Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland Genealogy

Stonehouse (#656)

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



History
STONEHOUSE, a parish, in the Middle ward of the county of Lanark; 7 miles (S. S. E.) from Hamilton. This place is said to have derived its name from the residence of the principal proprietor, a mansion of stone and lime, situated near the site of the present village, and which, being at that time a kind of building of rare occurrence in this part of the country, was considered of sufficient interest to give name to the parish. The parish is bounded on the east by the Cander stream, on the west and on the north by the river Avon, and on the south by the Kype. The church, a handsome modern structure, surmounted by a well-proportioned spire, is situated in the centre of the village, and is adapted for a congregation of 900 persons. There are places of worship for members of the Free Church, and a congregation 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 Stonehouse. 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 Scotland Census Records.

Click here for a list of the FS Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

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 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.

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: There are no entries February 1721–April 1758. The record up to 1781 is in the form of memorandum books. The page at June 1802 contains irregular entries of two families, 1802–1822. Single entries on slips of paper attached to the register are not unfrequent in the portion after 1781. There are four pages of omitted entries, 1773–1783 after proclamations December 1791. Marriages: These are marriage proclamations, and there are no entries June 1718–December 1758, November 1801–March 1809 and the record ends July 1810. There is, however, a separate list of proclamation fees from 1767, which supplies the blank 1801–1809 and is continued as the principal register after July 1810. The fees are not inserted in the entries after August 1813. Deaths: There are no death entries 1710–1767, from which latter date there are only Mortcloth Dues, the names for each half year being entered without particular dates until April 1778. There are no entries May 1813–1848. 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 1696–1761, 1801–1912 Communicants 1831–1842 Proclamations 1845–1914 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/670.

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.

Stonehouse Free Church
History— This congregation was formed at the Disruption. A church was built and opened in December 1843. The manse was erected in 1845 and the school and teachers house in 1853. In 1873 the church was demolished and a new church built, which was opened in October 1874. In 1894 about a third of the members seceded and formed a Congregational church. Membership: 1848, 300; 1900, 220. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Family Hhistory Library Film # More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records— Deacons Court Minutes 1843–1908 Minutes 1843–1898 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/587.

Stonehouse United Presbyterian Church
History— Certain person’s, resident in Stonehouse applied for and obtained supply of sermon from the Associate Burgher Presbytery of Glasgow about 1783. Interest waned and supply was withdrawn, but was revived again in 1790. Shortly after, certain persons in Chapeltown, 5 miles northwest, petitioned for supply of sermon on alternate Sabbaths, which was also granted. A place of worship was built there. Eventually the church at Chapeltown was taken down and the materials moved to Stonehouse, where it was rebuilt in 1796. This congregation joined the United Secession Church in 1820. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Family Hhistory Library Film # More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records—  The extent of records is unknown.

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

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.