Meigle, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #379

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

History
MEIGLE, a parish, and the seat of a presbytery, in the county of Perth; 5 miles (N. E. by E.) from Cupar-Angus. The etymology of the name is doubtful; but it has been conjectured that, the church and manse being built on a plain between two marshes or "gills," the whole district took the appellation of Mid-gills, gradually changed into Meigle. The church, a plain structure, erected about the year 1780, has two of the aisles of the former edifice; it is in tolerable repair, and seats 700 persons. There is an episcopal chapel; and the members of the Free Church have a place of worship.

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.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes 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—
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. The records may be indexed in FamilySearch

Births: Birth mothers' names are not recorded until August 1794. Marriages: No marriage entries for 1740. The fact of marriage is stated after November 1788. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues are intermixed with other matters. 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 and Accounts 1766–1809 Miscellaneous Papers 1799–1890 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1241.

Roll of Male Heads of Families
An 1834 list of male heads of families in this parish can be found here.

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.

Meigle Free Church
History— This congregation dates from 1843. At first one session was formed for Meigle and Newtyle, and one service each Sunday was conducted at each place. The Meigle Congregation worshiped in a hall. Meigle was sanctioned as a separate charge and a minister settled in September 1845. A fruitless effort was made to unite the two congregations in 1850. In 1851–1852 the church and manse were erected. Many members left and joined Newtyle, which then became a regular charge. Membership: 1848, 140; 1900, 140. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D. 2 vols, pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records—  The extent of pre-1855 records is unknown. No records deposited at the National Archives of Scotland.

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