Scottish Way of Birth and Death

8/6/2019 Scottish Way of Birth and Death

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450 (Newburgh V1 p_There is also a note in regard to registrations of birtbaptise their children in infancy"


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Torphichen 17th November 1846: The Session tookthe baptism of their infant children in their homes ithe law of the church endures The Session disapprobaptised in this parish except in the church unless tthe inclemency of the weather.


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Q. Why can I not find my relatives death?

A. Maybe the people who buried your rel

673 (Whitburn) V4 p401823 Feb 25th Mortcloth to a stra


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683 (Dalkeith) V12 p1101843 May 8 A child of a travelling Mormon


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Burials and funeral practices

Multi burials are rather comm

is 2

and perhaps if a child is invindelicacy) is to dig the hol

of the

other. If there is considerab

coffin is

broken, it takes a lot of yea

then a simple


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arrive. Ladies brought sandwi

bottle.

(whisky) On entering the home

timeson the entrance mat, always

your hat

in your left hand and shook

son)

with your right. You kept yo

What a


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An English officer once wrote

(I

canna remember at the moment)

than anEnglish wedding."

Here is an example of my Gran

country.

Granda was brought to the mai


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We had been drinking his heal

to

Gairloch, so nobody was in annext day

it was time for the burial, s

our

shoulders at various points a

Granda to

be found We did not learn of t


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Several years ago I began writing m

it, my first thought was to discover

discovered that there were, and areit. The whole subject of Scottish s

surrounded by complications. Alth

continued to study the etymology o

genealogical research to develop m


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Irregular Marriage

For more than half a century a steacouples found to be irregularly mar

more than any other place in Scotla

Leith and South Leith with a partic

sufficient for a couple to declare be

husband and wife for the marriage


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other than the parish minister, shou

population of Leith was increasing

impossible for the elders to be awatheir predecessors had known the d

Clandestine marriage was generall

parents sought the privilege of bap

confessed their fault, and were, 'reb


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different parts of the country, and s

affinity, could nevertheless have th

Calder (or its variant, Caddell) mayCalder in West Lothian, Calder (or

in Nairnshire, or Calder in Caithne

relationship among the many famil

in at least a dozen different areas.


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the deevil for dinna ye speer for t

Translation:

"Could you tell me where Alexan

"Which Alexander White?"

"Big Alexander White."

"Which big Alexander White?"


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patronymic became the final surna

the decision been taken a generatio

have been Johnson, not Robertson.

The above example shows the dang

patronymic form as guides to remo

probably descended from half-a-do

parts of the country at different tim


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difficult to say which, if any, of the

a man had a name of patronymic fo

Pottar, it is difficult to tell which ino more than the name of his actua

and Matthew Paterson or Litstar, w

dyer) is the surname. In the case o

Andrew Wilson, the name Wilson

surnames originating from a place-


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all Stewarts were related to a Stew

descended from the stewards of thi

Name changes sometimes occurred

property. Sometimes charters even

certain name. For similar reasons,

names. In any of such cases, the su


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had a certain influence in stabilizin

establishment of the Register of Sa

Variation of names further declinedbaptisms, marriages and burials, pr

outlandish. In the Highlands, many

lost because ministers had difficult

them. They substituted names whic

Variations that survived into the ni


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Black, George F. The Surnames oHistory. New York: Publishing Cen

Jamieson, John. "A dissertation on

Jamieson's dictionary of the Scottis

1867.


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Scottish Naming Patterns

There are several patterns for the nfamily historians as having been pr

early 19th century onwards. The p

Ireland, the English Borders and el

corner.


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Scotland sects to give their children

briefly fashionable in Victorian Bri

SCOTTISH NAMING PATTERN

Most often used pattern for given n


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families that only partly used the co

didn't.

Another commonly used naming co

from the early 1800's onwards, of u

grandmother's maiden names as a m

a maternal grandparent of the paren

person in question died a short tim


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CH2/283/6/127

Newton Church 16th

Oct 1831: The

Clerk. Vacated by the death of the

appoint Mr Robert Meikle to that o

Schoolmaster to enjoy the salary an

every registration of a birth and ba

For every order to break ground in

Fro every Proclamation of Banns (i

THE SCOTTISH WA


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THE SCOTTISH WA

From the Records o


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From the Records o

Scotla

A Project by the Cen

Introduction
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/historymedicine/#d.en.47273http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/historymedicine/#d.en.47273http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/


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Introduction

Scotland did not have a law requiring registra

years later than England. Official recording o

The Old Parish Registers

Previously, the only records of these events w

proclamation of the banns of marriage, and b

University of Glasgow :: Scottish Way of Birth and Death :: Introduc


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y g y

marriages and deaths. It was also possible for

died before baptism, or if a burial took place w

about pre-1855 vital events can be found in th

there was often a fee for entering an event in t

registration.

The old parish registers were not always well

that survived did not include the whole popul

Uist reported that:

University of Glasgow :: Scottish Way of Birth and Death :: Introduc


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y g y

of session) had a useful income from fees for

the nature of Scottish local government. Afte

unions for administering the relief of the poor

clerk who could usefully double as a local reg

remained split into over 1,000 parishes, althou

parishes, some very poor, feared the possiblemost interested in reforming Scottish registrat

marriage at the same time (for a discussion o

the Church of Scotland. An obvious comprom

registrars but this was equally bitterly oppose University of Glasgow :: Scottish Way of Birth and Death :: Introduc


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Additional Registers

Register of Corrected Entries

As well as the new civil registers of births, deprovided for a Register of Corrected Entries t

birth, death or marriage registration was foun

from the original informant and any other peo

correct details of the event in question to be e

Leading Actors


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Leading Actors

The coming of registration, and the opening o

created a number ofjob opportunities, both

University of Glasgow :: Scottish Way of Birth and Death :: Leading


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General was supported by a small group ofas

registration through a team ofregistration ex

the kind already being employed in Britain to

institutions. All these officials were paid for

expenses had to be approved by the Treasury

officials part-time so that they could combine

The office staffwere poorly paid, and there a

complaining of their poverty and begging for

k f ffi b t i l k d l
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/examiners/#d.en.80937http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/examiners/#d.en.80937


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Birth


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Illegitimate births were very common in certa


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Illegitimate births were very common in certa

particularly in the North East and the South

problem, in spite of lectures from their parish

regarded as more shameful, and couples woul

relationship. The Registrar General often wro

couples who claimed to be married when they

marriage certificate. The most common caseswho then entered into a new and stable relatio

and expensive, and couples would pass thems

wedding ceremony, to preserve their reputatio

legitimate was more difficult though as the o


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If the registrar had any doubts about the sex o

inspection!

Although registrars were supposed to pursue

were not satisfied that all the registrars were d

1855. The examiner complained that the regi

'discovers the births &c. in the News

his business; nor does he trouble him

rather than the institution's name, as the place


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rather than the institution s name, as the place

Marriage
http://www.gla.ac.uk/foi/http://www.gla.ac.uk/legal/disclaimer/http://www.gla.ac.uk/about/accessibility/http://www.gla.ac.uk/http://www.gla.ac.uk/searchhttp://-/?-


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Marriage

The Law


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2. A promise of marriage, followed by a sex


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p g , y

had to be backed up by some kind of proof, su

before witnesses.

3. Marriages 'by habit and repute' were also l

husband and wife, even if no formal declarati

Irregular marriages were frowned on by law afined, but they had the same inheritance right

legitimate. Although the Church of Scotland

because it feared that if the law did not recogn

i ' Th t b li d t t t

Gretna Green: A National Ob


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Gretna Green: A National Ob

In 1753, Hardwicke's Marriage Act banned ir

irregular, though legal, marriage could be con

residence requirements. Nor was parental con

were legal for girls as young as 12, and boys a

was raised to 16. English couples wishing to

of the border. The blacksmith's anvil at Gretn

marriages, but there were several 'marriage ho

as Berwick on Tweed and Lamberton.

(Image: Berwick 'Marriage House', courtesy of the University of St An
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/specialcollections/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/specialcollections/


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(Image: Berwick Marriage House , courtesy of the University of St An

The English seem to have been more obsessed

Scots. A summary of the annual report of the

Times, often with comments about the peculia

staple of English fiction, though fans ofPride

were to find that their flighty daughter Lydia him in London. Wilkie Collins frequently use

sensational novels. Man and Wife (1870) hin

when a blameless couple briefly pretended to

i ht i S tti h i I f t h b i
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/specialcollections/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/specialcollections/


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calling upon the Free Church Minist


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g pbe insulted.'

Similar complaints were still being made at th

The early examiners were very interested in th

feature in this. Social customs in Banff cause

'The proportion [of marriages] in th

owing to the habit of the fishing pop

Death
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/examiners/#d.en.80937http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/examiners/#d.en.80937


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Death


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Death

any other aspect of their duties. The old paris

death; but many recorded only the burials of p

Act was passed, this system was felt to be mo


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p yAlthough there were immensely strong social

poor families, and particularly unmarried mot

without ceremony. No clergyman or underta

This gave rise to much anxiety about the poss

reported to the registrar, the English law did n

though all recognized medical men were givethe free services of a Poor Law doctor, and it

certificates; but very young children, and old

Th S tti h R i t ti A t t i d t id th

or even checking that the person was actually


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g p yprofession, who were not paid for issuing dea

a person they had not seen for some months.

After that, a doctor was fined only if he refuse

Few doctors were ever penalized in this fashio

interest in maintaining accurate death statist

more care over death registration. Nevertheletowards more accurate death reporting, and th

compulsory measures for reporting a death.

B th d f th t d th di

Divorce


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DivorceDivorce, which now features prominently in t

Registrars General of Scotland before the Sec

had to keep a record of divorces, which were

discussed in the annual reports of the Registra

why this was so. In the decade between 1855

number of divorces in Scotland each year was

of 222 per year, a more rapid rise than could b

small figure that the Registrar General did no
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/registrarsgeneral/#d.en.80934http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/registrarsgeneral/#d.en.80934


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g g

During the First World War and immediatel

in the preceding decade (an average of 458 di

immediately after the war. It remained fairly

1930s, and in 1942 the figure was over 1000 f

provided the divorce figures in his reports.

Although Scottish divorce law was apparently

social classes, than the law of England, in pra

reasons The Church of Scotland had since t

could do about it, and he would have to regist


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g

When discussing the forthcoming census of 1

'marital status' section should include divorce

states were single, married, or widowed. The

think that such an addition was necessary. He

truth, because of the social stigma, and that inpeople would not reveal anything about the m

separated and living with new partners. Divo

divorce figures were rising.

The Census


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The Census

A census of the British population, providing

and child in the country on a specified evenin

for 1941 when wartime conditions made it im

for England oversaw arrangements for taking

General Register Office to assume this role, athe problems encountered by the GROS staff

General for Scotland, William Pitt Dundas, ha

slow to commence preparations, only just m
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/registrarsgeneral/#d.en.80934http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/scottishwayofbirthanddeath/leadingactors/registrarsgeneral/#d.en.80934


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distributed to remote areas of the country in ti

participate in the census (and those who did w

enumerators appointed to distribute and collec

difficulties, such as householders' illiteracy

only challenges with which Pitt Dundas and h

On top of his regular duties, Stark was taskedcensus report for submission to Parliament. A

staff in the Statistical Branch of the GROS co

Dundas initially received Treasury permission

i l di j i l k i l k d t

But it proved very difficult to recruit enumera


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But it proved very difficult to recruit enumera

educated men were often in short supply. The

enumerators had earned at the previous censu

job. As a result, Pitt Dundas was deluged wit

struggling to secure good candidates. Severa

forced to recruit men from outside their own p

themselves to make up the numbers. Althoug

eventually secured, they were ofvarying abil

accountants and surveyors in Perth, to fish cu

makes no mention of problems in procuring s

Dundas that:


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'at this season, most of the children w

labours of the field. In the five scho

6th April. How is this to be met? W

of Scholars who have attended Scho

in the Schedule?'

The Registrar General's Secretary, George Se

attended school during the week preceding 7

Doubts about what constituted a room promp? h b i ki h d i


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count? What about pantries, kitchens and sim

sitting? And did an apartment require a firepl

questions were no, yes, and no respectively.

characteristic 'but and ben' cottage, with one

other the husband's workshop, should be ente

told to consider these as having only one roomof trade; but registrars who did not write to th

reached the opposite conclusion and advised t

windowed rooms. Despite the confusion, the

ll th i t N d th th t h

Omissions From the Census


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Omissions From the Census

Particularly in the large cities ofDundee, Gla

ofomitting households from the census retur

any such omissions, these sometimes went un

they had been left out. The GlasgowHeraldenquiring:

'whether . . . the officials employed i

As we would expect, the information requesteh d ith h i 1921 f


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changed with each census - in 1921, for exam

'Divorced' for the first time. Each successive

the GROS, such as the use ofHollerith mach

(

Central Library.)

When the 1911 census was being taken, suffr

that since they were not recognized as citizen

Health and Disease
http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/centlib/http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/centlib/


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Health and Disease

Although legal considerations were probably

Registration Act of 1854, the importance of v

appreciated. There was a growing 'statistical

the Belgian Alphonse Quetelet argued that ac

the state. Medical men were amongst the warthat Scotland was disadvantaged because it ha

recording vital statistics.

In the years leading up to the Scottish Registr


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Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh,

University of Edinburgh, made it clear that th

deaths in the statistical returns of the Registra

been pushing vigorously for Scottish registrat

English model. In 1847 they passed a resolut

'That it is the opinion of this College

the forms now in use under the auth

necessarily be fallacious - and that b

account of his view that climatic conditions iVery roughly the Farr view might be said to c


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Very roughly, the Farr view might be said to c

standards of living and the rigours of the Sco

the relation of micro-organisms to disease, bo

not, in fact, mutually exclusive, but the debate

quite cantankerous.

Stark, influenced by Professor Alison, believe

very accurate about causes of death until all d

registration began, this looked unlikely becau

f ll ill d th l h t f d t


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arguing that Highland crofters lived in overc

Vaccination


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VaccinationVaccination against smallpox was one of the

from Edward Jenner's experiments in 1796. V

epidemics of this dangerous and disfiguring d

that vaccination was well advertised and easil

effective and safe. Although many people waepidemic threatened, the poor had to rely on c

authorities, to provide a vaccination service.

English Poor Law in 1834, followed by the Rvaccination service and in 1840 the first Va


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vaccination service, and in 1840 the first Va

up public vaccination services, usually throug

service became free.

Vaccination was not compulsory in England

registrars of births, marriages and deaths. Th

newly born children, who had to return them

indicate a successful vaccination, or face a fin

to force guardians to provide adequate service

and in particular to make guardians prosecut

Scottish registrars seem to have been diligentvaccinated and the number of prosecutions w


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vaccinated, and the number of prosecutions w

schoolmasters, they were probably well aware

good position to put pressure on parents. The

and doctors, and on one occasion the Registra

over a vaccination certificate until the parents

doctors who allowed vaccination to be done b

travelling expenses.

Even though the service was not free for ever

willingly though as usual there were great di

to object in their own right.


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Compulsory vaccination for smallpox was dis

finally relieved of their duty to log successful

small outbreak in Glasgow in 1950, but in 197

smallpox virus had been eradicated globally.

War and National Reg
http://www.gla.ac.uk/http://www.gla.ac.uk/searchhttp://-/?-


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War and National RegDuring the First World War, the activities of t

was drawn into the war effort, particularly aft

1915. This Act required a Register of every a

vague about how it would be set up and main

England, devised a complicated system for a August 1915, everyone within the specified a

nationality, marital status and employment de

filed first by occupational group, and then alpScotland where the Registrar General set up h


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Scotland, where the Registrar General set up h

Edinburgh, and were organised alphabetically

the General Register Office in London and its

Mallet's system shows more clearly why the R

increasingly obvious during the autumn of 19Parliament as a way of dealing with the labou

workers after the rush of volunteers to the Fro

'shirkers' and 'slackers' who were not doing

i t d d t i t i ffi i t d l t f l

'. . . human tendency is not to minim


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y

There may have been some national feeling b

involved with recruitment. Scots were alread

and Scotland produced a substantial amount o

agriculture. The first rush of volunteers to en

economy. A rather jaundiced note in the GRO

'thoroughly skinned' by the recruiting officers

E t W k f R i t

the Scottish coast. This was not always possithat on the small island of Colonsay with its g


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that on the small island of Colonsay, with its g

The Records
http://www.gla.ac.uk/http://www.gla.ac.uk/searchhttp://-/?-


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The Records


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Family History

Scotland. A list of the documents in this seriesubjects in the series particularly for the twen


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subjects in the series, particularly for the twen

specific tasks of the Registrar General, such a

(Image: Haymaking, from the James Paterson Collec

Although the GRO series contains the most d

National Archives for Scotland, for example,

the Registrar General's correspondence. Sinc

their personal views in an uninhibited way. Tbehaviour not only of local registrars, but of w
http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/collection/paterson.htmlhttp://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/collection/paterson.html


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behaviour not only of local registrars, but of w

Here is a sample of an examiner's view of cer

'I have often been struck, while exam

Coast, with the names of the fisherminhabitants of Avoch are distinguish

exists in such places as Nairn, Crom

their avocation leads them, they inva

letters too are a valuable historical source.


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GRO5

The Registrar General's correspondence for th

by subjects that can be easily identified in the

A number of these files are closed for 100 yea

Published Material

Detailed Research


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Detailed ResearchThe authors of this website have produced mo

registration in Scotland, and this page offers c

added to from time to time. To access these p

1. For a full report of papers delivered at a syScotland and England, see

'Birth pains and death throes: the creation of v

supported by the Wellcome Trust, arising fromthe History of Medicine, University of Glasgo
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/historymedicine/conferencesandpublications/http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/historymedicine/conferencesandpublications/


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y , y g

2. On the old parish registers

Cameron, A., 'The fate of the old parish regis

14 (2008). This is a pdf file of the unedited ty

3. On the making of the Registration Act o

1939
http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_118244_en.pdfhttp://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_118244_en.pdf


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An index to the textual section of the annual r

project. It may be of assistance to those cons

for download in a zipped MS ACCESS file he

explaining the construction and use of the dat

open it with a zip programme, such as the free

database

Further Reading
http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_82638_en.ziphttp://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_82638_en.zip


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Further ReadingGeneral Surveys

There are two excellent introductory guides to

For Scotland:

Cecil Sinclair,Jock Tamson's Bairns: A Histo

For England:


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Edward Higgs,Life, Death and Statistics: Civ

Register Office, 1836-1952 (Hatfield, 2004).

Costs 12.50 if ordered direct from Local Pop

For those requiring a more detailed list of wor

issues for Scotland and England, a pdf. file is

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Scottish Way of Birth and Death

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