Applegarth and Sibbaldbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #813a

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

History
APPLEGARTH and SIBBALDBIE, a united parish, in the district of Annandale, county of Dumfries, 2 miles (N. W. by N.) from Lockerbie; containing the chapelry of Dinwoodie. The term Applegarth is compounded of the words Apple and Garth, the latter of which signifies, in the Celtic language, an "inclosure," and both conjoined are invariably taken for an "apple inclosure" or "orchard." The word bie, or bye, which terminates the name Sibbaldbie, signifies, in the Saxon, a "dwelling-place," and is thought to have been applied to the district thus denominated, from its having been the residence of Sibbald. The church, a plain substantial structure, built in 1760, is inconveniently situated at a distance of five or six miles from some of the population; it has been at different times repaired and enlarged, and accommodates 380 persons with sittings.

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 edina.($) Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for your parish of interest. Also available at the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Library. ]

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 Scotland Census Records.

for a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Applegarth and Sibbaldbie as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on scotlandspeople.($) 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 indexes through the library.

Church Records
The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about Scotland Church Records.

Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers
For earlier records, see the Kirk Session records below.

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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland..

Births: These are intermixed with marriages and deaths until 1775. The united record is blank for 1775–1777. Baptism and burials are intermixed from April 1777–November 1784. Mother's names are not recorded until April 1777. Marriages: These are intermixed with births and deaths until July 1775. The united record is blank for 1775–1777. There are no entries for marriages for July 1775–November 1777, after which date there is a separate record. Deaths: The record is Mortcloth Dues until July 1775. There are no entries July 1775–April 1777, from which date until 1784 no burials are recorded among the baptisms. There are no entries November 1784–August 1813, after which there are deaths recorded. There are no entries May 1814–January 1817. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b. Note: The Statistical Account of Scotland for Applegarth and Subbadlbie for 1834 states that there were earlier registers of baptisms and marriages for 1694–1715, but apparently they have been lost. They may be intermixed with the Kirk Session Minutes for the same years.

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: 

Baptisms 1694-1719 (FS Library book 941.48/A2 K2m) Minutes 1694–1718, 1749–1851 Note: Available at the Scottish National Archives, Edinburgh, record CH2/1220.

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.

No known nonconformist groups. The Statistical Account of Scotland for 1834 states there were 23 seceding families totaling 107 persons, but no chapels within the parish.

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
Applegarth and Sibbaldbie was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Dumfries until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dunfries. 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 FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Dumfries and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Dumfries. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Dumfries. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Dumfries and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.