Registrations of births, marriages and deaths did not begin until relatively late in Scotland, compared to England and Wales. It was not until 1855 that certificates were kept. However this did have the benefit that Scotland had had almost 20 extra years to decide what to include. Anyone researching in Scotland would agree that they used that time wisely, and that Scottish statutory records are much more useful than those produced by their counterparts south of the border! Let’s look at Scottish certificates and then I’ll let you in on a secret weapon for Scottish research (not really a secret, but a surprise to most!) that could really break down some of your brick walls in a flash!
What can you find on Scottish certificates?
From January 1st 1855, Scotland began keeping their statutory registers for births, marriages and deaths. The basic information is similar to what is found on English civil registration certificates though with some additional information.
Birth certificates
- Forename and surname – in this column (up until 1918), it may also be noted that the child was illegitimate. On English certificates, this is usually indicated by the absence of a father’s name in the appropriate column.
- Date, place and time of birth. The time was recorded for all births, not just multiple births as in England.
- Gender
- Name and surname of father
- Rank or profession of father
- Name and maiden surname of mother
- Date and place of parents’ marriage (except for 1856-1860). This is a very welcome improvement on the English certificates!
- Signature, address and relationship of the informant.
- When and where registered and signature of registrar
Marriage certificates
- When, where and how (i.e. banns or license?) the couple were married
- Names of bride and groom
- Their occupations
- Were they single, widowed or divorced?
- Their ages
- The addresses of the bride and groom
- Name, surname and occupation of father
- Name and maiden surname of mother – not found on English certificates
- Signature of witnesses
- Where the marriage was registered and the signature of registrar.
Death certificates
- Full name of the deceased
- Their occupation
- Their marital status
- If married, their spouse’s name
- When and where they died
- Sex
- Age
- Name, surname and occupation of father – not included on English certificates
- Name and maiden surname of the mother – not included on English certificates
- If parents are deceased – not included on English certificates
- Cause of death
- Signature, address and relationship of the informant.
- Where and when the death was registered and the signature of the registrar.
So as you can see, any Scottish certificate is already going to give you better information than those south of the Scottish border.
But there is even more information to be found on these certificates if you can find an event in your family that happened in 1855.
What’s so special about 1855?
The year 1855 is your secret weapon for Scottish research. Depending on your target family’s timings, you may have to utilise collateral research to get the best bang out of it. However, it will be worth the effort and that’s something you should be doing anyway!
In the first year of statutory registration, authorities really took the opportunity to wring as much information out of the informants as possible. So you may be able to access information that would otherwise be difficult to get.
These are your bonus facts, over and above what every other year provides you:
Birth Certificates
- Other children born to the same parents, and whether they were living or deceased
- The ages of both parents
- The birthplaces of both parents
- The parents’ usual residence
- The baptismal name (if different from the name they were registered under)
Marriage Certificates
- The birthplace and when and where registered of each spouse. WOW!
- The number of former marriages of each spouse
- The number of children by those marriages.
Death Certificates
- The deceased’s place of birth
- How long were they living in the district or parish
- A list of their children in order of birth, including both their names and ages
I wish this had continued beyond 1855 but they streamlined to the (still pretty amazing) certificates we see today. So why did they not continue? Good question, I suspect they might have had pushback from informants or perhaps internally over the time and effort required.
How can you utilise this secret weapon for Scottish research?
Firstly, have a look at your Scottish family and identify what information is missing. This will help you prioritise which type of certificate/s will most likely fill the gap.
For example, if you need to find the birthplace of the parents…
- Were ANY Of the children (not just your ancestor) born in 1855? Even if they died young and you haven’t focussed on them at all before, their birth certificate will be useful to provide that lovely extra information about the parents. (Or died? Married?)
- If not, let’s branch out collaterally…did any of the parents’ siblings have children or die in 1855? Getting their birthplace may be helpful in pinning down your target’s birthplace, especially if the sibling is close in age.
Another thing I love love love about Scottish research is that getting the certificates is so quick and easy as downloads from the Scotland’s People website. It’s also relatively cheap (always a bonus!). The downfall of them all being immediately accessible online is that it is way too easy to keep on buying more and more records as you plunge down the rabbit hole…or is that just me?
Hopefully by targeting the information that you really need and using the information above to help you find it, you will break down some brick walls quickly, easily and cheaply. 1855 is my favourite ‘north of the border’ year as it’s my secret weapon for Scottish Research. Good luck!
