ABERDEEN-L Archives

Archiver > ABERDEEN > 2005-08 > 1123102210


From: "Ray Hennessy" <>
Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Kirk session records
Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2005 21:50:10 +0100
References: <128.6216d14f.3022756c@aol.com>


Cathy wrote:


> Is "Kirk Session Records" another way of saying Old Parish Records,
> or are
> the two completely different. Thankyou Cathy

Totally different, Cathy.

OPRs: The Old Parish/Parochial Register/Records [take your pick] record
the births, marriages and, sometimes, deaths in the parish. The Church
of Scotland Minister was charged with recording all such events, even if
they were in another church or even without the church entirely. Of
course people didn't always comply and some went out of their way to
avoid registration. The OPRs were often written up very much later
than the even, either from the Minister's notes or scribbles. The
record may have been written by the Parish Clerk or by the Minister,
with all of the mistakes that can introduce.

The Kirk Session was the meeting of the Kirk Elders [equivalent to the
CofE Parochial Parish Council]. They dealt with a number of parish
matters, e.g. accounts of the Kirk, administration of funds for the poor
and, most of all, moral matters. The Minutes were written up by the
designated Parish Clerk - often the Dominie - and checked by the Elders.

The KS minutes seem to deal mostly with matters of sexual mores. Those
who indulged in fornication [extra-marital sex] or pre-nuptial sex
[while anticipating marriage] would be called to the Kirk Session and
made to answer for their sins. A pregnant woman might appear
["compear"] and accuse some man of fathering her unborn child when he
may be summoned to answer the charge.

For those adjudged guilty. there were a number of fines [e,g, forfeit of
marriage pledges - lodged when banns were being called] and various
levels of penance required. There was a "cutty stool" - a high backed
chair with very short legs - which the penitent was required to sit on
at Sunday Service for a number of weeks to apologise for their sin. We
know of one situation where there were five or six accused who were
required to make this penance but the KS record didn't detail how this
was managed! One case was of a woman being fined £10 Scottish [about £1
sterling] while the man was fined £100 Scots. Apparently this wasn't
his first offence!

The KS minutes often reveal real social engineering - e.g. a child of a
pauper forced onto a local farmer's wife who tried to give the child
back to the mother but was prevented by bailiffs, the Kirk officials
having refused to snatch the baby back; a Dominie [teacher] charged with
various improprieties who the congregation wanted rid of and how he
resisted. Being a member of the Elders he used his influence and rent
the whole community asunder.

Of course the KS record will often show members of your family doing
naughties. In our case a woman who had three boys before marriage [2
fathers] asked for redemption but was made to wait two years
[complication of being a member of the Free Church]. After her father
died [she was 40-ish by now] she married a neighbouring widower and was
then admitted into the Kirk with a glowing reference from the Minister.
She had no more children and went on to become the guardian of the
families morals [poacher turned gamekeeper!].

This level of detail can't be found in the OPRs. In fact often the lack
of detail in the OPR is extremely frustrating, but that's the challenge

Good hunting

Ray Hennessy
www.whatsinaname.net

PS As a Sassenach I may have got some of this wrong but the examples are
dead right! Someone else may correct any errors in the formal
structures! R

This thread: