Dundee, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Scotland Angus  Dundee

Parish #282

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

= History =

St Mary's Church was founded in 1198. The building was wrecked by the English army in 1547 but was gradually restored. It became the parish church of Dundee in 1560. By 1788 the original building was divided into five churches, all serving the parish of Dundee. In 1822 St. David's Church was added. In 1841 the East, North, and South churches in the central building were destroyed by fire, leaving only St. Clement's known as the Steeple Church. By 1847 two of the churches, St. Mary's and St. Paul's had been restored to their places and an additional building was purchased for the third displaced church, St. John's or the Cross Church. St. Paul's and St. David's were later united. The four remaining churches had a joint Kirk Session.

St. Andrew's Church was opened in 1774; a Gaelic chapel was opened in Long Wynd in 1791 and also in 1791 the Chapelshade Church was opened. Between 1800 and 1842 nine more churches were started: St. David's, St. Peter's*, Hilltown*, St. Paul's*, Dunhope*, Wallacetown*, Lochee, St. Aidan's Broughty Ferry, and Willison*, making a total of seventeen churches. Those marked with an asterisk all seceded and joined the Free Church at the Disruption in 1843. Seven other churches lost large sections of their membership to the Free Church.

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

Here is an important 19th century historical perspective from the famed topographer, Samuel A. Lewis:

DUNDEE, a royal burgh, sea-port town, and parish, in the county of Forfar; containing part of the village of Lochee, 14 miles (S. by W.) from Forfar, and 40½ (N. by E.) from Edinburgh. This place appears to have derived its name, in ancient records Dondie, and in a charter of Queen Mary Donum Dei, from the erection of the church in the twelfth century, by David, Earl of Huntingdon, brother of King William the Lion. The parish of St. Mary comprised the rural district of the parish of Dundee, and part of the suburbs of the town. The Old and South churches, partly used by the inhabitants of St. Mary's, have since the fire been restored, and contain together about 2450 sittings, of which 1350 are in the latter. The parish of St. Paul, wholly within the town, comprised an extent of about half a mile square. The parish of the Grey Friars comprised about one-eighth part of the town and suburbs. Connected with the Established Church is a Gaelic chapel, containing 100 sittings. The parish of St. John was about half a mile in length, and of nearly equal breadth. The church, called the Cross church, containing about 1037 sittings, was destroyed in 1841 by the fire, but has been restored. The parish of St. Clement was three-quarters of a mile in length, and one-quarter of a mile in breadth. The church, called the Steeple church, was rebuilt in 1782, and contains 1463 sittings. The parish of St. David was about two miles in length, and three-quarters of a mile in breadth. The parish of St. Andrew was one mile and three-quarters in length, and three-quarters of a mile in breadth was built in 1774 and contains 1486 sittings. The parish of Chapelshade comprised nearly two square miles built originally as a Relief chapel in 1789, was united to the Established Church in 1791; it was enlarged in 1830, and contains 1280 sittings. The parish of St. Peter, comprising a portion of the parishes of St. John and St. David, separated by the presbytery in 1836, was about a mile and a half in length, and one-quarter of a mile in breadth, which contains 1120 sittings, was erected in 1836. There are also places of worship in Dundee for members of the Free Church, the United Associate Secession, Original Seceders, Baptists, Baptist-Bereans, and Pædobaptist-Bereans, Original Burghers, Episcopalians, the Society of Friends, Glassites, United Christians, "the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church," Old Scotch Independents, the New Jerusalem Church, Primitive and United Methodists, Reformed Presbyterians, the Relief Church, Wesleyans, Roman Catholics, and Unitarians. From 1842, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or a.k.a. as Mormon Church) was established here, as well.

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.

For a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the 1841-1891, click to go to the library catalog entry.

Here is a list of the library numbers for available surname indexes:

The Friends of Dundee City Archives has indexed an 1801 Census for Dundee City only.

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. A majority of the many Greater Dundee Church of Scotland chapels became Free Church chapels. Read more about church records. Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers
The original records are deposited at the National Archives in Edinburgh. Here is a list of records available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

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:

Dundee Kirk
Records— Minutes 1682–1934 Treasurers Accounts 1640–1757, 1832–1835, 1840–1844, 1852–1949 Accounts of Emoluments of Session Clerk’s Office 1770–1856 Poor Widow’s Fund Cash Book 1745–1951 Anderson Mortification Accounts 1831–1940 Counter-Foils of Proclamations of Banns 1823–1831 Note: Available at the Dundee City Archive and Record Centre, Dundee, Scotland, record CH2/1218; also on microfilm at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Chapelshade Church, Chapel of Ease
Records—                                            Family History Library Film Number Manager’s Minutes 1790–1863                  Constitution and Minutes of the      Visiting Association 1852–1854

St. David's Kirk
Records— Minutes 1834–1849, 1876–1911 Note:  Available at the Dundee City Archive and Record Centre, Dundee, Scotland. Also on microfilm at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh; record CH2/926.

Wallacetown Kirk
Records— Accounts 1839–1861 Note: Available at the Dundee City Archive and Record Centre, record CH2/958.

Lochee Kirk
Records— Various Minutes 1829–1905 Note: Available at the Dundee City Archive and Record Centre, record CH2/1268.

St. Andrew's Kirk
Records—                                                            Family History Library Book Number Baptismal Records November 1871–March 1887        Q941.31/D1 K2a Other: Committee Minutes 1771–1776, 1797–1915 Burials 1795–1808 Cash Book 1772–1908 Legal Papers 1715–1873 Note:  Available at the Dundee City Archive and Record Centre, Dundee, Scotland, record CH2/1272.

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.

General Statement: The New Statistical Account of Scotland, dated December 1833 FHL book 941 B4sa, ser. 2, vol. 11 pt. 1, states that there were in Dundee at that time three United Secession churches, one Associate Original Burgher church, one Associate Original Seceder church, one Relief chapel, one Congregational church, a meeting of Scotch Independents, a Methodist chapel, a Scotch Baptist meeting, two other Baptist parties, a large congregation of Glasites, two Epicopalian chapels, and a Roman Catholic chapel. The Free Presbyterian congregations would have been founded after the Disruption in 1843.

The Friends of the Dundee City Archives has created the following transcriptions for ancestral research:

Gilfillan Church Baptisms: 1879-1951

Wesleyan Chapel Methodist Baptisms: 1765-1898

Dudhope Church Admissions: 1867-1874

Hilltown Free Church Baptisms: 1846-1893

'''For more information on Dundee nonconformist churches and their records, click 'here'. '''

Cemetery Records
The Friends of the Dundee City Archives and the Tay Valley Family History Society worked together to create the database of individuals buried in Howff Cemetery, along with the following:

Dundee council graveyards:


 * St. Aiden's Church, Broughty Ferry Burials: 1821-1959
 * St. Peters Free Church Burials: 1837-1846
 * Logie
 * Roodyards

Civil Registration Church
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.

Directories
The Friends of Dundee City Archives has created the following transcripts for ancestral research:

Dundee Directories


 * 1782
 * 1818
 * 1840
 * 1850
 * 1872

Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland, Post Office Directories are avilable online. The directories available for Dundee in either PDF format or viewable online are:

Emmigration/Immigration
The Friends of Dundee City Archives has created the following transcriptions for ancestral research:

Aliens List (Foreign Nationals): 1917-1948

NOTE: This link is to the page this database is on, one has to scroll down to access the alphabetical lists in PDF format.

Land
The Friends of Dundee City Archives has created the following transcriptions for ancestral research:

Register of Deeds: 1661-1670

Register of Sassines: 1831

NOTE: The link above is to the page this database is on, one has to scroll down to access the alphabetical list of the above 2 databases in PDF format.

Maps

An 1821 Map of Dundee provided by the National Library of Scotland Website.

Military
The Black Watch: 5th (Angus &amp; Dundee) Battalion : Brechin War Memorial

Occupation
The Friends of Dundee City Archives has created the following transcriptions for ancestral research:

Burgess Roll 1513-2009 'The Lockit Book of Dundee'

Note: This link is to the page this database is on, one has to scroll down to access the alphabetical lists in PDF format.

The Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee website don by the Dundee City Archives. This is an ongoing project to transcribe the records of the following nine crafts:


 * Baker
 * Cordiner
 * Glover
 * Tailer
 * Bonnet Maker
 * Flesher
 * Hammerman
 * Weaver
 * Dyer

Their records are helo in Lockit books and recorded everyone who was admitted as a Master to that trade from the opening of the book to the present day along with all the rules, acts and statues of the trade. Further descriptions and information are available on the website.

Poorhouse Records
The Friends of Dundee City Archives has created the following transcriptions for ancestral research:

Dundee Poorhouse Records


 * Introduction &amp; Establishment of the Dundee East Poorhouse
 * Dundee East Poorhouse
 * Liff &amp; Benvie Poorhouse
 * Explanations of Poor Data
 * Daily Life in the Poorhouse
 * Liff &amp; Benvie Register of Poor: 1854-1865
 * Inmates of the Poor House in the Dundee Census Records

Probate Records
Dundee 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 Dundee. 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 Angus 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 Angus. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Angus and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

School Records
The Friends of Dundee City Archives has created the following transcriptions for ancestral research:

Old School Records


 * The High School of Dundee: Selected Admission Records - Boys 1880-1907
 * The High School of Dundee: Selected Admission Records - Girls 1902-1904
 * The High School of Dundee: Selected Admission Records - Art School 1871-1876
 * Morgan Hospital (Academy): 1868-1878
 * Cowgate School: 1899-1910
 * Ann Street Primary School: 1893-1897

Societies

 * Tay Valley Family History Society

Voting Rolls
The Friends of Dundee have transcribed The 1865-1866 Voters Rolls for Dundee. The link is to the page this database is on, one has to scroll down to access the alphabetical lists in PDF format.

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

= References =

Return to Angus Parishes