Genealogy Chat

Can anyone tell me how you get birth and marriage cetificates before 1850 when they are not on Scotland People to search. I am trying to help someone who lives abroad but many of their BMD's are either 1840's or 1850's and are not on Scotlands People, what do you do?? Sorry waited about an hour, have to go off now but will check thread later, thanks in advance Betty

Registration in Scotland didn't start until 1855. Found this from Google:- ------------------------------------- Births, deaths and marriages before 1855 If you have been lucky enough to get back beyond the year 1855, and have not come to a dead end during your search of the Scottish statutory registers - which may happen if, for example, your ancestors came to Scotland from Ireland - then the old parish registers (OPRs) may take you further back beyond this date. Many of these registers are available in the GROS, where those that survived were deposited under the Registration Act of 1854 to form a splendid continuity with the statutory registers. The OPRs are the registers of the established Church, the Church of Scotland, which record births and baptisms; proclamations of banns or marriages; and deaths or burials, up to 1854. The parish ministers or session clerks of some 900 parishes kept these registers until their formal transfer to the GROS. The surviving registers number approximately 3,500 but they are far from complete. Though the oldest register relates to baptisms and banns in 1553 for the parish of Errol in Perthshire, for some parishes the earliest registers date from the early 19th century, while for others there may be no registers at all. A lot of parishes do not have any burial or death registers. The standard of record-keeping varied considerably from parish to parish and from year to year, and most entries contain relatively little information by comparison to the statutory registers. You should therefore set out with optimism tinged with realism when tackling the OPRs. Remember also that although registration in the Church of Scotland's registers was in theory compulsory for all denominations, it was both costly and unpopular. Members of other churches, such as the Free Church of Scotland or Roman Catholic Church, may not be recorded, though with luck you may be able to find some. Also, as populations shifted and cities started to develop in the 19th century, religion began to lose its hold, and as few as 30% of events may be recorded for certain urban parishes. ------------------------------- Hope this helps. Kath. x

I sent for 2 certificates from before 1855 on the QPR and all info I got was what is on the board date and who married but after 1855 more info on certificate

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all you replies, I tried th OPR's on Scotlands People but found nothing, just don't know where to look apart from the LDS website, problem is not sure of the brides surname name was. Thanks anyway for your help. Betty