Kinneff & Catterline, Kincardineshire, Scotland Genealogy

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

= History =

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 the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: There are no entries July 1620–September 1642, May 1658–November 1660, February 1663–January 1664, October 1682–August 1690, August 1695–October 1701 and two entries for February 1661–July 1662. Except for September 1642–February 1663, mothers’ names are not recorded, until January 1737. Marriages: There are no entries, except one page 1644–1646, April 1621–January 1652, May 1659–April 1661, and July 1697–September 1701. Deaths: There are registers of burials until 1662. There are no entries 1649–1654, 1655–November 1660, November 1662–November 1737, after which only entries of Mortcloth Dues occur. 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 he 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 1641–1663, 1705–1706, 1733–1933 Note: Available at the Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh, record CH2/218.

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.

Kinneff Free Church
History— Dr. Thomas Brown, author of the Annals of the Disruption, minister of the parish, and a large portion of his congregation, "came out" in 1843, and formed the Free Church congregation. A church and manse were erected that year. Both were subsequently repaired and improved. The congregation suffered heavily through the depopulation of the district. Membership: 1848, 220; 1900, 86. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572.

Records— The extent of records is unknown.

Katerline Episcopal Church
History— The congregation in this fishing village was long connected with that of Drumlithie, but a resident pastor was appointed in 1842. Source: History of the Scottish Episcopal Church, by John Parker Lawson, pub. 1843. A copy of this Book is not available in the FHL.

Records— There are no known records for this congregation. See Drumlithie on page 24.

= 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 =

Kinneff &amp; Catterline was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of St. Andrews until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Stonehaven. 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' of Kincardine and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of St. Andrews. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Kindardine. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Kincardine and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to Kincardineshire parish list.