Birnie, Moray, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #127

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

= History =

This parish, in some old writings, is called “Brenuth”. Shaw derives it from Brenoth, i.e. a “brae”, or “high land”. It is bounded on the east, north, and west, by the parish of Elgin, and is separated from the parish of Knockando on the south by the junction of the parishes of Dallas and Rothes. Birnie lies on the north side of the high ground which rises between the Spey and the flat of Moray.

The Right Honorable the Earl of Seafield is sole proprietor of Birnie.

The population of Birnie in 1755 was 525 souls, and by 1831 increased to 408.

The parish of Birnie contains, by measurement, 5784 Scots acres. The produce that is raised in the parish is, grains of all kinds, potatoes, turnips, and flax.

The Bishop’s Church was first at Birnie, afterwards at Keneddar, then at Spynie, and last of all at Elgin. About forty years ago, the foundations of an extensive building were dug up in the corner of a field, which had formerly the name of Castlehill. On this site likely stood the ancient Episcopal residence. The present church is probably the oldest place of worship now used in the country.

The church, the only place of public worship within the parish, is not centrically placed for the population, being six miles distant from the southern boundary. There is no tradition as to the time when it was erected; its interior was repaired in 1817, and affords legal accommodation for 253 persons. The whole of the seats, (except a gallery, erected by the kirk-session, and let for behoof of the poor,) are allocated to the different farms, and are often found to be given not in proportion to the number of individuals that reside on these divisions of the parish.

The parish registers do not reach beyond the last century. At the first meeting of the kirk-session after the battle of Culloden, there is the following entry in the handwriting of the incumbent, who had made himself so obnoxious to the Jacobites, that he was obliged to go south to meet the Duke of Cumberland for protection. “Birny, 16th June 1746. The collections since last distribution (December 1745) amounted to no more than seven Ls. Nine sh. (Scots), occasioned by the rebels, their having been so long in the country.”

This account was written September 1835.

Source: The New Statistical Account of Scotland for Birnie, FHL book 941 B4sa, 2nd series, vol. 13.

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 you are interested in. Also available at the Family History Library.

= 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 census records of Birnie 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 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 the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: There are no entries for 1732–1742. The entries are very irregular in point of dates, especially before 1755. There is a duplicate of the portion for 1766–1780. Marriages: There are only two entries for 1715, then no entries until 1720 and again none for December 1722–June 1744. There are only 25 entries June 1744–June 1774, five entries 1776–1783, and no others until February 1784. There is one entry for 1786, only two for 1789, one entry each for 1799 and 1800, two entries for June 1803–August 1806, no entries for 1818, and only one entry for 1819. Deaths: Mortcloth dues begin on page 103 of the register of marriages and after page 105 are continued on page 96. There are no entries for 1730–1745 or 1749–1767. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. FHL 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:

Other: Proclamations 1855–1900 Minutes 1737–1741, 1786–1789, fragments Accounts 1718–1841 Baptisms 1855–1900 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/36.

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 are 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 =

Birnie was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Moray until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Elgin. 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' of Moray and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Moray.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Moray. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Moray and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to Moray parish list.