Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Researching British Isles Roots: Civil Registration - Part 2 (Scotland)

What is Civil Registration?
  • Civil Registration is the process of recording Births, Marriages and Deaths that are created and maintained by government. There records are also known as Vital Records.

When did Civil Registration begin?
  • 1 January 1855

Where can I locate Civil Registration records?
  • Records are available from the Registrars employed by 32 local Councils (local government authorities) who are responsible for recording the Vital Records in registers which are then stored and preserved centrally. 
  • The Registrar General receives copies of all births, marriages and deaths for Scotland, these are then made available to search and purchase at ScotlandsPeople.

What type of certificate do I need?
  • Images of the original registers are available to view and download on ScotlandsPeople for historical records by clicking the 'view' button on the search results page. Historical records are defined as (are at time of this post going to press): Births 1855-1913, Marriages 1855-1938 and Deaths 1855-1963.
  • Certificates will need to be ordered for all records up to 2009. This can be done from ScotlandsPeople by clicking the 'order' button on the search results page.

What information is recorded on Civil Registration Records?
Birth
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Full names of the child
  • Gender
  • Father's name (May be left blank if not married to the mother)
  • Father’s occupation
  • Mother's name
  • Mother’s maiden names
  • Mother's occupation (1855-1998 usually if unmarried or no father listed, 1999 onwards)
  • Parents marriage date and place (1855, 1861 onwards)
  • Informants signature
  • Informants  description
  • Informants  address
  • Date of registration
  • Registrars signature

Marriage
  • Date of Marriage
  • Location of Marriage
  • How married (Established Church, licence,)
  • Groom's name
  • Groom's age (1855-1871)
  • Groom's Date and Place of Birth (1872 onwards)
  • Groom's condition (bachelor, widower, divorcee)
  • Groom's occupation
  • Groom's usual residence
  • Groom's Parents names
  • Groom's Parents occupations
  • Brides name (including all prior surnames)
  • Brides age (1855-1871)
  • Bride's Date and Place of Birth (1872 onwards)
  • Brides condition (spinster, widow, divorcee)
  • Brides occupation
  • Brides usual residence
  • Brides Parents names
  • Brides Parents occupations
  • Parents alive or deceased
  • Signature of groom
  • Signature of bride
  • Signature of 2 or more witnesses
  • Address of Witnesses (1922 onwards)
  • Signature of officiant

Death
  • Name
  • Age
  • Date of Birth (1966 onwards)
  • Occupation (May include fathers name and occupation for a minor or husbands details for a married/widowed woman)
  • Date, time and place of Death
  • Cause of death
  • Duration of Illness (1855-1964)
  • Usual residence
  • Informants signature, description and address (no address 1966-1971)
  • Parents Names, Occupations and Alive/Deceased
  • Spouse's Names (1855, 1861 onwards. Sometimes 1856-1860)
  • Name of Doctor certifying the death
  • Date and Place of Registration
  • Signature of Registrar

Further Reading and Information

No comments:

Post a Comment