Dalmeny, West Lothian, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland West Lothian  Dalmeny

Parish #665

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

= History =

DALMENY, a parish, in the county of Linlithgow; including the village of Craigie, 1¼ mile (S. E.) from Queensferry. This place, in ancient records styled Dumanie, is supposed to have derived that name, of Celtic origin, signifying black heath, from the appearance of the greater portion of its surface at that period. The parish is bounded on the north by the Frith of Forth. The church is an ancient structure in the Saxon style, of which it is a very elegant specimen. It was repaired in 1816, and contains 350 sittings. The church of Auldcathie is in ruins. There is a place of worship for members of the United Associate Synod.

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.

Click to see the Family History Library Catalog entry for the 1841-1891 census records of Dalmeny, as well as the catalog entry for any 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 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 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. Marriages: There are no entries for January 1630–May 1679. From June 1682, the marriages for each year are recorded after the baptisms for the same year. In 1778 separate records are begun. Deaths: Burials are Mortcloth Dues prior to 1686. There are no further entries until December 1754, after which both deaths and burials are recorded. There are only three entries for November 1781–January 1793 and only eight entries after July 1794: two for 1814, and one each for 1816, 1822, 1827, 1829, 1851, and 1853. 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 Kirk 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:

Various Minutes and Accounts 1669–1677, 1691–1973 Testimonials 1700–1771 School Records 1792–1817, 1834–1860 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/86.

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 were no known nonconformist groups in this parish. Search neighboring parishes.

= 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 =

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

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

= References =

Return to the West Lothian Parish List.