Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #376

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

History
LOGIERAIT, a parish, in the county of Perth, containing the village of Ballenluig, part of that of Aberfeldy, and part of the late quoad sacra district of Rannoch, 8 miles (N. N. W.) from Dunkeld. This place, frequently called Laggan by the inhabitants, derives its name from the two words Logie and Rait or Reite, the first signifying a "hollow," and the latter "arbitration" or "settlement of differences," the Court of Regality under the jurisdiction of the house of Atholl having been formerly held in this locality, where a large court-house stood. The church was built in 1806, and is conveniently situated within half a mile of the junction of the Tay and Tummel, and in the vicinity of the principal ferries; it contains accommodation for 1000 persons. There is an episcopal chapel; and a place of worship for Baptists has been erected.

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 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: No birth entries December 1714–January 1722, September 1725–June 1728 except one for 1727, and September 1731–May 1732. Two pages of irregular entries, 1723–1745, occur after entries for July 1738. Baptisms from "Rannoch" for 1764–1766 occur after regular record for July 1764 and for periods down to 1797 at other parts of the register indicated therein. Marriages: Proclamations, no marriage entries December 1685–November 1687, January 1693–January 1695, and February 1712–January 1722 from which last date until 1754 the record is intermixed with that of Births for the same period. No entries September 1725–May 1730 and March 1754–June 1760. Separate record from 1760. The fact of marriage is sometimes recorded before 1778 and very often after 1778. Many of the early entries are partially illegible. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues These records are indexed 1764-1815 through the North Perthshire Family History Group 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 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: 

No pre-1855 records.

Roll of Male Heads of Families
An 1834 list of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

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.

Strathtay Logierait Free Church
History— From July 1843 occasional services were provided here. The district included part of Logierait and the Grandtully portion of Dull on opposite sides of the Tay. A church was built on the north side of the river where the majority of the people were. A school was erected on the south side in which services could be held. The charge was sanctioned in 1844. The congregation grew smaller with the decrease of population. Membership: 1848, 169; 1900, 90. 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— The extent of pre-1855 records is unknown. No records are deposited at the National Archives of Scotland.

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