Genealogy and Family History in Scotland
  • Home
  • Records
    • Board of Supervision
    • Fathers Found
    • Asylum Patients
    • Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees
    • Sheriff Court Extract Decrees
    • School Leaving Certificates
    • Crown Counsel Procedure Books
    • Registers of Deeds
    • General Register of the Poor
    • Registers of Sudden Deaths
    • Anatomy Registers
  • Resources
    • Scottish Genealogy Sources
    • KINCLAVEN One Place Study >
      • Kinclaven 1911 census
      • Kinclaven Parish Church Books
      • Kinclaven Communion Roll 1880-1894
    • Archives in Scotland map
    • Scottish surnames >
      • Surnames-A
      • Surnames-B
      • Surnames-C
      • Surnames-D
      • Surnames-E
      • Surnames-F
      • Surnames-G
      • Surnames-H
      • Surnames-I
      • Surnames-J
      • Surnames-K
      • Surnames-L
      • Surnames-M
      • Surnames-N
      • Surnames-O
      • Surnames-P
      • Surnames-Q
      • Surnames-R
      • Surnames-S
      • Surnames-T
      • Surnames-U
      • Surnames-V
      • Surnames-W
      • Surnames-Y
      • Surnames-Z
    • Statutes
    • Auchterarder in WWI
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Managed Service Customer Login
    • Tourism Partners Login
  • Shop

L is for Lookups

14/4/2016

0 Comments

 
​A couple of months ago, while doing some eighteenth-century research for a client in the Carrington Kirk Session records, I came across a much later letter which had evidently been bound in with the accounts at a later date:
[Blind-stamped address]
Vogrie
Gorebridge, N[orth] B[ritain]
Aug 27th 1902

Dear Sir

I understand that a register of the Kirk discipline of Carrington is in existence dating from 1653 also Minutes of the Kirk Session of Carrington from 1695 to 1698,

I do not know whether they will be in your possession or not but if they are I should be greatly obliged if you would be so kind as to examine them & let me whether they contain any references to Dewar. My G. G. G. G. grandfather resided in the parish & his 2nd marriage is duly noted in the Register of Baptisms & Marriages under date 1658.

He died in 1699 & is buried at Carrington. The period I should like the two registers examined is from 1653 to 1699.

Very truly yours

J Cumming Dewar
​In a different hand – seemingly that of William Granville Core, minister of Carrington, who at this time was also acting as session clerk for the parish – the following two entries are extracted:
1695 Febry 10 Received from James Dewar in Capilaw & his wife being th[ei]r collection for the building of Kinkell harbour 7 shillings by reason they were not here the day if was gathered.
​
1696 April 26 This day given in by Wm Cunningham as he & Robt Tait had received it from Sir John Ramsay of Whitehill & James Dewar in Capilaw £2-10 as their collection for the harbour of Queensferrie.
This is an example of what is known in genealogy circles as a lookup – a request for somebody to inspect a particular record set and to report back any entries that match the requester’s requirements. Instances are scattered throughout the Kirk Session records. There was a particular flurry of them following the enactment of the Old Age Pensions Act 1908, which for the first time granted the right to a pension to people aged 70 and over. Claimants had to prove their age, and often this would involve the pensions committee contacting the parish of birth to request confirmation of the information provided by applicants. Diligent clerks in some parishes incorporated copies of these lookup requests into the original Kirk Session records, sometimes providing useful information about what happened to parishioners.

Occasionally you will come across a request from someone researching their ancestry. We also recently found a letter to the session clerk of Dumbarton requesting a lookup about the writer’s grandfather, who was born in 1854. The letter was sent from Tasmania in 1973 – a fantastic discovery if you happen to be researching Robert Brown Ballantyne.
​
In the modern age, however, you don’t have to find the name and address of the parish clerk, send off a speculative letter and wait for a response by post, which might never come. (It would seem Robert Brown Ballantyne’s grand-daughter may never have received a reply, as her international reply coupon is included with her letter in the Dumbarton records!). We have recently launched a service offering lookups in Kirk Session records for a very affordable price, which we are gradually rolling out across the whole of Scotland. Those parishes currently available are shown below. If you don’t see the parish you’re interested in listed, let us know and we’ll have a look for you.
Lookup parishes currently available
Parish County NRS Reference
Aberdeen St Nicholas Aberdeenshire CH2/2
Aberdour Fife CH2/3
Aberlady East Lothian CH2/4
Alford Aberdeenshire CH2/9
Alva Stirlingshire CH2/10
Alves Morayshire CH2/11
Anwoth Kirkcudbrightshire CH2/14
Arbuthnott Kincardinshire CH2/16
Athelstaneford East Lothian CH2/18
Auchtergaven Perthshire CH2/22
Ayton Berwickshire CH2/26
Beith Ayrshire CH2/31
Bolton East Lothian CH2/37
Cambusnethan Lanarkshire CH2/48
Canisbay Caithness CH2/52
Carmichael Lanarkshire CH2/57
Carmunnock Lanarkshire CH2/58
Carnock Fife CH2/59
Carriden West Lothian CH2/61
Carrington Midlothian CH2/62
Carstairs Lanarkshire CH2/63
Castleton Roxburghshire CH2/64
Ceres Fife CH2/65
Cleish Kinross-shire CH2/67
Coldingham Berwickshire CH2/69
Colinton Edinburgh CH2/123
Corstorphine Edinburgh CH2/124
Coull Aberdeenshire CH2/71
Craigie Ayrshire CH2/73
Cranstoun Midlothian CH2/74
Crichton Midlothian CH2/75
Culross Abbey Perthshire CH2/77
Cumbernauld St Ninian's Dunbartonshire CH2/79
Cumbrae Bute CH2/80
Currie Midlothian CH2/83
Dalkeith St Nicholas Midlothian CH2/84
Dalmellington Ayrshire CH2/85
Dalmeny West Lothian CH2/86
Dalrymple Ayrshire CH2/87
Dalton Dumfriesshire CH2/88
Delting Shetland CH2/90
Deskford Banffshire CH2/91
Dron Perthshire CH2/93
Drumblade Aberdeenshire CH2/94
Drumelzier Peeblesshire CH2/95
Duddingston Edinburgh CH2/125
Dumbarton Dunbartonshire CH2/97
Dunbarney Perthshire CH2/100
Dunblane Perthshire CH2/101
Dunbog Fife CH2/102
Dundonald Ayrshire CH2/104
Dunkeld Perthshire CH2/749
Dunnichen Angus CH2/108
Dunnottar Kincardinshire CH2/110
Dunrossness & Fair Isle Shetland CH2/112
Dunscore Dumfriesshire CH2/114
Dyce Aberdeenshire CH2/117
Dysart Fife CH2/390
Eastwood Renfrewshire CH2/119
Edinburgh Greyfriars Edinburgh CH2/126
Edinburgh New Street (Canongate) Edinburgh CH2/132
Ellon Aberdeenshire CH2/147
Fettercairn Kincardinshire CH2/152
Forgandenny Perthshire CH2/161
Fossoway Kinross-shire CH2/163
Garvald and Bara East Lothian CH2/167
Glamis Angus CH2/170
Glenelg Inverness-shire CH2/966
Kilmartin Argyll CH2/793
Kilmichael Glassary Argyll CH2/1029
Kilwinning Ayrshire CH2/591
Lethendy and Kinloch Perthshire CH2/240
Little Dunkeld Perthshire CH2/107
Old Cumnock Ayrshire CH2/81
Redgorton Perthshire CH2/883
Riccarton Ayrshire CH2/1014
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Find local and family history records here

    Old Scottish

    Genealogy and Family History  - A mix of our news, curious and intriguing discoveries. Research hints and resources to grow your family tree in Scotland from our team.

    Picture

    Archives

    November 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    September 2021
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Categories

    All
    17th Century
    1841
    18th Century
    Aberdeen
    Aberdeenshire
    Aberdour
    Alcohol
    Alexander
    Alyth
    Angus
    Anstruther
    Antiquaries
    Arbroath
    Archaeology
    Architecture
    Archives
    Ardtornish
    Argyll
    Asia
    Associate Congregation
    Asylum
    Athelstaneford
    Atholl
    AtoZChallenge
    Auchmithie
    Auldhame
    Australia
    Ayr
    Ayrshire
    Baird
    Banffshire
    Baptisms
    Barclay
    Barony
    Birse
    Birth Records
    Board Of Supervision
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Borders
    Brewing
    Brick Walls
    Broughton History Society
    Burials
    Cairney
    Cambuskenneth
    Campbell
    Canada
    Candlemas
    Carlops
    Carriden
    Carrington
    Castles
    Cellardyke
    Celtic
    Census
    China
    Cholera
    Church Discipline
    Church History
    Church Records
    Clan Chattan
    Clydeside
    Clyne
    Coal Mining
    Coldstream
    Colinton
    Communion Rolls
    Convicts
    Costume History
    Counties
    Coupar Angus
    Crail
    Crime
    Cumbernauld
    Cupar
    Dalmeny
    Death
    Deskford
    Diaspora
    Dirleton
    Dna
    Douglas
    Drummond
    Drumoak
    Drymen
    Dumbarton
    Dumfries
    Dumfriesshire
    Dunbartonshire
    Dundee
    Dundonald
    Dunnichen
    Earl Of Mar
    East Lothian
    Edinburgh
    Education
    Elgin
    Ellon
    Elsie Inglis
    Emigration
    Erskine
    Events
    Falkirk
    Falkland
    Family History Tips
    Familysearch
    Fife
    Find The Father
    Finlaggan
    Fintry
    Fishing
    Fishtown Of Usan
    Flemish
    Florence Nightingale
    Fochabers
    Forbes
    Forgue
    Fornication
    Forth Road Bridge
    Fossoway
    Fraser
    Free Church Of Scotland
    Free Historical Records
    Gaelic
    Genealogy
    Genetic Genealogy
    Geography
    Glasgow
    Golf
    Gordon
    Graham
    Grant
    Graveyards
    Guest Post
    Gullane
    Haddington
    Halidon-hill
    Hamilton
    Hawick
    Heads Of Families
    Henrietta Taylor
    Heraldry
    Historic Newspapers
    History
    History Of Medicine
    Home Front
    Illegitimacy
    Inchinnan
    Inverkeilor
    Inverness
    Irvine
    Islay
    Jacobites
    Jamaica
    Jewish
    John Kay
    Kennedy
    Kilmarnock
    Kilrenny
    Kinclaven One Place Study
    Kinross-shire
    Kirkcaldy
    Kirk Session
    Kirriemuir
    Lammas
    Lanark
    Lanarkshire
    Law
    Legal History
    Leith
    Levenhall
    Lindsay
    Lords Of The Isles
    Macdonald
    Macgregor
    Mackenzie
    Maps
    Markinch
    Martinmas
    Mary Queen Of Scots
    McFadden
    Medieval History
    Melrose
    Mercer
    Metalworking
    Military History
    Mills
    Mining
    Moidart
    Montrose
    Morham
    Mortcloths
    Motherwell
    Murder
    Musselburgh
    National Archives Of Scotland
    National Library Of Scotland
    National Records Of Scotland
    Naval History
    Newhailes
    North Berwick
    Old Documents
    Old Machar
    Old Scottish News
    One Name Studies
    Online Genealogy
    Ordnance Survey
    Orkney
    Paisley
    Parishes
    Parochial Board
    Partick
    Peebles
    Perth
    Perthshire
    Photography
    Pictish
    Pirates
    Place Names
    Policing
    Political History
    Poorhouses
    Poor Law
    Poor Rolls
    Pottery
    Poverty
    Prehistory
    Presbytery
    Publications
    Railways
    Rayne
    Register Of Corrected Entries
    Registers
    Renfrewshire
    Robert Burns
    Roll Of Honour
    Ross And Cromarty
    Rowan Tree
    Russia
    Ruthven
    Sabbath Breaking
    Schools
    Scone
    Scotland's People
    Scots Language
    Scott
    Scottish Genealogy Research
    Scottish Parliament
    Seton
    Shakespeare
    Sheriff Courts
    Skibo
    Slavery
    Speyside
    St Andrews
    Statutes
    Stewart
    Stirling
    Stirlingshire
    Suffragettes
    Surnames
    Sutherland
    Talks
    Temperance
    Textiles
    The Disruption
    Thornhill
    Today In Scottish History
    Tourism
    Towns
    Tranent
    Transportation
    Transport History
    United Presbyterian Church
    United Secession Church
    United States Of America
    Universities
    Veto Act
    Walter Scott
    War Memorials
    Wars Of Independence
    Waterloo
    WDYTYA
    West Linton
    West Lothian
    Whaling
    Whitelaw
    Whitsun
    Whittingehame
    Witchcraft
    Witches
    Women
    World War I
    WWI

    RSS Feed

Picture
Home
About Old Scottish
Order Online
Contact Us
Terms
Copyright
Privacy







Data Protection Register Registration Number: ZA018996
  • Home
  • Records
    • Board of Supervision
    • Fathers Found
    • Asylum Patients
    • Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees
    • Sheriff Court Extract Decrees
    • School Leaving Certificates
    • Crown Counsel Procedure Books
    • Registers of Deeds
    • General Register of the Poor
    • Registers of Sudden Deaths
    • Anatomy Registers
  • Resources
    • Scottish Genealogy Sources
    • KINCLAVEN One Place Study >
      • Kinclaven 1911 census
      • Kinclaven Parish Church Books
      • Kinclaven Communion Roll 1880-1894
    • Archives in Scotland map
    • Scottish surnames >
      • Surnames-A
      • Surnames-B
      • Surnames-C
      • Surnames-D
      • Surnames-E
      • Surnames-F
      • Surnames-G
      • Surnames-H
      • Surnames-I
      • Surnames-J
      • Surnames-K
      • Surnames-L
      • Surnames-M
      • Surnames-N
      • Surnames-O
      • Surnames-P
      • Surnames-Q
      • Surnames-R
      • Surnames-S
      • Surnames-T
      • Surnames-U
      • Surnames-V
      • Surnames-W
      • Surnames-Y
      • Surnames-Z
    • Statutes
    • Auchterarder in WWI
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Managed Service Customer Login
    • Tourism Partners Login
  • Shop