Kinnettles, Angus, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #297

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

History
KINNETTLES, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 3 miles (S. W.) from Forfar; containing the village of Douglaston, and hamlet of Kirkton of Kinnettles. This place appears to have derived its name from the situation either of its church, or of an ancient mansion-house, near the extremity of a tract of marshy land, once the bed of a river. The church, erected in 1812, is a neat handsome edifice, adapted for a congregation of 400 persons.

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 FS 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—
Indexed: 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: There are no entries September 1715–January 1717. Mothers' names are not recorded until 1791 and only occasionally before September 1798. Marriages: Marriage entries 1709–1736 recorded among births for the same period. A separate record commences November 1736. The record is blank November 1743–June 1753. There are only transcribed entries of contracts etc., August 1754–October 1783. There are marriages from the latter date to July 1792 and then they are blank to November 1804. The fact of marriage is seldom recorded after 1804. Deaths: There are Mortcloth Dues up to 1752, deaths and burials 1752–1758, Mortcloth Dues 1758–1783, burials 1783–1792 and then Mortcloth Dues to the end of the register. 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:

Minutes 1710–1846 Accounts 1807–1820, 1833–1854 Minutes and Accounts 1751–1782, 1794–1806 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/221

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.

Kinnettles Free Church
History— The people here adhering to the Free Church came together under the lead of Mrs. Harvey and temporary supply was provided in June 1843. The charge, designed to serve three parishes, was sanctioned in 1845. Church and manse were erected in 1846. The manse was enlarged in 1870, and about the same time a range of stabling was provided. The church suffered through depopulation of the district and other changes. At the death of the first minister in 1895, it was put in charge of an ordained preacher. Membership: 1848, 125; 1900, 67. 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— The extent of records is unknown.

Episcopalians
The New Statistical Account of Scotland, dated January 1835, FS Library book 941 B4sa Ser. 2, vol. 11 pt. 2, states that at that time there were sixteen Episcopalian families in the parish. However, there was no chapel for them within the parish. Therefore, they would have traveled to church in a neighboring parish, such as Kirriemuir.

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
Kinnettles 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.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.