Panbride, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #316

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

History
PANBRIDE, a parish, in the county of Forfar; containing the villages or hamlets of East Haven, Gallowlaw, Muirdrum, Newtown of Panbride, and West Haven, 6 miles (S. W. by W.) from Arbroath. This place derived its name, in the Celtic language signifying "the town of St. Bride," probably from the dedication of its church to that saint. The church is a very ancient, and was originally a cruciform, structure: by the removal of the transepts, however, and other alterations, its external character has been destroyed, and the interior of what remains displays no elegant architectural details. It was repaired in 1775, and is adapted for a congregation of 600 persons. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.

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.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the 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.

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 blank records. Mothers' names are recorded throughout. After May 1807, the entries are tabulated. Marriages: Contracts and proclamations are intermixed with other matters. Death: Previous to 1823 the death record is limited to occasional entries of Mortcloth Dues, and of funeral expenses of the poor, mixed with the entries of proclamations and marriages. 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: 

No known pre-1855 records.

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.

Panbride Free Church
History— This congregation was formed immediately after the disruption. For ten years they were refused a site for a place of worship. They met at first in a barn, then in a wooden church erected in 1844. In 1854 a church was opened. The manse was built in 1859. In 1887 the church was partially burned. It was repaired and enlarged in 1888. Membership: 1848, 202; 1900, 308. 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.

Records— Minutes 1841–1901 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/975.

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