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Archiver > SCT-WIGTOWNSHIRE > 2003-10 > 1065080132


From: Alistair Cameron <>
Subject: [WIG LIST] Scottish churches and vanishing people
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 17:35:32 +1000
References: <000001c388b0$7a1209d0$0100a8c0@acerpc>


Ian Macwhirter wrote:

> In trying to trace early 19th c records of people that do not show at NAS
> Edinburgh, nor at the Ewart Library Dumfries, and assuming the extant OPRs
> do show faithfully that there is no record of that person...
>
> What happens to the recording of deaths should a person have left the Church
> of Scotland in the early 19th c and joined one of the several church
> divisions? Were death recordings ever made? Indeed what if the person simply
> left the church altogether?

Burials' recording pre- 1855 was not limited to Church of Scotland. It was a matter
of how each Congregation was "staffed" with Lay and Ordained officers. Many Ch of
SCT parishes remain unrecorded re pre 1855 burials. And some Non- Conformist
churches did maintain burials records. I doubt there were any "rules" concerning
those who switched churches in those days.

Here are examples of recorded Burials outwith Ch of SCT:

All SCT Quaker 1622- 1890
Aberdeen Episcopal 1818- 1854
Alloa Episcopal 1839- 1854
Annan Episcopal 1845-1854
Auchtergaven Associate Congregation 1806- 1811


Here are examples of Ch of Scotland parishes without recorded Burials:

Abbotrule
Abbotshall
Abernethy
Acharacle
Alness
Alvah
Alvie

In those difficult times, life expectancy was much shorter, infant deaths
commonplace, and Death not such a "big issue" in the formal sense. The burial event
was important, as indeed were all Church events but the recording of vital info at
times of poor literacy and heavily burdened Church officers, didn't rate as highly
as other needs such as pastoral care.


Cheers,

ALISTAIR M. CAMERON A.A.G.R.A.

Professional Genealogist http://quozl.netrek.org/cameron-research/

PO Box 215 BUNDANOON NSW 2578 AUSTRALIA




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