Carmunnock, Lanarkshire, Scotland Genealogy

Carmunnock (#631)

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

History
CARMUNNOCK, a parish, in the Lower ward of the county of Lanark; 5 miles (S.) from Glasgow. The name of this place is supposed to have been derived from the compound Gaelic word Caer-mannock, signifying "the monk's fort." The church, which is situated in the middle of the village, was built in 1767, and repaired in 1838; it is a neat and convenient structure, and seats about 450 persons. There is a dissenters 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 Carmunnock. 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 and 1911 censuses of Scotland are indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use these, you must register and pay a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1911, 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 with their Family History Library call numbers.

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 entries November 1655–January 1688, from which date to February 1695 the entries are intermixed with the marriages for same period. There are no entries February 1695–December 1733, December 1734–December 1737, April 1739–February 1741, September 1745–August 1751, January 1752–May 1765, and September 1781–October 1783. There is one page of irregular entries, 1775–1795, at November 1795. Entries are frequently out of order of time after 1810. There are four entries 1818–1820 after the marriages for February 1780. Mothers’ names are not recorded until 1785. Marriages: There are no marriage entries August 1656–January 1688, from which date, until February 1695, the record is intermixed with entries of births and other matters. There are three entries of marriages for 1836 on the pages before the burials for 1783. Deaths: Burials, except for one entry for 1821, the record ends April 1790. 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 1692–1888 Cash Book 1744–1791, 1819–1848 Communion Roll 1635–1902 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/58.

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.

There are none.

Civil Registration Record
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
Carmunnock 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 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 Glasgow. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Lanark. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Larnark and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.