How were our births, marriages and deaths registered prior to certificates being introduced in 1855?
Prior to 1855, in Scotland, there was no legal requirement to register a birth, marriage, or death, and a fee had to be paid to register the event. They were usually recorded by session clerks in what is known as The Old Parish Registers. Poorer families may have been unable to afford the fees to register the births of their children and in some instances may not have even registered their marriage.
An example of fees being charged can be seen in the Ardrossan Old Parish Registers. In 1848 John Miller, Miner, went to register the children born to his spouse, Catherine McKinnon. The Registrar recorded the information in the Old Parish Registers, however when John Miller refused to pay the fee charged, the Registrar erased the children’s names and made a notation in the column.
The amount of information held in the Old Parish Registers differs from parish to parish and in many cases, they can be quite basic.
For marriages, the names of the couple are given and the dates that the banns were called. If you are lucky, then they might include the husband’s occupation and place of residence. Where a couple came from two different parishes, the marriage might be registered in each parish.
Birth registrations include the names of the parents, and the date of birth and/or baptism. In the case of John Wilkie, born 19 October 1721 in Ayr, the registrar made reference to the scandal of him having been conceived prior to his parents’ marriage. The lawful births on that same page of entries provide the name of the child, his parents’ names, father’s occupation, date of birth and baptism, the name of the minister and the name of the witnesses. Compare this page to that of the Stevenston Old Parish Births for Willeam Skioch born 16 February 1716 which only provides the name of the child, his parents, his date of birth and that he was baptised on the following Sabbath. It’s just your luck!
The Old Parish Register for deaths only includes people who were buried in the Parish Churchyard. Some, but not all, of the Old Parish Registers provide the cause of death and often use more archaic terminology, than modern medical terms.
There are a number of pitfalls associated with the Old Parish Registers:
• The Registrar recorded what he heard (or thought he heard);
• Variations in the spelling of names is common;
• The date of marriage might be the date when the Banns were called and not the actual date that the marriage took place;
• The date of baptism may be given rather than the date of birth.
Take a look at this birth entry:
“George Something, lawful son to What-ye-call-him in Mains of Barskimming who was baptised in Ochiltree on 09 April 1704” Poor wee George!
In 1855 the Old Parish Registers were removed from the parish churches and placed with the Register General for Scotland in Princes Street, Edinburgh.
We hold the Old Parish Registers (OPRs) for North Ayrshire on microfilm.
Roman Catholic Records and those of churches such as the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Methodist, Episcopal, Reformed church and the Free Church of Scotland, were also handed over to the Register General for Scotland in 1855. In addition to births, marriages and deaths, the Roman Catholic Records also include records of confirmations. These are available on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk under Church Records.