–1875 Cash Books 1830–1874 Seats for the Poor 1794–1840 Library Registers 1815–1867 Note: Available at the Dundee City Archive and Record Centre, Dundee, Scotland, record CH2/254; also on microfilm at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.

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.

There were no known nonconformist groups in this parish.

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
fowlis Easter was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dunblane 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 Dunblane. 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.

Return to Perthshire parish list.