Makerston, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Markerston (Markerstown) (#797)

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

History
MAKERSTOUN, a parish, in the district of Kelso, county of Roxburgh; 5 miles (W. S. W.) from Kelso. This place is supposed to have derived its name from its original proprietor, Machar, or Machir. The parish is beautifully situated on the river Tweed, which forms its southern boundary, dividing it from Roxburgh. The church, built on a new site in 1807, is nearly in the centre of the parish, and affords accommodation to 200 persons.

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 Makerston. 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 Family History 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 Family History 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 August 1697–January 1703, April 1709–September 1710, September 1725–March 1730, or for 1739. Marriages: The only entries are of consignation money until 1790. There is a separate record of proclamations, 1804–1812, and then entries relating to irregular marriages 1718–1804. Deaths: Only Mortcloth Dues before March 1785; burials are recorded after that date and there is only one entry 1805, after June 1797. 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 1716–1804, 1807–1969 Accounts 1720–1806 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, records CH2/1320.

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.

Makerston Free Church
History— At the Disruption a group of Free Church adherents formed a congregation and supply was provided by the Presbytery. Miss Elizabeth Makdougall, sister of Lady Brisbane Makdougall, who resided in Makerstoun House, took a leading and generous part, presenting church and manse to the congregation. She also left 1500, the interest to be paid to the Sustentation Fund. The charge was sanctioned in 1847 and the church and manse were renovated in 1886. Membership: 1848, 78; 1900, 95. 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— Kirk Session Minutes 1846–1936 Note: Available at the Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh, record CH3/1569.

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
Makerston 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 Family History Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalogfor the 'Place-names' 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-names' of Roxburgh and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.