Tyrie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #248

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

History
TYRIE, a parish, in the district of Deer, county of Aberdeen, 5 miles (S. W. by W.) from Fraserburgh; containing the late quoad sacra parish and the village of New Pitsligo. This place, the name of which, in the Gaelic language, signifies "the King's House," is of remote antiquity; but very few particulars of its history have been recorded. A religious establishment appears to have been founded here at an early period. The ancient church has been for some years in ruins, a new church having been erected in 1800, a neat substantial structure containing 400 sittings. A church to which a district was annexed, and an episcopal chapel, have been erected in New Pitsligo.

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 FS 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—
Index: 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 and Marriages: Births and Marriages are intermixed with other matters until 1783. Mothers’ names are not recorded in the entries of births until 1722, and often omitted prior to 1800. After 1783 there are separate registers of births and marriages. There are no entries of marriages September 1790–July 1792. From January 1802–1824, only transcribed entries of proclamations. There are no entries October 1805–December 1808 and they are blank 1824 to 1841. Deaths: Burials Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b. Monumental Inscriptions: FS Library Book 941.25/T2 V3s.

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:

New Pitsligo
Minutes 1853–1867 Accounts 1853–1855 Baptisms 1799–1804, 1832–1847, not in order Marriages 1853–1856 Other post-1855 Records Note: Available at the New Register House, Edinburgh, Record CH2/1044.

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.

New Pitsligo Free Church
History—  This congregation was formed immediately after the Disruption, and regular services were provided. The church was erected in 1847. The charge was sanctioned in 1860. The manse was built in 1861. After the ministers’s death, a union was effected with the United Presbyterian congregation of Whitehill, in January 1898, and a United Presbyterian probationer became minister of the united charge. Membership: 1866, 175; 1900, 159. 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 1848–1934 Other post-1855 Records Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1049.

New Pitsligo Episcopal Church
History— This congregation was formed between 1800 and 1805. The chapel was built in 1835. The number of communicants in 1843 was 120, who, with the exception of two families, were all of the poor and working classes. A number of members resided in adjacent parishes. Source: History of the Scottish Episcopal Church, by John P. Lawson, pub. 1843. No copy is available in the FS Library.

Records—  The extent of Records is unknown. For information, write to: New Pitsligo Episcopal Church c/o 12 Bain Terrace Mintlaw, Peterhead AB42 5HBScotland

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