Miscellaneous Manuscript Records

The Miscellaneous Manuscript Records (our reference MR) are mostly pre-1855 birth, death and marriage records held in the custody of the Registrar General for Scotland at New Register House.  The collection includes:

• duplicate, “blotter” or scroll copies of Old Parish Registers (some contain entries that are not in the Old Parish Register)
• Free Church of Scotland, United Presbyterian, Reformed Presbyterian, Secession, Episcopal, Methodist and Quaker registers of births, deaths and marriages
• private records of births, deaths and marriages
• registers of Irregular Border marriages for Springfield Gretna and Lamberton Toll

You can find further details in this pdf copy of our search room guide Miscellaneous Manuscript Records catalogue.

It also provides information about:

• original records that were transferred to the kirk session record series (our reference CH2)
• typed transcripts and photocopies of records transferred to our Reference Library and available in the ScotlandsPeople Centre.

Most of the pre-1855 birth and marriage entries are included in the indexes to the Old Parish Registers which were created when the Old Parish Registers were available on microfilm.  The MR reference is sometimes included as a frame (Fr) reference.  You will find the references below MR entries.

• 82Z - this typed index of births from the register of Jenat Thomson, midwife', Kilmarnock, 1777-1829 was transferred to the Library (our reference MT 003/001-003)
• 168N - scroll proclamation of marriage register for Aberdeen North parish
• 168S - scroll proclamation of marriage register for Aberdeen South parish
• 644H - High Church, Glasgow for 1776-1854
• 685B - St Cuthberts blotter register
• 685C - Canongate
• 685S - St Cuthberts parish
• 685T - Tolbooth Church, Edinburgh

Most of the records are available on microfilm in the ScotlandsPeople Centre.  They are not available online.