Roxburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Roxburgh (#803)

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

History
ROXBURGH, a parish and village, in the county of Roxburgh; containing the village of Hieton, 4 miles (S. W.) from Kelso. This place, which in old documents is written Rochesburgh and Rokesburgh, appears to have been formerly a town of considerable importance; and there are still some remains of its ancient castle overhanging the river Teviot. The parish is bounded on the north for several miles by the river Tweed. The church, situated in the village of Roxburgh, was built in 1752, and substantially repaired in 1828, and gives accommodation to 500 persons. The members of the Free Church have no place of worship.

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 Roxburgh. 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 Scotland Census Records.

Click here for a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

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 indexes through the library.

Church Records
The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about Scotland 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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may be indexed in the[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/5 International Genealogical Index. ] Births: There are no entries January 1732–February 1733, December 1734–February 1741 and May 1748–June 1750. Portions of two pages at 1670 and 1673 are torn off. There is a duplicate of the record May 1702–November 1705 and it is incomplete 1752–1753. Mothers' names are not recorded between 1753 and 1814 inclusive. Marriages: There is a duplicate of the record July 1702–October 1707. No entries December 1750–November 1783. After November 1794 there are only five entries, dated respectively 1807, 1826, 1849, 1850 and 1853. Deaths: Burials are recorded on alternate pages of the register of births. After October 1792 there are only two entries dated 1808 and 1812. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. 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 1704–1746, 1753–1760, 1831–1926 Accounts 1722–1780 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/314.

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 Lists.

No known nonconformist groups.

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
Roxburgh was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Peebles until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Jedburgh. 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' of Roxburgh and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Peebles. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Roxburgh. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Roxburgh and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.