Heriot, Midlothian, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #688

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

History
HERIOT, a parish, in the county of Edinburgh; containing the hamlets of Fala-Hill Inn, Robertson, and Broomieknowe. The church was formerly of considerable value. It is situated about the centre of the parish, and accommodates 200 persons with sittings; it was rebuilt in 1804, and has since undergone extensive repairs, by which it has been rendered convenient and comfortable.

The patronage of the church, during the 12th and part of the 13th century, belonged to Roger deQuincy, then Lord of the Manor, and Constable of Scotland. In the division of De Quincy's estates among his three daughters, Heriot fell to Elena, the youngest, who married La Touche, and English Baron. The earliest parochial register is 1685, but have not been regularly kept. The population in 1801 was 320 and in 1831 it was 327. The land was primarily used for grains, potatoes, turnips, hay and meadow. There is no villiage in the parish and the nearest market town is Dalkeith. The post-office is at Fushie Bridge seven miles away. The parish church is situated in nearly the very center of the parish. Divine service in the Established Church is well attended, with the number of communicats about 100.

This account was written in 1839.

Source:New Statistical Account of Scotland (Family History Library book, series 2, vol. 1)

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 Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Heriot 1841-91, as well as the library numbers for Midlothian 1881 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: There are no entries January 1688–November 1689 or January 1693–August 1695; one for July 1745–November 1748. One entry at January 1697 has been torn off. From 1784–1793 births, marriages, and deaths are intermixed. Marriages: There are entries of marriage pledges until December 1702. There are no entries December 1702–May 1731; August 1744–June 1755; and except three for 1817–1818, record ends November 1814. Entries 1784–1793 are among births for same period. Deaths: Records are mainly Mortcloth Dues and funeral expenses, except 1784–1793, when burials are recorded among births and marriages for same period. There are no entries July 1702–July 1731 and 1819–1845 after which they are burials. 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:

Collections 1731–1846 Minutes 1832–1891 List of Communicants 1819–1835 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/187.

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. There are none

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