Whittinghame, East Lothian, Scotland Genealogy

Parish # 724

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

= History =

Available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Browse the scanned pages via the parish reports.

= 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.

= Church Records =

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers
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 on computer at the Family History Library and family history centers. Some records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: Births and marriages are intermixed 1627–1663. Records are blank excluding a few entries for 1643 May 1640–October 1659. Births are also blank February 1663–October 1668, March 1723–March 1724, August 1729–January 1733, and December 1757–June 1771. Corners of leaves prior to 1700 are wasted rendering entries imperfect. Marriages: Marriage records are blank January 1663–October 1668, and December 1692–May 1694. There are no entries December 1715–January 1717 they are defective 1718–1733, and blank October 1757–August 1771. The corners of leaves 1668–1715 are wasted, rendering entries imperfect. A large proportion of the marriages recorded after 1717, are irregular. 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 he 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 1674–1790, 1694–1702, 1717–1758 - with accounts, 1777–1780, 1806–1875 Cash 1759–1854 Proclamations 1854–1939 Poor Accounts 1800–1801, 1833–1850 Road Trustees, Minutes and Accounts Statute Labor 1818–1864 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/372.

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.

There are none.

= 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 =

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to the East Lothian Parish list.