Abbey St. Bathans, Berwickshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #726

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Abbey St. Bathans.

= History =

Available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Browse the scanned pages via the parish reports

= Census Records =

A census record is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about census records.

= 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 the Scottish Church Records Index on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. Some records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: Only four entries exist prior to March 1720 and one entry between December 1725 and January 1727. There are no entries September 1730–February 1732, December 1754–November 1760, except for one page of irregular entries for 1756–1760, December 1785–August 1787, and two entries April 1788–May 1794. Only two entries exist April 1741–June 1747. Entries are out of chronological order after 1802. Marriages: These are chiefly proclamations. No entries exist May 1726–October 1729, February 1731–April 1734, January 1752–October 1755, December 1763–January 1765, November 1765–April 1768, or May 1775–August 1821. There are only nine entries for 1742–1752 inclusive. The entries for 1756–1760 contain only the name of the bridegroom. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues entries have no particular dates attached to them. 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 Kirk 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.

Minutes and Accounts 1720–1776, 1832–1927 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/596.

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.

= 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 =

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

See Edrom parish.

Return to the Berwickshire Parish List.