Cruden, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #185

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Cruden. To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the Scotland: Research Strategies.

= History =

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (pub. 1834-45) offers uniquely rich and detailed parish reports for the whole of Scotland, covering a vast range of topics including history, agriculture, education, trades, religion and social customs. The reports, written by the parish ministers, are available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish reports for your parish of interest. Also available at the Family History Library.

= Census Records =

A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about census records.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Cruden as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use it, you must register and pay a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on this website. It may be easier for you to pay to use the website rather than access the separate indexes through the library.

= Church Records =

The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about church records. Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Condition of Original Registers—
Index: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Births: Irregular entries for 1717–1726 are recorded on three pages at April 1718. A record of the family of the Earl of Errol for 1793–1804 is recorded in 1805. Mothers’ names not recorded in the entries until 1801. There are only three entries for 1807–1828. Marriages: Registers are blank August 1718–March1721 Deaths: Burials are blank December 1713–May 1794, only. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book941 K23b.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records
The Kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of the minister and the land owners and business men of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. The Kirk session dealt with moral issues, minor criminal cases, matters of the poor and education, matters of discipline, and the general concerns of the parish. Kirk session records may also mention births, marriages, and deaths.

Here is a list of the surviving Kirk session records for this parish: 

Session Minutes 1587–1688 (fragments), 1720–1792, 1801–1867 Accounts 1773–1837 Proclamations 1844–1867 Copies of Baptism and Marriage Registers 1851–1891 Collections and Distributions 1717–1772 Cash Book 1851–1913 Communion Roll 1844–1845, with a list of heads of families, 1839 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/447.

Nonconformist Church Records
A nonconformist church is any church that is not the Established church. Read more about nonconformity in Scotland in the article on the Scotland Church Records Union List.

Cruden Free Church
History—  The minister of the parish and many of his congregation “came out” of the Established Church in 1843. A wooden church was erected in almost a single day. A stone church and manse were erected by October 1843. A school was erected in 1850, and maintained until 1873, when the building was converted into a church hall. Decline in Membership was due in some measure to the opening of five new churches in the neighborhood, and also to emigration. A Free Church congregation at Slains parish was under the charge of the minister of the Cruden congregation until 1874. Membership: 1848, 550; 1900, 275. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details are given in the source.

Records— Various Minutes 1843–1931 Other post-1855 records. Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/375.

Cruden Saint James's Episcopal Church
History— In the 1790's there were both English Episcopal and Scotch Episcopal congregations and clergymen in this parish. Membership of the two at that time was about 360. In 1840 there was only the Scotch Episcopal chapel and it was said to be well attended.

Records— Christenings, Marriages, and Burials, 1807–1854. For information, write to: The Rectory of Ellon Aberdeen AB41 9NP Scotland

The rector of Ellon has stewardship over several congregations including Cruden.

= Civil Registration Records =

Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths (also called statutory records) began on January 1, 1855 in Scotland. Each parish has a registrar's office and large cities have several. The records are created by the registrars and copies are sent to the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Annual indexes are then created for the records for the whole country.

See the article on Scotland Civil Registration for more information and to access the records.

= Probate Records =

Cruden was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Aberdeen until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Aberdeen. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. You must register on the website but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills &amp; Testaments,' is free. You may then purchase a copy of the document or, if the document is before 1823, it will be on microfilm at the Family History Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Aberdeen and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Aberdeen. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Aberdeen. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Aberdeen and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

Return to Aberdeenshire parish list.