Rayne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #236

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

History
RAYNE, a parish, in the district of Garioch, county of Aberdeen; containing the hamlets of Meiklewarthill and Old Rain, 12 miles (S. E. by E.) from Huntly. This place is supposed to take its name from the Gaelic word Raon, signifying "a field of good ground," which is pretty descriptive of the land throughout. The church, which was built in 1789, is situated in the centre of the parish, and seats about 700 persons.

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—
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: Early portion of the record is injured by dampness. After 1818 there occur several pages of omitted entries dated 1811–1817. Mothers’ names are generally recorded after December 1749. Marriages: No entries October 1700–May 1702, July 1772–October 1773, nor August 1781–December 1783. Only one entry December 1803–March 1806, and two entries 1813 and 1816, October 1808–1820. Deaths: Burials are blank December 1785–1847. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book.

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 1671–1696, with some accounts, 1705–1814 Baptisms 1851–1875 Marriages 1851–1874 Deaths 1851–1875 Accounts 1744–1770, 1820–1852 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/310.

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.

Rayne Free Church
History—  Soon after the Disruption, services were given for the Free Church residents by members of the Presbyteries of Garioch and Turrif. In 1844 a wooden church was erected at Newseat, and a missionary appointed. The charge was sanctioned in 1853. In that year a site for church and manse, near the wood church, was granted by William Leslie of Warthill. The church was built; in 1856. The church served the parish of Rayne, and also the western part of Fyvie, within the boundary of which parish it stood. The congregation suffered through the great decline of the population. Membership: 1848, 204; 1900, 123. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #. More details are given in the source.

Records— No known surviving records.

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