Airth, Stirlingshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #469 

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

History
AIRTH, a parish, in the county of Stirling, 6½ miles (N.) from Falkirk; containing, with the village of Dunmore. The Gaelic term ard, or ardhé, signifying a hill, is supposed to have given the name to this place, in which the eminence called the Hill of Airth is a conspicuous feature, and forms a striking contrast to the level district by which it is surrounded. The parish is situated on the shore of the Forth, which is its boundary on the north and east. The church, which is conveniently situated, was built in 1820, and is capable of accommodating 800 persons. There is a place of worship for the Burgher denomination.

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.

is a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Airth, as well as the library numbers for any 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—
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 Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Blank November 1720–November 1737, excluding one page of irregular entries 1728–1736. There is one imperfect leaf at June 1783. The record prior to 1699 has suffered from dampness. Marriages: Blank August 1689–May 1747, excluding a fragment of a leaf containing portions of entries for 1691–1692, and another fragment with four entries for November 1722. After 1819 is a record of Irregular Marriages 1770–1794. Deaths: Excluding transcribed entries of payments for ringing the church bell at funerals, etc., April 1670–July 1683, there is no record until May 1700, when a register of burials is commenced. No entries July 1769–January 1770.

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.

Here is a list of the surviving Kirk session records for this parish:

Minutes 1660–1669, 1795–1935 Note: Available at the Stirling Council Archives, Stirling, Scotland, record CH2/683.

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.

Airth Associate Burgher, later United Presbyterian Church
History— Several persons resident in the parish acceded to the Associate Presbytery in September 1738. In December 1741, an Elder and other parishioners also acceded, and the group was joined to the Associate congregation in Falkirk. In 1747, the congregation adhered to the Associate Burgher Synod. In 1806, those persons residing in Airth were finally disjoined from Falkirk and formed into a separate congregation. A church was built in 1809. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records— The extent of records is unknown.

Airth Free Station
History— Services were provided at Airth soon after the Disruption in 1843. In 1847, it was recognized as a mission station and a catechist was appointed. It continued, with many fluctuations, until the Union of 1900. The population decreased considerably, single large farms taking the place of several smaller ones. 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 including a list of ministers.

Records— There are none.

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