St. Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #488

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

= History =

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 Family History Library.

= 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 census records of St. Ninians, 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.

Established Church Old Parochial Registers
Click here to go to the Family History Library Catalog entry for the Established Church records for St. Ninians, covering the years 1643-1854.

Condition of Original Registers
Indexed: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index on computer at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index.

Births: The birth record is tabulated throughout. From May 1660–May 1670 witnesses’ names are not recorded, but residence of parents is stated instead. From 1677–1682, both are usually given, and again after 1688. Leaves prior to 1687 are damaged. They are blank January 1687–March 1688; two leaves may have been lost. Records are somewhat irregular and defective after 1774; blank spaces being left apparently for expected entries. Marriages: Records are blank March 1719–November 1725, and January 1754–May 1774. After 1749, the fact of marriage is seldom added to the entry of proclamation.

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:

Various Minutes - indexed 1653–1878 Poors’ Accounts 1745–1754, 1757–1773, 1783–1826 Monthly Pensioners’ Roll 1757–1766 Accounts of Extra Money 1814–1836 Accounts 1826–1865 Mortcloth Accounts 1760–1782, 1821–1856 Note: Available at the Stirling Council Archives, Stirling, Scotland, record CH2/337.

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.

Bannockburn Free Church
History— The minister and nearly all the congregation of the Church Extension charge here “came out” in 1843. The manse, which was private property, was retained for the Free Church; but the church was taken by the Established Church in 1849. A new church was then erected the tower being added later. Membership: 1848, 420; 1900, 314 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 ministers.

Records— Minutes 1843–1886 Deacons’ Court Minutes 1844–1893 Bannockburn Church of Scotland Managers’ Minutes 1839–1843 Building Fund Accounts 1849–1854 Communion Roll 1841–1878 Church of Scotland 1841–1843 Note: Available at the Stirling Council Archives, Stirling, Scotland, record CH3/681.

St. Ninian’s Free Church
History— The minister of St. Ninians, and considerable congregation, “came out” in 1843. The worshiped in the open air until their church was opened in September of that year. The manse was purchased in 1847. A new church was erected in 1885. Emigration and the failure of the nail industry tended to reduce the population. Membership: 1870, 166; 1900, 271 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 ministers.

Records— Minutes 1843–1848 Deacons’ Court Minutes 1843–1881 Note: Available at the Stirling Council Archives, Stirling, Scotland, record CH3/574.

Saint Ninian’s Relief Church
History— When the church and parish of St. Ninian’s became vacant in 1766, the whole of the parishioners and all but one of the elders were against the presentee. When he was admitted against their wishes seven years later, they withdrew from the Established Church and applied to the Relief Presbytery of Glasgow to be taken under their inspection as a forming congregation, which was done. A church was built in 1773. This congregation apparently joined the United Presbyterian church when the majority of Relief congregations did so in 1847. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records— Managers’ Minutes 1822–1835 Collector’s Book 1796, 1799–1811 Society of Religious Purposes Minutes 1835–1844 List of Names 1849–1850 Receipts for Payments of Stipend 1774–1800 Note: Available at the Stirling Council Archives, Stirling, Scotland, record CH3/575.

= 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 =

St. Ninians 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' 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' of Stirling and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

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