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STATUTORY REGISTERS

Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was first introduced in Scotland on 1st January 1855. Prior to this date, the task of maintaining registers was in the hands of the clergy.

1855 Certificates were very detailed and are a boon to the family historian. In addition to details about the child (date, place and time of birth, full name, sex) and the parents' names (including maiden surname of mother), father's occupation, name of informant and relationship to child, an 1855 birth certificate also contains information on siblings, the ages and birthplaces of both parents, their usual residence and the date and place of their marriage. Such detail proved difficult to sustain and entries were modified from 1856. Information on siblings was removed, as were ages and birthplaces of parents and date and place of parents' marriage. In birth certificates since 1861 however, the date and place of the parents' marriage was reinstated.

Marriage certificates of 1855 record full name, age, marital status, occupation, usual residence, date and place of marriage, name and occupation of father, name and maiden name of mother, and names of witnesses and the officiating clergy. They also include the birthplace and number of former marriages of each spouse (plus the number of children by those marriages). Birthplaces and previous marriage details were dropped after 1855, but the former was restored after 1922.

Death certificates in 1855 show the date and place of death, deceased's name, sex, age and occupation, cause of death, duration of last illness, and details of the informant. In addition, they show time of death, usual residence, the deceased's place of birth, approximate year of birth, the names of the spouse, and any children, parents' names, occupations and whether they were deceased. Up to 1860 the place of burial and the name of the undertaker were also included. As with births and marriages, this amount of detail was difficult to maintain. The deceased's birthplace was removed from 1856, as were the names of any children. The spouse's name was also removed in 1856, but reinstated in 1860. Marital status, which had been included since 1856, was removed in 1860.