Bedrule, Roxburghshire, Scotland Genealogy

Bedrule (#782)

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

History
BEDRULE, a parish, in the district of Jedburgh, county of Roxburgh, 3 miles (S. W.) from Jedburgh containing the villages of Newtown and Rewcastle. This place derives its name from its situation on the small but rapid and impetuous river Rule, whose waters, impeded in their progress by fragments of loosened rock, pursue their course with tumultuous noise. The church, erected about 1805, is a substantial edifice, situated on the summit of a steep bank, and is adapted for 140 persons. The Statistical Accounts of Scotland, 1791-1845 at Edina, University of Edinburgh, are reports, generally written by parish ministers, which offer 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 Statistical Account of Scotland, 1791-1799. Ed. by John Sinclair. Wakerfield, England: EP Publishing Limited, [197?]. ; (*) - images. Online at: Electric Scotland.
 * The New Statistical Account of Scotland, 1834-1845. Edinburgh, Scotland: William Blackwood and Sons, 1845. Online at:.
 * Mather, Alexander S., ed. The Third Statistical Account of Scotland. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins of Glasgow, 1987. - 3rd Series.

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:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on ScotlandsPeople ($). Registration is required and there is a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on this website.

Church Records
The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about Scotland Church Records.

Condition of Original Registers
Indexed: For an index to these records, see ScotlandsPeople ($), a pay-for-view website. The Scottish Church Records Index is also still available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Intermixed with marriages and other matters throughout. Mothers' names are not recorded in entries. Marriages: Intermixed with other matters and births throughout. No entries June 1748–February 1751. 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.

Surviving Kirk session records for this parish: 

None.

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.

No known nonconformist groups.

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
Bedrule was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Peebles until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Jedburgh. Probate records for 1513-1901 are indexed online at ScotlandsPeople ($). Registration is required, but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills & Testaments,' is free. Copies of documents may be purchased, 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 Roxburgh and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Peebles. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Roxburgh. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Roxburgh and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

See parish of Cavers.