Nature of Source
Introduction
The statutory registration of births, regular marriages and deaths for all religious denominations became compulsory in Scotland in 1855. The regulations came into force from January 1, 1855, following the passing of the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1854. The system established a comprehensive and reliable framework ensuring records were kept consistently. There is some variation in the information on certificates between 1855 and 1860 with the 1855 certificates containing particularly detailed genealogical information
Challenges in Early Record Keeping
Before 1855, the recording of vital events was primarily managed by the Kirk. However, by the 19th century the standard of record keeping by the Kirk authorities had deteriorated with the result that fewer entries of baptism, marriage and burial were being registered in the Old Parish Registers with some completely lost.
A number of factors contributed to this state of affairs such as fewer people being as observant in the established Kirk and the industrial expansion of urban town and cities where the Kirk had less influence. The growth of nonconformist sects also resulted in fewer registrations of vital events. After a number of delays and much argument between the church and secular authorities, a system of state registration was finally enacted on January 1, 1855.
Registration Districts and the GRO
Under the 1855 Act, Scotland was divided into Registration Districts (originally amounting to 1027 but now significantly reduced) for recording events with each district managed by a registrar acting as the official in charge. Local registration districts were structured and based around parish boundaries.
The Act also established the General Register Office for Scotland which later merged with the National Archives of Scotland to form the National Records of Scotland. The office was based in Edinburgh and overseen by the Registrar General.
Copies of registration certificates are forwarded to the General Register Office in Edinburgh from which annual indexes covering all of Scotland are compiled. A legally recognised certified copy of a register entry, known as an extract, can be ordered online via ScotlandsPeople which offers digital access to Scotland’s official records. The original certificate is typically issued at the time of the recorded event, whether it be a birth, marriage, or death.
Understanding Reference Codes
Scottish statutory registration certificates of birth, marriage and death are assigned a unique GROS reference which helps identify the entry within the registers. An example refence of ‘GROS 640/00 0504’ is broken down in the following manner:
- GROS refers to the General Register Office for Scotland which is now merged with the National Records of Scotland.
- 640 is the District Number and represents the registration district where the event was recorded. Each registration district in Scotland has a unique code assigned to it.
- 00 indicates the sub-district or more detailed area within the district. ‘00’ is sometimes used as a placeholder if there is no subdivision.
- 0504 is the sequential entry number or certificate number assigned to the specific event within the given district (or sub-district) for that year.
Register of Corrections
Some statutory register entries had to be amended whilst leaving the original intact, with these so called corrected entries kept in the Register of Corrected Entries. Always check to see if an entry is marked in the left margin with a note.
Illegitimacy
Under Scots Law, if the parents of an illegitimate child (not born from an adulterous relationship) later remarried the child would become legitimate. In these cases, the original entry in the birth register would be amended to include the date of marriage and after 1860 would be entered into the Register of Corrected Entries under the father’s name.
Additional Resources
The following GenGuide sources could assist in researching birth, marriage and death records:
- Monumental/Memorial Inscriptions
- Old Parish Registers-Baptisms (OPRs)
- Old Parish Registers-Burials (OPRs)
- Old Parish Registers-Marriages & Proclamations (OPRs)
- Statutory Registration-Death
- Statutory Registration-Marriage
The following GenGuide sources could assist in researching Scottish ancestors:
Where Found
ScotlandsPeople Centre
The ScotlandsPeople Centre located in central Edinburgh includes search rooms for in-person visits. The centre provides access to various historical records including the official statutory register of Scottish birth, marriage and death dating back to 1855, the Adopted Children’s Register from 1930, census records, Catholic parish registers, Coats of Arms, valuation rolls, wills and testaments. It is run by the National Records of Scotland, a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government. Many of the records are available via ScotlandsPeople which is the official government website for searching government records and archives related to Scottish family history research.
The Mitchell Library
The Mitchell Library in Glasgow houses a dedicated Family History Centre and includes birth, marriage, and death records for Scotland from 1855 to the present day.
Local Registrar Offices
Registrars maintain current registers of births, stillbirths, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships. They also conduct all civil marriages and civil partnership registrations. All births, stillbirths, deaths, marriages (both civil and religious) and civil partnerships occurring in Scotland must be recorded in these registers. The original registers are preserved and held centrally by the Registrar General.
Period Covered
1855 – Onwards
Genealogical Value
All Years
- Child’s full name and sex.
- Date, place and time of birth.
- Parent’s name and address including mother’s maiden name.
- Father’s occupation.
- Name of informant and relationship to child.
1855 Only
- Ages and birthplaces of both parents, their usual residence and the date and place of their marriage.
- Names of earlier children born to parents.
From 1861
- Date and place of parent’s marriage.
- Indexes include mother’s maiden name after 1928.
Further References
Registration Specific
- Sheila M, Spiers. The Parishes, Registers and Registrars of Scotland: The Scottish Association of Family History Societies, 1993
Family History Guides
- Adolph, Anthony. Tracing Your Scottish Family History: Collins, 2008
- Bigwood, Rosemary: The Scottish Family Tree Detective: Tracing Your Ancestors in Scotland: Manchester University Press, 2007
- Clarke, T. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: The Official Guide: Birlinn, 2012
- Cory, Kathleen B. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2009
- Durie, Bruce. Scottish Genealogy: The History Press, 2012
- Durie, Bruce. Documents for Genealogy & Local History: The History Press, 2013
- Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald. In Search of Scottish Ancestry: Phillimore, 1983
- Holton, Graham & Winch, Jack. Discover Your Scottish Ancestry: Internet and Traditional Resources: Edinburgh University Press, 2009 (Preview available from Google Books)
- James, Alwyn. Scottish Roots: From Gravestone to Website: The Step-By-Step Guide to Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Luath Press, 2005
- Maxwell, Ian. Tracing your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword, 2009
- Paton, Chris. Researching Scottish Family History: The Family History Partnership, 2010
- Paton, Chris. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry through Church and State Records: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Family History, 2019
- Stewart, Alan. My Ancestor was Scottish: Society of Genealogists, 2012
- Tovey, Helen. My Scottish Ancestry: Lomond Books, 2011
Other
- Concise Scots Dictionary: Edinburgh University Press, 1999 (Preview available from Google Books)
- Lynch, Michael. Oxford Companion to Scottish History: OUP Oxford, 2011
- Moffat, Alistair & Wilson, James. The Scots: A Genetic Journey: Birlinn, 2011
- Richards, Eric. The Highland Clearances: Birlinn, 2013
- Scots Dictionary: Collins, 2014
- Timperley, Loretta R, (ed). A Directory of Land Ownership in Scotland c 1770: Scottish Record Society, 1976
- Torrance, Richard D. Scottish Trades, Professions, Vital Documents & Directories: Scottish Association of Family History Societies, 1998
Websites
National Records of Scotland
Research Guide. Statutory Register of Births. The Statutory Register of Births contains detailed information about every child born in Scotland since 1 January 1855 and is of great value to researchers.
National Records of Scotland
Research Guide. Register of Corrected Entries, now the Register of Corrections.
National Records of Scotland
Research Guide. Adoption Records.
ScotlandsPeople Guide
Statutory Registers. Guide and comprehensive overview to statutory registers in Scotland, which are official records of births, deaths, and marriages.
ScotlandsPeople Guide
Statutory register of births. Guide and information on the statutory register of births.
ScotlandsPeople Guide
Parishes and Districts.
National Records of Scotland
Registration Districts.
National Library of Scotland
Births, deaths and marriages. There are several useful resources in Scotland and online which give access to records of births, deaths, and marriages.
The Mitchell Library
Research Guide: Civil Registration, Scotland. Find the birth, marriage and death records of your Scottish ancestors from 1855 to the present day. The guide details the historical context, types of records available and how to access them.
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
Scottish birth records: Where to find them, and what they can tell you. Discover how to search Scottish civil birth records online using ScotlandsPeople, and use them in your family history research.
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
How to research Scottish ancestry. Scottish ancestry expert Chris Paton picks out the key records for tracing your Scottish family history.
University of Glasgow
Scottish Way of Birth and Death. From the Records of the Registrar General for Scotland, 1855-1939. A Project by the Centre for the History of Medicine.
Family Tree
Finding and Using Scottish Civil Records for Genealogy. By Amanda Epperson.
TalkingScot
Registration Districts in Scotland.
National Library of Medicine
The Establishment of Civil Registration in Scotland, by Dr Anne Cameron
Ancestry Solutions
Civil Registration Scotland. Content, commencement date, indexes and how to obtain civil birth, marriage and death certificates.
GENUKI
Introduction to Scottish Family History.
Scottish Indexes
Learning Zone – Civil Registration
OVS-Genealogy
Birthdate Calculator. Calculate birth date from death date and age on tombstones and death certificates.
Calculator Site
Birthday Calculator. Discover what day you were born on and how many days there are until your next birthday.
Miscellany
Historical Calendar. The calendar allows you to see the often differing dates using Julian and Gregorian calendars.
Online Databases
Scotland’s People
The ScotlandsPeople website is the official Scottish Government site for searching government records and archives. There are two search and order options:
- Users can search and order an officially certified paper copy of a birth register entry from 1st January 1855 onwards.
- Users can search and order a digital image of the record entry from 1st January 1855 to 1924. For births a 100 year cut-off for viewing images online applies. The digital image cannot be used for legal or official purposes, only for research.
The Minor Records
The minor records comprise records of births, deaths and marriages of Scottish persons outside Scotland. The indexes to births in the minor records include:
- Air Register (from 1948): Births in any part of the world on British-registered aircraft.
- Consular Returns (from 1914).
- Foreign Returns (1860-1965).
- High Commission Returns (from 1964).
- Consular and foreign records combined series (from 1975).
- Marine Register (from 1855.
- Army Returns of births of Scottish persons at military stations abroad (1881-1959)
- Service Departments Registers (from 1959).
Inverclyde Library
Intimations: The Watt Library index of family history notices, 1800-1918. The index contains over 100,000 local births, marriages and deaths as seen in the pages of the Greenock Advertiser, Greenock Telegraph and other local papers originally from the historic county of Renfrewshire.
Findmypast
Scotland, Modern and Civil Births 1855-2019. Search Scottish birth records compiled from a number of official and unofficial sources including records from local government indexes held by various councils and archives, volunteer and local family history society transcriptions and civil registers.
Findmypast
Scotland, Paternity Decrees 1750-1922. Records from paternity disputes that appeared before Scotland’s Sheriff Court. Paternity cases were brought before the courts to decide who was responsible for paying the aliment, or the financial maintenance, of the illegitimate child. The transcripts were created by Graham and Emma Maxwell from sources found at the National Records of Scotland
Findmypast
Scotland, Newspaper Birth Notices. Search for your Scottish ancestors’ birth notice in these newspaper reports. Each record includes a transcript and an image of the original newspaper announcement.
FamilySearch
Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Index to selected Scotland births and baptisms. The records will show the names of parents. Only a few localities are included and the time period varies by locality.
Scottish Indexes
Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees, 1830-1915. This record set contains over 42,000 paternity cases (known as ‘actions of affiliation and aliment’) heard before the Sheriff Courts and also selected Kirk Sessions of the Church of Scotland and other Presbyterian churches. For privacy reasons, the index does not go beyond the year 1923. Entries for the years that follow will be added on an annual basis.
Old Scottish
Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees, 1800-1919. Search indexes to over 43,000 Sheriff Court affiliation and aliment decrees. The decrees deal with child maintenance issues and typically identify the father and mother, give the date of the child’s birth and stipulate the amount the father was required to pay.
Old Scottish
Fathers Found. Search over 8,000 identified fathers of illegitimate children who are not named in birth records using a wide range of historical records.
CD Roms
N/A
