Angus (or Forfarshire), Scotland Genealogy

Background
Angus (formerly Forfarshire) is a maritime county in the east of Scotland. It is bounded on the north by the counties of Aberdeen and Kincardine, on the east by the German Ocean, on the south by the Firth of Tay, and on the west by Perthshire. It is about 38 1/2 miles in length and 37 1/2 miles in extreme breadth, comprising an area of 840 square miles or 537,600 acres. The county or area was anciently called Angus after the brother of King Kenneth II to whom it was granted by the king after his victory over the Picts. It was later called Forfarshire after the county town of Forfar. [Apparently the name changed back to Angus in 1950.]

The county is comprised of fifty-five parishes and two civil districts of Forfar and Dundee. The royal burghs are Forfar, Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose, and Brechin. The market-towns are Kirriemuir and Glammis, and there are several smaller towns and villages.

The surface of the county is boldly varied. Toward the north it forms part of the Grampian range, consisting of the Binchennin hills and the Sidlaw hills. Between them is the beautiful and fertile valley of Strathmore extending nearly thirty-three miles in length. The district between the Sidlaw hills and the coast is a level tract of great fertility in the highest state of cultivation. There are also numerous rivers and lakes in the county, the former of which abound with trout and salmon, and the Lunan river with eels. About three-fifths of the land is under cultivation. The Angus-shire breed of cattle is well known and numbers of sheep of various breeds are pastured on the Grampian and Sidlaw hills. Horses are also bred. Limestone and lead and copper ore are found in the hills and ground.

The principal manufactures are the spinning of flax, the weaving of linen and other coarser fabrics, and the manufacture of fine colored thread. There are large tanneries, breweries, distilleries, and other works, and ship-building is pursued at the ports of Dundee, Arbroath, and Montrose. Salmon fisheries are in the Firth of Tay and along the coast. There are several railway lines in the county. The population of the county in 1851 was 170,520.

(Source: Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, 2nd ed., 1851.  FHL book 941 E5L.)

Parishes
Here is a list of the historic parishes of the county of Angus (formerly Forfarshire) with their parish numbers. Click on the parish name to see information about records.

Census
The Scottish government began taking censuses of its population in 1841, and every ten years there after. The records must be 100 years old before they are released to the public, so the most recent record available is for the 1911 census. Read more about Census Records.

Many census records have been indexed by surname. Some indexes cover one parish (and will be listed in the Wiki on the parish page) and some indexes are for the county as a whole. The Family History Library has county-wide census indexes for Angus for and. Click here for other census indexes available at the library.

Directories
Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland:

PO Directories Online:


 * 1846 "Angus and Mearns directory and almanac"
 * 1847 "Angus and Mearns directory and almanac"

The above directories includes the following areas:


 * Montrose
 * Forfar
 * Brechin
 * Arbroath
 * Kirriemuir

Maps
Click on the map at the right to see a larger version, and click again on the larger map. Next, click on the ‘Expand’ button when it appears in the lower right-hand corner of the map.



Click here to see an outline map of the parishes of Angus.

[Return to county list.]

Poorhouses
There were 5 workhouses in this county:


 * Arbroath and St. Vigean's Combination
 * Brechin Almshouse
 * Dundee Combination
 * Forfar
 * Kirriemuir Almshouse

A description with drawings and photos of them today along with databases of those living there from the 1881 Census are provided on the links above located on the site entitled "The Workhouse.org.uk" which is owned and operated by Peter Higginbotham.

Web Sites
Angus Archives