Kinnoull, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #369

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

History
KINNOULL, a parish, in the county of Perth, ½ a mile (E.) from Perth; containing the suburb of Bridgend, and the villages of Balbeggie and Inchyra. This place is supposed to have derived its name, of Gaelic origin, from the extent and beauty of the prospects obtained from the high grounds. The present church, erected in 1826, is a handsome structure in the later English style of architecture, containing more than 1000 sittings. There is a place of worship at Balbeggie for members of the United Secession.

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 FS 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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Births are intermixed with marriages and other matters until 1698 and with each other May 1698–November 1717. There are no entries October 1717–December 1723. Mothers' names are not recorded until January 1769. Marriages: There are no entries November 1717–May 1769, except four for 1747. There are transcribed entries of contract of proclamation fees for 1718–1721 and 1747–1769. Records of 1769–1793 are on alternate pages of the registers of births. From June 1794 until April 1796 there is a separate record, and after June 1796 the entries again occur on alternate pages of the Baptismal Registers. Deaths: The record is transcribed entries of Mortcloth Dues until 1830. There are no entries January 1796–December 1816. Both deaths and burials are recorded, 1831–1854. 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:

Collections 1633–1634 Minutes and Accounts 1698–1701, 1723–1796, 1816–1830, 1880–1901 Minutes 1799–1908 Accounts 1831–1869 Communion Rolls 1850–1887 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/948.

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.

There were no known nonconformist groups in this 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
Kinnoull was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of St.Andrews 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 FamilySearch Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of "Scotland, Perth, Kinnoull" and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of St.andrews. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Perthshire. Look in the library for the 'Place-names' of "Scotland, Perth, Kinnoull" and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Probate Records.