Glencross, Midlothian, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland Midlothian  Glencross

Glencross, Midlothian (Edinburghshire), Scotland (#687)

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

= History =

GLENCROSS, or Glencorse, a parish, in the county of Edinburgh, 2½ miles (N. by E.) from Penicuick. This parish, which consists of portions severed from the parishes of Lasswade and Penicuick, in 1616, derives its name from an ancient cross in the cemetery of the old church of St. Catherine, now covered by the water of the Compensation reservoir. The church, situated on the summit of an isolated hill, in the centre of the parish, was erected in 1665, and partly rebuilt after sustaining damage from fire, and enlarged by the addition of transepts, in 1699; it was repaired in 1811, and contains 180 sittings, a number very inadequate to the population of the parish.

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 Glencorse 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: There are no entries January 1690–November 1691, except for five, May 1745–January 1751. Marriages: There are no entries November 1688–April 1693, November 1744–May 1751, except for two, December 1757–June 1760, and 1800–1810. Deaths: Burials; there are none May 1675–April 1682, November 1689–November 1693, except for one, December 1738–September 1759. After 1708, however, there is a record of Mortcloth Dues, 1720–1742, and 1754–1758. Entries after 1801 are somewhat irregular. 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: 

There are none.

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.

= 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 =

Glencorse was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Edinburgh until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Edinburgh. 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.

= References =

There are none.

Return to the Midlothian parish list.