Duthil & Rothiemurcas, Inverness-shire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #96b (formerly in Morayshire)

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

History
DUTHIL, a parish, chiefly in the county of Elgin, but partly in that of Inverness, 2 miles (N. E. by E.) from Carr-Bridge, including the late quoad sacra district of ROTHIEMURCHUS. This place, which was anciently called Gleannchearnach, or "the heroes' glen," derived its present name from the Gaelic word Tuathil, signifying "north," on the removal of its church from a spot in the south, called Deishal. Rothiemurchus, united to Duthil in 1630, was disjoined in 1824, and formed into a separate ecclesiastical district, which is described under its own head. The church is a commodious edifice, built in 1826, and accommodating between 800 and 900 persons with sittings.

ROTHIEMURCHUS, anciently a civil parish, but now a quoad sacra parish in the parish of DUTHIL, county of Inverness, 2 miles (S.) from Aviemore. This place was formerly shrouded in wood, whence its name, which is derived from the Gaelic term Ràth á mhòr-ghiuthais, signifying "the plain of the great pines." The parish was united civilly and ecclesiastically to that of Duthil in 1630, and thus remained until 1824, when by act of parliament of the 5th of George IV., it was formed into an ecclesiastical parish. The church is to the west of the mansion-house of the Doune, and ornamented with a belt of plantation.

The parish of Rothiemurchas was joined to that of Duthil in 1625. Duthil lies north of the River Spey and Rothiemurchas lies south of the river. Before 1870, the portion of the parish north of the River Spey was within the boundaries of the county of Moray.

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 Reords
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—
Index: 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: Duthil--Regular birth records appear to have been commenced in November 1779. The entries of an earlier date are contained with one exception, on the flyleaf of the volume. Entries are slightly irregular 1810–1811. Rothiemurchas--There are many irregular entries prior to 1797. After 1807, there are four pages of irregular entries 1796–1820. The record resumes at March 1816. There is also what appears to be a copy of the record, an attempt having been made to arrange the entries in chronological order. Marriages: Duthil--No pre-1855 marriage records. Rothiemurchas--There is only one entry September 1779–February 1782, three entries September 1782–November 1787, and four entries March 1792–January 1805; no entries June 1807–December 1813 and no entry for 1815. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub.1970. British Book.

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: 

Duthil

Minutes 1820–1930 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/706.

Rothiemurchas 

Minutes and Accounts 1798–1911 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/313.

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.

Duthill Free Church
History— A congregation was formed here at the Disruption and a minister was settled in October 1843. During that winter the congregation had to worship in the open air, and the minister's health broke down. A long vacancy ensued, greatly to the detriment of the congregation. A church was erected in 1850–1851. The charge was reduced to a station in 1852; but sanction was restored in 1853. No minister was settled until1859. A gallery was added to the church in 1863. Membership: 1866, 400; 1900, 240. Source:  Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843-1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vol., pub. 1914. Film #

Records— No known pre-1855 records.

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
Duthil &amp; Rothiemurcas was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Inverness] until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Inverness. 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 Inverness-shire and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Inverness. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Inverness-shire. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Inverness-shire and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.