Drainie, Moray, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #130 (formerly Lossiemouth, Kinneddar)

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

= History =

Drainie comprehends the ancient and united parishes of Kineder, a parsonage; and Ogston, a mensal church. Ogston was disjoined from St. Andrews and annexed to Kineder in 1642. The church of the united parish was built about 1666, near the mansion-house, and on the estate of Drainie, and thereby gave name to the united parish.

The etymology of Kineder is evidently Celtic ( ceaneder, signifying a peninsula or point between the Moray Firth and lake of Spynie,) but the derivation of Drainie, like its ancient territory, is fiercely disputed between the modern Celts and Picts.

This parish, as its ancient name imports, is a peninsula; bounded on the north, by the Moray Frith; on the south, by the lake of Spynie; on the east, by the river Lossie; and on the west, by the parish of Duffus.

Elgin, to which there is an excellent toll road, was till the introduction of steam boats, almost the only mart for the little traffic to this parish. There is a daily post, and the runner and post master are paid by the Government.

Of the history of Moray, little is known prior to the reign of Malcolm II, and that little only records incessant insurrections and rebellions. Of Danish or Norwegian origin, the Picts of Moray hated and resisted the Celtic dynasty. After the establishment of Episcopacy in Moray, the bishops were the only proprietors of Kinnedder and Ogston, from the time of Malcolm II down to that of the unfortunate Mary.

Sir Robert Gordon, the first Gordonston, claims a niche among the historians of the north. He is author of the History of the Family and Earldom of Sutherland. He was the second son of the Earl of Sutherland, and the great-grandfather to Sir Robert Gordon, who claimed the honor and titles of Sutherland.

The population in 1791 amounted to 1040; in the year 1821 it was 1060, and in 1831 to 1296.

In the villages of Stotfield and Lossiemouth, there are forty-six families of fishermen, consisting of seventy men and twenty-five boys. These put to sea forty-five fishing-boats, nineteen of which are for herring, and twenty-six for white-fish.

A new and elegant church was built in 1823. It is centrical for the parish, but too far from Lossiemouth and Stotfield, where the population is rapidly increasing, and at present constitutes the majority of inhabitants. The church may accommodate 700. Most of the sittings are free, and rent only exacted where there is a competition for from seats. There are no chapels of ease, nor chapels of any denomination. The parish church is well attended. There are by few Dissenters, and these attend some of the Seceding or Dissenting Chapel at Elgin. No mention is made is this account of church records being kept for the parish.

This account was written February 1842.

Source: The New Statistical Account of Scotland for Drainie, FHL book 941 B4sa, 2nd series, vol 13.

 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 edina.($) Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish you are interested in. 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 scotlandspeople.($) 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 the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. Some of these records may be indexed and searchable on familysearch.org.

Births: There are no entries for February 1650–January 1666, except two for 1660. A portion of the pages for September 1713 and September 1717 has been destroyed. The register was carefully kept. Marriages: There are only two entries for 1668. There are no entries for October 1720–January 1722 and only two for 1730. Deaths: There are no entries for April 1711–December 1713, December 1753–February 1755, or May 1778–August 1779. 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:  Minutes 1666–1869 Cash Book 1780–1802 - includes poor fund accounts Poor Fund Accounts 1803–1815 Collections, Mortcloth Dues 1781–1832 Baptismal Register 1855–1893 Stotfield and Burghead; Widows' Fund Mangers' Minutes 1807–1842. Census of the Parish 1801, 1811, 1821 Poor Fund Accounts 1801–1899 Accounts 1815–1847 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/384.

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.

Lossiemouth Free Church formerly Drainie Free Church
History—  This congregation joined the Free Church at the time of the Disruption. The charge was sanctioned in April 1844. They built a church in 1845 and a manse in 1849. Another church was erected in 1856, and when this building burned, a new church was built in1888. Membership: 1854, 138; 1900, 243. 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 are given in the source.

Records— Deacons’ Court Minutes 1845 1925 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/745.

Lossiemouth United Presbyterian Church
History—  The villages of Lossiemouth and Stotfield, a mile apart, are two to three miles from the parish church. For close to 20 years, they were not visited officially by a parochial minister and enjoyed only occasional visits from the Independent and Secession ministers. The United Associate Presbytery of Elgin organized them into an official congregation in September 1840, and their church building was completed in 1841. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. FHL Film #477618.

Records—  The extent of records is unknown.

= 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 =

Drainie was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Moray until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Elgin. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at scotlandspeople.($) 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 Moray and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Moray.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Moray. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Moray and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to Moray parish list.