Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland Genealogy

Hamilton (#647)

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

History
HAMILTON, a parish, burgh, and market-town, in the Middle ward of the county of Lanark, including the village of Fernigair, 11 miles (S. E. by E.) from Glasgow, and 38 (W. S. W.) from Edinburgh. This place appears to have been distinguished at a very early period, as a royal residence, under the appellation of Cadzow, of which name, however, the origin and signification are now unknown. The town is situated on a tract of elevated ground, about a mile from the confluence of the Avon with the Clyde. The present parish church, situated nearly in the centre of the town, is a handsome structure of circular form, and is adapted to a congregation of 800. A second church in connexion with the Establishment, and capable of containing 1021 persons, has been lately erected; but this building is now in the hands of members of the Free Church. The Episcopalians in the neighbourhood have formed themselves into a congregation. The Roman Catholics have erected a chapel; and there are two congregations of the Relief, one in Muir-street, and the other in Brandon-street; also places of worship for Antiburghers, New Light Burghers, Old Independents, and a tabernacle in connexion with the Congregational Union.

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 Hamilton. 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 Family History Library microfilm numbers for the

Below is information for any known surname indexes:

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 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.

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 be indexed in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/5 International Genealogical Index. ] Births: There are no birth entries August 1684–July 1686 and February 1696–September 1699. There is a separate list of children baptized in the meeting house 1689–1691. There is a page lost with entries for September 1705–March 1706. Three pages at 1755–1756, one at 1759 and one at 1766 have entries partially destroyed. There are nine entries of one family 1762–1779 after October 1781. Irregular entries are frequent after 1800. Marriages: There are marriage proclamations until 1695, but the fact of marriage is frequently not added 1665–1671. There are no entries September 1683–July 1686 and December 1688–January 1690, and January 1696–August 1704 there is only one. At that part is a register of marriages extracted from a register which was kept during Episcopacy, given into my hands by Alexander Miller, Maltman in Hamilton, November 1687–January 1691. It consists of eighty four entries and is subscribed by Mr. Robert Robertson, one of the teachers of the grammar school in Hamilton. There are no entries November 1705–December 1709. Two pages at 1756–1757 are incomplete. After January 1766, the record again becomes one of proclamations. Deaths: Record is of burials. There are no entries, except for two, October 1656–1662; December 1673–January 1673; and October 1685–October 1692, and there is a page of entries April–June 1688. The records end February 1714. 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: 

St. John’s Kirk Sessions
Minutes 1836–1842 Scroll Minutes 1841–1843 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/742.

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.

St. John’s Free Church
History— The minister of this church and his congregation adhered to the Free Church in 1843. After the Disruption at a meeting of subscribers towards the erection of the church the building was handed over to the trustees who held it on behalf of the congregation. A school was erected. It was acquired by the North British Railway Company in 1880. St. John’s school was taken over by the School Board in1898. West and Low Waters congregation were off shoots of St. John’s. Membership: 1848, 320; 1900, 489. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Family History Library Film. More details may be given in the source including a list of ministers.

Records— Baptismal Register 1843–1935 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/680.

Hamilton Roman Catholic Church
History— This area was served from Glasgow from before 1829. See that parish for earlier records. The church at Hamilton was founded in 1841 and dedicated to St. Mary in 1843. Source: Catholic Missions and Registers, 1700–1880: Vol. 6 Scotland, by Michael Gandy, pub. 1993. Family History Library Ref. Book Vol. 6.

Records—  Baptisms 1841–1905 Marriages 1845–1906 Note: Available online for a fee, at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk,, record RH21/4.

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.

Directories
Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland, Post Office Directories are avilable online. The directories available for Hamilton are:

1855-56, 1862: These are available in either PDF format or viewable online.

Probate Records
Hamilton was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Hamilton and Campsie 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 Family History 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 Hamilton and Campsie. 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.