Parish Registers

Linlithgow church [Baronial and ecclesiastical
antiquities of Scotland; Plate 53]

When searching for births, marriages and deaths prior to 1855, you will need to consult church registers where baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded. Of course, these events continued to be recorded by the church after 1855, so do not discount parish registers as an additional source after this date.

To use parish registers you will need to have some idea of where in Scotland your ancestor was living. The following books are an invaluable source of information about the location and extent of parish registers in Scotland.

The Phillimore atlas and index of parish registers
The parishes, registers & registrars of Scotland

Genuki Scotland
The Genuki website also has useful information about parish registers for most counties.

Scotland's People
The Scotland's People website includes many parish registers as well as civil registration documents. There is a fee for downloading information from this site.

FamilySearch
One of the most important sources for parish registers is the extensive collection of microfilmed material available from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Some of this material has been indexed on their website.
You may also like to check the International Genealogical Index (IGI) which is available on the old FamilySearch website. However, even if you find the entry you want in the IGI, you should always consult the microfilm of the original document which often has additional information. Microfilms can be ordered for a small fee from any of the FamilySearch Centres located around the world. Check the Library Catalogue to see what is available and obtain the relevant microfilm number for ordering.

British Isles Vital Record Index
This index covers England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and has over 10 million birth and christening records and nearly 2 million marriage records for the following periods:

Baptisms 1530-1906
Marriages 1538-1940

FreeReg
This website has transcriptions of baptisms, marriages and burials transcribed by volunteers. Select 'Counties and Parishes' to see which areas have been included so far.

Ancestry library edition - available in the State Library building and in most public libraries in Western Australia
There are some parish registers for Scotland available on Ancestry.

Scottish Parish Records
Some parish records are available in a series of CD-ROMs which are held in the Genealogy Centre on the 1st floor:
Scotland North
Scotland South
West Lothian, Midlothian
Scotland General

Other parish records available at the State Library

Many parish records have been published and are available at the Library either as books or on microfilm, microfiche or CD-ROM. To explore what we have, try searching our catalogue under keyword using the name of the parish or geographic area +

church records and registers
registers of births etc.
marriage records
cemeteries
epitaphs
inscriptions
sepulchral monuments

Page last updated: Friday 16 March 2012

Parish Registers

Other parish records available at the State Library

Births, Marriages & Deaths