Slamannan, Stirlingshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #489

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

History
SLAMANNAN, or Slamanan, a parish, in the county of Stirling, 6 miles (S. S. W.) from Falkirk. This place, in the sessional records and crown presentations, is called "Slamanan, otherwise St. Lawrence," from which circumstance it is concluded that the latter name was, on account of the dedication of the church to that saint. The church, rebuilt about 1816, is a plain edifice, nearly square, and contains upwards of 600 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 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 FS Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Slamannan, 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.

Established Church Old Parochial Registers
Click to go to the FamilySearch Catalog entry for the Established Church records for Slamannan, covering the years 1681-1854.

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. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland.

Births: The records are blank March 1688–July 1691, December 1692–March 1694. There is an imperfect leaf at 1761, 1768, and 1801. Marriages: The record prior to 1688 is intermixed with the births. The records are blank April 1688–September 1699. In a large proportion of the entries after 1730, the fact of marriage is not recorded. Deaths: Burials and Mortcloth Dues are mixed with births and marriages for the same period. The records prior to 1688 are described as the 'Minute Book of the Session of St. Laurance.’ 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 1693–1707, 1709–1751, 1761–1766, 1788–1809 Unbound Scroll Minutes 1712–1759 - with gaps Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/331.

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.

Slamannan Free Church
History— The minister of the parish did not “come out” in 1843; but many of his people adhered to the Free Church, and a congregation was speedily organized. A church was built at Pirnie Lodge, a mile east of Slamannan village, and opened in 1844. The charge was sanctioned by the Assembly in 1845. A new church was built in Slamannan village, and opened in 1861. This church was burned down on Sabbath, 20 March 1864, but was soon rebuilt. A manse was secured in the village. Originally an agricultural district, the mining industry brought a great increase in population. The closing of the pits, as the coal was wrought out, had a depressing effect upon the district. Membership: 1848, 135; 1900, 199. 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— Minutes 1844–1910 Deacons Court Minutes 1850–1883 Minutes of Meetings of School Committee 1846–1849 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/800.

Slamannan Branch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints, also New Craigs Branch
Records—                                       FS Library Film Number  Record of Members, 1846–1851         0104154 item 16

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
Slamannan 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.