Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae

1n 2010, the Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae collection was added to Ancestry’s online databases. These records deal with the succession of ministers in the parish churches of Scotland.

There are six parts covering the years of 1560-1866. The Presbyterian church has been the established state church of Scotland since 1690. There are four governing sections within the organization of the Church of Scotland




 * General Assembly (governs over the whole church)
 * Synods (governs over a region)
 * Presbytery (governs over a few parish kirks)
 * Parish Kirk (local governing body – courts handled at this level are known as ‘kirk sessions’)

The collection added comes from the ‘synods’ which were actually abolished in 1990s. Synods covered larger areas of presbyteries. Each Synod had individuals responsible for the governing of all in their region. According to Ancestry, “The Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae provides details on more than 2,000 Scottish ministers and often their families.”

This collection covers synods from Aberdeen to Zetland and contains historical family information for genealogists if an ancestor was a Scottish minister. Some of the possible information



While this collection is not indexed it is searchable by name. Recently this collection provided a patron with the needed information to prove a pedigree going back to the 1600s which emphasizes its value!

A ‘partial’ sample of an entry on p. 8 of Synod of Lothian and Tweedale states the following:


 * 1607. Patrick Galloway, Minister of Chaplain to his Majesty, who had been on the leet, 11 Aug 1588, was supplicated for by the Town Council to the King, 3d June 1606, …accepted a general ministery…he died before 10th Feb. 1626, in 50th Min., when his son James (founder of the noble family of Dunkeld) was adm. a burges in right of his father. …He married May 1583, Matillo Guthrie, who died June 1592, and had two sons and two daugh., James, already noticed, Williame, Dorathie and Cristiane.

These records are also available in book form at the Family History Library with call numbers beginning with 941 D3s and on microfiche # 6026402 covering Volumes 1-10 on 75 microfiches. It is worth noting that this collection is larger than the one online at Ancestry. To see the break down click this link and view the whole collection. The records in this collection go up to 1975!

In addition, these records have been put in Family Groups in our FamilySearch Community Trees. To locate them, go to histfam.familysearch.org. Note that this is a work in progress and not 100 percent complete at this time.