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  1. #1

    Default The Basics - Statutory Records (BMDs etc)

    The Basics,
    What information is available on the Statutory Records?

    BMDs started in 1855 in Scotland and Scots have had the right to see their own information since the times of King James VI. See the Scotlands People thread HERE for information about getting copies of the older records, along with much else. The full index Including recent events) is available online , but modern images are not. If you need them, you need to visit the Scotlands People centre in Edinburgh or order a paper copy from the Scotlands People index. One major advantage of Scottish records is that the maiden names of married women are almost always given.

    The information required for the various certificates varied as officials played with the system. The best ones, in genealogical terms, are the 1855s, when they were starting up, and got a bit carried away. For a couple of years after that, minimal information was required, but then extra questions were added.

    All birth certificates contain the names of the child and both parents (including mother’s maiden name) unless the child was illegitimate, in which case it is unusual for the father’s name to be given. The father’s occupation is given (or the mother’s if she’s the sole parent). The date and place of birth, plus normally the date and place of the parents’ wedding are also there (except for 1856-1860), as is the identity of the person registering the birth.
    1855 certificates also show the dates and places of birth of both parents, the numbers and sex of siblings, and whether alive or dead.

    Marriage certificates will give you the names, ages, marital status, occupations and normal residences of the happy couple, as well as the date, place and denomination of the marriage. Also, the names of all four parents, any occupations, and whether they’re alive, and the names of the witnesses.
    1855 certificates will list any children of previous marriages. 1855-1860 certificates say if the couple are related.

    Death certificates give the name, sex, marital status, age and occupation of the deceased. Also date, time, place and cause of death. The names of parents and whether they’re alive, the name of the informant, and (except 1966-1971) the informant’s residence.
    1855 also gives place of birth, how long they’ve lived where they died, the names and ages of all children age at death if before the death of the parent. 1855-1860 gives the name of the most recently seen Doctor, and the burial place and undertaker’s name.
    The names of any spouses were given in 1855 and from 1861 onwards. They sometimes appear 1856-1860.

    RCE If a record needed amending after an entry was completed, the original could not be changed, the new information was entered in the RCE, and a note made in the margin of the original entry. It could be something as simple as the name of a child, the outcome of a court case (eg divorce) or the outcome of an enquiry (eg after an unexpected death).

    There’s also a category curiously called Minor Records. These are mostly records of events outside Scotland, like the BMDs they have cutoff dates for privacy reasons (B to 1912, M to 1937, D – 1962):
    Births are in the Foreign Returns, Marine Register and Service Returns
    Marriages are in Foreign and Service Returns
    Deaths are in the Air Register, Foreign Returns, Marine Registers, Service Returns and War returns.

    Last point - remember that certificates are only as good as the people giving the information - death certificates get less reliable for every generation that the informant differs from the deceased (husband, son, grandson, etc).For example, one of my multi-greats died in the Dundee Poorhouse, the information was given by the hospital porter who didn't even know the name of George's wife. I only found him because I knew when he was sent from his home in Kirrimuir and a nice man at Dundee Archives could use that to find him in the Poorhouse records. Another of my multi-greats put "was brought to Scotland from Ireland at a young age and has no knowledge of his father" in the space for "father's name" on his marriage cert!
    Last edited by Lesley Robertson; 26-09-2019 at 7:25 PM. Reason: Updated

  2. #2

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    Update: Note that Scotlands People has now added "Civil Partnerships", "Divorces" and "Dissolutions" to their page for "Statutory Registers".

  3. #3

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    Good news for those with post-WW1 Scottish interests. Scotlands People have now released more BMD records.

    See HERE for the press release on their website.

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