Lochlee, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #303

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

History
LOCHLEE, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 22 miles (N. W.) from Brechin; containing the hamlet of Tarfside. This place derives its name from the river Lee, which passes through a loch of considerable size near its centre. The church, built in 1803, and enlarged in 1824, is adapted for a congregation of nearly 300 persons. There is an episcopal chapel.

The parish was disjoined from Lethnot in 1723. The population in 1831 was 553.

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 is only one entry for 1771 and one entry December 1773–March 1775. There are irregular entries 1816–1818. Mothers' names are not recorded until October 1783. Marriages: Record of proclamations and marriages 1731–1809 are mixed with other matters in volume two. Entries December 1783–September 1805 are mixed with births for the same period, and almost every entry for that period is attested by both the minister and session clerk. There is a separate record from October 1809. Deaths: Entries are burials until 1792. They are blank November 1792–July 1808, after which deaths and burials are recorded. There is no entry for 1809 and there are a few entries of sums paid for burials in the church, Mortcloth Dues and payment for coffins to the poor which occur mixed up with marriages after 1736. 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 and Accounts 1775–1840, 1842–1932 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/455

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.

Lochlee Free Church
History— This congregation was formed of those who came out of the Parish Church at the Disruption. They met for worship, conducted by preachers and catechists, in the Free Masons Lodge. The charge was sanctioned in 1845. Lord Panmure would grant no site, but advantage was taken of permission to build a shepherd's cottage on the farm of Baillies to make a room in which worship could be held. This was in 1845. In 1857–1858 church and manse were erected. Membership: 1854, 168; 1900, 119. 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— Private Registration Book of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1837–1841 Session Minutes 1849–1932 Account Book 1848–1832 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/218

Lochlee Episcopal Church
History— The New Statistical Account of Scotland, FHL book 941 B4sa, ser. 2, vol. 11 pt. 1 dated December 1833, states that there was an Episcopalian chapel in Lochlee parish to which 25 families, or about 113 individuals, attended. Steele’s Sources for Scottish Genealogy and Family History indicates that Episcopacy was strong in Angus after the Revolution of 1689, so a chapel may have been in existence for centuries. However, during the 18th century the Episcopalians were persecuted and repressed and many chapels were closed and burned. Today, the chapel is again closed.

Records— A copy of the Lochlee register from 1727 is available at: Brechin Diocesan Library University of Dundee Library Archive Department Dundee DD1 4HN Scotland The originals have not been traced, and later registers appear to be missing.

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
Lochlee 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.