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Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire was bounded by Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus to the
south and the North Sea to the east. Parts of southern Aberdeen fell within
the county, which was referred to, locally, as The Mearns. The main
industries were agriculture and fishing. The county town was Stonehaven. It
now forms part of Aberdeenshire Council.
Clan and Family Heartlands
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area
they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived
together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to
clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those
of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family
historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it
can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Fraser: Hence Fraserburgh, founded by the Frasers of Lovat
Gordon: Centred on Strathbogie; many neighbouring clans
were absorbed by Clan Gordon.
Parishes
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not
only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of
marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most
social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a
definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided,
been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is
based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New
Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Arbuthnott,
Banchory-Devenick,
Banchory-Ternan,
Benholme (Benholm),
Bervie,
Dunnottar,
Durris,
Fettercairn,
Fetteresso,
Fordoun,
Garvock,
Glenbervie,
Kinneff (and
Catterline),
Laurencekirk,
Maryculter,
Marykirk,
Nigg,
St
Cyrus,
Strachan
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative
name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be
found in the Old (1791-9) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of
Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm
is the individual views of the minister, which can include some
fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment,
landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the
parishioners.
Local Studies Libraries
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
Local Studies Collection
Aberdeenshire Library and Information Service
Meldrum Meg Way
Meadows Industrial Estate
Oldmeldrum
AB51 0GN
Tel: +44 1651 871219
Fax: +44 1651 872142
E-mail:
ALIS@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Fri, 09:00 - 17:00 & Sat 09:30 - 16:00
By appointment only.
Scope includes Kincardineshire as well as Aberdeenshire. The newspaper
collection includes the Stonehaven Journal and Kincardineshire Advertiser
(1848-to date).
Local Archives Centres
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
Aberdeenshire Council Archives
Old Aberdeen House
Dunbar Street
Aberdeen AB24 3UJ
Tel: +44 1224 481775
Fax: +44 1224 495830
E-mail:
archives@legal.aberdeen.net.uk
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Wed 09:30-1300 & 14:00-16:30
By appointment only
Additional material includes some poor relief records.
Museums and Heritage Centres
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no
surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and
heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned
collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small
centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The
following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of
them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Banchory Museum
Bridge Street
Banchory
AB31 5SX
Tel: +44 1771 622906
Fax: +44 1771 622884
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/museums/banchory.asp
Open: May-September, Mon-Sat 1100-1300; 1400-1630; July & August
Mon-Sun 1400-1630
Additional Opening: April, Sat only 11:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 16:30.
Easter weekend (phone to confirm times)
Local history and a special feature on the composer and fiddler Scott
Skinner. Includes 19th century tartans.
Tolbooth Museum
The Harbour
Stonehaven
Tel: +44 1771 622906
Fax: +44 1771 622884
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/museums/tolbooth.asp
Open: May-October, Wed-Mon 1330-1430.
Housed in Stonehaven's oldest building, which served as the County Tolbooth
of Kincardineshire from 1600-1767, this museum illustrates local history
and links with the sea.
Family History Society
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most
maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the
discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in
your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Aberdeen & NE Family History Society
The Family History Shop
164 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5BD
Tel: +44 1224 646323
Fax: +44 1224 639096
E-mail:
enquiries@anesfhs.org.uk
www.anesfhs.org.uk
Open: Mon-Fri 10:00 - 16:00, Tue-Fri 19:00 - 20:00 & Sat 09:00-13:00
The largest family history society in Scotland. Quarterly journal. Over
60,000 names in index of Monumental Inscriptions in about 50 cemeteries.
Members e-mail discussion facility.
Burial Information
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Grounds Maintenance Office
Aberdeenshire Council
1 Church Street
Macduff
AB44 1UR
Tel: +44 1261 813 390
Fax: +44 1261 833 646
Burial ground information is, for the most part, held by the Council Registers who undertake searches for a fee - generally £5 per hour. Precise details of the death are essential. The above office should be contacted to discover the contact details of the relevant Register.
