Arngask, Fife, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #404

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

History
ARNGASK, a parish, in the counties of Fife, Kinross, and Perth, 6 miles (N. N. E.) from Kinross; containing the villages of Damhead and Duncrivie. This parish constitutes a portion of the Ochil hills, and is situated around the junction of the counties of Perth, Fife, and Kinross, at Damhead. The church, pleasantly and conveniently situated, is a plain substantial edifice, built in 1806, and contained, previously to 1821, 240 sittings, at which period 140 additional sittings were obtained, by the erection of galleries.

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 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
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: Births are intermixed with proclamations, marriages, burials and Mortcloth Dues prior to 1711. No entries are recorded September 1699–December 1704. Births are again intermixed with marriages 1711–1747. A separate record of births begins after January 1748. Except for January 1748–January 1752, mother's names are not recorded. Marriages: Marriages are intermixed with baptisms, proclamations, burials, and Mortcloth Dues prior to 1711. Marriages are again intermixed with births 1711–1747. No entries of marriages September 1699–December 1704; November 1730–July 1732. Deaths: Deaths are intermixed with baptisms, proclamations and marriages prior to 1711. From 1711–1748, proclamations, burials and Mortcloth Dues are intermixed with other matters. A separate record of deaths and burials for April 1748–May 1753 are on a page at the end of volume three. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. Family History Library 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:

Minutes 1780–1943 Elder's Formula 1702–1938 Poor Fund Minutes 1827–1845 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/485.

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 Lists.

Arngask Free Church
History— This congregation was formed by the local Free Church adherents immediately after the Disruption in 1843, with services being arranged for by the Presbytery of Perth. The church was built in Glenfarg in 1844. Some who formerly worshiped at Milnathort joined the congregation here. Membership: 1848, 120; 1900, 87 Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film. More details may be given in the source.

Records— Minutes 1847–1943 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record.

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
Arngask 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 Fife at Cupar. 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 Fife 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 Fife. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Fife and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.