Barony, Lanarkshire, Scotland Genealogy

Barony (#622)

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

History
The BARONY civil and ecclesiastical parish was separated in 1595 from the burgh of Glasgow, which previously formed the only parish, including both the royalty and the barony; it contains a great portion of the suburbs and parliamentary borough, with a wide rural district, and is eight miles and a half in length and four and a half in breadth. Previously to 1800, the crypt of the cathedral was appropriated as the place of worship of this parish, but in that year the present church was erected, and in 1830 it was repaired and enlarged. There are numerous places of worship for members of the Free Church, and also for Baptists, Burghers, Independents, Reformed Presbyterians, the United Secession, and Unitarians, and an episcopal chapel.

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 Barony. 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:

All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use it, you must register and pay a small access fee. 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 and their FamilySearch Library call number.

Condition of Original Registers—
Indexed: For an index to these records see the Scottish Church Records index on computer at the FamilySearch Library and family history centers. Some records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: There are no birth entries, except six, May 1687–May 1689, December 1698–June 1699. Five irregular entries for 1679–1689 are at the part where the first mentioned blanks occur. Marriages: There are no entries January 1688–June 1689 and July 1698–July 1699. Deaths: A record of persons interred in the Old Barony Church and Aisle extending to twenty pages folded into quarters. (See note applicable to Barony and Glasgow, #644.) 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 1699–1900 Scroll Minutes 1699, 1779–1780 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/173.

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.

See Glasgow

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.

Poor Law Records
Prior to 1845, the care of the poor was the joint responsibility of the kirk session and the heritors (local landowners). Beginning in 1845, parochial boards were responsible and they collected funds from property taxes rather than church collections and contributions from heritors. The New Poor Law system took a while to be fully accepted in all areas of the country, though in some areas civil responsibility was practiced from the 1830's. (For further information, see the Wiki article on Scotland Poorhouses, Poor Law, Etc.)

The Barony had a parochial board of its own until it was united with Glasgow in 1861. The records for the Barony before that date do not seem to survive, but those compiled after the union do. Registers of applications for relief for 1867-1898 (though there are some gaps in records) are on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library and are listed in the library in two collections.

An index has been created to the Glasgow area applications for relief that is available as a searchable database on computer at the Glasgow City Archives, Mitchell Library, in Glasgow. Once a search is made in the index and a reference is found, the appropriate register can be ordered. After a short wait, you can view the original register in the archive's search room. You can read all about the search room rules by clicking here.

Probate Records
Barony 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 FamilySearch 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.