Edinburgh Old Kirk Records
Rolls of Male Heads of Families
In 1834, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland passed the Veto Act, removing the absolute right of landowners to appoint ministers to their parish. The Act gave male heads of families who were communicants with the parish the right to veto the appointment of a new minister if a majority of them objected. To this end, the Assembly instructed kirk sessions to draw up rolls of the male heads of families in each parish. We have transcribed the surviving rolls, and are publishing them here. They are significant as they pre-date the earliest nominal census, which took place in 1841.
In 1834, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland passed the Veto Act, removing the absolute right of landowners to appoint ministers to their parish. The Act gave male heads of families who were communicants with the parish the right to veto the appointment of a new minister if a majority of them objected. To this end, the Assembly instructed kirk sessions to draw up rolls of the male heads of families in each parish. We have transcribed the surviving rolls, and are publishing them here. They are significant as they pre-date the earliest nominal census, which took place in 1841.
| Forename | Surname | Occupation | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James | Beattie | 4 Northumberland Place | ||
| Carlyle | Bell | 7 Royal Circus | ||
| George Graham | Bell | 19 Albany Street | ||
| Alexander | Blackwood | 18 Great Stuart Street | ||
| Boyd | 4 St John Street | |||
| William | Brown | 36 Dean Street Stockbridge | ||
| John | Brown | 2 Gayfield Place | ||
| Robert | Bruce | printer | Stevenlaw's Close | |
| William | Crawfurd | 5 Bellevue Crescent | ||
| Peter | Crerar | clerk | 3 Arthur Street | |
| Peter | Campbell | SSC | 40 Broughton Street | |
| Thomas | Clark | engraver | 22 St James Square | |
| J R | Carson | Lauriston | ||
| Charles | Coutts | 8 Middletons Entry | ||
| Andrew | Clason | WS | Queen Street | |
| Albert | Cummings | 25 Haddington Place | ||
| John | De Maria | Advocate | ||
| Alexander | Deuchars | 73 George Street | + beside name | |
| James | Dickson | 2 Salisbury Square | ||
| Robert | Dalrymple | 25 Carrubers Close | ||
| John | Elder | printer | 243 High Street | |
| Alexander | Forbes | teacher of drawing | 10 Nicolson Street | |
| William | Ferguson | 6 Drummond Place | ||
| John | Fairbairn | 1 North St James Street | ||
| Thomas | Grub | George Street | ||
| John | Handyside | 28 London Street | ||
| John | Hogarth | 108 George Street | ||
| William B | Hamilton | Elder Street | ||
| Andrew | Henderson | 18 Dundas Street | ||
| William | Johnston | 41 Lothian Street | ||
| James | Ker | 20 Drummond Place | ||
| James | Keith | clerk | 25 Cumberland Street | |
| William | Kennedy | 20 Minto Street | + next to name | |
| Alexander | Kirkwood | 20 Huntly Street | ||
| John | Lee | 12 Charlotte Square | ||
| David | Lawson | printer | 333 High Street | |
| James | Macknight | 12 London Street | ||
| John | Meek | 8 Athole Place | + next to name | |
| James | Macdonald | 46 West Register Street | ||
| Charles | Macdonald | 1 Newport Street | ||
| Alexander | Miller | 22 West Circus Place | ||
| Alexander | Murray | Hart Street | ||
| William | Murray | bookbinder | Lawn Market | |
| William | Mackintosh | 12 Royal Exchange | Misnumbered 45 in original | |
| Thomas | Murdoch | 8 Greenside Row | ||
| Andrew | Nimmo | 10 Broughton Street | ||
| Alexander | Orr | 8 Howe Street | ||
| James | Patterson | 4 Dalrymple Place | ||
| James | Pringle | preacher | 76 George Street | |
| John | Ruthven | 23 New Street | ||
| William | Ritchie | 15 India Street | ||
| Walter | Richardson | 3 North St James Street | ||
| John | Ross | 4 East Arthur Place | + next to name | |
| Robert | Ross | 31 Clarence Place | ||
| James | Rodgers | 7 Hunter Square | ||
| James | Stillie | bookseller | High Street | |
| Thomas | Spiden | 5 Bedford Street | ||
| Alexander | Steele | Dunbar's Close High Street | ||
| Daniel | Stewart | Strathie's Close High Street | ||
| Henry | Simpson | 45 Frederick Street | ||
| James | Scott | stationer | Bank Street | + next to name |
| William | Tullis | Viewforth | ||
| Malcolm | Turnbull | 22 St John Street | ||
| William | Veitch | teacher | Buccleugh Place | |
| William | Wallace | Lauriston | ||
| Wardlaw | London Street | |||
| George | Wilson | 306 Lawn Market |
