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We have several contacts amongst researchers in various parts of Scotland who will undertake research of Old Parish Records, Censuses and Wills as well as Statutory Records from 1855 . 
A shot from the Creetown Museum of The Volunteers FC 1906-7, Winners of the Wigtownshire and District Cup, the Galloway Shield and the Tweedie Cup. The descendants of some of these players and officials live in Creetown to this day. Others are to be found in the four corners of the world including Canada, Australia and Kew. Genealogy in Scotland is different in many respects to what has come to be expected in England and Wales. Prior to Statutory Registration, family events were recorded in each parish by the Church of Scotland which was the established church but details from other Protestant and Recusant religions may also be available. Births and Baptisms, (c1690-1854) Parish registers may record the date of birth or the date of baptism or both, but only one or the other will appear in the index. There is no indication given in the index as to whether the entry is a birth or a baptism, but it is more usual for the index entry to show the baptism date. The amount of information recorded is variable and most entries contain very little detail. At best, you may find the following: name of the child, whether legitimate or not, date of birth and/or date of baptism, father's name, mother's name and maiden surname, place or parish of residence, occupation of the father and names (and sometimes occupations), of witnesses. Marriages, (1690-1854) Parish registers may record the date(s) of the proclamation of banns or the marriage date itself or both. There is no indication given in the index as to whether the entry is a proclamation or a marriage, but it is more usual for the index entry to show the proclamation date. The proclamation of banns was the notice of contract of marriage, read out in the Kirk before the marriage took place. Couples were often required to pay a security to prove the seriousness of their intentions. Forthcoming marriages were supposed to be proclaimed on three successive Sundays, however, in practice, all three proclamations could be made on the same day on payment of a fee. If the bride and groom lived in different parishes, the impending marriage was proclaimed in both parishes, although not necessarily on the same days, therefore the dates in each register may be different. You may also find that one register may show the proclamation date and the other the date of the marriage itself. Burials The Scottish Genealogy Society in Edinburgh holds the largest collection of memorial inscriptions although many did not have a gravestone because the family could not afford it or the stone has been lost. Statutory Registration From 1855, registration became compulsory, regardless of religious denomination, and followed a standard format for each record type. More information was required in order to register an event, particularly at the start of the new system. The General Register Office for Scotland, at New Register House, Edinburgh holds births, marriages and deaths for the whole of Scotland. Indexes and images of Scottish births and marriages and death records can be viewed here from the introduction of Statutory Registration to 2004. Wills and Testaments, (c1690-1984) Before 1823, testaments were recorded in the Commissary Court with jurisdiction over the parish in which the person died. Commissary Court boundaries roughly corresponded to those of the mediaeval dioceses that existed before the Reformation, and bear no relation to county boundaries. The Edinburgh Commissary Court, as the principal court, also had the power to confirm testaments for those who owned moveable property in more than one commissariat and for Scots who died outside Scotland. Commissary Courts were abolished in 1823 and Sheriff Courts assumed responsibility for confirmation of testaments from 1 January 1824, although the changeover process created a considerable overlap of dates in some courts. Wills later than 1984 are available to personal searchers but tend to be costly to reproduce. For information about military searches including officers and soldiers who served in Scottish Regiments, please visit our Military Records or our WW1 Records pages. For more details of research in Scotland visit www.imchad.freeola.com, the website of Ian McClumpha, who is an internationally acknowledged authority on Scottish genealogy, particularly in Dumfries & Galloway. Ian is a member of the SGS, Kindest regards Bob Contact us by email R W O'HARA 15 Ruskin Avenue Kew, Richmond TW9 4DR England Return to Home Page |