Kinnaird, Perthshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #368

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

History
KINNAIRD, a parish, in the county of Perth; containing the hamlets of Craigdallie, Flawcraig, Nethermains, and Pitmiddie, 4 miles (N. by W.) from Errol. The name is derived from a compound word of Celtic origin, signifying "high end or head," and is descriptive, either of the elevated site of the village, or of the high ground at the end of the estate of Kinnaird, on which stands an ancient castle. The church is large and fitted up in a comfortable manner.

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 [http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/?gclid=CLKJyYGQ4ZUCFQQCagod1gp0Ww 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: The record is of baptisms. There is a duplicate of the record for October 1649–June 1664. Two pages at 1776–1781 are incomplete. Mothers' names are not recorded until November 1727 and are seldom entered 1738–1777. Marriages: There are only eight transcribed entries of marriage contracts for 1639–1644 prior to November 1645. There are no entries for 1648. There are double records for December 1649–1664. From 1736 to 1802 except 1752–1758 and 1762–1777, the record is mixed with births for same period. There are no entries for 1802–1844, but the defect is partly supplied by a separate record of proclamation fees, or "pawns," which begins in 1684 and is continued up to 1834. Deaths: Burials are recorded until April 1662. For April 1637–March 1647 there is only one entry, for 1640. There is no record for April 1662–1709 after which date there are only Mortcloth Dues, mixed with proclamation fees, etc. 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 1633–1683, 1833–1844 Cash Book 1854–1875 Note: Available at the Dundee City Archive and Record Centre, Dundee, Scotland. Also on microfilm at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh; record CH2/418.

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 were no known nonconformist groups in this parish.

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
Kinnaird was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of St.andrews until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Dunblane. 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 Perthshire and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of St.Andrews. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Perthshire. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Perthshire and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.