Kirk Session Digitised Images .....

[DavidWW]

I too struck gold like CatrionaL, in August when I had a quick look at the minutes of the kirk session of Kilchrennan and Dalavich in the computer at NAS. A brick wall of several years standing was demolished in ten minutes of reading. Suffice to say that my gr.gr grandmother claimed that a certain young(ish) man from the next parish was father of her child. He denied it categorically, several witnesses were "compeared" and "interrogated", describing having seen them alone in her father´s house, but did not remember what the pair were doing or saying, and the midwife gave evidence and put the birth about six months too late! After the Presbytery of Lorne got involved, not to mention the sheriff, another young man was "compeared, declared himself the father, and being suitably admonished was absolved according to the usual discipline". Eighteen pages of fascinating minutes, rather difficult to read, but so well worth the effort. Not perhaps for the faint hearted though, the kirk session took their duties very seriously.

Good hunting,

Thrall.

Fascinating, thanks, especially for sharing the experience>

"Compearing" BTW, is the guid auld Scots word for "appearing" before a court, in this case the "court" represented by the Kirk Session.

David

[tishgibbons]

Hi all,

I read somewhere (but can't remember) that the practice of chastising those who had children out of wedlock stopped during the 19th century. How accurate is this and would I, for example, find a record regarding an illegitimate birth in Strathdon in 1868?

Also, were only some parts of the Highlands gaelic speaking and how would I know which parts? Sorry if this sounds obvious but in Ireland, Gaelic is only spoken in some parts and I'm wondering if Scotland was the same. There is no evidence that my ancestor from Strathdon spoke anything other than English.

Tish