Interkeithny, Banffshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #158

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

History
INVERKEITHNY, a parish, in the county of Banff, 10 miles (N. E.) from Huntly. This place takes its name from the large burn of Keithny, which here falls into the river Doveran, on the south side whereof the parish lies. The church, a very plain edifice, stands in a narrow vale, near the bank of the Doveran.

This parish is situated on the south side of the river Doveran. It is bounded on the south and west by Forgue; on the east, by Turriff and Auchterless; and on the north, by Marnoch.

The population in 1801 was 503 people and in 1841 it was 686.

In regards to the Parochial Registers there were registers of "baptisms, marriages, and funerals, begun in 1721, but kept with no great regularity."

The number of families in the parish belonging to the Established Church were 90; a few Episcopalian families; and Catholic family.

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 Interkeithny. 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 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 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.

Established Church—Old Parochial Registers
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: One page at the beginning of the record contains five entries dated 1734–1750; there are also seven pages of irregular entries dated 1768–1837 after the record for 1819. Marriages: There are no entries July 1722–July 1724; December 1768–May 1770; and December 1798–August 1827, except four entries for April and May 1802 and one for November 1806. There is only one entry for February 1792–June 1795 and three entries for August 1772–April 1777. Deaths: Mortcloth Dues 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: 

None are available.

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.

None are available.

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
Interkeithny was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Moray until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Banff. 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 Banff 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 Banff. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Banff and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.