Description

Discover Scottish Church Records – 2nd edition

Chris Paton, 2016, Publisher: Unlock the Past
92 pages, Digital (.pdf) Download Only

In this newly updated and much expanded second edition of his best selling book, family historian Chris Paton explores the history and records of the various churches in Scotland prior to 1855, the year in which civil registration commenced within the country. He describes the theological changes imposed by the Reformation of 1560, the nature of the state’s battles with the Kirk, and the Kirk’s subsequent battles within itself.

Most importantly, he also discusses the nature of the records generated by the various Scottish churches, how to interpret them, and above all else, how to find them.

Whether you are looking for tales of ministers carried into the air by Scotland’s fairy folk, the fire and thunder of John Knox, a detailed explanation of the online offerings of the ScotlandsPeople website, or the treasures waiting in the National Records of Scotland, this is the definitive research guide to help anyone with Caledonian connections.

Contents:

Introduction

Second edition

Acknowledgments

1 The Godly Commonwealth

The Reformation
The Stuarts
Secessions and dissenters
The Disruption
Multi-faith Scotland

2 Church of Scotland research

The Vital Records (OPRs)
– Baptisms
– Naming patterns
– Illegitimacy
– Foundlings
– Missing baptisms
Marriages
– Marriage customs
– Irregular marriages
Burials
– Accessing the records
– ScotlandsPeople
– FamilySearch
– Other OPR sources
– Irregular marriages
– Monumental inscriptions

3 Church governance

Kirk Session records
– Establishing what exists
Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly
Heritors
Estate papers

4 Nonconformist Presbyterian Churches

Looking for clues
Finding nonconformist records
Locating the right church
Switching churches
Catalogues

5 Other church denominations

The Scottish Episcopal Church
– Locating Episcopal church records
Roman Catholicism
– Locating CPR records
– Other Catholic records
Quakers
Methodists
Salvation Army
Congregationalists
Evangelical Union
Baptists
Catholic Apostolic Church (Irvingites)
Moravians
Bereans
Universalists
Unitarians
Swedenborgians
Mormons
Jews
Muslims
Sikhs

6 Working for the Church

Church of Scotland ministers
Other ministers
Newspapers
School teachers

Appendix 1: Basic research strategy

Appendix 2: Further reading

Index