Fae the 7t an 8ct centuries AD the feck o fowk in whit is noo Scotland haes been Christian an until 1560 the kinrik o Scotland wis Catholic. The Kirk o Scotland – reformed Calvinist – wis estaiblisht fae 1560, but for a lang time releegious reformers sic as the Presbyterians warsled wi the king ower whit ane o them shuid hae owerance. Sae it wisna til 1690 that the Presbyterian kirk wis acknawledged as the ae lawfae ane in Scotland. In 1712 the pairlament in Lunnon alloued Episcopal worship in Scotland feart that Inglis fowk veesitin the kintra, no bein Presbyterians, micht get liftit.

The kirk sessions (equate wi the Inglis parish council) heidit wi the meenister o the paroch, an electit men cryed elders, haed the owersicht o aw maiters tae dae wi the kirk an paroch, an it is in thair sederunt buiks (meenits) that we find mony references tae the lifes o oor forebears. It wis the duty o the meenister an elders tae see that the acts o the General Assemly o the kirk wisna violate wi ony parochinar, an that ony body that commitit immoral acts, sic as breach o the Sabbath, or sex ootside the mairrage bed, wis brocht afore the congregation, gien rebuke, fined, an mak publict repentance.

The meenister an elders haed the burden forby o gaitherin in siller for guid causes or for the upkeep o the poor. A body that wantit tae mairry haed tae pey a mairrage wad or paund afore proclamation. Jist ower a year efter the mairrage, wi nae bairns born afore time, the siller wis gien back again but wi a bittie taen an gien tae the poor. The same wi thaim brandit as fornicators that haed tae pey a fine. This wis gien tae the poor an-aw. An whan a body dee’d the faimly wad hire a mortclaith tae hap the corp at the burrial. Aince again, the siller peyed in wad be gien tae the poor. This wis the system that dree’d fae the 16t until the 19t century.

Tho twa-three Calvinist meenisters stertit writin doun bapteesims an banns in the 1550’s, afore the Kirk o Scotland wis set up, it took a lang time for maist meenisters tae keep thir kind o registers. In actual fact, it wisna til aboot 1700 that maist did this for ordnar. Sae whither ye find muckle aboot yer family fae bapteesims an banns will lippen on whit pairt o the kintra thay belanged. For ae instance, St Aundraes paroch, in Fife, haes bapteesims fae 1627 an banns fae 1638, an we ken that the paroch even aince haed bapteesims fae the 1580’s that’s been tint. We micht compare this wi parochs in the Shetland Isles that haes nae registers afore 1800. Whiles a paroch micht’a haed auld registers that we daena hae ony mair throu some vis major, sic at Strickmertin, in Angus, that’s sederunt buiks an bapteesims gaed up in flames in 1783 an haed tae stert ower again. Sae the registers that we hae for the parochs o Scotland, the anes that’s won ower, is richt patchy an whiles a body will come up agin slaps an orra breks. Whan this happens, we try tae find some ither source that gets us ower. This is whit wey faimly history isna even-haundit.

For ordnar the kirks recordit bapteesims and proclamations o banns, but as deith wisna sacrament this wis the maist neglectit haunling. An we affen daena ken whan a body dee’d unless thay peyed for a heidstane or left a will. The body appyntit tae keep the registers, the session clerk, affen wrate doun the names o sponsors at bapteesims, the tred or cawing o the faither, an whiles whaur the faimly bade. This information is gey haundy an sponsors wad affen be faimly memmers, but in some airts the name o the mither wisna gien – an orra thing that can mak it a fash tae identify a faimly wi a common name. Mairrage banns affen haed less information, but whiles the faither o the bride, an even the groom, micht be recordit. But mony parochs jist recordit that sic a man an wumman haed peyed in thair paunds for banns an didna even record the date o the actual mairrage.

Gin ye hae ony forebears that belanged the Kirk o Scotland, ye’ll find them, somegait, amang the kirk session sederunt buiks an accompts, sae this is aye a guid place tae raik. The sederunt buiks or meenits haes maistly been deegified an can be seen on the Scotland’s People wabsteid for free, tho ye maun be inrowed for ingait til its pages. Whaur the meenits isna on Scotland’s People ye’ll can find them for ordnar amang the CH2 registers on microfilm either in the ordnar depairtment o yer city or toun leebrar or aiblins in a faimly history society doun by. Sae please speir at yer leebrar for mair wittins.

For thaim that’s sprung fae Catholic forebears – an mony o us haes baith Catholic an Protestants amang oor forefowk – the registers affen isna as guid, an winna tak a body back as faur as the Kirk o Scotland. Keep in mind that fae 1560 until 1829 it wisna lawfae tae openly worship as a Catholic, tho in mony places Catholic chaipels sprung up fae the end o the 1700’s. Aince again, a body can find Catholic registers on the Scotland’s People wabsteid, maist o them stertin fae the early 1800’s.