Crichton, Midlothian, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #681

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

History
CRICHTON, a parish, in the county of Edinburgh; including the village of Pathhead, and part of Faladam, 2 miles (S.) from Ford. This place is of considerable antiquity, and was known to the Romans. The church, which is a fine ancient structure in the form of a cross, was the collegiate church; it has been thoroughly repaired and will accommodate 600 persons. At Pathhead is a place of worship for seceders.

The river Tyne takes its rise in the upper part of the parish and then flows east through the county of Haddington, Around the Castle of Crichton a great number of glow-worms are here in the summer. On the Longfaugh property there are very perfect remains of a Roman camp. The stand on a rising ground with an extensive view. The registers have been kept regularly since 1687. The population in 1801 was 923, and in 1831 it was 1163. The land is primarily used for grain, potatoes, turnips and hay. Pathhead is the principle village in the parish. The number of families in the Established Church is 189. The number of Dissenters in the parish are 79 families. The number of Dissenting families may be influenced by the fact that the Dissenting church building is in the villiage, and the Established Church building is 2 miles out of town.

This account was written in 1839.

Source: New Statistical Account of Scotland (FHL book 941 B4sa, series 2 vol. 1

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 Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Crichton, 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.

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 be indexed in the international Genealogical Index. Births: Except for seven entries, March 1682–January 1683, transcribed from the session register and a fragment of a page January–August 1689, there is no record until August 1690. Between February and June 1697 are irregular or draft entries, 1710–1745, on fifteen pages. After record for 1817 are sixteen pages of irregular entries 1781–1805. There is a copy of entries January 1818–December 1819. Marriages: Prior to May 1683 there are only transcribed entries of proclamation fees. There are no entries August 1689–August 1690. Previous to December 1696, proclamations and marriages are separately recorded. There are no entries, except 32 transcribed entries of proclamation fees and irregular marriages, 1763–1769, September 1763–November 1770. There is a copy or duplicate of entries December 1816–January 1820. Deaths: Transcribed entries of Mortcloth Dues etc., until 1818. There is only one entry October 1687–June 1693, none for December 1696–November 1724, December 1818–1843, after which, there are burials. 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:

Extent of records is unknown.

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.

Ormiston and Pathhead Free Church
History— The minister and congregation at Ormiston “came out” in 1843. The church was erected in 1843–1844. The minister of Heriot and some of his people also adhered to the Free Church at the Disruption. No site for a church could be obtained at Heriot, so a congregation was formed at Pathhead and a church built. When the minister retired in 1861, Pathhead was reduced to a station. In 1866 the Free Church minister of Ormiston also retired, and the two congregations were united under one minister. A vacancy occurred in 1873 and in 1874 both were reduced to stations. In 1874 sanction was restored to Ormiston. Pathhead was entirely suppressed. Membership: Ormiston 1848, 151; 1900, 149. Pathhead 1848, 140 Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. FHL Film #918572. More details may be given in the source including ministers.

Records— Baptismal Register 1843–1936 Session and Deacons’ Court Minutes 1843–1936 Communion Roll 1844–1936 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/251 and 381.

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