Baldernock, Stirlingshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #471 

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

History
BALDERNOCK, a parish, in the county of Stirling, 7 miles (N.) from Glasgow containing the village of Balmore. The name of this place is corrupted, as is supposed, from the Celtic term Baldruinick, signifying "Druid's town;" and this opinion receives strong support from the numerous remains found here, pertaining to that ancient order. The parish is situated at the southern extremity of the county, where it is bounded by the river Kelvin, which flows towards the west, and by the Allander, running in the opposite direction. The church is a plain edifice, built in 1795. There is a place of worship for members of the Free Church.

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
Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the parish as well as any indexes available:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use it, you must register on the website 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 to access the separate indexes through the library.

The 1841 through 1901 censuses are also

Read more about Scotland Census records.

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: Records are blank May 1654–March 1688. The early leaves have suffered from dampness. Marriages: The records are blank July 1632–July 1637, and August 1655–December 1701. The first five leaves are imperfect.

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 1690–1738, 1742–1854 - with gaps Cash Books 1812–1875 Poor Accounts 1749–1790, 1822–1845 Hamilton Bequest Cash Book 1843–1866 Roll of Heads of Families 1837–1842 Communion Roll 1838–1878 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/479.

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.

Baldernock Free Church
History— The minister of the parish “came out” in 1843. Church and manse were erected not far from the parish church. The town of Milngavie, about 2 miles distant, was also under the minister’s care. Membership: 1848, 258; 1900, 265. 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— Minutes1844–1855 Register of Members and Contributions 1850–1856 Sustentation Roll 1854–1856 Communion Roll 1843–1868 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/558.

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
Baldernock 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.