Kirkurd, Peeblesshire, Scotland Genealogy

Kirkurd (#764)

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

History
KIRKURD, a parish, in the county of peebles, 6½ miles (N. E.) from Biggar. This place derives its name from the situation of its church on an eminence, urd being the Celtic for a height. The church, built in 1766, and conveniently situated for the population, is a neat and substantial edifice adapted for a congregation of 300 persons. The members of the Free Church have a 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 Kirkurd. 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 also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: Births are intermixed with marriages until 1794. No entries exist 1707–1718 and 1738–1742. After March 1794, separate records are kept. Mothers' names are not recorded. Marriages: Marriages are intermixed with births until 1794. No entries 1707–1718 and 1738–1742. After March 1794, separate records are kept. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues are intermixed with births and marriages, 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 1779–1793, 1844–1845, 1847, 1853 Cash Book 1794–1878 Heritors' Minutes, transcript 1836–1934 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/233.

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.

Kirkurd, Blyth Bridge Free Church
History— The minister of this parish with his congregation left the Established Church in 1843. They met first in the old mansion house of Scotston. A site for a church building was donated in Newlands where a church and manse were soon built. The population of this rural area diminished in time. Membership: 1848, 173; 1900, 131. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records—                                              FHL Film Number  Session Minutes   1850–1871      1562924 item 2 Other: Deacons' Court Minutes 1844–1934 Communion Roll 1850–1934 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/202.

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.

Church Records
Kirkurd was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Peebles until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Peebles. 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 librarycatalog for the 'Place-names' of Peebles and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Peebles. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Peebles. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Peebles and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to the Peeblesshire parish list.