Maryton, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #308

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

History
MARYTOWN, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 2¼ miles (W. S. W.) from Montrose. This place is supposed to have derived its name from the dedication of its church to the Virgin Mary, or from the existence here, at some ancient period, of a religious establishment in honour of that saint: on the confines of the parish is a spring which still retains the appellation of Marywell. The church, erected in 1791, and repaired within the last twenty years, is a neat plain structure adapted for a congregation of 300 persons. The members of the Free Church have a 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 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: Irregular entries dated 1767–1804 are on two pages after the record of 1782. Mothers’ names are not recorded until December 1738. Marriages: Entries for each year occur after the births for the same year. The records are blank April 1782–July 1792, except for one entry for 1790. Deaths: The entries for each year are burials and occur after the marriages for the same year; and they are blank January 1782–July 1792. 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: 

Minutes 1726–1736, 1738–1966 Cash Books 1812–1930 Baptisms 1843–1966 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/259.

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.

Maryton Free Church
History— The minister of the parish adhered to the Free Church at the Disruption, but was, through age and infirmity, unable to take any active part. The congregation worshiped at first in a barn, but soon erected a church at the head of the Den of Fullerton. The position was most inconvenient, being almost inaccessible from the low ground. In 1849 the charge was reduced to a preaching station. In 1855 a suitable site was secured and church and manse were erected. Sanction was restored in 1856. Membership: 1848, 93; 1900, 106. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source. Records— FS Library Film Number Baptisms 1873–1886 1886227 items 1–2

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