Understanding Parish Registers 

After the Reformation in Scotland, the Catholic population was greatly reduced in number with estimates of only 50,000 present in 1680, being approximately 5% of the entire population. With the Reformation, the Catholic Church no longer retained the Diocesan and Parochial systems (although the latter system was retained and assumed by the reformed churches) for administrative purposes. Confiscation of Church property and restrictions on Clergy meant that larger Mission Territories were created, which with varying geographical areas in Scotland meant that they were often difficult to visit and administer.

The Catholic population in post-Reformation Scotland was concentrated in three main areas: Dumfries-shire and Kirkcudbright, Moray and Aberdeenshire, Inverness-shire and the Western Isles. From the 1820s migration from Ireland increased the Catholic population in Scotland, especially in the urban areas around Edinburgh and Glasgow. From the 1890s, migration from Europe, particularly Lithuania and Italy added to the Catholic population in Scotland. The most recent influx of Catholics to Scotland occurred in the immediate post World War II period, mainly from Poland and Eastern Europe.

The Catholic Church in Scotland did not re-establish Parishes until 1937 in the Eastern Province (Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Dioceses of Aberdeen, Argyll & the Isles, Dunkeld and Galloway) and 1948 in the Western Province (Archdiocese of Glasgow, Dioceses of Motherwell and Paisley). Until the restoration of Parishes, Priests were designated 'Mission Priests' and had charge of geographical territories which usually had a Chapel (or Mission Station) at the centre. To all intents and purposes, these Mission Stations are what we would now recognise as Parishes, but Catholics and the Clergy were not tied to specific geographical boundaries and Parishioners could attend and Priests Minister to large parts of the country without impinging on the rights of fellow Priests.

The earliest Catholic Parish Records date from 1703 for the Mission of Braemar but this is one of only three Parishes in Scotland with records dating from before 1745. There are only 16 Missions in Scotland with records dating from before 1800 and a further 94 Missions have surviving records dating from between 1800 and 1855.

Despite having a large migrant Catholic community in Scotland, the Scottish Catholic Archives does not hold records of where people came from. Particularly, there are no sources which indicate where in Ireland a person originated, and despite the rigorous nature of Church record keeping today, no additional sources (such as Baptismal Certificates upon marriage) were retained from before the mid twentieth century.

There are a number of smaller groups of Archival Resources available at the Scottish Catholic Archives which supplement the Catholic Parish Registers and they are generally available for consultation.

Births and Baptisms

Baptismal Registers often record dates of birth as well as baptism. Both dates are searchable and available on Scotlands People and Find-my-Past. The earliest available recorded dates are from 1703, but the majority of the records do not begin until the 1790s, mainly for the major cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The information contained in the original registers can be quite minimal, and varies from parish to parish and indeed over time within each parish. At best, a Baptism or Birth Register will record the following:

• Name of the Child
• Date of Baptism
• Date of Birth
• Legitimacy
• Father’s Name
• Mother’s Name (including Maiden Surname)
• Place or Parish of Residence
• Father’s Occupation
• Names of Witnesses (occasionally with occupation, address and/or relationship to the child)
• Name of the Priest.

Whilst some registers record all of the information above, some registers record minimal information such as the names of the child and parents and a baptismal date. There was no standard format for registers, and they can consist of small notebooks, larger unformatted ledgers or pre-printed registers.

Some records are in Latin. Translating the information given is not very difficult, and a Latin dictionary or glossary will be useful. An example of a baptismal entry in Latin is shown below 

Dumfries, St Andrews: Register of Baptisms, 1857-1948. MP54/1/2/1 page 7

[On the 1 December 1857, was born and on the 3 January 1858 was baptised, Eliza Joanna Smith, daughter of Thomas Smith and Anna Smith (once McGrath ie, maiden surname) his wife. By me John Strain, Missionary Apostolic. Alexander Scelly, godfather, Joanna Galloway, God mother.]

Communicants

Communicant Lists are rolls of Parishioners under the care of a Mission or Parish Priest and were often compiled during the course of a year so that the Priest would know who was Catholic in his Mission or Parish. Communicant Lists often simply list the name of the individual in a Parish and a particular date. Often names can be found grouped together in families and can be a useful (but basic) census substitute.

The information contained in the original registers can be quite minimal, and varies from parish to parish and indeed over time within a parish. At best a Communicants Register will record the following:

• Name of the person
• Address
• Date of compilation of list
• Relationships to others in Households
• Occupation
• Place

Converts

In many cases, the Convert Records are to be found in Baptismal Registers. Converts are generally individuals who have reached adulthood, consequently the information regarding the conversions is limited regarding parentage and families.

The information contained in the original registers can be quite minimal, and varies from parish to parish and indeed over time within each parish. At best, a Convert Register will record the following:

• Name of the Convert
• Date of Baptism
• Date of Birth
• Legitimacy
• Father’s Name
• Mother’s Name (including Maiden Surname)
• Place or Parish of Residence
• Father’s Occupation
• Names of Witnesses (occasionally with occupation, address and/or relationship to the Converted)
• Name of the Priest.

Whilst some registers record all of the information above, most in practice record minimal information such as the names of the Convert and a Baptismal date. There was no standard format for registers, and they can consist of small notebooks, larger unformatted ledgers or pre-printed registers.

Deaths, Burials and Funerals

Death, Burial and Funeral Records are similar in their coverage to that found in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. There are only a few volumes of Deaths, Burials or Funerals.

This poor coverage has been supplemented by utilising the surviving Cemetery Registers from St Peter’s Dalbeth in Glasgow.

The information contained in the original Death Registers can be quite minimal and varies from parish to parish and indeed over time within each parish. At best, a Death, Burial or Funeral Register will record the following:

• Name of the Deceased Person
• Date of Death
• Date of Burial
• Address
• Place or Parish of Residence
• Age
• Name of a Relative (perhaps a Widow, or Parent if the Deceased was a Child)
• Name of the Priest
• Cause of Death.

Whilst some registers record all of the information above, some registers record minimal information such as the Names of the Deceased and a Death / Burial date. There was no standard format for registers, and they can consist of small notebooks, larger unformatted ledgers or pre-printed registers.

Some records are in Latin. Translating the information given is not very difficult, and a Latin dictionary or glossary will be useful. An example of a death entry in Latin is shown here Barrhead, St John’s: Register of Deaths, 1923-1937. MP/73/1/5/2 page 26

[In the year 1927, the 2 May, Catherine Moni, of Barrhead (Cross Arthurlie St), aged 9, in communion with the Holy Mother Church, gave her soul back to God fortified by the sacraments, whose body was buried in the cemetery on the 5 May.]

Seat Rents

A number of churches in the 19th century reserved seats for parishioners in return for payment of a fee. These are very useful in confirming the residence of ancestors in a particular parish and also in identifying where your ancestors sat in the chapel.

The information contained in the original registers can be quite minimal, and varies from parish to parish and indeed over time within each parish. At best, a Seat Rent Register will record the following:

• Name of the Individual
• Date
• Location of the Seats in the Church

Sick Call Register

These record the visitations of a priest to a sick person. It could provide an indication of a death following on from the visit (although the parishioner might well have recovered!).

The information contained in the original registers can be quite minimal, and varies from parish to parish and indeed over time within each parish. At best, a Sick Call Register will record the following:

• Name of the Individual
• Date
• Address
• Name of a Priest

Status Animarum

This type of record is a 'State of the Souls' - an enumeration of all Catholics within a particular area at a particular time. These records should have been diligently and regularly kept, but their survival is somewhat irregular. The information contained in the original registers can be quite minimal, and varies from parish to parish and indeed over time within a parish. At best a Status Animarum will record the following:

• Name of the Person
• Address
• Date of Compilation of the List
• Relationships to others in Households
• Age (usually for Children)
• Birthplace
• Occupation.

In a basic record you should find the name of an individual and a place; other records are more detailed with addresses given, family groups shown, and in a small number of cases ages and places of birth. These are valuable census substitutes.