Statutory records

Statutory recording began in 1855 (1837 in England) but Scottish records give good information e.g. both parents’ names.

In 2018, you can view on scotlandspeople.gov.uk the images of
births from 1855 - 1917   (100 year cut off)
marriages from 1855 - 1942  (75 year cut off)
deaths from 1855 - 1967 (50 year cut off)

For records after these cut off points, you can view them by going in person to the Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock or the Mitchell Library in Glasgow or the Scotlandspeople Centre in Edinburgh. (Please phone ahead to book and check opening times.) You won’t be able to print them, but you can make notes. You can also order a copy online at £12 each.

Births will give parents’ names and the date of the parents’ marriage.
Illegitimate births may only give the mother’s name but in some cases the father will sign the certificate as well as the mother.

Marriages will give the type - i.e. what denomination of church, or by declaration, names, ages, whether single/married/widowed, occupation of the man at least, addresses, names of parents, names of witnesses, clergyman and date registered. Note that previously marriages in Scotland usually took place in the bride’s home or in the manse rather than in church.

Deaths will give name, age, name of spouse, occupation, time and place of death, name of parents, cause of death and the name of the informant, relation to the dead person and address.

1855 was the first year of statutory registration and BDM records in that year give more information than later records e.g. all children are listed on a Death Certificate, birthplace of parents on a Birth Certificate. Worth getting for the extra information.

RCE Register of Corrected Entries - a note in the margin of a statutory record notes an RCE. Most commonly associated with a sudden death - the result of coroner’s report. Could also be a note of a bigamous marriage or a change of name on a birth certificate. An RCE costs an extra 2 credits