Pre-Census

In Scotland we have to wait a further year before filling in the census form. Prior to 1841 when the regular census started information about people had to be gleaned from local contemporary records.

Last week the Church of Scotland released digital copies of over 1 million pages of Kirk Session records from 1559-1900.

Our son who is very into genealogy and has confirmed nearly 11,000 names on the family tree and is regularly cross checking with information h emerges either from records such a Session minutes or from the more recent DNA sampling. The latter can throw up some interesting links or more surprisingly absence of DNA links.

The extract is from Session minutes of 1731. He has helpfully transcribed the text for me. The “McCaddam” referred to is related: names were often transcribed in different forms hence the need to check and cross-refence through birth/ marriage/ death certificates where you can find them.

It states

The Sess[io]n mett at Lag Aprille 14th 1731
[…] find that Thomas McCaddam had cursed John
Carson expressing these words wishing that Gods Crosse
might Light on him in Time and Eternity


As Line of Duty returns, episode 1 did not have Ted Hastings uttering “Mother of God”. I suspect when he does curse he will not be using my distant relative’s phrase.