Lochcarron, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland

Parish # 76 

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

= History =

Lochcarron is so called from an arm of the sea which it is intersected, and which derived its name from the river Carron, signifying in Gaelic a winding stream.

The nearest market-town is Dingwall, fifty miles distant; but family supplies are generally got from Inverness.

Impenetrable darkness rests on the history of this district till within a late period. It was for many ages the scene of the barbarous depredations of contending clans, who, as the use of letters was little known among them, left no other memorial of their transactions that the dubious records of traditional poetry. At an early period, the parish was in the possession of several chiefs, the principle of whom was Macdonald of Gengarry, who had the western part of Strome. All these were gradually dispossessed by Seaforth Lord Kintail, who took the Castle of Strome in 1609.

The people, under the influence of no religion, but, from political considerations, attached to Episcopacy, conceived a rooted dislike to the Presbyterian system, which all the prudence of the clergy was for some time unable to eradicate.

William and Alexander Mackenzie, who were brothers of this parish, are the authors of some popular Gaelic poetry.

Grain of all kinds are grown, also potatoes and turnips, and there iare pastures for cows and sheep.

Baptisms and marriages have been regularly registered since 1819. The register kept before that time was accidentally burnt. There are no registers of deaths.

The church was built in 1751. It is situated in the center of the parish, and as the roads are goo, it is pretty convenient for the greater part of the population. It affords accommodation for upwards of 300. There is no Episcopalian in the parish, and only one Roman Catholic, and there are no Dissenting of Seceding families.

This account was written September 1836

Source: New Statistical of Scotland for Lochcarron, FHL book 941 B4sa, series 2, vol. 14.

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 you are interested in. 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 Lochcarron 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: Records begin October 1819. Marriages: Records begin November 1819. The earlier records are said to have been accidentally burned. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 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: Minutes 1724–1929 Separate Register 1727–1929 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/567.

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.

Lochcarron Free Church
History— The whole congregation of Lochcarron, with the exception of a few individuals, adhered to the Free Church at the Disruption in 1843. The church was built in 1846 and the manse in 1859. One third of the congregation seceded to the Free Presbyterians in 1893. More than half of those who remained did not enter the Union in 1900. Membership: 1861, 550; 1900, 41. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843–1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source, including ministers.

Records— No pre-1855 records known.

= 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 =

Lochcarron was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Ross until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Ross &amp; Cromarty. 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 Ross &amp; Cromarty and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Ross.

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Ross &amp; Cromarty. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Ross &amp; Cromarty and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records Return to Ross &amp; Cromarty parish list.