Old Parish Registers – Deaths and Burials

It has been estimated that a third of the parishes don’t have any surviving Old Parish Register death and burial records.

This guide covers:

• typical burial and mortcloth entries
• cause of death
• transcription of pre-1553 entries
• other sources of pre-1855 death information

Typical Burial and Mortcloth Entries

Most entries are basic. They either record the person’s name and date of burial (or interment) or date of (or fee paid for) the hiring of the mortcloth which covered the coffin at a funeral.

In this example from the “mortality book” in the Old Parish Register for Shotts (our reference OPR 655/3) there are three different categories of mortcloth – best, second and worst.

This extract is from part one - the best cloth.

The register entries include the date and person’s name (and for some place of residence) irrespective of the category of cloth.

Cause of Death

Sometimes cause of death is recorded. In this example from October 1832 and the Old Parish Register for Glasgow (our reference OPR 644-1/62) the column headed “disease” shows most have died during the cholera epidemic.

A list of medical terms collected from various sources including the Old Parish Registers by the late James T Mearns is published on our website by kind permission of the Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Family History Society. The list was first published in the ‘Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society journal', no 73 (November 1999). There are several blanks where the author was unable to find a satisfactory definition.

For more examples of Old Parish Register death and burial entries please go to our Genealogical Gems page.

Transcription of Pre-1553 Entries

The Old Parish Register for Anstruther Wester (our reference OPR 403/1) contains a transcription of death entries made by the Reverend Hew Scott (folios 134 to 137) and based on his research in the register of testaments for Edinburgh and St Andrews and tomb-stones in the local churchyard. It includes three 1549 entries. Each of the six pages has been signed by William Pitt Dundas, Registrar General.

Other Sources of Pre-1855 Death Information

The ScotlandsPeople Centre's Reference Library holds a collection of monumental inscription publications and transcriptions of burial registers and newspaper obituaries.

Deceased Online is a central database for United Kingdom burials and cremations. It provides access to records and monumental inscriptions from most Scottish local authorities.