A pivotal moment in the history of the Church of Scotland, when it defied King Charles I, is now accessible online through the ScotlandsPeople website. This event is part of a major release of nearly 4,000 volumes of church court records, made available by the National Records of Scotland (NRS).
The newly added documents include the minutes from the General Assembly meeting held in Glasgow in November 1638. During this assembly, delegates from across Scotland rejected the King’s imposed rules for worship, marking a crucial turning point in Scottish history. The defiance against the monarch led to the removal of bishops and the new common prayer book he had introduced, setting the stage for the Covenanters’ movement and resulting in 50 years of conflict and upheaval.
Jessica Evershed, an archivist at NRS, remarked,
The 1638 meeting of the General Assembly is a turning point in Scottish history. It sees the ministers disobey the King to remove the bishops and the new common prayer book he had introduced. As part of the wider Covenanters’ movement, this led to 50 years of war and upheaval.
Jessica Evershed, an archivist at NRS
This release is a significant resource for both professional historians and genealogists. The church court records, dating from the 1500s to 1900, encompass approximately 300,000 digitised images of predominantly handwritten documents. These records provide a valuable resource for family history and genealogy research, offering insights into the daily lives and societal norms of past generations.
Church court records are particularly useful for family history research as they contain detailed accounts of parish work, such as grants for the poor, mediation of family disputes, payments for services, and the issuing of punishments for minor offences. These documents provide a unique perspective on community life and the social history of Scotland, allowing researchers to uncover the lived experiences of their ancestors.
Reverend Fiona Smith, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, noted,
I am delighted that National Records of Scotland are making further Church of Scotland records available in a digitised format, providing a unique window into the history of Scotland itself, as well as aspects of daily life in our parishes, unfolding over the course of hundreds of years. We hope it will allow many more people to access these meticulously written documents, which tell the stories of local communities from across Scotland.
Reverend Fiona Smith, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
ScotlandsPeople, managed by the National Records of Scotland, offers access to a broad range of official records, including births, deaths, marriages, and census records from the 16th century to modern times. While modern records are restricted, older records can be searched for free and viewed online for a fee. The church court records are among those available to search and view without charge.
For more information and to explore these historical documents, visit the ScotlandsPeople website.
Image Source:
- Old Scottish Church Rotterdam Picryl: Picryl
