Botriphnie, Banffshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #148

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

History
BOTRIPHNIE, a parish, in the county of Banff, 5½ miles (S. W.) from Keith. This parish is situated in the narrowest part of the county, comprehending its whole breadth, bounded by Aberdeenshire on the south, and on the north by Moray. The church was built in 1820, and has been repaired and renovated.

The parish is situated about 24 miles west from the county town, and extends from north to south about 4 1/2, and from east to west about 3 English miles, comprehending the whole breadth of the county, being bounded by the parish of Glass, in Aberdeenshire, on the south, and on the north by part of Dundurcus, in Moray.

The soil is a black loam, which provides a rich enviornment, in favourable seasons to immense crops of grain.

The population in 1811 was 577 by 1841 it was 714.

The Parochial Registers were said to be "now kept very regularly" as of this writing, 1841. There was no mention of any other places of worship within the parish.

The above is an extract of the account written in 1841.

Source: New Statistical Account of Scotland (FS Library book, series 2) Vol. 13. Date written: 1841

 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 Botriphnie. 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 and 1911 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, 1841-1911, 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.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers
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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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland..

 Births:  No entries exist July 1693–July 1726, except three entries for 1709, 1715and 1718, respectively. The entries for 1726–1732 on 14 pages are stated to have been inserted here out of an old register.

 Marriages:  No entries exist, except one entry for 1730, January 1693–July1731.

 Source:   Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book.

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 1627–1683; blank 1663–1682, 1729–1743, 1767–1833, 1745–1767

Accounts 1774–1829

Check details CH2/39 Records of Botriphnie, West Kirk Session 1627-1929  Note:   Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, records CH2/39. The National Archives of Scotland online catalog

Monumental Inscriptions
The Kirkyard of Botriphnie, in Banff has been indexed by the North-East Scotland Family History Society.

FamilySearch Library

Online listing is available through the: Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Family History Society

A copy of the booklet is available at

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.

Botriphnie Free Church
History—

The minister of Botriphnie was deposed in the famous Strathbogie case. Following that, the parish was supplied by missionaries. In 1843 many left the parish church but could not find a convenient site for a church, so they built a wooden church at the extreme end of the parish. In 1854, they built a new church at a more convenient site. The population declined due to emigration.

 Membership:  1848, 146; 1900, 102.

 Source:   Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film. More details are given in the source.

  Records— 

Baptismal Register 1843–1869

Communion Rolls 1846–1930

Minutes 1841–1879

Deacons’ Court Minutes 1844–1928

Accounts 1843–1881

Other post-1855 records

CH3/1528 Botriphnie Free (East) 1926, united with Cairnie (United Free) (West) (CH3/1237). 1930 Botriphnie East united with Botriphnie West (Church of Scotland) (CH2/39) while Cairnie West united with Cairnie East (Church of Scotland) (CH2/1240) 1841-1930

 Note:  Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/1528. The National Archives of Scotland online catalog

Return to the Banff parish list

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
Botriphnie was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Moray until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Banff. 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 FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Banff and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Moray. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Banff. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Banff and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.